It was nearly ten o'clock at night.

The moon hung beautifully in the sky, casting a silver glow over the lively streets of the Flower Capital.

Rhett Vane and Gion had just stepped out of a ramen shop.

"It's so lively," Gion remarked, her eyes sweeping across the bustling night market. "Except for the clothes, this place kind of reminds me of Sabaody Archipelago."

Vane gave a small nod, saying nothing in return.

She walked beside him, their steps slow, casual.

"Do you want to grab anything else to eat?" Gion asked, glancing at the rows of food stalls. The scent of grilled skewers and steamed buns hung thick in the air.

"I just ate."

"Just one bowl of noodles and you're already full? I don't believe that," Gion said with a teasing smile.

She pulled him toward a nearby steamed bun stall and bought a basket of meat buns.

"No, these are for you," she said, holding one up to Vane's mouth.

"You won't grow taller if you don't eat more! Come on, these meat buns will plump you up in the best way!"

Her laughter was soft and genuine. Gion's mature beauty and calm confidence gave her an undeniable charm.

Unable to resist her persistence, Vane ended up eating five of the buns.

"There, that's more like it! You're too skinny," she said with satisfaction, as if fussing over a younger brother.

She treated Vane like her younger brother. She seemed to forget that she'd been forced to stay with him, or that she was a Vice Admiral of the Marines. Around Vane, she often dropped that commanding air.

He always called her Gion, never by her title. And oddly, she liked that.

"Gion, let's go over there," Vane said, pointing toward a livelier part of the district.

"Hm? What are you planning now?" she asked, eyebrows knitting together.

She quickly recognized the area he was pointing at—it was a red-light district.

A place for men to drink and waste their money. This nation, Wano, still upheld the belief that men held superiority. In the Flower Capital, where the aristocracy thrived, women were often treated as ornaments.

"Absolutely not! Let's go back."

Gion's voice was sharp. She truly saw Vane as someone she needed to protect. Letting him roam around places like that? Impossible.

Besides, the real attraction over there wasn't the bars—it was the Oiran's procession.

Tonight, the most beautiful woman in Wano, Kozuki Hiyori, also known as Komurasaki, would make her appearance.

It was a tradition, a public parade of beauty for men to admire.

And Hiyori—wasn't she the daughter of Kozuki Oden?

One of the three most beautiful women in the world, on par with Boa Hancock and Princess Shirahoshi.

But Vane wasn't impressed.

To be honest, she wasn't that beautiful. Her appearance was refined, sure, but the excessive makeup of Wano's culture diminished much of that natural beauty.

Even the men here had to conform to odd traditional hairstyles.

"What are you up to? Falling into temptation?" Gion grabbed Vane's arm, attempting to drag him away. She was frustrated—how could someone surrounded by so many beautiful women still be drawn to these shallow displays?

"I honestly don't know what you're thinking."

"I just want to see what all the fuss is about," Vane said calmly. "We're not doing anything else right now anyway."

"The Oiran?"

"Yeah."

As they walked to the street corner, a wave of excitement rolled through the crowd.

A woman emerged, tall and regal, surrounded by attendants.

Her figure was striking—helped by the towering platform shoes she wore—and her appearance dramatic. Her green hair was done up in a traditional bun, her face coated in heavy makeup.

Every step she took oozed seduction and grace, calculated to draw the gaze of all.

Kozuki Hiyori's eyes scanned the sea of onlookers. The majority of them were men, of course. Few women would be interested in watching another woman parade herself like this.

The men cheered her name, "Komurasaki," their voices filled with adoration.

They didn't realize the truth: the courtesan they worshipped was a master manipulator. With only beauty and words, she could twist them around her finger, and leave them broken without lifting a blade.

The more beautiful a woman, the more dangerous she could be.

Of course, there were exceptions. Boa Hancock, while prideful, had a one-track heart. And Shirahoshi, sweet and naive, was still untouched by the world's corruption.

But Kozuki Hiyori? She was pure calculation.

Vane felt nothing for her. He hadn't been moved by Boa Hancock, and he certainly wouldn't be by Hiyori.

"She doesn't feel like a good person," Gion said softly, her woman's intuition tingling.

"She's not," Vane replied without emotion. "But it doesn't matter."

"This kind of woman is dangerous. Just look at her eyes."

Gion spoke with quiet certainty.

"I was only curious how someone could rival Hancock in beauty," Vane said with a shrug.

"And now you know," Gion said firmly. "It's already past ten. Let's go."

"One look is enough," Vane agreed, and they turned away from the crowd.

In the middle of the parade, Hiyori's gaze happened to drift toward them.

Her eyes lingered on Vane's profile.

"That boy is… very good-looking," she murmured to herself.

She wondered—what did he look like from the front?

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