Chapter 75: The Liberation of the Slaves
That day, the monumental incident reported worldwide truly stunned people across the globe.
Though minor differences existed between the World Economic Journal and other newspapers, their headlines were largely the same:
âHOLY LAND MARIJOA ATTACKED!! The Fish-Man Adventurer, Fisher Tiger!!
âHas a Fish-Man Pirate Crew, Led by the Notorious Fisher Tiger, Been Formed?!
"H-Hey!! Todayâs news is insane!!"
"No way⊠A fish-man, all alone, went up against the Celestial Dragons�!"
"He actually did itâŠ!! Fisher Tiger is a hero who freed the slaves!!!"
People read the unbelievable article and erupted in praise.
The tyranny of the Celestial Dragons was known worldwide. Countless had harbored resentment but were forced to endure it due to their overwhelming authority and military might.
Amidst this, Fisher Tigerâwho scaled the Red Line with his bare hands, rampaged through the Holy Land of Marijoa alone, and liberated countless slavesâwas hailed as a hero.
The reaction among fish-men was especially fervent. Not just the roughnecks, but even ordinary citizens of Fish-Man Island celebrated his deeds as legendary.
Alongside the freed fish-men and merfolk slaves, the outcasts of Fish-Man District who admired Tiger rallied to him.
"âListen up!! If you follow me, thereâs no turning back!! Youâll all be hunted too!! If youâre fine with that⊠then come with me!!!"
"Of course, Aniki Tiger!!! We ainât lettinâ you die alone!!!"
"Shahaha!! Damn right!! The real sinners are the humans!!"
To erase the distinction between former slaves and the rest, they branded themselves with the "Sun Pirate Mark."
Thus, the "Sun Pirates" were bornâa crew composed entirely of fish-men and merfolk, also known as the Fish-Man Pirates.
Most of the world believed Fisher Tiger and his Sun Pirates were solely responsible for the incident, that they alone were the heroes who freed the slaves.
âŠBut whispers lingered.
Some claimed the assault on the Holy Land wasnât Tigerâs doing aloneâthat someone else had been involved.
For a time, the rumor spread. After all, it made more sense for multiple perpetrators than a single man.
But who could it be? The moment speculation began, the stories grew disjointed, and soon, the rumors faded.
âYet, some knew the truth.
And they were primarily Marines.
At Marineford, the gateway to Marijoa, a Marine sat in a certain office, munching on rice crackers while reading the news.
"âŠThe article pins the Holy Land attack on Fisher Tiger alone⊠but thatâs not the case, is it?"
"No⊠According to Borsalino and others stationed there, the ones who freed the slaves and slaughtered 16 Celestial Dragons werenât just Tigerâs crew. The true masterminds were forces tied to the Four EmperorsâspecificallyâŠ"
CRUNCH. The sound of crackers echoed.
The room belonged to the Fleet Admiral, and only two men were present:
One was a Marine Admiral, one of the Navyâs strongest, a man with a long braided goatee who embodied "The Justice of the Supreme Ruler"âSengoku the Buddha.
The other was his old comrade, a Vice Admiral also hailed as a "Hero"âGarp the Fist.
Garp sat on the office couch, listening intently as Sengoku revealed the truthâand the name of the other mastermind. Finally, Garp nodded, his expression grave. It all made sense now.
"I see⊠Yeah, that bastard would pull somethinâ like this. No wonder the governmentâs coverinâ it up⊠Theyâre makinâ Tiger take the fall, huh?"
"âŠIâm only telling you because itâs you, Garp. Donât go blabbing."
"Yeah, yeah."
Snorting, Garp picked up the updated bounty posters. Sipping his tea, he added:
"But itâll leak eventually. Too many Marines, slaves, and witnesses saw it. Canât shut up every mouth."
"Even so, this cannot go public. The governmentâs already suffered enough humiliation from her⊠This time, theyâre suppressing the truth to avoid war and preserve credibility. Orders are to capture the Sun Pirates and the escaped slavesâdirectly from the Celestial Dragons."
"Figures. Fish-men are a pain, but weâll manage."
"Right. Borsalinoâs handling the Sun Pirates. Speaking of which, Garp, I need you toâ"
"âŠAh, just remembered, I got urgent business. Tea was great, though."
"âHEY, DONâT YOU DARE RUN, YOU OLD BASTARD!!!"
At Marineford, under the Fleet Admiralâs command, the Marines mobilized to clean up the aftermath of the incident.
