Chapter 167: Kozuki Hiyori’s Transformation!!
Night fell like ink over the land of Wano Country.
Yet the Shogun's Palace in the Flower Capital remained brilliantly illuminated. Lanterns stretched across the halls like golden rivers of stars, winding around vermilion pillars and curved eaves, bathing the black tiles and white walls in warm light.
Inside the main hall, the sound of shamisen and flutes flowed endlessly.
Geisha wearing long furisode kimono embroidered with golden patterns danced gracefully between the guests. Their sleeves fluttered like butterfly wings as their fingers plucked the strings of the shamisen. Soft songs blended with the fragrance of sake, filling the hall.
Kurozumi Orochi lounged crookedly upon the main seat draped with a white tiger pelt.
His luxurious golden kimono only made his bloated body look more grotesque. Over it hung a blue robe decorated with fresh flowers—yet it could not conceal the lecherous look between his brows.
He held a jade cup in his hand, sake swaying within it.
But his gaze never left the center of the stage.
—The figure hiding half her face behind a white folding fan had already stolen all of his attention.
"Guhahaha… Komurasaki, you're truly beautiful!"
Orochi let out his trademark cackle, his beady eyes staring greedily at the beauty as though he wished to swallow her whole.
He had forgotten to drink from the cup in his hand. Sake spilled over the rim and soaked his clothes, yet he didn't notice at all.
…
At the center of the stage stood Komurasaki, unquestionably the brightest presence in the room.
Her emerald-green hair was piled high in an elegant style, secured with crimson-gold hairpins. Two blooming red camellias were tucked beside her temples, pearl tassels swaying gently with each breath.
She wore a magnificent kimono embroidered with peacock patterns.
The tail feathers were stitched with gold and silver threads, shimmering brilliantly under the lantern light.
A crimson obi wrapped around her waist, outlining her graceful, slender figure.
Her delicate features looked as if carved by the heavens themselves.
Under willow-shaped brows were eyes clear as autumn water, their slightly upturned corners carrying a distant allure.
Her crimson lips formed a beautiful curve, mostly hidden behind the white folding fan—only her small chin visible, adding to the hazy charm.
…She merely stood there quietly.
She neither sang nor danced.
Yet every other geisha in the room faded into the background.
Her every gesture carried the elegance and allure unique to a courtesan oiran.
No wonder Kurozumi Orochi was utterly obsessed with her.
…
Meanwhile, the tables were filled with lavish delicacies from both sea and mountain.
"Shogun-sama is blessed with heavenly fortune!"
"Only our great shogun deserves to enjoy such music and dance!"
Orochi's advisor Fukurokuju, the Kurozumi clan's loyal followers, and a group of sycophantic nobles sat on both sides, raising their cups in flattery.
"Guhahaha—!"
Orochi's wild laughter echoed through the hall. His already narrow eyes squinted so hard that his pupils disappeared.
He waved his arms excitedly like a child given candy, greed overflowing in his voice.
"Komurasaki, Komurasaki! With you here, this banquet finally becomes interesting!"
"Come! Sing another song for your shogun!"
Just as the decadent celebration reached its peak—
BANG!
The palace doors burst open.
Cold night wind carrying dew rushed inside, making the lantern flames flicker.
A ninja clad in black stumbled into the hall. Beneath his mask, his face was pale as paper.
He dropped to one knee with a heavy thud, bowing deeply as his body trembled with urgency and fear.
"M-My lord Shogun! Something… something terrible has happened on Onigashima!!"
"—CLANG!"
The jade cup slipped from Orochi's hand and shattered on the floor.
White porcelain fragments scattered everywhere.
The smile froze on his face.
His pupils shrank violently. The drunken redness on his face drained away, leaving only extreme terror.
His legs went limp, and his obese body collapsed back into the shogun's seat like a pile of mud.
"What—what?!"
"Onigashima… what could possibly happen on Onigashima?!"
"Everyone not involved, leave immediately."
