Transformation

The next day, in a room on Flower Street.

"Listen up, you lot." Sleeping Kyoshiro wore a cold expression, a faintly sinister smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"Though I don’t know what relationship you have with Miss Komurasaki, if you dare cause trouble on Flower Street, no one will be able to save you!"

Yota had not expected Kyoshiro to be so cautious. Ushimitsu Kozo was clearly Kyoshiro himself, yet he had not let even the slightest hint slip.

But why did he expose Kozuki Hiyori? Even Tama was directly in contact with Kozuki Hiyori. The thought flashed through Yota’s mind. He had actually forgotten a detail from the original story: Kozuki Hiyori had always carried a blood pouch and had long been prepared to fake her death at any time.

This time, Denjiro’s plan was the same. In his eyes, the trio’s assassination plan had little chance of succeeding. When the time came, he would simply draw his sword and pretend to kill Kozuki Hiyori, which would also let her leave this place of trouble.

In truth, if not for raising money to help the civilians of Wano Country, Denjiro would never have wanted Kozuki Hiyori to show her face in public. Yet although she was merely a frail woman, she possessed a resolute nature. He had tried persuading her many times, but it had been useless.

This would conveniently allow Hiyori-sama to escape as well. Actually, it would have been best to have that ninja named Tama use the Transformation Technique to replace Kozuki Hiyori, but Hiyori-sama would never agree to it.

While Denjiro was thinking these scattered thoughts, Yota’s trio had already arrived at Kozuki Hiyori’s room. They had joined as Kozuki Hiyori’s guards.

Kurozumi Orochi seemed quite obsessed with Komurasaki, so he often came here to watch her dance. With the help of Denjiro, the traitor in his ranks, getting Kurozumi Orochi to come here was hardly difficult.

When Yota and the other two entered, they saw Kozuki Hiyori sitting there playing the Shamisen. Several maids stood nearby, including Tama.

"Greetings, righteous heroes." Upon seeing Yota and the others enter, Kozuki Hiyori set down her instrument and gave the three a slight bow. "Thank you for being willing to help Wano Country eliminate Kurozumi Orochi, the true culprit."

"Hahaha, it’s nothing. It’s something I promised Tama long ago." Ace scratched his head and laughed twice.

Yota asked directly, "Enough talk. When is Kurozumi Orochi coming?"

Kozuki Hiyori had not expected Yota to be so blunt. She paused before answering, "Probably in about half an hour."

"Half an hour?" Yota rubbed his chin, then clapped his hands together. "Wood Clone Technique!"

Several Wood Clones grew out of Yota’s body, then each used the Transformation Technique, taking on the forms of Kozuki Hiyori and her maids.

"All right, Miss Komurasaki, you can leave now." Yota waved a hand. "Kyoshiro at the door is one of your people, isn’t he?"

Kozuki Hiyori was still stunned. Hearing Yota’s words, she was startled and instinctively tried to conceal it. "Kyoshiro is Kurozumi Orochi’s confidant…"

"Don’t be silly. With that getup, who could he fool… Well, he can’t fool me, anyway. He tied a piece of cloth under his nose and thought no one would recognize him? Isn’t Ushimitsu Kozo that Kyoshiro?"

Yota had originally wanted to say that no one could possibly be fooled by that disguise, but recalling the Pirate World’s collective face blindness, he swallowed the words.

"What? Ushimitsu Kozo is Kyoshiro?!" Ace and Yamato were shocked. Even Tama wore an astonished expression. Clearly, Kyoshiro had never told Tama his true identity.

Yota’s eye twitched. Good thing I didn’t make such an absolute statement. These people’s face blindness is really serious.

"Think about his eyes. How many people in the entire Flower Capital have eyes as squinty as his?" Yota said to the two with a look of exasperation.

"Is that so…? Now that you mention it, it does seem a little familiar. Hahahaha." Yamato and Ace looked at each other, speaking awkwardly.

Seeing that she had been exposed, Kozuki Hiyori could not help showing a faint bitter smile. "Denjiro had no choice… It was not that he did not trust you all…"

"Don’t worry. I understand his actions perfectly." Yota nodded. "To us, Kurozumi Orochi is simply someone to bring to justice. But to you, he is a mountain weighing on your hearts. Naturally, the importance you place on him is different."

Kozuki Hiyori’s face flushed slightly. "Thank you all for your trust, but I must still say this. Kurozumi Orochi is not easy to deal with now. If things prove impossible, please prioritize preserving your own lives."

Clearly, Kozuki Hiyori did not think highly of their operation either. Her words carried a subtle attempt at persuasion.

Though Yota did not care, he would not directly reject someone else’s good intentions. He nodded and replied, "Don’t worry. Kurozumi Orochi is only relying on the Barrier Fruit of one of his subordinates. Though he has the means to protect himself, he is absolutely no match for us. No matter how bad things get, we can still escape."

In truth, this was also the real reason Kyoshiro had agreed to their plan. No matter what, based on Kyoshiro’s understanding of the three of their strength, even if they could not break the barrier, Kurozumi Orochi would never be able to capture them.

"All right, Miss Komurasaki should leave quickly." After checking the time, Yota said, "Otherwise, it will be too dangerous later."

Although Kozuki Hiyori was Kozuki Oden’s daughter, she did not possess much fighting ability. After all, she had needed to remain hidden on Flower Street to gather intelligence and money, so naturally she had little time to train.

After hearing Yota’s words, Kozuki Hiyori did not hesitate. She knew that staying behind would only make her a burden, so she merely gave a slight bow and said, "May victory be yours, gentlemen."

She then left with her maids.

Tama, however, wore an excited expression and wanted to stay. One of Yota’s Wood Clones grabbed her by the back of the collar and carried her out.

After waiting a while, Kyoshiro entered with a somewhat solemn expression. He swept his gaze over Yota’s Wood Clones, and when he saw how perfectly they portrayed Kozuki Hiyori and her maids, a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes.

Then, in a somewhat low voice, he said, "My apologies for concealing my identity. And I thank you all for allowing Komurasaki to escape danger."

"In roughly ten minutes, Kurozumi Orochi will arrive here. If you feel this is too much, you can actually seek another opportunity. Kurozumi Semimaru does not have many years left. Once he dies, it will also be nearly time for the twenty-year deadline. By then, we will surely have a better chance."

Yota finally understood why these people had always been so pessimistic about his plan. All he could say was that they trusted Lady Toki’s prophecy far too much.