âMeanwhile, in the very place where the orders originated⊠the site of the incident itself.
Marijoa, where 70% of the city had burned, was now undergoing rapid reconstruction.
In Pangaea Castle at its heart, five elders gathered to discuss the matter.
"âThe damage is catastrophicâŠ"
"Indeed⊠A headache-inducing mess. Had it been Tiger alone, containment wouldâve been possibleâŠ"
"No use dwelling on it. Our priority is capturing Tiger and the escaped slaves."
"Anti-fish-man sentiment is rising. The Ryugu Kingdom will face severe backlash. Unfortunate."
"At least the castle itself was sparedâŠ"
"We must reinforce Marine presence. Stationing at least one Admiral is necessaryâanything less wonât even stall a Four Emperor."
"Still, the cover-up is proceeding⊠Barely. An outright war with the Four Emperors is unthinkable."
"We could never admit Celestial Dragons were killed by anything but age or accidents. Did they truly hate them that much�"
"Had that been the case, more wouldâve died. CP reports no particular grudges⊠She likely did it for fun."
"Monsters⊠Once they rampage, thereâs no stopping them. Provoking them further would be disastrous."
"The Holy Landâs losses and stolen resources are troubling⊠but the balance remains intact. For now, Tiger must bear the blame."
âThe Five Elders, the highest authority of the World Government, finalized their decisions and future plans.
Every piece of information released to the world was meticulously controlled by the governmentâs manipulation.
And in their hands lay two new bounty postersâfor the true masterminds of this incident.
"In My Opinion⊠The Government Probably Doesnât Wanna Pick a Fight With Us~"
"âŠâŠâŠâŠ"
The shipâs brig was dark. But then again, prison cells usually are. Iâd knowâIâve been locked up dozens of times. Thatâs just how theyâre built.
Well, maybe itâs just 'cause they have to be sealed rooms. Still, I figure thereâs meaning in keeping the light out, too.
"The news articles donât mention the Beasts Pirates once. According to them, Fisher Tiger acted aloneâthe big hero who freed the slaves, all by himself~ ⥠Tsk tsk, the governmentâs obsession with information control is so annoying. What, are they scared Iâll get too popular?"
"âŠâŠâŠâŠ"
Without sunlight, your sense of time gets fuzzy. And humans need light to stay healthyâfish-men, I dunno. But for humans? Absolutely.
Darkness feeds negative emotionsâfear, despair, paranoia. A lightless environment grinds down the mind and the body.
All living things adapt. They evolve.
"Still, the real reason the government covered us upâŠ? Probably the Celestial Dragons~ ⥠Itâs less about hiding it from the public and more about keeping them in the dark. If the world knew the real masterminds behind the attack, the government couldnât let it slideâtheir prideâs on the line. Thatâd mean declaring war on us⊠the Four Emperors. So instead, they pinned it all on Tiger."
âŠNot that evolution happens overnight. But personally? I think humans are creatures of habit.
No matter how harsh the environment, once it becomes normal, people push through. Do it enough, and they even build up resistance.
We did. And so did sheâthe girl chained up in front of me.
"~And yet, they still raised my bounty like crazy! How sloppy~ ⥠Oh well, Iâm not complaining! Hey hey, Shinobu-chan, look! My new wanted poster! Oh, and Tigerâs too, just for fun!"
"âŠShut up⊠I donât want to see thatâŠ!!"
I fluttered the posters teasingly in her face. She scowled, glaring at me with one sharp eyeâdid she even see them properly?
[BEAST PIRATES VICE CAPTAIN "PHANTOM BEAST NUE" â BOUNTY: 3,380,100,000 BERRI]
[SUN PIRATES CAPTAIN FISHER TIGER â BOUNTY: 300,000,000 BERRI]
"See it? Isnât my photo adorable? ⥠And my bounty went up by three billion! âŠThough, for massacring Celestial Dragons, thatâs kinda cheap, donât you think? I was expecting at least five billion~"
"Like I care⊠you scumâŠ"
"Huh? Whereâd all your fire go? Câmon, scream at me like you mean it!"
"âŠ!!"
Shinobuâs remaining eye snapped to meâthe left one was gone, after all. Ahaha~ âĄ
"âKidding, kidding! Honestly, Shinobu-chan, five years as a slave really sharpened you! Youâve got that ninja edge now! So much better at controlling your emotionsâI love it! And that eyepatch? Super cool~ ⥠Wanna rebrand as 'One-Eyed Shinobu'?"
