Wano Country, Flower Capital.
Chizuru Corridor, on the third floor, inside a private room whose window faced the street. A geisha in a purple kimono played a song called Tsukihime on a shamisen with both hands.
On the room's balcony, Sephiroth sat cross-legged, half-leaning on the low armrest. With an attentive gaze, he glanced at the passersby on the street below. It had to be admitted that under Kurozumi Orochi's rule, Wano Country, if the high living costs were ignored, could be considered a paradise in the Flower Capital. At the very least, Sephiroth knew that the business of the Chizuru Corridor he had just bought was very good, and many customers had come to visit it since the morning!
As the saying goes, when you are full, you think about lust; when you are hungry, you steal. If the residents of the Flower Capital could not even survive, they would not be able to spare money to visit the corridor.
However, Sephiroth was a little confused. After buying the Chizuru Corridor yesterday, he also called all the women under him to see them. He could only say that they were a little pretty. In this regard, Sephiroth was less interested and did not even have the idea of getting involved in unspoken workplace rules. Unconsciously, his aesthetic standards had been deceived by the girls around him! Sephiroth sighed inwardly.
After the death of the previous Oiran, the Chizuru Corridor lost its main star. In order to improve the quality of the girls in this beranda, so that its business would flourish and its name would be famous, Sephiroth specially asked Kumagoro and Unta to post job openings everywhere, hoping for some beautiful young women to apply.
Hmm!... If there are any young, beautiful and charming women who come. Will I test the clock myself first?
The paper sliding door of the private room was pulled open from the outside. A dignified middle-aged woman in a yellow kimono knelt outside the door. Her name was Chiyo, and she was the old mistress who managed the corridor, who helped the former owner, Chizuru. After Sephiroth took over, he still let her do her original job.
Chiyo said respectfully to the black-haired youth, "Miyamoto-sama, there's a girl here to apply..."
Hearing this, Sephiroth immediately raised his eyebrows. He thought to himself, She really came to what I wanted... I hope there's a beautiful one!
Then, with great interest, he ordered, "OK! I know, Chiyo, go and bring her in, let me see!"
"Yes!"
Chiyo immediately agreed, respectfully closed the door, and walked down the stairs quickly.
After a while, she led a cute-looking girl about 1.9 meters tall into the private room. The girl tied her waist-length blonde hair into a high ponytail, with a few strands of blonde hair on her cheeks, and she was wearing a shabby blue kimono with a few dice on it.
But.
Most notably, she had a pair of red double horns growing on her head.
Sephiroth raised his eyebrows, raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and asked, "What is your name?"
The blonde girl knelt on the tatami mat. She glanced at the black-haired youth, then said in a timid voice, "Black Maria."
"..."
As soon as Sephiroth heard the name, he couldn't help but look again at the cute and beautiful blonde girl in front of him. I was just about to recruit a small Oiran! Unexpectedly, Black Maria came to the door.
"What position are you applying for here?... A traveling girl or a geisha?" Sephiroth teased.
"I want to apply to be a... geisha! I can play the shamisen, I can dance. Other shortcomings, I will definitely try to overcome in the future. Please also make sure to allow me to try!"
As she spoke, Black Maria, with a nervous expression, bowed deeply to him.
Through his Observation Haki, Sephiroth very clearly sensed that in addition to tension, the girl also had a little anxiety and resistance in her heart. He thought about it for a moment before saying, "You don't have to be like this, raise your head first! May I ask, why did you come to apply for a geisha job?"
Black Maria raised her head slightly. "Because... I can't afford the necessary fees to live in the Flower Capital next month! If I can't earn money, in a few days, I will be evicted."
If you can't afford it, you can just go to the Beast Pirates to be a pirate! Maybe, if you just mess around, you can become a cadre of the Beast Pirates and one of the Flying Six like in the original plot!
Sephiroth muttered in his heart. Soon after, he remembered that it seemed... Black Maria's Devil Fruit was in his hands? Generally, because of the innate bloodline advantages of the Oni clan, their basic physical fitness is indeed much better than that of ordinary humans.
But.
This does not mean that every Oni clan has the same physical talent as Kaido! Among the Oni clan, Kaido's talent is actually the most top-notch.
As far as Sephiroth knows, there are also many Oni tribes in the Beast Pirates, but most of them can only be considered relatively strong followers! In front of the strong, it is the kind where a large area can be defeated by one person with one attack...
Therefore, without the ancient animal Devil Fruit, Black Maria, who only relied on racial talent without systematic training, might not be able to stand out among the many Oni tribes and become a cadre of the Beast Pirates!
Through his Observation Haki, Sephiroth had confirmed that everything the girl said was the truth, and the other party was not an undercover agent. In that case... the meat that came to the mouth, if it is not eaten, it will not be eaten!
