Tenguyama Hitetsu snorted through the long nose of his tengu mask.
"I'm not stupid," he said.
"If you were working for Orochi or Kaido, you wouldn't waste your time threatening me like this.
"If you really were their dog, you would've dragged Princess Hiyori in front of me already… and killed her on the spot."
Arakaki Jin smiled.
"If you don't cooperate," he replied mildly, "that's exactly what I'll do."
He flipped open the wooden box in his hand.
Inside lay a katana with a pale blue scabbard and a faint chill seeping from it—
Nidai Kitetsu.
Shiiing.
Jin drew it in one smooth motion and gave it a lazy wave.
The sword thrummed with excitement.
The blade sang.
Cold air bled off the steel.
"This is a cursed blade,"Hitetsu said slowly. "Ever since it was forged, it has remained in my care.
"If someone without strong will uses it, the sword will turn on its wielder.
"At best, it clouds the mind.
"At worst, blood pours from all seven orifices… and they die."
Jin swung again.
Swish.
A small stump in the yard split cleanly in two.
Frost glittered along the cut, tiny shards of ice clinging to the wood.
"Ghostly chill, huh?" Jin tilted his head, amused. "Not bad."
Hitetsu actually chuckled.
"It seems I've found a good owner for Nidai Kitetsu after all," he said. "May I see your own blade?"
Jin didn't hesitate.
He flicked his wrist and his massive greatsword materialized in front of Hitetsu with a dull thunk.
The swordsmith ran a hand over it, fingers tracing the edge.
A moment ago, he'd thought Nidai Kitetsu finally had a worthy master.
Now, his view shifted.
"…No," Hitetsu sighed. "This one suits you even more."
He straightened and bowed deeply.
"I can see you truly love swords," he said. "In that case, I'll leave these three blades to you.
"Please… find them the right wielders."
"I will," Jin said simply.
He stored Nidai Kitetsu away; the greatsword vanished right after it into the space within his bracelet.
"Come," Hitetsu said. "There's one more thing."
They left the little house and walked back into the forest, stopping beneath a huge old tree.
Hitetsu knocked in a particular rhythm and listened carefully.
Satisfied, he pressed on a hidden knot in the bark.
A section of the trunk swung inward, revealing a narrow tunnel.
Jin's eyes narrowed, but he only smiled.
"Secret passages too," he said. "Figures."
They walked.
And walked.
And walked.
Roughly three hours later, they stopped.
Jin lifted his head and grinned.
"A Poneglyph," he said.
A giant red stone loomed in the chamber, carved with ancient glyphs.
"This stone has been guarded by the Kozuki clan for generations," Hitetsu said quietly.
"For years, I had no idea what it was truly for.
"When Oden returned from the sea, he came here just to take a rubbing."
He fell silent and stepped aside.
Jin took his time, pressing paper and ink against the stone, carefully copying every line of text.
When he finished and rolled the rubbing away into his bracelet, Hitetsu bowed low.
"You've gotten what you wanted," he said. "May I ask a favor in return?"
"Talk," Jin said. "You played fair. I'm listening."
"Please take Lady Hiyori to Zou," Hitetsu said. "There are those there who will protect her."
He held out a small scrap of paper.
"A Vivre Card."
Jin glanced at it.
That makes three road signs now, he thought. If I keep this up, I really am going to end up on the Pirate King route…
"You trust me that much?" he asked aloud.
Hitetsu met his gaze.
"I can tell," he said simply. "You're a man who keeps his word."
Jin snorted.
"I'll ask the girl first," he said. "Right now she's under Kyoshiro's protection."
Then he vanished.
Hitetsu—no, Kozuki Sukiyaki—stood alone in the underground chamber, staring at the space where Jin had been.
He took a long, slow breath.
All he wanted now was to get Hiyori away from this cursed land.
In Kuri, Jin walked the streets dressed as before.
A wandering ronin.
Only now, the katana at his waist was Nidai Kitetsu.
He stopped outside a busy pleasure house and pushed the door open.
"Welcome, samurai-sama!" the woman at the entrance said, bowing low.
Jin clicked his tongue silently.
Does no one in this country have a bad back?
The two hostesses at the door slipped up to him, naturally hugging his powerful arms.
"Does samurai-sama have a favorite girl here?" one asked, batting her lashes.
"If not, how about the two of us?"
Jin glanced at them.
Pretty—heart-shaped faces, big eyes, small frames wrapped in bright kimono.
They'd do.
He simply scooped both of them up like sacks of rice.
"I'll take you two."
"Kyaaa— samurai-sama, you're terrible!" one squealed, faces flushing as they pressed against his chest.
The mama-san bustled over, tittering.
"Oh my, samurai-sama has an excellent eye. Those two are our famous sister pair."
"Lead the way," Jin said, sounding impatient.
"Of course, of course!"
Mama-san led them deeper inside, grumbling inwardly.
So eager he's already got them in his arms at the door. And those two hussies, throwing themselves at him just because he's tall and built…
Though that face… and that body… mmm. Even an old woman like me can appreciate it.
They reached a private room.
Jin, half-dragging the sisters, stepped inside.
As they settled, his gaze drifted—just for a heartbeat—to a small blue-green-haired girl in the hallway, carrying a shamisen.
Kozuki Hiyori.
"Samurai-sama, your drinks will be here shortly," mama-san said, bowing again.
She turned to leave.
"Wait," Jin said.
He sat cross-legged, dragging the two women into his lap, and pointed his chin at the little girl.
"Leave her," he said. "I want her to pour for me."
"Ah— this is Komurasaki-chan," mama-san said quickly. "She's still very young. She doesn't serve customers."
Her eyes turned strange.
Please don't be one of those men who likes… children…
Jin flipped his hand over.
A huge lump of gold appeared and clattered onto the table.
"I never said what I wanted her to do," he said lazily. "She can pour drinks. That's all."
Mama-san almost dropped the gold.
She caught it, face lighting up.
"Of course, of course!" she said. "Komurasaki, you'll stay and serve this gentleman. Take good care of him, understand?"
"Yes," Hiyori said softly.
She was terrified.
Ever since she'd been separated from Kawamatsu, she'd hidden her identity and joined the pleasure house to survive.
Afraid at first, she'd pushed on anyway, stubbornly.
She threw herself into practicing instruments, into learning, into smiling.
She never complained.
She never slacked.
In time, the mama-san had noticed her and pulled her closer under her wing.
Then one day, Kyoshiro had found her.
They'd recognized each other and quietly reunited.
With him shadowing her from the outside, this tiny body had finally begun to feel a sliver of safety.
And now—
A towering stranger had specifically requested her.
And the sword at his waist…
She could feel something terrifying from it.
Back in the room, Jin lounged with a woman under each arm, drinking and laughing as Hiyori played in the corner.
That was the scene Kyoshiro—Denjiro—walked in on.
He'd just finished another sickening day of flattering Orochi until he wanted to throw up, and as always, he'd come to the house to watch over Hiyori.
When he arrived and heard she'd been "booked" by someone else, he'd nearly torn the place apart.
He'd forced out some excuse about wanting those sister flowers himself and stormed toward the room.
Mama-san trailed nervously behind him.
Kyoshiro was Orochi's favorite dog.
If a fight broke out, this place would be finished.
And the guest inside… was tall, powerfully built, and generous.
She could only hope they'd talk it out.
At the door, the sound of shamisen music drifted out.
Light feminine laughter.
"More to drink, samurai-sama~"
Kyoshiro yanked the sliding door open.
The scene inside hit him in one blow.
Hiyori sat at the side, playing carefully.
He relaxed a fraction.
She was safe.
On the tatami, a huge man sat cross-legged, cheeks faintly flushed, two women draped in his arms.
The stranger looked up as Kyoshiro entered.
Dangerous, a voice whispered in Kyoshiro's bones.
His instincts screamed.
He was being watched by a beast.
His hand closed on his sword, muscles tensing.
His mind spun.
How to get Hiyori out?
How to do it without starting a war?
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