"âŠYeah⊠thanks to you⊠Iâve seen the depths of human crueltyâŠ!!"
"Glad to hear it! Oh, I know! Why not join us? Weâd love to have you~ ⥠Iâll even forgive all our past squabbles!"
We donât kill the strongâand we always let bygones be bygones. If youâre on our side.
"âŠForgiveâŠ?"
"Yep! Not interested? Câmon, forget the old grudges! With us, youâll have fun!"
"Hah⊠Right⊠You would say that⊠You animals donât care about anyoneâs feelingsâŠ"
Oof, harsh. Not wrong, though! But Shinobu-chan still doesnât get itâyou donât need to care. I grinned as I explained:
"The weak have no rights on these seas. They exist to be taken by the strong. The only choice they get is which cage to crawl into. So⊠whatâs wrong with the Beastsâ cage?"
"If I could make you suffer everything Iâve endured⊠then Iâd consider it."
"Ahah~ âĄ"
Shinobuâs eye locked onto meâclouded, like sheâd stared straight into hell.
Right now, sheâs probably imagining itâme, broken, begging for my life, dying in despair. She wants it.
But⊠but.
"You really think⊠the torture youâre imagining⊠could break me or Kaido?"
"GhâŠ!!"
"Ehehe~ ⥠Whining about your pain is pathetic, yâknow? 'Boo-hoo, I suffered, so Iâll get revenge!' Who cares? Nobody."
"YouâŠ!!"
"Now now, no tantrums~ Iâm helping you. If you really wanna break us⊠try living as a slave for ten more years, claw your way up alone⊠Maybe then youâd have a shot~ ⥠But right now? Youâre still weak. Just blindly spitting hate. Honestly⊠your masterâs kid has more potential than you~"
"Whaâ?! What the hell does that meanâ?!"
"âAhaha! Find out for yourself! Donât worry, weâll free you with the other slaves if you behave~ ⥠Now sit tight!"
âWait!! What on earth are youââ
I waved my hand to say goodbye to Shinobu-chan, then left the cell and made my way through the ship until I stepped out onto the deck.
Outside, my crew and the freed slaves were gathered. Weâd docked the ship deep in the archipelagoâArea 13, Grove G.
In the lawless zone of the Sabaody Archipelago, we were giving the slaves some food. Iâm just so kind. I snagged the food from around the areaânothing fancy.
âAh! Lady Nuezaurus!!â
âHowâs it going? Are you doing everything properly?â
âOf course-zaurus!! Iâve been working with Pe-tan just like you said⊠Oh! Oh! My bounty went up-zaurus!! I want you to see it-zaurus!!â
âStop calling me Pe-tan!!â
As soon as I stepped out, Ulti rushed over first, with Page One following close behind. Ulti-chan was holding up their wanted posters.
Beasts Pirates âTobiroppoâ â Ulti: 168 million berries
Beasts Pirates âTobiroppoâ â Page One: 110 million berries
Both of their bounties had increased. Judging from this, the government clearly figured out who was there that day. Still, they went out of their way to keep it quiet. Honestly, such tireless effort every timeâitâs almost admirable.
âHmm, weâve got quite a bit left, huh?â
âYeah⊠looks like half of it is still here.â
âGlad there werenât too many idiots like that Tai guy who turned down our help-zaurus.â
âSeriously⊠oh!â
âHmm? What is it, Lady Nuezaurus?â
âIâm just gonna go have a little chat~âȘâ
Leaving Ulti and Page One, I spotted a certain group among the slaves and approached. It was three girls, each with different hair colors.
âYoohoo~⥠Enjoying your first proper meal in a while?â
â! Y-Yes⊠thank you so muchâŠ!!â
âS-SisterâŠâ
ââŠâŠ!!â
When I spoke to them, two of the three shrank back, hiding behind the third girl. But of course, they couldnât fully hideâso they just cowered in fear. I couldnât help but laugh.
