Chapter 60

The private chambers of Komurasaki were a sanctuary of incense and silk, hidden deep within the pleasure district. It was a place where men paid fortunes just to sit, yet tonight, two women sat there for free.

Kurumi and Perona knelt on the tatami mats. Perona was sulking, aggressively eating a skewer of dango, while Kurumi sat with perfect poise, though her internal clock was ticking nervously.

"You summoned us, Dayu-san?" Kurumi asked, breaking the silence.

Komurasaki sat opposite them, her shamisen resting on her lap. She looked different. The cold, manipulative mask of the "Oiran who ruins men" was gone. In its place was a flush on her cheeks that matched her kimono.

"Please," Komurasaki smiled, pouring sake into Kurumi's cup. "Call me Hiyori. When we are alone."

"Hiyori?" Kurumi's eyes widened slightly. *Kozuki Hiyori. The daughter of Oden.* "That is a dangerous name to whisper in this capital."

"I trust you," Komurasaki-Hiyori-leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with intensity. "Not just because you saved me from that brute. But because… my heart told me to."

**The Move**

Hiyori didn't wait. She moved with the grace of a woman who had survived twenty years of deception. She stood up, walked around the low table, and sat directly next to Kurumi.

Too close.

"Kurumi-san," Hiyori whispered, placing a hand on Kurumi's knee. "In Wano, we believe in fate. When you caught me… I felt it. A strength that does not bend to Orochi. A kindness that does not ask for reward."

She leaned her head on Kurumi's shoulder, ignoring Perona's gasp of horror.

"I am tired of pretending," Hiyori sighed softly. "I want a hero. And I think I found her."

She looked up, her face inches from Kurumi's.

"Will you take me away from this wretched city, Time Witch?"

Kurumi froze. "You know who I am?"

"The wanted posters are everywhere," Hiyori giggled. "Kurumi Tokisaki. 850 Million Berries. A criminal. A pirate. Perfect."

She reached up and traced Kurumi's jawline.

"I don't mind if you're a villain. As long as you're *my* villain."

**The Ghost Intervenes**

*CLATTER.*

Perona dropped her dango plate. She floated into the air, her aura flaring purple and black.

"HEY! FOX WOMAN!" Perona shrieked, pointing a spectral finger at Hiyori. "Get your paws off her! She's taken!"

Hiyori blinked, looking at the floating ghost girl. She didn't look scared. She looked… competitive.

"Taken?" Hiyori smiled sweetly, tightening her grip on Kurumi's arm. "By whom? You? The little ghost attendant?"

"I am not an attendant!" Perona flew down, getting face-to-face with the Oiran. "I am her partner! Her Quartermaster! And… and her *ghost*!"

"A ghost?" Hiyori covered her mouth with her sleeve, laughing. "How cute. But ghosts cannot provide warmth, can they? I am flesh and blood. And I am very warm."

She pressed closer to Kurumi to demonstrate.

"AAAAHHH! SHAMELESS!" Perona screamed, summoning a *Negative Hollow*. "Be depressed! Be negative! Go sit in a corner and count ants!"

She fired the ghost.

Hiyori didn't dodge. She simply looked at the ghost and smiled. The ghost stopped, blushed, and faded away.

"My will is stronger than your depression, little one," Hiyori stated. "I have waited twenty years for dawn. A little gloom won't stop me."

**The Negotiation**

Kurumi, currently being used as a human armrest by the most beautiful woman in Wano while a ghost yelled at her, cleared her throat.

"Ladies. Please."

She gently removed Hiyori's hand (though Hiyori resisted) and grabbed Perona's floating ankle to pull her down.

"We have a war to fight. Kaido. Orochi. The Fire Festival. We don't have time for a… a love triangle."

"It's not a triangle," Hiyori stated firmly. "It's a queue. And I just cut to the front."

Perona growled. "I was here first! I saved her life in Thriller Bark! I trained with her!"

Hiyori looked at Perona. She assessed the pink hair, the gothic dress, the floating ability.

"You are… persistent," Hiyori admitted. "And cute, in a strange, dead way."

Perona paused. "Cute?"

"I suppose," Hiyori tapped her chin. "Kurumi-san is a woman of great appetite, is she not? A pirate captain needs a large crew."

She looked at Kurumi with a sultry grin.

"Perhaps… she is too much woman for just one of us."

Perona blinked. She looked at Kurumi (who was sweating nervously). She looked at Hiyori.

"Too much…?" Perona blushed. "Well, she *is* really high maintenance. She eats a lot. And she's always almost dying."

"Exactly," Hiyori nodded. "So, here is my proposal. We share."

"SHARE?!" Kurumi and Perona shouted in unison.

"I will handle the diplomacy, the information, and the… *nighttime comfort* in the capital," Hiyori listed, counting on her fingers. "You can handle the fighting, the sailing, and the… *daytime guarding*."

"Wait a minute!" Perona stomped her boot. "Why do you get the nighttime comfort?! I want nighttime too!"

"We can rotate," Hiyori compromised instantly. "Even days for the Ghost. Odd days for the Princess."

Perona thought about it. She did the math on her fingers.

"That means… I get her on Tuesdays?"

"And Thursdays," Hiyori agreed. "And we split weekends."

Perona grumbled, crossing her arms. She looked at Kurumi, then at the confident Oiran.

"Fine!" Perona huffed. "But I'm the Head Wife! You're the Mistress!"

"I am the Oiran," Hiyori smirked. "I am always the main attraction. But I accept your terms, Ghost-chan."

They shook hands. Sparks-pink and purple-flew between them.

**The Captain's Defeat**

Kurumi sat there, stunned silence filling the room.

"Do I get a say in this?" Kurumi asked weakly.

"No," Hiyori and Perona said simultaneously.

Hiyori leaned in and kissed Kurumi's right cheek. "Seal of the contract."

Perona floated over and kissed Kurumi's left cheek. "Double seal! No take-backs!"

Kurumi touched her cheeks. Her face turned a bright shade of crimson that matched her dress. She sighed, defeated, but a small smile tugged at her lips.

"I survived Akainu. I survived Big Mom. But this…" She looked at the two dangerous women flanking her. "…this might actually kill me."

"Don't worry, Captain," Perona giggled, hugging her arm. "If you die, I'll just make you a zombie!"

"And I," Hiyori hugged the other arm, "will make sure you have no regrets before then."

Kurumi looked out the window at the moon over Wano.

"The Rebellion starts tomorrow," she whispered. "But for tonight… I suppose I am a prisoner of war."