Among the onlookers, a burly gangster with light blue flame-like hair and a goatee watched the battle between the daimyos and the outsiders with eager eyes.
This was Hyogoro the Flower, a rising force in the Flower Capital's underworld.
Though only 18 years old, he was already the boss of an entire street, known for his strength and charisma.
The street where Kozuki Oden had caused trouble earlier was Hyogoro's territory.
Initially, Hyogoro had chased Oden down to teach him a lesson but ended up stumbling upon this major event instead.
Seeing the 100 kilograms of gold up for grabs, Hyogoro's eyes burned with ambition.
With that kind of money, he could recruit more men—enough to expand his gang by at least 100 members.
··
From the podium, Brook noticed Hyogoro's unique hairstyle—the blue flame-like hair made him appear almost supernatural.
Brook wondered if he was from a rare race like the Lunarians or perhaps a mutant human.
In the future, Hyogoro would transform from a frail old man into a towering, powerful warrior in his fighting form—a terrifying outburst of strength.
Brook's life detection revealed Hyogoro's immense vitality, confirming his future potential.
"He's going to be Luffy's Ryuo training teacher one day…"
Brook mused.
"I wonder if he's already a legendary underworld boss in Wano?"
If Hyogoro wasn't famous yet, Brook was tempted to recruit him.
He knew that during the "Harem Rebellion" caused by Oden at age 15, Hyogoro already commanded over 200 men.
He had even led his gang alongside other samurai and underworld forces to suppress Oden, the lawless son of the shogun.
Respected by both criminals and civilians, Hyogoro was a man of principle—upholding the samurai code with honor and might.
The more Brook observed him, the more satisfied he became.
He couldn't help but wonder:
"Would he be willing to leave Wano and set sail aboard my golden ship?"
Brook strode up to Hyogoro without hesitation, extending an invitation on the spot.
"Oi, mighty warrior! You've got real skill. Ever thought about setting sail? The world's full of powerful fighters just waiting for a challenge!"
Knowing that Wano's samurai respected strength above all, Brook played his hand wisely—"the strong seek the strong." It was the perfect hook.
"Are you the leader of those three outsiders?"
Hyogoro suddenly asked, his fighting spirit flaring.
The beloved sword at his waist trembled with excitement.
Despite his young age, Hyogoro had already created his own sword style, called "Flower One-Sword Style".
His strength was recognized by many gang bosses, and he had monopolized an entire street, commanding 50 to 60 men.
"What? You want to fight me?"
Brook smirked.
"Fine. If I win, you'll become my retainer. If you win, the 100 kilograms of gold is yours. Do you dare to try?"
Brook's meaningful smile carried a hint of challenge, hoping that this righteous gangster wouldn't be scared off.
"What?! Who do you think you are?! How dare you make our boss your retainer?!"
The gangsters beside Hyogoro erupted in anger, shouting curses at Brook.
To them, the idea of their boss becoming a retainer was an insult—a humiliation that could ruin their status in the underworld.
Though they were confident in Hyogoro's strength, Brook's calm demeanor made them uneasy.
After all, Brook's subordinates were already holding their own against the daimyos—a testament to their strength.
If Hyogoro lost, they would become leaderless, which was unacceptable.
"Enough!"
Hyogoro scolded his men, his eyes stern.
"How dare you speak rudely to a strong warrior?"
He then turned to Brook and rejected the bet.
"Outsider, I will not leave Wano. Change the terms."
Although Hyogoro was confident in his strength, he knew he hadn't reached his peak yet.
He was cautious, unwilling to sell himself out so easily to a foreigner he barely knew.
"That's a shame. I admire talents like you."
Brook sighed dramatically before changing his offer.
"Let's do business then. Do you know about seastone? How about exchanging seastone for gold?"
Even if Brook couldn't recruit Hyogoro, he could still use him as a business contact—a spokesperson in Wano.
"Seastone? That stuff is useless."
Hyogoro shrugged.
