Chapter 121: Flower Capital
At the same time - Flower Capital
Kouzouki Hiyori, the daughter of the late Kouzouki Oden, casually and rather elegantly walked through the streets of the Flower Capital - as she did pretty often at this point.
"Miss Komurasaki is so beautiful today!" A male, rough voice said a bit too loudly from his position on the side of the road, allowing for Hiyori to hear his words, even as she ignored the ensuing conversation.
"She’s always beautiful, idiot!" His friend scolded the first voice, belonging to a rather plain-looking man.
"She’s even more beautiful than the sun itself! Damn, I wish she’d just look in my direction one time!" The first man groaned, to which his other friend, another plain-looking, but older man, chuckled at his words.
"It’d take a fortune for that to happen. I doubt anyone other than the Shogun can even touch her!"
"I heard even he can’t do so! She’s a ’tayu,’ y’know?"
"Even the Shogun?! No way!"
This conversation wasn’t anything new to Hiyori, or Kamurasaki as her alias was, as she experienced them practically daily. As the highest rank of Orian, known as Tayu, Hiyori’s beauty was known throughout the entirety of Wano. In the Flower Capital in particular, men lined the streets just for a glance at her, even as she was holding up a fan to partially block her beautiful face.
That feat was even more impressive when you considered that she had multiple guards surrounding her at the moment, as the chances of her being attacked by someone infatuated by her beauty - or, more likely, who she had ruthlessly manipulated out of riches in the past - were pretty high.
And, her reputation wasn’t misleading. The woman had long, bright, and silky turquoise hair that flowed down to her rear, and which framed her smooth and thin face. Her body’s curves could easily be seen, even through the long and loose robe that she wore, as she had a thin waist, decently sized bust, and a thick behind.
Despite being an Orian - a fancy word for prostitute - Hiyori had far separated herself from the lower-ranking Orian, who had to sell their bodies for cheap prices to survive. Instead, Hiyori’s allure had gone beyond her body, and few save for the Shogun himself could even afford her presence.
Her elegant movements, charming words, pleasant shamisen playing, and overall beauty elevated her to a pedestal within the capital, even as her true identity as the daughter of Oden remained concealed. Her allure was felt far and wide, and there was no small amount of men who had, quite literally, sold everything they owned just for a chance at her heart - only to be ruthlessly tossed aside.
While most from within Oden’s camp suffered after his downfall, Hiyori was one of the few who had not only survived but succeeded in becoming an important person. She had done things that she never thought she would, broken hearts without a care in the world, and had been ruthless in her pursuit, but she had reached near the pinnacle of the Flower Capital as a result.
"Damn! I bet she’s heading to the Shogun’s celebration right now, huh?"
"That basta- I-I mean, the Shogun holds a celebration pretty much every night at this point, right? Must be nice to live like that..."
"Hey, just be happy you can even afford to stay in the capital, alright? You don’t realize just how good we have it..."
Hiyori couldn’t help but let her shoulders stiffen a bit as the onlookers were spot-on. Right now, as the sun sat far above at roughly mid-day, she was headed for the early - far too early for her liking - celebration the Shogun, Orochi, was holding.
Does he ever take a day off?
Orochi took his position as Shogun very unseriously - essentially just partying throughout the day, and most nights, without a care for the suffering his people were enduring. While the Flower Capital was a paradise, with a joyous atmosphere, an abundance of food, and even beautiful natural aspects, the rest of Wano was the exact opposite.
I hate him.
To say Hiyori disliked Orochi was an understatement, as she believed the new Shogun was spitting in the face of everyone that came before him and was disrespecting her deceased father with every action he took.
And yet, I have to serve him. Fate is really cruel.
Hiyori, or more specifically Komurasaki as Orochi believed she was, had become the center of Orochi’s attention for years now. The downsides of being the most beautiful and alluring woman in all of Wano was that everyone was infatuated with you.
That included Orochi, who, in a mixture of flexing his authority and actual admiration for Komurasaki, called for Hiyori pretty much daily. She would have to attend his celebration, watch as he rambled moronically and drank himself stupid, and sit next to him as she stroked his ego.
It could be worse. Not much worse, but it could be worse.
Hiyori could at least take solace in the fact that she had yet to be forced into the Shogun’s bed. While she was the untouchable Tayu, someone whom even higher-ups in the Flower Capital would need to spend fortunes to even talk to, Orochi was still the Shogun.
