One Piece: Start by Rebuilding Kuri

The ship, under the command of the navigator, was heading toward the nearest Marine base. However, to avoid being attacked by the Marines before reaching the base, Dan had specifically ordered them to take down the pirate flag and replace it with a normal sail.

Now, Dan was busy taking stock of the Nightlight Pirates' treasures.

To be honest, these guys were quite wealthy. After carefully counting, Dan found that the ship held treasures worth over 100 million Berries.

In this era, the value of 100 million Berries far exceeded what it would be in the future, with purchasing power estimated to be several times higher.

Money sitting idle would only depreciate, so Dan planned to send these treasures to Kurozumi Higurashi's overseas base on the return trip and have her exchange them for supplies.

"So much money!" Mari's eyes sparkled as she fantasized about lying on a pile of coins.

"I didn't expect you to be such a little money lover?" Dan said, surprised.

"Hehe, I want to become the head of the Finance Commission like Yukiko-nee someday!" Mari declared proudly.

However, recalling her earlier money-obsessed expression, Dan decided she couldn't be entrusted with such a role. It wasn't that he thought Mari would embezzle funds, but he was worried she'd be too stingy when allocating budgets.

"By the way, Mari, use the Den Den Mushi to contact Kurozumi Higurashi's people at the overseas base and tell them to continue gathering information about Trans Town," Dan instructed. Last night, the pirates had found Redfield's bounty poster.

But like Roger, he was still just a small-time, unknown pirate at this point.

As the ship sailed toward the Marine base, Yukiko and the others had also traveled through Kibi and arrived at the Flower Capital.

"So this is the Flower Capital? It's my first time here," Shutenmaru said, looking around. The climate here was very different from Kuri. It was always spring in the Flower Capital, unlike the scorching heat of Kuri.

After entering the Flower Capital, they still had a long way to go before reaching the actual capital city.

The capital was built on the central highland of the Flower Capital, where a giant, eternally blooming cherry blossom tree stood, though it wasn't visible from here.

Apart from the capital, the rest of the area was either suburbs or wilderness, but even the wilderness had its inhabitants. Not everyone was qualified to live in the heart of the capital. For example, Kin'emon, a woman named Otsuru, ran a small teahouse in the remote outskirts.

"Don't you think this place would be best ruled by Dan-sama?" Yukiko said.

She had been to the Flower Capital before. When Kuri was first being built, she had traveled across the country to recruit workers and had visited the Flower Capital at that time.

"I remember there's a teahouse up ahead where we can rest. Let's take a break there," Yukiko recalled seeing a small teahouse during her previous visits and decided to stop there.

The teahouse offered not only tea but also some snacks like dango.

This trip to the Flower Capital included only about thirty people, including the entourage. The band that had been playing earlier naturally didn't follow them all the way.

Soon, they passed through the woods and saw a modest teahouse. The proprietress had already heard the commotion and was standing at the door, looking out. Calling her a proprietress might not be entirely accurate, as the woman was still a beautiful young girl. It was hard to believe someone her age would run a teahouse in such a remote place.

Otsuru had been standing outside, alert, after hearing the noise. She dared to run a business in such a place not only because she had some combat skills but also because she was extremely cautious.

However, she soon saw a grand procession approaching. The elegant and luxurious decorations surprised her, and she grew wary.

It seemed like a big shot was arriving. Such people could sometimes be more dangerous than ruffians, but she quickly relaxed when she spotted Yukiko in the crowd.

Yukiko had passed through the Flower Capital several times and often stopped here to rest. Back then, she didn't have such a grand entourage. Although she had brought some people with her, she wasn't dressed as formally as she was now, even wearing light armor.

Because of Yukiko's demeanor and her generous spending, Otsuru had a deep impression of her.

Normally, Otsuru would have immediately gone out to greet her, but this time she hesitated. She saw the man sitting in the red sedan chair, his expression cold and his eyes closed as if in deep thought.

Kurozumi Higurashi had done an excellent job mimicking Dan's demeanor. The cold, aloof aura made Otsuru hesitant to approach, fearing she might offend him and bring disaster upon herself.

"This is the place. Let's rest here for a while," Yukiko said, noticing Otsuru standing nervously at the door. She turned and spoke softly to the group behind her.

This behavior struck Otsuru as odd. The man in the sedan chair seemed to be the most distinguished person in the group, yet Yukiko gave orders without consulting him or showing any concern about disturbing him. It was as if she held the highest position among them.

And in fact, she did.

Aside from Kurozumi Higurashi and Shutenmaru, even the former bandits now serving as soldiers under the Military Commision were more willing to follow Yukiko's orders. After all, this woman was a close confidante of Lord Dan, and her words often directly represented his will. Her authority in their minds was naturally different.

"Miss Yukiko, what brings you here?" Otsuru asked respectfully as Yukiko approached.

"Miss Otsuru, my lord, the current daimyo of Kuri, and I are on our way to the Flower Capital to meet with the Shogun. We're passing through and thought we'd stop here for a rest," Yukiko said gently. "Please prepare some tea and snacks for us, Miss Otsuru."

"The daimyo?" Otsuru gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. She had always known Yukiko's status wasn't ordinary, but she had assumed she was just a wealthy woman from a prominent family. She hadn't expected her to be a high-ranking subordinate of the recently renowned daimyo of Kuri.

And judging by her demeanor, her position was likely very high.

After her initial surprise, Otsuru realized her reaction might have been impolite and quickly said, "Let me first pay my respects to the daimyo."

Yukiko nodded. Although she thought it unnecessary to pay respects to Kurozumi Higurashi, the imposter, they couldn't afford any slip-ups while traveling. "Our daimyo of Kuri is actually very kind. There's no need to worry, Otsuru."

Otsuru nodded, though she was still very nervous inside. The most distinguished person she had ever met was Kozuki Oden, who had saved her from the belly of a mountain god two years ago.

However, he had been disowned by his father, Kozuki Sukiyaki, on the spot.