"It's just hard as hell and difficult to process. Only special craftsmen can work with it. The Shogun mostly use it for shackles and restraints."
In Wano, seastone was undervalued.
The locals had no clue about its restraining effects on Devil Fruit users, as Devil Fruit wielders were seen as sorcerers and mistrusted.
It wasn't until Kaido conquered Wano and turned it into a slave-driven mining operation that seastone processing became widespread.
With Doflamingo controlling the underground trade, seastone products were exported in large quantities.
Later, Vegapunk would use seastone inlays on ship bottoms to cross the Calm Belt, revolutionizing naval travel.
However, for now, even the World Government's seastone supply was still limited—most of it was stockpiled from Wano over centuries.
"How about this?"
Brook grinned.
"If you fight me and win, the 100 kilograms of gold is yours. If I win, you still get the gold, but you have to collect 1,000 kilograms of seastone for me. Deal?"
Brook was willing to gamble on Hyogoro's greed, knowing that seastone was practically worthless in Wano.
"Boss, take the deal!"
The gangsters cheered excitedly, thinking they were getting a bargain.
Brook realized he had overestimated the value of seastone in Wano.
To Hyogoro's men, this was like winning the lottery.
"Is this even fair?"
Hyogoro chuckled.
Being a righteous man, he didn't want to exploit Brook.
"I can't let you suffer a loss. If I lose, I'll give you all the seastone I've collected so far. It's definitely more than 1,000 kilograms!"
Hyogoro's sense of honor shone through—he was willing to offer even more than the original bet.
Before the battle began, Brook asked one last question.
"By the way, seastone is so hard—why not forge it into swords and weapons?"
He was genuinely curious, as he had never seen seastone swords in Wano.
Hyogoro looked at him with confusion, unaware of the seastone weapon potential.
Brook simply smirked, realizing that Wano had yet to grasp the true power of seastone weaponry.
-------
When Hyogoro heard Brook's question, he laughed heartily. The answer was simple.
"Although seastone is extremely hard, most seastone ores are impure. The purity varies across the same ore, making seastone swords less durable than expected. They lack ductility and toughness, making them prone to breaking.
A seastone ore with both high purity and large size is extremely rare, so no one forges seastone swords anymore."
He explained with pride in his voice.
"Besides, in Wano, we take pride in our swords. Every samurai dreams of becoming like Ryuma, the Dragon Slayer, and forging their own black blade through willpower and Ryo—just like the national treasure, the black blade Shusui!"
Hyogoro's eyes gleamed with reverence.
"If you ever get the chance, visit the Shimotsuki family's territory, Ringo.
Ryuma is buried in the Northern Cemetery, and his sword, Shusui, rests with him.
Many legendary swordsmen are buried there, and their famous swords lie with them."
The more Hyogoro spoke, the prouder he became.
In Wano, every samurai receives a sword in their youth, which accompanies them for life.
If, by the time they achieve fame, their sword bears Haki-infused black lines, it becomes a renowned black blade, revered for generations.
Every year, Wano's samurai visit the Northern Cemetery to pay tribute to their predecessors—especially to Ryuma and Shusui, their sacred national treasure.
For them, Shusui was not just a sword—it was a symbol of their faith.
"I see... The Northern Cemetery, huh?"
Brook murmured thoughtfully.
It was just like diamonds—although incredibly hard, they were brittle when forged into long swords.
With seastone's varying purity, creating a durable sword was nearly impossible.
For example, if the tip of the blade was 70% pure, the middle 60%, and the hilt 50%, the sword would be fragile and weak.
However, if Brook could find a massive chunk of high-purity seastone, creating a seastone weapon would still be feasible.
Meanwhile, Brook's eyes gleamed with interest.
The Northern Cemetery sounded like a gold mine—or rather, a sword mine.
All of Wano's famous swords were buried there—just waiting to be claimed.
"That's where Gecko Moriah robbed graves, right?"
Brook recalled.
"After being defeated by Kaido, Moriah looted Ryuma's tomb and stole Shusui."
