"Boss, give me an order of Oden."
A tall man sat down in front of a stall.
"Customer, you're back again," the stall owner greeted him warmly. "Did you find a job?"
"I found one," the man said somewhat dejectedly. "Here, these are food vouchers, and some Berries."
"Haha, I can tell you're a newcomer just by looking at you," the stall owner laughed. "Wait a moment, it'll be ready soon."
"Are there many newcomers here?" the man asked.
"Yes, ever since High Commander Buggy began ruling Wano Country, newcomers have been arriving constantly. When they first get here, they're all like you—not quite adjusted yet."
The stall owner placed nine ingredients—skewered eggs, radishes, potatoes, kelp, konjac, fish balls, chikuwa, and others—into the iron pot. Then he struck a pose and shouted.
"Boiled for a thousand times to reveal Oden's true character!"
The man was startled. "What are you doing?"
"It's just to add a sense of ceremony. Please wait a moment, customer; Oden gets more flavorful the longer it's boiled," the stall owner explained quickly.
"Speaking of which, why is this called Oden?" the man asked curiously, smelling the fragrance already wafting from the iron pot.
"That starts with the story of Foolish Oden..." The stall owner began his well-rehearsed introduction.
After listening to the introduction, the man expressed some difficulty in understanding. "Although Oden was indeed a bit foolish, he was still a man. Why do you hate him so much..."
To actually create a snack with the same name as Oden was a bit too outrageous.
"Because during all those years he didn't resist, my parents starved to death, my child drank poisoned water and died, and my wife couldn't take it and committed suicide. I'm the only one left, living like a walking corpse..."
"Later, they said some invincible new Shogun defeated Kaido, but the lives of us poor people still didn't change—not until High Commander Buggy arrived..."
"Most of the Samurai and Yakuza who bullied us were killed by High Commander Buggy. The rest were scared out of their wits and went to work. Only then did our lives start to get better."
The stall owner incessantly introduced, "So, I developed Oden using Oden's name. Customer, why don't you try it in a bit and see how it tastes?"
The man set aside the question of how it tasted, but he felt it would be strange to eat... "Actually, the Yakuza also value loyalty; their nature isn't really that bad." Sitting next to the man was a short old man who was also tasting the Oden.
"Forget it, they're only loyal to their comrades. To us poor people, they're like wolves. Where do you think most of the geishas in the Pleasure District come from? They're the daughters of families who couldn't pay back Yakuza high-interest loans!" the stall owner cursed.
"Sigh..." The old man sighed and left the stall.
"You can tell he's from the Yakuza just by looking at him. What bad luck," the stall owner muttered, still spiteful, continuing to curse.
"Hmm, he looks like he has some skill." The man looked at the old man's back; he was certainly a strong individual.
"Customer, your Oden is ready." The stall owner placed a large handful of skewers on a plate and handed them to the man.
"Never mind, wrap it up for me."
If he hadn't heard the story just now, he might have been able to eat it. After hearing the story, he suddenly lost his appetite.
"Alright." The stall owner nimbly packed up the skewers. "Customer, remember to come back next time. I'm planning to develop a new dish called Sukiyaki."
"Okay." The man waved his hand and took the Oden back to his workplace, a school converted from a teahouse.
"Teacher Bunta is back, and he brought delicious food!" The children playing outside the house saw the man and shouted joyfully.
"It's that Oden that's been famous lately!"
"Teacher looks scary, but he's actually a good person!"
A group of children swarmed around the man.
"Take it and share it. No grabbing, understand?" The man distributed the Oden in his hands to the children.
"Yay! Teacher Bunta is the best!" the children cheered.
The man entered the house, and a gentle voice rang out.
"Mr. Bunta, please wait a moment. I'll help you change your shoes." A young woman in Japanese attire ran over quickly, wanting to help him change his shoes.
The young woman was wearing a black kimono, the attire of a widow in Wano Country.
"Ah... Miss Tsuru, I can do it myself." The man was a bit embarrassed.
"It's alright, this is a tradition in Wano Country." Tsuru changed the man's shoes and thoughtfully brushed the dust off him.
"Mr. Bunta went out to eat but gave the food to those children. I'll go make some more for you," Tsuru said gently.
Just then, the voices of the children outside drifted in.
"Give me a Kanjuro skewer..."
"I want a Kin'emon..."
Tsuru's expression dimmed for a moment before quickly returning to normal. "Mr. Bunta, please wait a moment."
Watching Tsuru's figure walk toward the kitchen, the man couldn't help but marvel—were all the women of Wano Country this gentle?
If this continues, I'll start feeling guilty... Damn that Sakazuki, why did he have to send me here?
The man was indeed Kizaru. After infiltrating Wano Country, he discovered that at his age, he couldn't even get a meal without working.
Left with no choice, he took a job as a teacher under the alias Bunta Takakura.
Kizaru went up to the second floor, pushed open the window, and leaped onto the roof. Several beams of light arrived from afar, bringing the entire view of the Flower Capital into his sight.
Light Prism, Kizaru's technique.
By placing prisms at a distance using his ability, Kizaru could cast his sight wherever the light from the prisms reached.
Furthermore, he wasn't hindered by buildings because there were also prisms he had placed high in the sky.
Of course, this was limited to daytime use; it was too conspicuous at night.
Kizaru had never revealed this skill; even the Marines were unaware of it.
If people knew he had such an ability, he would be resented... Through the Light Prism, he could discover many secrets from time to time, and sometimes see scenery that would brighten his eyes... Anyway, ever since developing this skill, Kizaru's body had become increasingly weak... The Flower Capital was as peaceful as usual, not at all like a country ruled by pirates.
Moreover, Clown Buggy didn't seem to be here; only their executives could be seen in the Flower Capital.
Suddenly, a signal came from a distant prism—it was in the direction of the port.
Through the projection of the clouds, Kizaru discovered a ship approaching the port.
Is this the NEO Marines?
Kizaru recognized the flag on the ship and Ain and Binz standing on the bow deck.
Haven't the NEO Marines disbanded yet? Could these guys actually want to join the pirates?
Where are their brains? Just because Buggy said a few good words for Teacher Zephyr, do they treat him as one of their own?
Kizaru watched the NEO Marine ship sail into the port.
If Sakazuki knew you had fallen so low, he certainly wouldn't let you off!
Fine, for Teacher Zephyr's sake, I'll let you be.
"Mr. Bunta, come down and eat," Mrs. Tsuru's gentle voice rang out.
A thought suddenly occurred to Kizaru.
If things can stay peaceful like this, enjoying a retirement life here wouldn't be bad...
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A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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