The Beast Pirates pay attention to the supremacy of power. The weak are not qualified to sit in high positions. Unlike the Marine system, which has no strength, they can still sit in high positions with connections.
In the Beast Pirates, the Flying Six are second only to the three main All-Stars and Kaido. If Black Maria can sit in that position, she will definitely have corresponding strength, which should be roughly on the level of a Vice Admiral.
According to the intelligence gathered by Sephiroth, except for the three big All-Stars of the Beast Pirates, who need to be stationed on Onigashima Island, the other high-level cadres are basically sent out to work. After all, the Beast Pirates have so many islands under their command, so naturally they need to send strong cadres to prevent others from causing trouble.
The Supernovas who enter the New World every year to seize territory are like crucian carp. If those cadres themselves are not strong enough, maybe, they will just die at the hands of some Supernovas who are ready to show off!
For example, in the original plot, Wet-Haired Caribou relied on the swamp-swamp fruit, which is a Logia type and is immune to pure physical attacks. He killed the small robot leader under the Beast Pirates and temporarily gained control of an island. However, the Beast Pirates sent Drake, one of the Flying Six, who beat Caribou until he was helpless. He captured him and threw him into the Prison Mining Center for labor reform!
Usually, if a small leader of the Beast Pirates is defeated, Page One will be sent to solve the problem. If the Flying Six can't either, then it's the turn of the big All-Stars to act! If even the big All-Stars can't, the main big boss, Kaido, can only be dispatched!
Sephiroth silently complained in his heart.
After clearing his mind of all those messy thoughts, Sephiroth asked again, "You want to apply to be a geisha, there's nothing wrong with that... Even so, think clearly... after you sign the pact, you belong to me. If you want to leave again, it won't be that simple!"
Hearing this, Black Maria was relieved. She nodded and answered, "Hmm!... I understand!"
Black Maria's mother was just an ordinary Wano Country resident, while her father was a member of the Oni clan who was also a small leader of the Beast Pirates. Originally, thanks to her father's monthly salary, their family was doing well, living in a big house, and not worrying about food or clothing. They were much happier than most people in Wano Country.
However.
A pirate is a high-risk job and can perish at sea at any time. A few years ago, her father, while on a trip to the sea, was killed by a Supernova pirate! Her father's companions only brought back one corpse. At that moment, the whole family had no main source of income!
Initially, her mother and daughter could barely survive by relying on the family savings they had saved before and working for others.
But.
A fire suddenly burned down Black Maria's home. Because rebuilding a new house would cost a considerable amount of money, they had no choice but to find a man named Ping Hao and rent an ordinary residential house.
But what was even more unfortunate was that her mother was struck with a serious illness a while ago.
In order to cure her mother's illness, Black Maria spent all of the family's remaining savings, but her mother still did not survive.
Therefore, after being desperate and unable to pay the rent and living expenses in the Flower Capital, she came to apply for a job with the idea of trying her luck after seeing the announcement in the corridor that recruited traveling girls and geishas.
Compared to living a life of food shortages and poverty in a village outside the Flower Capital, she would rather make a living in this land of fireworks.
After a while, Sephiroth gestured. A servant immediately came in carrying a thick scroll of paper—a deed of sale—a brush, an ink pad, and a large suitcase containing a pile of banknotes.
With a wave of his hand, Sephiroth ordered the servant to place the suitcase in front of Black Maria. The suitcase opened, revealing a pile of Beli banknotes totaling one hundred million. It was a fantastic amount for a girl who had just lost everything.
"As long as you write down your name and press your handprint, and then sign this contract, this one hundred million Beli will be yours." Sephiroth's voice was flat, without emotion.
Black Maria's eyes widened. She stared at the pile of money, her heart filled with mixed feelings: relief, shock, and a little shame. Nodding slowly, she quickly wrote down her name, took the ink pad, and pressed her handprint on the paper scroll. She then hugged the suitcase of money as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.
"Hmm! From now on, you are my subordinate," Sephiroth said, taking the agreement scroll and tucking it into his kimono sleeve.
The corner of his mouth raised slightly, carving a satisfied smile. A girl with this kind of potential and appearance, I bought her for only one hundred million Beli! he thought to himself. This is a big profit!
As for redemption... Sephiroth never thought of letting her go. As long as she was in his grasp, Black Maria would never leave.
Stared at directly by the silver-haired youth, Black Maria lowered her head, her face blushing with shame. She seemed to have misunderstood the meaning of that gaze, thinking that she was about to receive her first order as a geisha.
"That... Sir, do you have any next orders?" she asked in a low voice.
"Uh!? This..." Sephiroth was stunned. He realized this awkward misunderstanding. He was just about to explain his intentions, when suddenly, from downstairs, a loud noise broke the silence of the night.
The sounds of a commotion, shouts, and loud thumping filled the air, interrupting their conversation. Something unexpected had just happened.
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