One Piece: Start by Rebuilding Kuri

Although Kozuki Oden could no longer claim to be the shogun's son, the blood ties between them couldn't be severed. And since Kin'emon was one of Oden's followers, Otsuru felt that with this connection, she wouldn't be mistreated.

Thinking this, she calmed down a bit.

She took a few steps toward Dan, then bowed respectfully.

"Miss Otsuru, at your service, Lord Daimyo." Taking this opportunity, Otsuru also curiously observed the famous daimyo of Kuri. Her first impression of him was his striking handsomeness, followed by his cold demeanor.

In reality, Dan wasn't this cold, but Higurashi, adhering to the idea that speaking or acting too much could lead to mistakes, kept her words and actions to a minimum, making her appear even more aloof.

However, seeing Otsuru bow and greet her, Higurashi raised her eyes slightly and said softly, "No need for formalities." She then signaled her samurai to rest.

After greeting the daimyo, Otsuru returned to the teahouse to prepare tea and snacks.

There were only about thirty people in the group, not a large number, but since Otsuru ran the teahouse alone, it would take some time. If it were someone from another region, they might have grown impatient by now.

Shutenmaru sat for a while, then felt a craving for alcohol. He walked into the teahouse and said loudly, "Hey, boss lady, do you have any alcohol? I don't care much for tea."

Shutenmaru was a heavy drinker, but since becoming the head of the Military Commission, his alcohol intake had been strictly limited.

These former bandits were now maintaining order in Kuri as a form of atonement. They were provided food and shelter but no salary. Yukiko didn't skimp on their meals but absolutely refused to provide alcohol.

Although Otsuru ran a teahouse, she also kept some sake, as no samurai in this country could resist it. Fortunately, the alcohol content was low, and a small amount wouldn't make anyone drunk.

Just as Otsuru bent down to fetch the sake, she heard Yukiko's icy voice.

"Shutenmaru, what are you doing?"

Hearing this, even the towering Shutenmaru couldn't help but shiver in fear.

In terms of combat ability, three Yukikos combined might not be a match for Shutenmaru. But in terms of status, Shutenmaru didn't dare to act recklessly. Hearing Yukiko's voice, he broke out in a cold sweat and frantically signaled Otsuru with his eyes not to reveal what he had just said.

Seeing his eyelids twitching uncontrollably, Otsuru found it amusing. But whether she spoke or not, Shutenmaru had spoken so loudly that Yukiko had already heard him.

"Go wait outside. How can you think of drinking at a time like this? Do you want to delay the lord's official business?" Yukiko glared at him.

"Just one or two cups won't make me drunk!" Shutenmaru quickly defended himself. A couple of cups of sake wouldn't even be enough to get tipsy, let alone cause any trouble. But Yukiko didn't care and simply shooed him out.

Otsuru chuckled. These samurai, though imposing and intimidating in their full armor, were quite amusing. They didn't bully others either.

This made Otsuru believe the rumors she had heard about Kuri even more.

She had long heard about the public order in Kuri. It was said that doing business there meant no dealings with the underworld and no oppression from samurai. As long as you paid your taxes, there were no additional expenses.

Unlike the Flower Capital, where, besides taxes, you had to pay protection money to the underworld. The shogun's army wouldn't bother with the underworld, and if you didn't pay, you'd be harassed.

Actually, things had improved in recent years. During Hyogoro's reign over the Flower Capital's underworld, he had imposed some restrictions on the gangs. In the past, even if you paid up, someone would still cause trouble.

Half a year ago, Otsuru had considered moving her business to Kuri, but she wasn't sure if the rumors were true. Moreover, she had been running her teahouse here for a long time and couldn't make up her mind. By the time Kuri stabilized, it had become difficult to settle there.

However, Otsuru hadn't expected that Yukiko, who had passed by several times half a year ago, was actually a member of the Kuri daimyo's household.

She had long heard of the "Frostbloom Snow Princess" but didn't know it was Yukiko.

"I didn't expect Miss Yukiko to hold such a prestigious position," Otsuru said flatteringly. "The fame of the Snow Princess is well-known to me."

"Don't mention it. I don't know which scoundrel spread that name," Yukiko said, feeling exhausted. If it weren't for this sudden fame, she could have gone to sea with Dan instead of traveling to the Flower Capital with that old hag, Kurozumi Higurashi.

Otsuru chuckled softly and placed a plate of dango and tea beside Yukiko. "It's a fitting title for you, Miss Yukiko."

Yukiko had a good impression of Otsuru. She knew that Otsuru had some connection with that blond-haired thug following Oden, but it wasn't a big deal.

She had thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of Oden's followers. The two pretty boys had been picked up by Oden in Ringo, and the ninja with a face as large as Orochi's had been a member of the Oniwabanshu before being rejected multiple times and retreating to the mountains, where he started abducting women.

Kanjuro was a spy sent by Kurozumi Orochi, a fact known to few, Yukiko being one of them.

Kin'emon and Denjiro were small-time thugs from the Flower Capital who had voluntarily followed Oden after the mountain god incident. Speaking of which, Yukiko also knew that the mountain god Oden had cut in half hadn't died. Dan had later learned of this but ultimately didn't bother searching the mountains for a pig to absorb.

"The taste is quite good," Yukiko said after taking a bite of the dango.

Otsuru was a bit surprised. This was the first plate of dango she had prepared, and she had thought Yukiko would take it to the daimyo. She hadn't expected Yukiko to eat it herself.

But she didn't dwell on it and simply said, "The rest aren't ready yet. It'll take a while. The red bean soup is still cooking."

Yukiko nodded. Otsuru's cooking was just ordinary, not the kind that made dishes glow. But sometimes, it was the simplicity that made it more flavorful.

"Miss Otsuru, why don't you move your business to Kuri?" Yukiko said while eating.

She had a bit of a sweet tooth. Having been so poor in the past that she had almost sold herself, she had never tasted many delicious foods. Now, she couldn't resist sweet treats.

So, this time, Yukiko planned to persuade Otsuru to move to Kuri.