If the Shogun wanted something, he would get it. Especially a Shogun who had the favor of the Yonko Kaido.
Luckily, Orochi seemed to somewhat realize just how expendable he was to Kaido, and that forcing himself upon the most idolized woman in Wano wasn’t the best idea. All that would come from it was a one-way trip to being replaced as Shogun when Kaido thought he was more trouble than he was worth.
...How long will I have to live like this?
Hiyori wasn’t sure why she had such an existential thought at that time, but her feet stopped mid-step, and she stood, frozen, in the middle of the street for a moment.
...Should I give up?
Hiyori had tried and struggled to get to where she was. She had long ago left the poor, crying girl dressed in nothing but rags who would shout to the heavens, defending her dead father even as the country he loved crumbled.
She had become near-untouchable. The envy of all the women in Wano, and the desire of all the men. She had become powerful. Influential. She was in a position that nearly any citizen of Wano would kill to trade places with.
And yet, she felt empty. Just as she always had.
Will that day really come?
Since the fall of her father and the rule of Kaido began over Wano, Hiyori had waited for a single day to come. For the day when the detestable Orochi would fall, and when Kaido’s rule over Wano would come to an end.
She didn’t know how it would happen, nor did she know when. The Nine Red Scabbards were split up, either biding their time as they waited for the same day or rotting in a cell. As each day passed, they became older, their bodies became weakened from poor food and water, and their state deteriorated.
Hiyori had held hope that some miracle would occur for a long time, but with each passing day, that miracle seemed less likely. Anyone who spoke against Kaido or Orochi was being imprisoned, and those with the strength to do something were losing strength by the day.
Truly, she was starting to wonder if the day she had always hoped for would really come.
Then, as if the world could hear her doubts, a large booming sound rang out, and commotion filled the streets around her.
"What’s happening?! Is that..."
"W-What the hell is that?!"
"T-The castle! The castle is burning!"
Hiyori winced from the loud sound, pulled out of her thoughts as a man on the side of the road shouted. She glanced over, only slightly as not to give anyone the satisfaction of even being looked upon, as the man pointed forward and upward. His eyes were wide with shock, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.
Hiyori’s gaze turned, following the line of his finger, and landed on a building that was visible within all of the Flower Capital. In the direct center of the capital, on a massive plant, sat a towering structure - known simply as Orochi Castle.
But, as Hiyori looked at the familiar building, which she was headed towards right now, her eyes went wide. The three storied building that usually looked down upon the rest of the Flower Capital oppressively was blown wide open, with smoke rising from the top as flames started to burn through the walls.
However, there was something more concerning than just flames.
"A-A monster!"
"It’s the Shogun, you idiot!"
Bursting out from the hole in the building was a head, which looked like a mixture of a dragon and a snake with its long neck. However, it wasn’t alone, as another dragon-like head burst out a second later.
That’s... Orochi?
The new Shogun had taken on his devil-fruit form, which he rarely used except to express his anger, intimidate someone, or to fight. But, before Hiyori could even make sense of what was happening to the castle, a voice shouted to her side. More specifically, in the air to her side.
"So, do we just kill them all?" Hiyori’s head jerked to the side again, glancing up as a duo of women... floated?
"Hey! Step away from- GRAH!" Hiyori’s eyes went wide as she jerked her head to the side, watching as one of the guards who constantly stood at her side was suddenly consumed in a massive ball of flames. The other two followed a moment later - becoming engulfed in flames in the literal blink of an eye.
She stepped back, her eyes becoming a bit fearful as she took in the form of the attacker. In the air, with two leathery wings coming out of her back, was a woman with long blonde hair and a deceptively cute face. Next to her floated another woman with long brown hair, whose body seemed to be the embodiment of lust.
"Layla! You’re not supposed to kill anyone!" The brown-haired woman huffed, puffing out her cheeks at the blonde-haired woman.
"Exactly! You think Valon will punish me after this?" Layla didn’t seem very concerned about the burning corpses of the guards below her, instead giggling as her words were light and teasing.
"Seriously? We’re invading another world, and that’s what you’re thinking about?" Venelana deadpanned at her long-time friend, gesturing at the Flower Capital around them, which was starting to become filled with noise.