âAhahaha!! No need to be that scared~⥠Iâm not gonna eat you or anythingâso, what are your names?â
âBoa SandersoniaâŠâ
âB-Boa MarigoldâŠâ
âOhhh, you're sisters! Hancock-chan, Sandersonia-chan, and Marigold-chan!! Looks like Hancock-chan is the big sister, huh?â
ââŠYes.â
âHmm~? What is itâĄ? Is there something on my super-pretty face?â
Even though Iâd rescued them, they still seemed scared of me. Whyâs that, I wonder? I even used a gentle voice and gave them a sweet smile⊠but theyâre still on edge. Well, I guess they did just get freed from slaveryâhard to relax that easily. Just as I was thinking that, Hancock-chan stood up, looked at me, and said:
âUmâŠâ
âHm? What is it?â
ââŠHow can I⊠become that strong?â
â! Ohhh? Hancock-chan wants to get stronger, huh~âĄâ
âS-SisterâŠ?â
Of all the things she couldâve said⊠Hancock-chan looked at me with eyes full of resolve and asked how to become strong. Hoo boy, those are some good eyes. No wonder sheâll become a Warlord one day. The future empress of the warrior tribe Kuja really is built different. She's about sixteen now, right? Yeah, around that. If sheâs gonna awaken the Conquerorâs Haki, sheâs actually a little late.
This is⊠very tempting. But letâs see what her reason is first.
âWhy do you want to become strong?â
âIf Iâm strong⊠no one will ever be able to control me again⊠If I just had strengthâŠâ
âHmm, I see!! Youâre not wrong thereâĄâ
âThen please⊠tell me how to become strongâŠ!! Iâll⊠Iâll do anything I can⊠Iâll pay you back, I swear⊠So pleaseâŠ!!â
âAaanything~? If youâre gonna go that far, I canât say no, now can I~âĄâ
â!â
Hancock bowed her head deeply and begged me. Well, Iâm not that kind of person, but when a beauty like Hancock-chan says sheâll do anything⊠even a girl like me has to say yes~⥠When I agreed, a flicker of hope and happiness crossed Hancockâs face.
But⊠just because I helped her doesnât mean she should trust me so easily. She says she doesnât want to be controlled, but now sheâs relying on usâif you think about it, thatâs kind of contradictory, isnât it? Poor thing. But once you get involved with me, and once you beg for my help⊠Iâm not so sweet that Iâll not take advantage of that.
I pointed my finger at them and said:
âI could make all three of you strong⊠but Iâm a pirate. I donât do favors for free. And thereâs no guarantee youâll come out of it alive. You might die before you even get thereâare you okay with that?â
ââŠI donât careâŠ!!â
âSisterâŠ!!â
âThen⊠us too!!â
Hmm hmm. Looks like their minds are made up. Oh! Now that I think about itâmaybe theyâre asking me because Iâm a strong woman. Probably saw men as terrifying after all that. If I were a man, they might never have asked. Being a pretty girl really pays off! Lifeâs tougher, sure, but beauty captivates and provokes desire. Maybe Hancock-chanâs getting greedy for my charm too? Hehe.
Well then, theyâll pay the price.
I patted Hancock-chanâs head and gave them the condition:
âââThen the three of you⊠join my crewâĄâ
ââŠ!!?â
âJ-Join a pirate crewâŠ!?â
âThat isâŠâ
âHm~? Why so surprised? Itâs not like you didnât see this coming, right? If Iâm going to train you, weâd have to be in the same place. You didnât seriously think youâd get stronger with just a few days of training, did you? Or did you think Iâd stick around wherever you happen to live? You werenât that naĂŻve, were you?â
When I said that, the three of them fell silent. Itâs not like theyâre against becoming pirates, per se. More like⊠theyâre scared of being in a crew full of men.
Even though there are a good number of women on my ship, and the Beasts Pirates have some female members too, men still outnumber us by far. And letâs be real, weâre talking about rough, nasty, actual pirates. They can be pretty vulgar. Sure, once you get used to them, they can be kinda fun and even a little cute in their own way. Honestly, compared to my old ship, theyâre a walk in the park.
Anyway, what should I say now? They seem to be hesitating. Hancockâs got sweat forming on her forehead. She glancedâjust with her eyesâat my crewmates still making noise in the distance. Then she looked back at me.
â...The captainâŠâ
âItâs not me, you know? I said it beforeâI'm the Vice Captain of the Beasts Pirates. The captain, my sibling âKaido of the Beasts,â is a man.â
â...I seeâŠâ
Hancock gritted her teeth, just barely. Is she thinking this would mean being under another manâs rule again? Hmm⊠if this keeps up, she might refuse. I guess itâs time to play a card Iâve been keeping up my sleeveânot that this wasnât the plan from the start, of course.
