Chapter 398: A Promise of Full Bellies!

The “Headliners” Holdem and his men stationed in Boro Town were completely defenseless against the sudden attack of the Straw Hat crew.

Those Gifters who attempted to use civilians as hostages or tried to launch underhanded counterattacks in the dark didn’t even have time to put their insidious thoughts into practice.

They were instantly cleared out by the three from the Straw Hat Pirates with overwhelming force.

The streets were littered with the defeated remnants of the Beasts Pirates, and a faint smell of burning hung in the air.

The battle ended with astonishing speed.

Luffy stood in the middle of the littered street and waved his hand grandly.

Everyone immediately sprang into action, hauling out the mountainous piles of clean rice, barrels of pure water, and all kinds of fresh vegetables and meat from the warehouses of Boro Town.

They found a huge wooden cart and dressed it up as a “Treasure Ship of Food” laden with hope.

Like returning heroes, the Straw Hat crew drove this treasure ship full of food and clean water, swaggering back to the dilapidated Okobore Town.

When the massive food cart stopped at the entrance of the village, the civilians, who were originally starved to skin and bones, all stood frozen in disbelief.

They couldn’t believe their eyes.

Looking at the white rice and fresh ingredients piled high like a small mountain,

and looking at the clear drinking water reflecting an enticing luster in the sunlight, many even thought it was a hallucination brought on by extreme hunger.

“Everyone! Come and eat!”

“Hehehe!”

Standing high on the food cart with his hands on his hips, Luffy called out cheerfully to the dazed villagers below.

After a brief silence,

“Ohhh—!”

“Thank you, Lord Luffy! Thank you, Master Pirates!”

The civilians of Okobore Town erupted into an earth-shattering cheer.

They swarmed forward, holding their worn, chipped porcelain bowls. Hot tears streaming down their faces, they wolfed down the clean food, stuffing handfuls of it into their mouths.

Even as they choked and rolled their eyes, they refused to stop chewing.

Many even fell to their knees in excitement, having tasted sweet, toxin-free water once again in their lifetimes.

Holding the water bowls in both hands, they wept bitterly toward the sky.

O-Tama held a fragrant apple she had received from the food cart.

Tears pitter-pattered down from her large, watery eyes, splashing onto the rosy skin of the apple.

Luffy leaped lightly down from the food cart and sat cross-legged in front of her.

He reached out, pressed down on the Straw Hat on his head, and gave the thin little girl a smile as warm and bright as the sun:

“Don’t cry, O-Tama.”

“When we beat up that guy Kaido and leave this country,”

“I promise you, I will definitely turn this place into a country where you can eat your fill every single day! Hehehe!”

Hearing this promise and looking at Luffy’s pure, cloudless smile,

through O-Tama’s misty, tearful eyes, the silhouette of the boy before her seemed to overlap perfectly with the young pirate from back then, who manipulated brilliant flames and always laughed heartily.

She wept as she wiped away her tears and sniffled hard.

Then, a genuine smile blossomed on her face, and she nodded earnestly at him:

“Mhm! Lord Luffy! I believe you!”

…

Meanwhile, the scene shifts back to the bustling and prosperous Flower Capital.

The grand parade had ended, and Komurasaki, the number one courtesan of Wano Country, returned to the most luxurious private room in the Pleasure Quarter, surrounded by a crowd of admirers.

The doors to the private room slowly closed.

Komurasaki immediately dismissed all the maids and guards around her, her elegant and dignified mask slipping off at this moment.

Her chest heaved violently, her breathing slightly hurried.

The man she had caught a fleeting glimpse of during the parade earlier that day…

Those cold eyes that seemed able to peer through one’s soul, and that national treasure Black Blade, all sent a shiver deep down to her soul.

He looked somewhat familiar… as if she had seen him somewhere before.

To verify her suspicion,

she quickly walked to a hidden corner of the room and immediately began rummaging through a pile of old newspapers and wanted posters secretly gathered from the outside world through black market brokers.

A moment later, her searching hands suddenly froze.

She sank onto the tatami mat, staring blankly at the photo on the wanted poster in her hand, which printed an astronomical figure.

Although the man in the photo wore a black trench coat, unlike his ronin attire today,

those identical eyes, that demeanor of treating all living things as nothing, and the unique Black Blade hanging at his waist stood before her like ironclad proof.

Komurasaki took a deep breath, clutching the wanted poster tightly in her hand, completely confirming the man’s true identity.

