One Piece: Start by Rebuilding Kuri

After receiving Dan's command, even if Yukiko was still angry, she would not defy it.

She shot a glance at Oden and the others with eyes that seemed to want to kill them, then took a deep breath and said forcefully, "Follow me."

Oden also didn't want to cause a conflict in this situation. After all, he knew very little about Dan, the daimyo of Kuri, and he hoped to gain some support from the daimyo of Kuri regarding the matter of opening the country or setting sail.

Even other daimyos, including Kouzuki Sukiyaki, wouldn't stand on the same path as him on this issue, but the new daimyo of Kuri might be an exception. The fact that he had pacified Kuri, a land that had been in chaos for centuries, was enough to prove his courage and vision.

Pacifying Kuri wasn't something completely impossible for other regions or the capital, but it would require significant effort. This had led successive shoguns to unconsciously ignore Kuri.

After all, what's wrong with maintaining the status quo?

For them, as long as the status quo was maintained, their rule could continue. A remote place like Kuri didn't matter much. In this context, Dan, who had transformed Kuri into its current prosperous state, might be someone flexible and open to change.

So Oden restrained himself and his companions, including Kin'emon, and followed Yukiko to the main hall.

Here, the guards were all women.

These women wore light armor and held swords, clearly showing that they were quite skilled. Yukiko had recruited many women to serve Dan, and after entering the daimyo's residence, they were assigned various tasks.

Some were taught to read and write, while others trained in martial arts or other skills, including dance, singing, and playing musical instruments.

When the female guards saw Yukiko approaching, they nodded to her first, then turned their attention to Oden and the others, specifically focusing on the swords hanging at their waists.

There were eight people in Oden's group, and five of them—Oden, Kin'emon, Denjiro, Kanjuro, and Raizo—were carrying weapons.

"No weapons allowed inside," two guards stated bluntly, extending their hands to take the swords from their waists.

Kin'emon was about to lose his temper, but Oden had already taken down Enma and Ame no Habakiri from his waist and handed them over. Seeing this, the others had no choice but to surrender their weapons as well. Raizo, who had too many weapons, was taken to another room for a thorough search.

Oden, standing over three meters tall, carried two swords each over 1.5 meters long, which felt incredibly heavy in his hands. These two swords were among the finest blades, crafted by the current shogun of Wano, Kozuki Sukiyaki.

To be honest, as long as Oden still carried these swords, the so-called "cutting ties" with his father was nothing more than a joke.

"Is this acceptable now?" Oden asked loudly, his patience wearing thin.

Before the two maids could respond, a voice came from inside the residence.

"Bring them in, Yukiko."

"Yes!" Yukiko replied firmly, then led Oden and the others inside.

After passing through indoor corridors and sliding open several shoji doors, Oden and his group finally saw Dan, who had been waiting for them for some time.

The man who had accomplished the feat of pacifying Kuri was neither tall nor fearsome in appearance. On the contrary, he looked very gentle, almost as if he didn't seem like someone who could fight.

At the moment, he was sitting at a desk, looking over a pile of documents, seemingly troubled.

Oden, sensing the man's aura, could tell that his frail appearance was merely a facade. He could feel that Dan's strength was formidable, though whether he was stronger than himself remained unclear.

Dan wasn't in his Take Over form at the moment, but his strength had improved significantly over time, and his mastery of Haki was growing stronger every day.

"Are you the daimyo of Kuri?" Oden asked loudly.

"You insolent fool, you should address him as 'Lord Daimyo'!" Yukiko scolded.

However, Dan waved his hand, indicating that she shouldn't make a big deal out of it. Yukiko then walked over to him, knelt down, and sat beside him. Kin'emon and the others were visibly surprised to see such a cold woman being so obedient to Dan.

"Please take a seat, Mr. Oden," Dan said, his expression unreadable.

At least Dan had prepared seats in advance, making the setting appear quite formal.

"Keiko, have the servants bring the food."

"Yes," Keiko nodded and slowly exited. Shortly after, several maids entered, carrying dishes and sake, setting up a feast on the tables in front of Oden and his group.

The exquisite dishes and their aroma made Kin'emon and the others swallow hard.

Except for Raizo, none of them had ever eaten such delicious food. When Kin'emon and Denjiro began following Oden, he had just been exiled, and the most luxurious meal they had eaten since then was oden.

"Please, help yourselves."

"Thank you very much. We're quite hungry," Oden said, also drawn to the food. What was placed before him was something he had never seen before—dishes that didn't seem to exist in Wano.

The unfamiliar dishes, with their aroma, color, and taste, seemed like something only gods could enjoy. Oden took one bite and almost wanted to pick up the small table and devour everything in one go.

His companions buried their faces in the food, making a mess.

"This is delicious!"

"This is amazing!"

"Is this what daimyos eat?"

Even a daimyo probably hadn't eaten such delicious food, Oden thought. Not even the shogun could have tasted this. Oden even speculated that the recipes for these dishes might have come from overseas.

Thinking this, he felt even more convinced that the daimyo of Kuri might be able to help him set sail.

He felt as if the cushion beneath him was crawling with ants, making him unbearably uncomfortable. He could no longer sit still.

"Lord Daimyo—"

"My name is Dan D. Lyon," Dan interrupted him. "Mr. Oden, you and your... friends have caused quite a bit of trouble since entering Kuri."

Dan set down the documents in his hand and spoke softly.

"Destroying farmland, robbery, theft, damaging agricultural tools, killing a farmer's cow, breaking the doors of several shops in the town..."

Oden: ...

"Are you sure there's no mistake? I wouldn't do something as petty as stealing," Oden said. He was willing to admit to things like destroying farmland, but theft was beneath him.

"You may not have done it, but your friends did."

As soon as Dan finished speaking, Kin'emon and the others all looked down in shame.