Kyoshiro didn't look at his subordinate right away; instead, his gaze lingered for two seconds on Otsuru's prostrate body. By the time he reacted, Vivi had already finished the bloodletting. His expression changed dramatically and he now wore a sinister smile, "So I should thank you on behalf of my subordinate, Doctor?"

Vivi sighed, "A doctor's duty is to be compassionate. Whether people understand that or not, it doesn't matter. How can one please everyone these days? My bloodletting is to save lives. Some people commit crimes to save lives. We have the same goal, just different methods, right, Lord Kyoshiro?"

Kyoshiro laughed wildly, "The compassion of a doctor? Fine, I'll sit right here and watch you 'cure' and 'save' people."

The sumo wrestlers showed a conflicted expression. Vivi's earlier suggestion made them guard the clinic, but their fear of Kyoshiro resurfaced. Vivi didn't want to trouble them. With a casual snap of her fingers, the sumo wrestlers bolted away, ignoring their wounds and leaving a trail of blood behind them. This made a certain someone a bit regretful; though it contained a bit too much fat, it was still blood. How dare they waste it!

The civilians who weren't affected by the suggestion fled even faster. An old man whose leg had been numbed with an anesthetic saw Kyoshiro sitting regally in the clinic with several menacing ronin standing in a row and didn't hesitate. He hopped out on one leg, then rolled and crawled out of the clinic.

Vivi signaled Otsuru to take Otama and leave as well. Kyoshiro waved his hand, and the ronin with ferocious expressions began to guard the door from the outside. They believed to have understood the intention of their boss: Ensure that the clinic had no patients! In essence, to starve the doctor to death!

"Hey, pal, is it really appropriate for you to disrupt my business like this? Or are you looking for another showdown?" Vivi held a medical book in her hand and flipped through the pages as she spoke in a low voice.

"What are you talking about? I'm just here on behalf of the magistrate's office to inspect the new doctor," Kyoshiro emphasized the words 'new doctor.'

"How much did you make last night? About 500 Gold?" Vivi asked.

"Last night? I was drinking in the pleasure quarters all night until dawn. Let me think... I must have spent about 500 Gold."

The two played a subtle game of probing each other.

Kyoshiro stayed until nightfall before leaving: "Remember to pay the administration fee to the magistrate's office on time."

Vivi scoffed, "Administration fee? Sounds more like a protection fee to me."

"Call it what you want."

Kyoshiro's exaggeratedly large faux pompadour looked incredibly ostentatious, swaying as he walked with an overly arrogant gait. It was hard to believe that this same man was the head of the Flower Capital's underworld by day and the righteous thief Ushimitsu Kozo by night.

Over the next few days, Kyoshiro frequented the clinic every now and then. This guy's notorious reputation alone was enough to deter any patients from coming in.

Vivi had nothing to do but read medical books to improve her knowledge while she waited for Old Van's ship to pick her up. A basic understanding of medicine was essential to make better use of her Devil Fruit abilities.

"A few days ago, there was a battle on Onigashima that shook the entire island and even caused tremors here in Wano. Did you hear about it?" Kyoshiro asked with exaggerated flair, his large faux pompadour wobbling with his movements.

Vivi continued to read her book and completely ignored him.

Kyoshiro seemed to be talking to himself, "I heard that there was a great commotion on Onigashima. Many of Kaidou's Beast Pirates were killed and Kaidou himself had to return there."

Then he lowered his voice, "It was your doing, wasn't it? Why did you do it?"

After several days of mutual probing, Vivi was fairly certain that Kyoshiro was a retainer of Kozuki Oden, deeply embedded in the enemy ranks. She admired such strategies, as she played a similar role herself.

However, in her mind, she often equated Kozuki Oden with stupidity and was surprised to find such a clever subordinate.

With a common enemy in mind, whether it was taking care of Otama and Otsuru, or her eventual return to rescue Yamato, Vivi needed to maintain a certain level of influence in Wano Country. At the very least, she would need someone to provide her with information when she returned next year. Therefore, she decided to reveal some information this time to facilitate cooperation.

"I guess you wouldn't believe me if I said I was looking for a Den Den Mushi, would you?"

"I wouldn't."

"All right, the truth is that there was a young guy who wanted to challenge Kaidou. I helped as a lookout. When we got there, however, we found Kaidou wasn't home, and I ended up fighting Kaidou's 'son' in a rather confusing battle."

"Why did you come back here?"

Vivi looked at him oddly. "Can't I wait for someone here?"

Kyoshiro had the feeling that she wasn't being completely honest. "In the outside world, you are quite a renowned figure, aren't you?"

Vivi shook her head several times. "Just a nobody, not worth mentioning."

Kyoshiro felt they had both gleaned enough about each other. He decided to reveal a layer of his own identity.

"You know that I work for Shogun Orochi, right? I have a lot of Gold in my hands, but the resources of Wano Country are too scarce to exchange this money for something more valuable. Are you interested in a transaction?"

He maintained his persona as Shogun Orochi's personal money exchanger. Even if Vivi reported him, it would only implicate him for embezzling, a minor offense in a den of thieves like Wano.

Vivi studied him closely. As a trusted subordinate of Shogun Orochi, Kyoshiro probably had insights into Kaidou's whereabouts.

"Wano's Gold currency, huh? It's not usable outside, but there's always demand for gold elsewhere. Tell me, what do you need?"

"Warships, cannons, food, clothes, everything," Kyoshiro's squinted eyes were full of determination.

Vivi chuckled at his 'I want everything' attitude.

Arabasta certainly had those resources, but it was too far away to be practical to transport.

Fortunately, she had other means.

It was perfect timing since Old Van was coming over. This arrangement wouldn't delay anything, and it might even earn him some credit.

"I have what you need in abundance," Vivi said. "I'm just afraid your Gold won't be enough. Does your 'Shogun Orochi' mind do business with the World Government? You know about the World Government, right?"

Realization dawned on Kyoshiro. "I see, you belong to the World Government?"

Vivi smiled without answering.

The World Government aimed to open Wano's borders, Old Van sought more achievements to advance his position, Kyoshiro needed to convert his Gold into resources, and Vivi needed to maintain her influence in Wano. It seemed that in this arrangement, everyone would get what they needed.

(End of the Chapter)