Fukurokuju's voice cut through the silence like ice.
He stood up abruptly, sweeping his wide sleeves as his sharp gaze scanned the stunned geisha and nobles.
The Oniwabanshu samurai who had long been waiting stepped forward at once, hands resting on their swords. The sound of scabbards clashing rang out in unison.
Their voices were cold and unquestionable.
"All of you—leave at once. Do not linger."
The geisha turned pale with fright.
They lifted their skirts and hurried out with lowered heads.
The elegant music and dancing footsteps were replaced by hurried, chaotic retreat.
The nobles who had been flattering Orochi also dared not speak. Their faces pale, they bowed and withdrew—even leaving their fallen cups behind.
Komurasaki maintained the composure of a courtesan.
She slowly folded her fan and raised it to her lips.
In her emerald eyes flashed a faint glimmer that almost no one noticed…
Then she followed the departing crowd, leaving the hall with elegant, measured steps.
The doors closed again.
All outside noise was sealed away.
The once lively hall fell into heavy silence.
Only Orochi's rough breathing remained, along with the grim expressions of Fukurokuju and the others.
The air was thick with unease—like the calm before a storm.
…
Night blanketed the Flower Capital.
Most of the city had already fallen asleep.
Only a few scattered lanterns swayed in narrow streets, casting mottled shadows.
A black figure darted across rooftops like a ghost.
His feet tapped lightly against tiles, producing almost no sound.
He moved swiftly across overlapping eaves, running and leaping like a lone wolf of the night, heading straight toward the pleasure district.
Moments later, he arrived.
Under the cover of darkness, he slipped through an open window and landed silently inside.
"What happened on Onigashima?"
A gentle voice sounded within the room.
It no longer carried the seductive charm of the courtesan Komurasaki, but instead held clarity and firmness.
Kozuki Hiyori had already removed her extravagant kimono and heavy makeup.
She now wore a simple pale-green kimono.
Her emerald hair was loosely tied with a plain wooden hairpin. Soft bangs framed her face, making her appear even more fresh and elegant.
Yet urgency lingered on her beautiful face.
Her fingers unconsciously clenched the edge of her sleeve.
Kaido of Onigashima was the greatest obstacle to overthrowing Kurozumi Orochi and restoring the Kozuki Clan.
That island of beasts had carried Wano's suffering for twenty years.
The figure in the shadows stepped forward.
Tall and straight, his face mostly hidden beneath a mask—only sharp eyes visible.
He spoke in a low voice.
"King of Beasts Kaido has begun fighting the newly crowned Emperor of the Sea on Onigashima."
"The exact situation is unknown. But rumors say their battle was so destructive that half of Onigashima has already been destroyed."
"At this rate… Wano may soon be forced to send laborers to repair the ruins."
Even his voice carried undisguised shock.
This sudden clash between Emperors had clearly exceeded expectations.
"What?!"
Hiyori's pupils shrank sharply.
Then they lit up with unbelievable brightness.
"Someone actually dared to attack Kaido?!"
She had heard of the newly crowned Emperor.
Though Wano remained isolated from the outside world, the nobles visiting the shogun's palace—and Orochi's communications with Kaido—allowed her to glimpse fragments of global events.
But in her mind, the Four Emperors had balanced one another for years.
Friction was common.
Yet no one had ever truly torn apart that balance to wage such a catastrophic war.
After all—
That was Kaido.
The man known as the "Strongest Creature in the World."
A man who could not even die after attempting suicide countless times.
She had always believed overthrowing Orochi and defeating Kaido would require the united efforts of every rebel force—and rivers of blood.
Yet this newly crowned Emperor had acted so decisively.
Starting a war with Kaido without hesitation.
A spark of hope ignited inside her heart.
Her pale face flushed with color.
Her eyes grew increasingly resolute.
…
"Denjiro…"
Her voice trembled with excitement.
"Do you think…"
"—we could form an alliance with this new Emperor?"
