SailorStar9: So with Chapter 275 uploaded, this is Chapter 276 of this fic. . For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.
Pairings: Married!Ace/Sasha, Sibling!Luffy/Sasha, Sibling!Sabo/Sasha, Background Protector!Law/Sasha
Disclaimers: One Piece belongs to Oda Eiichirō-sensei. Me, on the other hand, own absolutely nothing, except my OC, the pairing and the fic idea.
Chapter 276: Arc 17: A Great Sensation! Sanji's Special Soba!
At Sangoro's soba stall...
"It's the Special Soba!" Sangoro called out. "Sangoro's Special Soba!"
"It's good!" Usohachi squealed, slurping the noodles. "It's insanely good."
"What's the update on nii-san?" Sahiko asked.
"He's in the Excavation Site Labor Camp in Udon, right?" Franosuke reminded. "It's far from here, but I bet he'll make it out of there before the big day. The soba is good," he looked at the long line. "But it's only attracting girls. Draw in some samurai with something spicy that would go with sake. What's with that look?" he chided the blond cook. "Don't you want to recruit more allies, you fool?"
A while later, Kaku, Kuni and Suke approached the thriving noodle stall.
"Wait, Franky." Usohachi spotted the trio. "Male customers."
"Excuse us, ladies." Kaku pushed the waiting female customers aside. "Outta of our way." he demanded the waiting Tōko.
"Your place is thriving, young man." Suke noted.
"We came to ask you who permits you to do business in this land?" Kaku threatened. "We're the Kyoshiro Family and this is our turf. Unless you pay us, you're not allowed to run a shop here."
"Is that so?" Sangoro was unfazed.
"Those people..." Orobi frowned. "Maybe they're..."
"Do you know something about them?" Usohachi asked.
"I went to a man name Kyoshiro's banquet hall the other day." Orobi nodded.
"He's quite an arrogant samurai." Sahiko recalled. "A a drunkard; I had to brew a hangover tonic for him. It would appear he's the boss of a yakuza group."
"And they're probably his underlings." Orobi added.
"Can't you hear me?" Suke slammed a hand on the counter. "I said you gotta pay up."
"Why?" Sangoro inquired.
"Because we can't help you even if someone comes to attack your shop." Kaku bragged.
"I don't need your help because I'm strong." Sangoro refuted. "There, thank you for waiting." he handed the bowl of soba to Tōko.
"Thanks." Tōko laughed and handed the payment over.
Kuni and Suke split up, with Kuni knocking the stall over. "You said you're strong?" the purple-haired thug mocked. "Then, try to protect this shop."
"Don't eat soba from this place." Suke slapped the bowl from Tōko's hands, spilling the noodles on the ground.
"Is she crying or laughing?" Franosuke wondered, hearing Tōko's laughter.
"Oh no." Usohachi gulped. "That pisses Sanji off the most."
"Go home, you fools." Kuni retorted, scaring the waiting females off. "This shop is closed today."
"We better move." Usohachi pulled the two females off.
"Hey." the fuming Sangoro called out. "I need you to finish your food."
"You wanna pick a fight, you jerk?" Kuni challenged. "Suke, Kaku."
"A fight." Franosuke grinned.
"Go to hell!" Suke attacked Sangoro from the back.
Using Sky Walk, Sangoro dodged the incoming punch and took down Suke with a kick to the face. Flipping over in a double handstand, his roundhouse kicks took out Kaku. His Tendron kick shattered Kuni's sword before landing its mark on the thug's collarbone and Sangoro sent his opponent crashing to the ground.
"Franosuke Iron Suplex!" Franosuke ended his fight with Kaku with a wrestling move.
"Isn't she..." Sahiko spotted Tōko peering out from the corner she was hiding.
"The girl who had her soba knocked over." Orobi confirmed.
"She's a weirdo." Franosuke noted. "Crying and laughing at the same time."
"Wait a sec... I saw her before somewhere." Usohachi recalled Tōko purchasing toad oil from him some time back. "I met her at the shrine."
"I'm sorry to cause you trouble earlier." Sangoro prepared another bath of soba from Tōko. "There was still some soba left. Have some."
"I don't know why, but I'm happy." Tōko laughed. "Listen, the Special Soba really has a good reputation so I wanted to eat it no matter what. But I was stunned when I saw the big line. And I was in the line for a long time so I'm already late for work."
"Work?" Orobi echoed.
"I worked really hard and managed to save enough money to buy the soba." Tōko nodded. "But it was knocked over, so I was sad."
"Anyway, what's your name?" Sangoro thought to ask.
"My name is Tōko." Tōko replied. "But say it with an 'O' in front. It's delicious." she downed the soup. "Thank you." she handed the bowl back to Sangoro. "Oh no! I'm really late! Very, very late! Oh yeah, I'll be passing through this street later." she informed the disguised Straw Hats. "Today, we have the Oiran's procession."
"Toko, could you, by chance, be a Kamuro?" Sahiko realized the child's occupation.
"That's right." Tōko nodded. "I'm a Kamuro. It's already started. I have to run. Bye- bye, see you." she hurried off.
"An Oiran is..." the madam from the geisha house where Orobi and Sahiko worked in suddenly appeared.
"Mama-san." Sahiko blinked.
"An Oiran is, in a sense, the top idol of Wano." the geisha house madam explained. "A superstar. There is only one Oiran in the country now. The chosen woman's name is Komurasaki. A dream woman for men, a role model for women. Very sophisticated and her beauty could destabilize the country. The gods themselves couldn't sully her nobility. That's who the Oiran, Komurasaki, is. You hear that?" she pointed to the commotion up front. The cheers for her and the sound of exciting music. The Oiran is in procession to Orochi Castle. Today, they have the Shogun's banquet at the castle. The girl from earlier is a Kamuro, a child attendant for the Oiran. Orobi, Sahiko." she turned to her two workers. "I have good news for the two of you. So I ran around Flower Capital. The both of you have been summoned to the castle, too. Let's go home and get ready."
SailorStar9: Any OOC-nes is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Reviews are much appreciated.