He was none other than the first mate of the newly-crowned “Fifth Emperor” who was currently famous across the seas.

The monster with a bounty exceeding an astonishing 3 billion Berries, revered by the world as “Crimson Lotus”—Tatsuya!

Since he could appear silently on the streets of the Flower Capital,

this was enough to prove that the Straw Hat Pirates, who had defeated Big Mom, had successfully landed in Wano Country in their entirety.

Looking at the cold wanted poster in the newspaper, Komurasaki’s eyes, which were originally filled with fear, gradually grew deep.

A dangerous plan quickly took shape in her mind.

Although she still didn’t know the true purpose of this lawless pirate crew coming to Wano Country,

there was no doubt that this was a massive force capable of overturning the entire nation’s landscape.

If she could use her beauty and methods, which had always been invincible, to charm this unfathomable “first mate of the Emperor” and make him fall at her feet…

Then, many things would become as easy as pie!

Having made up her mind, she immediately utilized secret channels to mobilize the countless eyes and ears Kyoshiro had secretly arranged throughout the streets of the Flower Capital.

Relying on the local gang’s pervasive intelligence advantage, the informants quickly pinpointed Tatsuya’s current location.

A secluded and inconspicuous tavern on the outskirts of the Flower Capital.

Sitting in front of her dressing table, Komurasaki personally picked up her brush and wrote an invitation in elegant handwriting, with ambiguous phrasing and lines dripping with flirtation and invitation.

She then folded the letter, scented it with a high-grade face powder that carried a uniquely alluring fragrance, and sealed it.

She summoned her most trusted maidservant, solemnly handed the letter to her, and ordered her to quietly deliver it to the ronin in that tavern.

…

In a secluded corner of the tavern, the light was dim.

Tatsuya sat by the wooden table, holding a dish of sake in his hand.

He looked at the exquisite invitation in his hand, which exuded a thick scent of cosmetic powder.

He merely glanced at the handwriting and instantly saw through her clumsy honey trap.

A mocking curve tugged at the corner of his mouth as he casually tossed the invitation onto the table, tilting his head back to drain the sake from his cup.

As night fell and the lanterns were lit,

Tatsuya lowered the bamboo hat on his head and walked calmly through the bustling streets of the Flower Capital, arriving as scheduled deep within the most luxurious Pleasure Quarter.

In front of a magnificent pavilion, guided respectfully by a maid, he stepped onto the red-carpeted stairs.

With a creak,

Tatsuya pushed open the carved wooden door of the top-tier private room.

An intoxicating premium incense lingered in the room, and the soft candlelight cast a romantic and sensual atmosphere over the space.

On the cushion in the center of the room, Kozuki Hiyori was wearing a thin and gorgeous pink silk kimono.

The collar of her robe was intentionally cut low, leaving her smooth, white shoulders half-exposed to the air, her skin gleaming enticingly under the candlelight.

Cradling an exquisite shamisen in her arms, she raised her head slightly upon hearing the door open.

Her soul-captivating eyes rippled with a delicate, pitiful vulnerability, as if she wanted to speak but hesitated.

At this moment, she radiated the devastating charm of the number one beauty of Wano Country to the limit, attempting to capture the man’s heart in one fell swoop.

However, as Tatsuya stepped into the room, an abnormal silence fell over the space, so quiet that they could hear each other’s breathing.

Kozuki Hiyori stopped her movement just as she was about to play, raising her stunning face that was enough to drive any man in the world mad.

By the flickering candlelight, she warily stole a glance at Tatsuya, who stood at the door.

Under the calm gaze of those deep eyes, the charming smile Komurasaki had prepared suddenly froze on her face.

She felt an invisible pressure washing over her, and she desperately suppressed her wildly beating heart.

Not daring to meet his gaze any longer, she hurriedly withdrew her eyes and lowered her head slightly.

Then, her slender, pale fingers rested on the strings again, plucking them with a slight tremble.

The crisp, sorrowful music of the shamisen flowed slowly through the quiet room.

Parting her red lips, she sang a poignant ancient Wano Country melody to the accompaniment of the music, attempting to use the song to mask her inner unease and panic.

“Fallen cherry blossoms drift on cold waters,”

“A lonely shadow sighs in the autumn wind.”

“Prosperity shatters like a dream,”

“When can I hope for the returning wild geese…”

The melody was mournful, winding and low.

It seemed to recount the twenty years of grief of this country, and also seemed to pour out the secret sorrow hidden deep within the player’s heart.