âWell then, how about this? You stay under me for a year or two, gain some experience, and once youâve gotten strong enough⊠Iâll send you back to your island.â
â!! You mean it!?â
âYup, I mean it~âȘ You three are from Amazon Lily, right? The island of women?â
They nodded quickly, their faces lighting up with surprise and relief. Must be the thought of being able to return home. But they werenât fully relaxed either. Given their past as slaves, itâs no wonder theyâd worry about being questioned or judged back home. Still, I guess Iâm the best case scenario for themâsame gender, their rescuer, and someone who already knows their past.
But itâs not like this is a totally sweet deal. I continued.
âBuuuut~âȘ If one of you becomes the captain of the Kuja Pirates back home⊠then your crew joins the Beasts Pirates as our subordinatesâĄâ
âS-SubordinatesâŠ!?â
âMmhmm⥠Isnât that fair? Youâd be leading your own all-female crew on your own all-female island. You wouldnât even have to ride with us anymore. Of course, youâd still be under our banner and expected to follow ordersâbut we wonât force you around. As long as you're strong, we donât sweat the small stuff. Kaido doesnât blow a fuse just because someone ignores one or two orders. Heck, even our top brass cancel stuff on each other all the time! Honestly, saying it out loud makes us sound like a total mess of an organization, huh? But strength is what matters! If youâre strong, nothing else really does!!â
âI⊠seeâŠâ
âWhat should we do⊠sisterâŠâ
As I grinned and laid out the perks of joining us, the three sisters hesitated, clearly wavering. Honestly, saying it out loud made me realize just how loose our hierarchy is. Weâre harsh on the weak or anyone who screws up big time or betrays us. But once you reach a certain levelâsay, the Flying Sixâthere are a couple of them who blatantly ignore orders from the All-Stars. Heck, thereâs even a girl who bites back at me and Kaido, and another who constantly questions things. And letâs not forget that slightly rebellious archaeologist. Honestly, the higher up you go, the more chaotic the chain of command gets.
But you know what? It kinda works. Thatâs probably because Kaido and I are just that amazing. Yeah. That must be it.
Satisfied with that thought, I waited for Hancockâs answer.
ââŠWe accept your terms!!â
âAhahahaâȘ Then⊠welcome to the Beasts Pirates!!!â
I couldnât help but break into a smile. And just like that, I gave them a warm welcomeâyes!! Three sisters, recruited~âȘ
So after I showed the three sisters to their cabin and was about to say bye-bye to the Sabaody Archipelago, I jumped up to go say my farewells first.
The slaves were being sorted by the other Lead Performers, along with Ulti, Page One, and the rest of my subordinates. Just earlier, I had told them this:
âYou can either come with our pirate crew⊠or stay here and escape on your own. Decide now.â
Yeahâobviously, Iâm not taking all the slaves with me. Thatâd be a pain, and honestly, kind of cruel. I mean, they just got freedâshouldnât they choose their own path? Thatâs what freedomâs all about, right?
So, Iâm leaving about half of them behind on this island. Iâm sure theyâll manage to escape on their own somehow. Frankly, dragging around a bunch of weak, dumb nobodies would just slow us down⊠Well, they could still be decent labor, so itâs not a total loss. And the ones who feel indebted might end up being more useful later on, so I figured Iâd at least give them the choice.
By the way, the ones who choose to follow us? They're either getting put to work or becoming pirates themselves. A lot of the slaves were former pirates or criminals anyway.
Naturally, more of the men decide to come along. The women and kids tend to stay. I wonder if itâs the image problem? I mean, becoming my underling is basically winning the jackpotâprotection and everything! But like Fisher Tiger, some of them are just plain scared of me. Guess they want to keep their distance. Thatâs fine. Everyone wants to be free, sure, but letâs be realâif you stay weak, someone else is just gonna rule over you eventually.
That said, there were a few promising ones. Like that young man who came up to talk right after we docked.
âThank you⊠for everythingâŠâ
âOh? Youâre leaving already? Didnât enjoy my show?â
ââŠThatâs not itâŠâ
ââŠFufufu⥠Iâm glad you had fun then! Alrightâhere, take this!â
â!? This is⊠m-moneyâŠ?â
âYep, money⥠Youâll need it, whatever you decide to do. So Iâm lending it to youâĄâ
âThatâs⊠true, but⊠why?â
âYou seem like youâll be a big shot someday⥠So just pay me back with interest thenâȘ And hey, even if you croak in a ditch somewhere, itâs not like that little bit of money matters to me, so donât sweat it!â
ââŠA loan, huh?â
âExactly! So go live your best life, okay? Oh, and when you make it to the New World, come see one of my shows! Or who knowsâŠâĄ Maybe youâll be good enough to be one of my backup dancers, or even open the show?â
ââŠExcuse meâŠâ
âAww, donât be shy. See you around~âĄâ
Yup, just like that, I lent some money to a walking goldmineâheâs got trauma, ambition, and a future obsession with money written all over him. Heâll probably sprout in a few years. Helping him out now might pay off later. If he does make it to the New World, Iâll be sure to take care of him.
