"Hmph, you kid really dare to open your mouth like a lion!" Kaido's copper-bell eyes swept back and forth across Adrian, as if trying to see through his true intentions.
"With Wanokuni in its current devastated state, apart from the Flower Capital and the Udon, only your Onigashima is worth anything." Adrian sneered, his arm wrapped around the shoulder of Eustass Kid. "If you don't want to give up the Flower Capital, you can give me the Poneglyphs or Udon."
"You wish!" Kaido's head snapped around, and he said viciously, "Onigashima is my base, and the Rabbit Bowl is a crucial seastone mining site. If anyone dares to mess with those two places, I'll kill them!"
Compared to the Flower Capital, which was occupied by Orochi, Kaido cared far more about the Udon. After all, the seastone business was incredibly profitable, and the Beast Pirates couldn't possibly give it up.
Adrian had calculated this exact point, which was why he had asked for the Flower Capital. His purpose, of course, was to intensify the conflict between Orochi and Kaido's strong alliance, and at the same time, to escalate the internal conflicts in Wano Country.
There was no other way. Those Kozuki clan loyalists were hiding too deeply. Now, without a traitor like Kanjuro, Orochi's intellect and ability were simply not enough to find these people. Adrian naturally had to lend a hand.
"Then give me the Flower Capital quickly, or I'll raise Oden's son and let him lead a popular uprising in Wano Country, making your seastone business impossible!" Adrian glared back, tit for tat.
"You dare to threaten me? I'm Kaido!" Kaido took a step forward, glaring at Adrian menacingly.
"So what if I threaten you?" Adrian was not intimidated and wouldn't budge an inch. The tension between the two grew stronger, and it seemed a big fight could break out at any moment.
"Boss Kaido, Your Majesty Adrian, why don't we each take a step back? After all, cooperation brings greater benefits!" Seeing that Adrian's side was ready to fight, King could only force himself to intervene.
"Fine! I don't want any of the samurai, they're all yours and Orochi's. I only want the civilians," Adrian roared, pretending to be furious. "But it's agreed in advance, Wano Country's number one beauty, the Oiran Komurasaki, must be mine! Otherwise, there's nothing to discuss!"
"Huh?!" There was a look of hesitation in Kaido's eyes. He felt as if Adrian was up to something, but he couldn't find the slightest clue.
"Brother Kaido, the conditions the other party has proposed are extremely beneficial to us. If we trade the Flower Capital for the long-term stability of Wano Country, we will obviously gain more," King leaned close to Kaido's ear and whispered. "And I heard this kid seems to have a habit of collecting beautiful women. The most beautiful woman in the world, the Pirate Empress, has become his plaything."
"Okay, I agree!" When Kaido heard this, he immediately dismissed his worries and agreed with a happy smile.
His change in expression was so swift that even Adrian was taken aback. Katakuri, Shiryu, and the others looked on in disbelief. He had actually traded the most prosperous capital city in Wano Country for a girl.
However, what confused them was why Adrian wanted to send away the samurai with good combat power. They didn't know that there were plenty of Kozuki remnants lurking throughout Wano Country, and the Flower Capital was particularly rife with them. Even Orochi had placed one of the Nine Red Scabbards by his side.
Adrian had no use for these loyalists of Kozuki Oden, and naturally, he wouldn't allow these people to mix into his country. It was best to leave them all to Kaido and Orochi.
"Hahaha, Adrian, come on! Let's go to my Onigashima and have a banquet first. How about we talk while we eat?" Kaido grabbed Adrian's shoulders with the enthusiasm of an old friend.
"It's fine to attend the banquet. After all, I also want to see with my own eyes what you're going to do with Oden's son," Adrian shook off his arm with a look of disgust, then said very seriously, "But before that, let's clean up my Flower Capital first."
Kaido thought that Lin Xiao couldn't wait to get Komurasaki, so he didn't think too much and immediately yelled at King, "Go and tell that trash Orochi to withdraw all the warriors with swords from the Flower Capital before the banquet officially starts... that's Adrian's place now!"
"Your Majesty Adrian, please follow me!" With that, King led the way, guiding him and the others toward the Flower Capital.
Halfway there, Shiryu, who was next to Adrian, finally couldn't contain his curiosity and asked cautiously, "Captain, that oiran, Komurasaki, must have some special talent, right? Otherwise, with your character, it's absolutely impossible for you to trade for her."
"Why? Can't I just fancy her beauty?" Adrian smiled slightly, with a playful look in his eyes. "That's the third most beautiful woman in the world, on par with Hancock and Shirahoshi."
"Don't kid me, Captain, you're not like that!" Shiryu said with great determination. "With your methods and calculations, how can you give up a greater interest because of a woman's appearance?"
"That's right!" Bullet and Van Augur, who followed behind, had the same expression on their faces. Even Katakuri, who had only recently joined, couldn't stop nodding. In the eyes of these people, their captain was definitely a careerist with ideals, ambitions, methods, and was sufficiently insidious. Ordinary women would only affect the speed at which he drew his sword, of course, with the exception of the Empress and Princess Shirahoshi.
"You'll know later." Adrian just smiled and didn't explain too much.
As long as Momonosuke died, Kozuki Hiyori would become the sole legitimate heir of Wano Country. How could Adrian not hold such an important figure in his own hands?
Moreover, as an oiran, Kozuki Hiyori must have learned a lot of special skills, right? After a succession of battles and non-stop scheming, Adrian suddenly remembered that he hadn't even formally touched a woman until now. Although Hancock and Betty were always ready, how could domestic flowers have the same fragrance of wild flowers?!