Wano Country, Flower Capital.
Chizuru Pavilion, in the spacious hall.
Led by Shinbei, six fierce-looking thugs arrived with threatening steps. His sharp eyes swept across the hall before he yelled in a hoarse voice, "Get your boss out here! If not, we'll smash this pavilion to pieces! You won't have any business to run anymore!"
The young geishas who had been dancing and playing music in the hall were startled. Shinbei's hoarse voice sounded like a gong shattering the silence, and they immediately grew frightened, stopping their performance. The guests who were watching didn't dare to comment. They all stared at Shinbei and his gang, waiting and watching how the situation would unfold.
"Who is so arrogant as to dare make trouble in my shop?"
Sephiroth, with wooden clogs on his feet and a blue kimono with two swords tucked into his waist, strode down the stairs. His cold eyes looked straight at the six men below.
Hearing this, Shinbei's face showed a confused expression. He asked, "You said it's your shop? Kid, who are you? Chizuru? Isn't this her shop?"
"I, Miyamoto Musashi, just bought this shop yesterday."
As he spoke, Sephiroth had already walked toward Shinbei. His tall body, reaching over two meters, inadvertently created an extraordinary sense of oppression for Shinbei who was only about one meter sixty. Under Sephiroth's deliberate control, an invisible pressure like Conqueror's Haki radiated from his body. The substantial deterrence from the spiritual level instantly enveloped the six thugs, making their hearts feel uneasy.
Shinbei, who stood at the front, bore the brunt of it. His legs trembled slightly subconsciously. He was almost overwhelmed by that terrifying Conqueror's Haki aura!
However, remembering the purpose of his visit this time and the cruel methods used by his boss, Kurokoma, to punish subordinates who failed, he could only force himself to muster his courage and stammer, "You... I'm telling you, this shop has been eyed by our boss, Kurokoma. If you don't want to stir up trouble, then... hand over this shop obediently!"
Hearing this, the corner of Sephiroth's mouth rose slightly, outlining a cold arc. "Huh! This is my place, and your boss Kurokoma says he wants it? How arrogant! In that case, let's follow the rules of the street! Tonight at six o'clock, at the southern exit of the Flower Capital, Ebisu Village! Let your boss lead everyone. We'll have a one-on-one fight, the winner takes all, the loser waits to die! Listen carefully! Understand?"
Faced with the dark-haired youth's question, word for word, Shinbei could only nod frantically and say, "Understood!"
"In that case... you still don't... leave!"
The moment Sephiroth spit out the word "leave!", the Conqueror's Haki aura coming from his body became a little heavier again, making the six people feel as if they were being stared at by a fierce beast from the abyss! They could no longer hold back the fear in their hearts. With a look of horror on their faces, they turned around and fled in a hurry out of the Chizuru Pavilion, and as soon as they fled, they ran without a trace.
"Hahaha! Those guys were really scared by the little brother's momentum!"
"That really made me laugh to death! Hahaha!"
"These cowards... Hahaha!"
None of the onlookers in the hall expected that the six thugs who came with such a fierce presence would be frightened away by a few words from Sephiroth. Because Sephiroth only locked onto the six people to release the power of his Conqueror's Haki, those who waited and watched from a distance only felt that the momentum of his whole person at that moment seemed to be a little different. However, they couldn't specify what the difference was. Therefore, they would ridicule the six gangsters.
On the other hand, Black Maria stood behind Sephiroth. Seeing how powerful the youth was, her beautiful eyes couldn't help but shine. Her heartbeat thumped like a galloping deer, and her cheeks flushed! The traveling girls and geishas who were watching next to them also had a similar reaction to Black Maria. They screamed and sighed one by one. Some even already thought in their hearts about how they could climb into Sephiroth's bed.
"Folks, everything is fine here! Please continue the music, continue the dance!"
Sephiroth waved his hands with a laugh, gesturing for the guests in the hall to resume their dashing and cheerful activities.
As he was tightening his belt, Unta, who came down from the third floor, with a worried look on his face, came to Sephiroth's side and muttered in a low voice, "Boss, the Kurokoma family has more than three hundred people... Isn't it too risky for you to do that?"
"What?... Are you scared?" Sephiroth smiled.
Unta snickered, and he scratched his head with a little embarrassment. "Scared!... Of course, I'm scared."
"If you're scared, you don't have to go then."
"No! Boss, even if I am scared in my heart, even if I have to go up a mountain of knives and down a sea of fire, I will go with you!"
Hearing this, Unta quickly shook his head and waved his hands, showing his loyalty to the youth. Since yesterday, he and Kumagoro were helpless in front of Sephiroth in the gambling place, Unta had long determined that his boss, Sephiroth, was certainly not an ordinary person.
He knew very well in his heart that if a small person like him could not stand firm and follow someone else's path to the darkness and hug his thigh tightly, he would never have the chance to make a difference again in the future! Unta felt that instead of being a small gangster who achieved nothing, he might as well use his own life to gamble and believe that his boss could make a comeback!
Seeing this scene, a trace of surprise flashed in Sephiroth's eyes. Through his Observation Haki perception, he found that the other party was not lying. He smiled, raised his right hand and patted Unta's shoulder, approvingly saying, "Hmm! You're good!"
It was at this time that Kumagoro, while holding a plaque in both hands, ran in from outside the pavilion and arrived in front of Sephiroth.
"Boss! Boss! The plaque is done! You see. Satisfied?"
As he spoke, Kumagoro displayed a plaque with three large golden characters "Fengyue Pavilion" in his eyes.
"Hmm! Okay, hang it at the door!"
Sephiroth looked at the plaque and nodded with satisfaction. The name "Chizuru Pavilion" was derived from the previous boss's last name. Now that the pavilion was taken over by him, it was only natural to change its name. If not, people would not know that this pavilion had changed owners.
"Right! Kumagoro, at six o'clock tonight, at Ebisu Village. I have to go fight with the Kurokoma family. Are you coming?" Sephiroth asked, smiling.
Hearing the words, Kumagoro who was walking outside the door with the plaque in his hands was immediately shocked and dumbfounded. He said, "Ah?! This... this..."
"If you are scared, you can leave."
Hearing this, Kumagoro first showed a hint of joy on his face, but he quickly reacted and immediately shook his head, saying, "No! Boss, I will go with you!"
"Hmm! Okay, get ready, both of you."
Sephiroth chuckled, and, no longer paying attention to his two younger brothers, he turned to look at Black Maria, who was standing behind him. He was preparing to arrange the next thing for the girl. However, when he looked at each other with the blonde girl's eyes, he saw something strange.
Through his Observation Haki perception, he very sharply discovered Black Maria's emotional change.
"Hmm!?... Why do I feel like this girl, her favorability toward me has increased so much in an instant? Also, those traveling girls and geishas are looking at me like this. What are they pretending to have in their minds!? This inexplicable thing really makes me a little unable to adapt!" Sephiroth looked silent, but he was complaining wildly in his heart.
"Cough! Maria, from today on, you are my employee, and you will move here from now on. No problem, right?"
"Hmm! No problem."
Black Maria's gaze at Sephiroth was still very hot, making him a little overwhelmed. How about I just go with the flow now? No! At least... wait until the night!