What a golden opportunity.
Even Kaido and Orochi had once robbed the Northern Cemetery, looting famous swords for their uprising.
"If I get the chance, I should 'visit' the Northern Cemetery too."
Brook smirked mischievously.
"Leaving all those legendary swords to rot as grave decorations is a waste!"
If Hyogoro and the samurai ever found out that Brook was eyeing Shusui, they would fight him to the death.
To them, stealing Shusui would be like blowing up the Eiffel Tower, toppling the Statue of Liberty, or nuking Mount Fuji.
"Enough talk! Let me see your Wano swordsmanship!"
Brook grinned, leading Hyogoro to an open space—ready to school the young gangster boss with a lesson in sea-style combat.
"Hahaha! I want to see if you're really stronger than those daimyos!"
Hyogoro's flame-like hair flared violently, mirroring his rising battle spirit.
The gangsters cheered, egging their boss on.
On the sidelines, the Hell Pirates' crew watched with amusement.
They thought Brook was bullying the weak—picking a random youngster from the crowd instead of challenging the daimyos or shogun.
Even Redfield and the other fighters felt Brook was just playing around, while Kozuki Sukiyaki watched from his high platform, eager to gauge the foreign captain's strength.
"I am Hyogoro of the Flowers! I wield the Flower Blade Style, my own creation.
My sword is named Sakurabone. Please instruct me!"
Hyogoro performed a traditional samurai salute, drawing Sakurabone with utmost formality.
His eyes burned with determination.
"Oh? Such etiquette? I should follow local customs then."
Brook chuckled.
"I am Brook. My sword style is called the Underworld Ghost Style.
My sword is the Seven Star Sword—a cursed sword!"
As Brook drew his sword, a bone-chilling aura swept through the area.
The gangsters staggered backward, their faces pale with fear.
The slender sword pulsed with a dark green, ghostly aura, filling the air with a sinister chill.
"A cursed sword?!"
Hyogoro's eyes widened in shock.
The dark aura was on par with Shusui—the national treasure itself.
"Is that a Supreme Grade sword? Or one of the Great Grade swords?"
His voice trembled with disbelief.
The samurai watching the daimyo battle abandoned their posts, rushing over to glimpse the legendary blade.
The double-edged sword, the deep seven-star pattern, and the sinister chill captivated them.
"It's definitely a legendary sword!"
One swordsmith gasped, trembling with excitement.
"It's as elegant as it is powerful! I've never seen a double-edged sword with such beauty and strength!"
"That's it! I'm going to forge a double-edged sword myself!"
The swordsmith vowed, inspired by the Seven Star Sword.
On the high platform, Kozuki Sukiyaki was equally mesmerized.
Though the shogun of Wano, he was also a renowned swordsmith.
He had personally forged the Enma.
"So... a double-edged sword can be this stunning…"
Sukiyaki's eyes sparkled, already planning his next masterpiece—a double-edged sword rivaling the Great Grade Swords.
"Hahaha! To face a sword as mighty as a Great Grade Sword
Even if I lose, it will be an honorable defeat!
Sakurabone, let's go!"
Hyogoro stroked his beloved sword, unafraid of the danger of it breaking.
A samurai fears no battle!
··
"Flower sword Style: Raging Light Worship!"
With flames blazing atop his head, Hyogoro brandished Sakurabone and charged at Brook with explosive speed.
A trail of lavender flames crackled in his wake.
Seeing Hyogoro's rapid approach, Brook exhaled a puff of white mist, raised the Seven Star Sword, and casually swung it forward.
"Underworld Ghost Style: Seven Star Demon Fang Slash!"
With a simple swing, Brook unleashed a massive hundred-meter-long sword slash.
The devastating attack sent shockwaves through the battlefield, forcing the samurai to stumble backward.
Even Kozuki Sukiyaki shot up from his seat, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
"What kind of monster is he?!"
The samurai muttered in awe as Brook's overwhelming swordsmanship was put on full display.
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