Oh yeah, I feel like there was one more cute girl among the slaves, but she didnât end up on my ship. Canât be helpedâafter all, I didnât bring all the slaves myself. Iâm guessing she was one of the ones Tiger set free. Letâs just call it fate and move on. I got plenty of other rewards anywayâȘ
And with all that going on, I arrive at the house. Not mine, mind you. It's a certain shop on Grove 13, where a familiar face has taken up residence.
âAlright then, Iâm heading out~!! Ohâwant to have one last deathmatch for old timesâ sake?â
âSpare me. Iâm just a retired old man now. A one-on-one against a Yonkoâs first mate is way too much.â
âWhat are you saying, right hand of the Pirate King!? You can totally still fight!! âŠOh right, Shakky and you, old hagâIâm dropping off some ex-slave girls from Amazon Lily in a year or two, so take care of them when they return, okay?â
âOld hag, you say!? What nerve⊠After all I did to raise youââ
ââŠI donât mind, but what are you planning to do with those ex-slave girls?â
âThey asked me to make them stronger, so Iâm gonna make them stronger! Ehehe~ Isnât that sweet?â
âYouâre still doing things that arenât very cute.â
âHey! It is cute!! What part of me isnât cute, huh!?â
âI never said your looks werenât cute⊠Haa, honestlyâŠâ
And just like that, I enjoy a cheerful chat with the three people inside the house. Or rather, the shop. All of them are big names.
First, thereâs âDark Kingâ Silvers Rayleigh, the former first mate of the Roger Pirates. Heâs probably still pretty strong. I think Iâm stronger now, but I doubt Iâd come out unscathed if we really went at it. Heâs still smiling, still humbleâbut completely without openings.
Then thereâs Shakky. Itâs been ages. She used to be captain of the Kuja Pirates. Last time we met, I was still just an apprentice. She quit pirating partway through, so in her memory, Iâm probably still a weak little cutie.
She really doted on me back then. Now, of course, the power dynamic is completely flipped. Still, sheâs managed to keep a decent edge. Makes you wonder why she quit. I always thought it was weird, and I wondered where she went, but⊠maybe she and Rayleigh ended up together? Iâm kinda curious, but adult stuff like thatâasking too much would be rude. Even if I act like I donât care about reading the room, I do know how to read it when it matters.
And then thereâs the old hagâGloriosa. She used to be hot back in the Rocks days, but now sheâs just a shadow of her former self. Probably broke her heart or something. Whatever. An old hagâs still an old hag.
âOh, are you feeling inspired to do my hair âcause Iâm just too cute? Fufun~ Normally Iâd never let you, but since weâre old buddies, I guess Iâll allow it.â
âI was the one who was your old buddy! Donât twist history!!â
âYou want me to, huh? Fine then⊠Come on over here.â
âYaaayâȘ Shakky, youâre lucky you get to style someone this adorable!!â
âNue-chan, you really havenât changed at all, have you?â
âTo think such a girlish-looking girl is the Vice Governor of the Beasts Pirates...â
âHeh... Keep underestimating people based on appearances and youâll find yourself eating a nasty counterattack. Well, not that we ever lost, of course.â
âIf you're looking for a fight, Iâm happy to oblige!! Oh, and for the record, I can look more grown-up whenever I want. I just donât bother because my natural self is the cutest!â
ââCould you stay still for a moment?â
While getting my hair done on Shakkyâs lap, I shot back at Rayleigh, who clearly wanted to pick a fight. Then, just a little, I transformed into my adult form. She scolded me for it.
Rayleigh stared at me and said:
âStill... I never imagined the Beasts Pirates were behind that slave liberation. Whatâs gotten into you? Planning something shady again?â
âIs it really that strange for me to help people or be nice? Iâve helped before, you knowâwhen I was working with you guys.â
âThatâs true. But lately, all I hear are bad rumors. Seems youâve been raising hell in the New World.â
âItâs our business what we do!! No one gets to complain!!â
âRelax... Iâm not complaining. