"By the way, Keiko, who is on duty today?" Yukiko suddenly asked.
"Today? I think it's Yuriko and her daughter Mari," Keiko replied after a moment of thought, then shyly added, "Yuriko is really beautiful, and she has such a commanding presence."
"It's them? That Mari girl is way too lively," Yukiko said, shaking her head.
"Dan-sama spoils her too much."
"No! Everyone scheduled for duty these days will have to wait. If I go to the Flower Capital, who knows how many days it will take before I return!" Yukiko suddenly stood up, nearly knocking over the desk. "These days, Dan-sama is mine!"
With that, Yukiko dashed out of the room barefoot.
"But what about these documents?" Keiko quickly asked.
"You handle them!"
Yukiko's voice echoed from afar. In just an instant, she had already run far away. Keiko could only sigh and slowly sit down at the table, burying herself in the paperwork.
Meanwhile, Dan was at the training ground.
The daimyo's residence had a dedicated dojo for martial arts training, and this was one of the places he frequented.
Today, Yuriko and Mari were on duty. Yuriko was thirty-two years old, originally a lady from a prominent family in Ringo. However, she had later offended some powerful figures and, like Keiko, had lost her family. She and her daughter Mari were about to be sold into the pleasure quarters when Yukiko bought them.
Due to her former status, Yuriko now served Dan in the residence and also taught tea ceremony and flower arrangement, acting as Keiko's teacher.
Her daughter Mari, however, chose to pursue martial arts.
At this moment, Dan was shirtless, wielding a piece of steel weighing tens of tons, sweat pouring down his body.
His training method was inspired by Zoro's, focusing on simple weight training. Beside him, sixteen-year-old Mari was also practicing her sword swings. Her clothes were soaked with sweat.
In the shaded area of the dojo, Yuriko watched the two with a worried expression.
She wasn't worried about Dan, she had long since learned of this man's incredible strength, enough to move mountains. However, her daughter Mari had been raised in comfort. Even after their family's downfall, she hadn't experienced such hardship.
But this was her own choice.
The past events had made this young girl realize that strength was everything.
Watching Dan effortlessly wield the massive piece of steel, Mari's eyes were filled with admiration and longing.
If only she had possessed strength like Lord Dan back then, perhaps the tragedy could have been avoided. With this thought, her movements became even faster.
But her fragile body soon reached its limit.
"Mari, you should take a break," Dan said without looking at her, though his Observation Haki allowed him to sense that Mari had reached her limit.
"Dan-sama, I... I can still keep going!" Mari's face was pale, her lips dry, and her throat felt as if it had been scraped by sandpaper, filled with the taste of blood.
Her arms were sore and weak, but she still tried to lift them.
"Listen, Mari, sometimes being too impatient isn't a good thing," Dan comforted her. He didn't dislike her determination, but she was pushing herself too hard.
"Yuriko, take Mari to rest."
"Yes!" Yuriko, dressed in a plain kimono with her long black hair tied up elegantly, looked very dignified.
She wore white socks and walked with quick, small steps to Mari's side, taking her wrist. Mari wanted to keep going, but her arms were completely exhausted.
"Listen, Mari," Yuriko said softly. "You're all sweaty and smelly. Dan-sama might dislike that."
Hearing this, Mari stiffened, her expression darkening.
Dan smiled but said nothing. Even a beautiful girl would smell after sweating so much.
Mari obediently let Yuriko take her to bathe. At that moment, Yukiko rushed in, only to be pulled by Dan into weight training.
Yukiko: "..."
After finishing their training, Dan took Yukiko, Mari, and Yuriko to the hot springs. Later, a servant came to report that Kurozumi Higurashi had requested an audience. So Yuriko and Mari stayed in the hot springs, while Dan and Yukiko dressed and headed to the high tower.
"Taking a hot spring bath in the heat of Kuri feels a bit strange," Dan remarked on the way. In truth, Kuri's climate wasn't extremely hot, with temperatures usually around 30 degrees Celsius. But hot springs were always more enjoyable in winter.
"Let's turn Ringo into a hot spring town in the future," Yukiko suggested, holding Dan's arm.
As they walked and talked, they soon met Kurozumi Higurashi, who had been waiting for them.
Kurozumi Higurashi had returned to Wano as soon as she received Dan's message.
This old witch had two candles tied to her head, making Dan occasionally worry if her hair would catch fire.
"Lord Dan! We are currently searching for the location of the Sleepy Town you mentioned," Kurozumi Higurashi said as soon as she saw Dan. "However, the town might be quite remote, so it's unclear when we'll find it."
"Higurashi, are you not putting in enough effort for Dan-sama?" Yukiko said coldly.
Although Yukiko had been bought by the Kurozumi family, she served Dan, not Kurozumi Higurashi, so she had no reason to fear her. Moreover, because of the Kurozumi family's desire for revenge, Yukiko felt that their plans were delaying Dan's progress.
By now, Dan should have already become the shogun, not just a mere daimyo in Kuri.
Because of this, Yukiko had no good feelings toward the Kurozumi family.
"Don't be so harsh, Yukiko. This matter isn't urgent," Dan said, holding her back. "Let Kurozumi Orochi continue their plans. It benefits me. At least I don't have to deal with Kozuki Oden directly."
"Thank you for tolerating our family's selfishness," Kurozumi Higurashi said, tears streaming down her face.
"Focus on dealing with the Kozuki side for now."
"I understand," Kurozumi Higurashi nodded, then looked at Dan. "Lord Dan, for the Clone-Clone Fruit to work, the user must first touch the face of the person they want to imitate."
"Right," Dan nodded. He knew this, of course. Although Higurashi wasn't exactly easy on the eyes, for the sake of the plan, letting her touch him wasn't a big deal.
While she could transform into a more attractive form before touching him, that would be too impolite.