"Mom, the Golden Emperor is in our hands now. If we control him, we can become the richest people in the world. Why should we still work for that Stussy?"
One of the youngest-looking geisha gathered her courage and spoke her mind.
No woman wanted to be a geisha and entertain those stinking men. She didn't want to keep living like this.
"Stella, what are you saying?!"
The madam's expression instantly tightened. Fortunately, everyone present was one of her trusted people. Otherwise, if those words reached Lady Stussy, Stella's body might be lying in the street by the next day.
The others might not know who stood behind that lady, but she did.
It was the World Government's intelligence agency.
Who in these seas could stand against the World Government?
"Mom, I think Stella's right. As long as the Golden Emperor is in our hands, we'll have an endless supply of gold. That'll be enough for us to live on."
"Mom, I don't want to entertain those stinking men anymore, either."
All four geisha, except the oiran, spoke their minds.
They had been captured by slave traders as children and sold to this island. If the madam hadn't bought them, their lives might have been even more miserable.
Though they were geisha now, the madam had never treated them harshly or used them as mere tools to make money.
She was one of the few madams in this line of work with a conscience.
"It's too late."
The madam took out a cigarette, lit it, and sighed.
"I've already informed Lady Stussy. She's on her way to Post Island."
"But don't worry. You were the ones who captured the Golden Emperor this time. I'll definitely plead with Lady Stussy to let you leave this prison."
The madam gazed up at