Hyougoro listened to Brook’s words with a hint of yearning in his eyes. Although the Flower Capital where he lived was prosperous, much of the rest of the country remained poor and underdeveloped.
Some places, like Kuri, were in utter chaos — a lawless land where criminals roamed free and the people lived in constant misery, beyond the control of even the Shogun and the Daimyo.
Thanks to Wano’s thriving yakuza culture, where nearly everyone carried a sword, peace was only ever temporary. Countless defeated yakuza clans, hunted down and exterminated, fled to Kuri seeking refuge.
As a result, Kuri became even more chaotic — a breeding ground for orphans and the abandoned, and the only region disconnected from the Flower Capital.
It was as if all the filth of Wano converged there. Even remnants of the Kurozumi clan lurked within Kuri’s shadows, alongside countless fallen noble families hiding out. It was Wano’s very own no-man’s-land.
There was even a place called "Scrap Heap Town," a junkyard settlement that mirrored the Goa Kingdom’s Gray Terminal in the East Blue — a trash heap that, despite everything, managed to support the downtrodden.
Meanwhile, the Flower Capital, protected by Hakumai, Udon, Ringo, and Hakumai’s surrounding lands, thrived at the center. It served as the heart of Wano, collecting tribute from all corners, home to flourishing yakuza, bustling casinos, bathhouses, and the grandest entertainment districts.
By contrast, Kuri was cut off, isolated beyond the reach of Hakumai and Udon. With no ruler, no Daimyo, only endless conflict for survival, it descended into complete lawlessness.
The gangs there weren’t even yakuza anymore — they were little better than bandits and marauders. Power alone determined one’s fate: the strong enslaved the weak, robbing and killing without remorse.
"Everyone having enough to eat... What a beautiful dream that would be," Hyougoro sighed.
In Wano’s warrior culture, being oppressed was the norm. That was why he had become a yakuza in the first place — to move from being the oppressed to the oppressor.
He envied the noble clans and wealthy merchants, but he was all too familiar with the suffering of poor farmers, tenant peasants, and house slaves. All he could do was uphold his own sense of honor — to avoid exploiting the poor whenever he could.
But even that tiny shred of decency made him stand out like a saint among Wano’s yakuza, earning him the respect of countless commoners. It was a testament to just how brutal and predatory the underworld had become.
In the original story, Kozuki Hiyori, disguised as the courtesan Komurasaki, deceived a bald merchant into raising money to "redeem" her freedom. In his desperation to gather the ransom, that wealthy landlord devastated countless lives — forcing families to sell their homes, their daughters, and destroying what little hope they had left.
Komurasaki and Kyoshiro thought themselves noble for using the stolen money to help the poor, but the blood and tears they redistributed were built atop fresh suffering.
Those people might have struggled, but they could have survived — until Komurasaki’s schemes led the merchant to crush them in his greed.
Wano was a country of feudalism and blind loyalty. The Shogun controlled the nation through the Daimyo and noble houses, paying little mind to the people at the bottom. As long as the Kozuki family secured the loyalty of the Daimyo, the rest didn’t matter.
"So, Hyougoro... Have you made up your mind yet?" Brook asked with a knowing smile. "I hear there’s a place in Wano called Kuri — a chaotic mess, right? If I help pacify it, do you think Shogun Kozuki Sukiyaki would lease it to me?"
Brook’s tone turned inviting.
"You want to help? Manage Kuri with me? Make sure everyone has food, jobs, and a future? Who knows — maybe you’ll even become the Daimyo of Kuri someday."
Having shown his strength, Brook now dangled a dream before Hyougoro’s eyes — then sealed it with a real, actionable plan. And the bait? Fame, power, and a seat among the Daimyo.
A Daimyo! For a yakuza punk like him — barely eighteen years old — it was an opportunity he could scarcely imagine.
Who could resist such temptation?
Hyougoro, the streetwise yakuza, was already brimming with excitement, practically ready to roll up his sleeves and lead Brook straight to pacify Kuri!
"Brook-sama, from today on, you’re not just my boss — you’re my lord! I don’t care about becoming a Daimyo. I just want to help bring peace to Kuri!" Hyougoro declared with utmost sincerity, bowing deeply until his forehead touched the ground.
"Haha! Good, good!" Brook laughed, pulling him up by the shoulders. "From now on, call me ’Brook-san,’ just like the others. Stick with me, and I promise — you’ll become a big name in Wano! Becoming the Daimyo of Kuri will only be a matter of time!"
Brook’s enthusiasm was contagious. The world ran on profit and ambition, after all — wasn’t it the same reason even Straw Hat Luffy would boldly proclaim "I’ll be King of the Pirates" the moment he met someone?
Whether he could achieve it or not was a separate question — but shouting out your dreams made people remember you. Little by little, through repetition and sheer will, companions like Zoro, Sanji, and Nami began to believe too.
"No, no, Brook-sama!" Hyougoro refused stubbornly. "You’re my lord! I can’t just call you ’san’ like a common thug. It’s against proper etiquette!"
He was nothing if not proper. In the original timeline, the Nine Red Scabbards worked hard to study formal etiquette and break free of their outlaw pasts, proudly becoming retainers to the Kozuki clan.
To address Brook too casually would have felt like a betrayal of that growth — an insult to their new honor.
"Alright, alright — if that’s what you prefer," Brook said, smiling wryly. "For now, go rest up and start gathering Seastone. I’ll see if I can negotiate with Shogun Kozuki Sukiyaki to lease Kuri."
Brook couldn’t help but be reminded of a story from his previous life: the tale of the tiny peninsula leased through deception by a "grape" and an "ox" — a reference to colonial schemes involving the carving up of Macau and Hong Kong.
"For the peace of Kuri, I’ll do everything I can to support you, Brook-sama!" Hyougoro promised fiercely.
Gathering his gang of small-time yakuza, he left to start collecting Seastone. Before he departed, Brook handed him a Den Den Mushi for communication.
Then Brook turned his attention back to his own crew — and the ongoing battle between his companions and the three Daimyo. What caught his eye made him blink in surprise:
Shimotsuki Toramaru, the battle maniac, was actually teaching Redfield how to use Advanced Armament Haki!
Was this the legendary bond of "warriors respecting warriors"? Had they really punched each other into friendship?
Maybe Toramaru had simply been undefeated in Wano for too long, and like Dracule Mihawk, was hoping to cultivate a worthy rival.
+122 Chapters on p@treon/tambeerg