Her beautiful face flushed red.
Her emerald eyes sparkled brighter than ever before.
It was the joy of someone who had glimpsed light in endless darkness.
The desperate excitement of someone who had endured twenty years and finally grasped a chance.
She even began imagining—
With the help of this new Emperor, overthrowing Orochi and Kaido might no longer be impossible.
"It's useless."
The voice from the shadows was heavy and cold like iron.
"From what we've heard, that Emperor has already left Wano."
"And besides…"
"Our Kozuki Clan now survives only in fragments."
"We have no army. No treasures."
"Why would an Emperor who shakes the seas help us?"
The words struck Hiyori like a blade.
Her body trembled.
The hope that had just ignited was extinguished instantly.
Her teeth clenched so tightly that her lips turned pale.
Her fingers gripped her sleeves until wrinkles formed in the fabric.
Why?
Why would fate play such a cruel joke?
She had long grown used to the darkness.
Used to disguising herself beneath Orochi's gaze.
Used to enduring humiliation step by step.
But when light suddenly appeared—
Even briefly—
Returning to darkness afterward hurt far more than before.
Tears shimmered in her eyes.
She didn't want to keep smiling falsely before Orochi.
She didn't want to keep wearing the mask of a courtesan among wolves.
She didn't want the people of Wano to continue suffering.
Twenty years of waiting had already consumed too much of her courage.
"Hiyori-sama, please do not act rashly."
Denjiro knelt on one knee.
His voice was firm.
"According to Lady Toki's prophecy, in two more years Lord Momonosuke will return with the Nine Red Scabbards and the rebellion."
"By then, we will overthrow the tyrants and open Wano's borders!"
"Please endure a little longer. Victory will belong to us."
…The prophecy.
Hiyori's eyes went blank.
When she was a child, she believed completely in her mother's prophecy.
It had been the pillar that supported her through endless darkness.
For that prophecy, she abandoned her name.
She sacrificed twenty years of youth.
But as she grew older, she realized something.
The prophecy had slowly become an obsession that justified her survival.
If the prophecy failed…
If those "two years" were nothing but an illusion…
Would she still have the strength to continue?
What meaning would all her sacrifices hold?
Time passed in silence.
Moonlight poured through the window lattice, casting a lonely shadow of Hiyori across the floor.
At last, she exhaled slowly.
Her breathing steadied.
When she raised her eyes again—
The confusion and fragility had vanished.
In their place stood an unprecedented resolve.
The resolve of someone who would no longer entrust her fate to others.
"Denjiro."
Her voice was calm but powerful.
"I need you to mobilize every intelligence network we have."
"Investigate everything about that new Emperor."
"His route. His companions. His personality."
"Even the smallest detail—do not overlook anything."
"Princess?!"
Denjiro's eyes widened in shock.
The Hiyori before him was completely different from the woman who had endured quietly for years.
There was no hesitation in her gaze.
No dependence.
Only the sharp determination to take initiative.
Like a plum blossom blooming in the cold night, finally revealing the strength hidden beneath its beauty.
Meeting her resolute eyes, Denjiro's doubts vanished instantly.
He nodded heavily.
"Yes, Princess Hiyori! I'll see to it immediately!"
With that, his figure flashed like a phantom and leapt out the window, disappearing into the night.
Hiyori walked softly to the window.
She pushed it open.
The cool night breeze brushed her face, stirring loose strands of hair beside her ears.
She looked up at the moon.
Its gentle light illuminated her beautiful face.
Her emerald eyes shone like jewels, reflecting the starry sky.
She murmured softly—yet every word was firm.
"I don't want to just wait anymore."
"Thank you… for making me realize that."
A faint but relieved smile curved her lips.
Her eyes held gratitude—and hope.
"I remember your name…"
"Luffy… right?"
It was a name she had once overheard in conversations at the shogun's palace.
Perhaps this time—
She would not wait for prophecy to deliver salvation.
Instead…
She would seize her own destiny.
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