The usual chatter faded away as shouts rang out, and if Hiyori had glanced around, she would’ve noticed a few buildings becoming alight with flames. All around the Flower Capital, various different symbolized magic circles filled the streets as the sudden assault began, and the inhabitants had no chance to react.
Who are these people?!
But Hiyori wasn’t going to find out. There was a reason the gorgeous woman had survived this long in a Wano where death had become common, and it wasn’t because of her rather meager strength. Instead of standing there in shock, as many citizens on the street were doing - though a fair share of the men seemed less concerned about possible death as they openly leered at the two busty devils - Hiyori took action.
Her body tensed, and she promptly turned around - then sprinted forward. She didn’t know what was happening, but she knew that she shouldn’t be anywhere near it.
Unfortunately for her, she hadn’t turned quite quickly enough, and she had caught a certain devil’s eye.
"This one’s pretty cute, right?" Hiyori stumbled, jerking her head back and coming to a stop as the blonde devil suddenly appeared in front of her - moving quicker than her eyes could process.
"So? We’re supposed to be invading, not looking for pretty girls," Venelana said dryly again, appearing next to her friend just as quickly.
"W-Who are-" Hiyori started to speak fearfully, but she couldn’t even finish the sentence as Layla moved again.
"But she’s, like, super cute!" Layla justified, suddenly moving closer to Hiyori as she reached up, grabbing both of the woman’s cheeks and squishing them, "Valon will be super happy if we bring her to him, right?! She’s totally his type!"
"S-Stop!" Hiyori reached up, trying to remove the woman’s hands from her face, but was surprised by the iron grip Layla had. The woman’s grip was far too powerful, and Hiyori felt like she was trying to move a boulder instead of a simple hand.
"Everyone is his type," Venelana sighed, but glanced up and down Hiyori’s body for a second, making Hiyori blush as she felt strangely judged, and then nodded, "But she does stand out a bit with that hair! I don’t think he has anyone with that color yet, right?"
"W-What are you talking-" Hiyori tried again, but her words were quickly muffled as Venelana appeared next to her, and then promptly placed an arm around the woman’s head and shoved her face into her breasts - wrapping her in a tight semi-hug.
"He’ll be super happy about that!" Layla nodded rapidly in agreement, "He’s got blue with Tiamat, but not blue like this!"
What the hell are they talking about?!
Let it be known - Hiyori was not just standing there and letting this happen. Even as her face was shoved into Venelana’s breasts, she was doing her best to shove the older woman away, but simply couldn’t. It was as if she were pushing against a brick wall.
Why are they so tough?!
"L-Lept meh gow!" Hiyori’s muffled voice came out, but as she was trapped in the dark, and admittedly soft and pleasant, embrace of Venelana’s breasts, a loud rumbling rang out.
The ground under Hiyori’s feet shook, and she was finally freed as Venelana loosened her grip a bit, instead glancing towards Orochi’s castle again.
"Oh, good job, dear!" The older, busty woman cheered, fully freeing Hiyori as she raised a hand to wave at a figure. As she did, Hiyori pulled her head up with a gasp, and then glanced forward at the commotion.
As she did, her eyes went as wide as saucers.
H-He’s...
Far down the street ahead of them, the long, numerous heads of Orochi were sprawled out as a red-haired man stood over his body casually. As Orochi’s body and heads lay slumped, Hiyori didn’t have to be a genius to realize what was happening.
O-Orochi was defeated?!
She should’ve been jumping with joy at the prospect, but with all the strange bat-winged people flooding the capital, she was more confused than anything.
"He sent me here just to deal with him? I think His Highness just enjoys ordering me around," The red-haired man chuckled, glancing back at the duo of women, "Falbium could’ve handled this on his own."
As Hiyori glanced around, her jaw dropped and her mouth agape, she took in the sight of the Flower Capital. In just a few minutes, Orochi had been defeated, his castle had erupted in flames, and countless higher-ups and Beast Pirates were in the process of being subdued by hundreds of flying devils.
In just a few minutes, the Flower Capital had been completely subjugated. As Hiyori realized that, she had just one thought.
What the fuck is happening?!
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AN: Thank you for reading! The next Chapter will be posted in a few days!
You can also read the next 8 Chapters right now on ! This story is being updated twice as often on there! (Also, fun fact, I’ve been saying 7 for the past like 50 Chapters, but just realized I might be stupid and it was actually 6... so now it’s really 8... oops...)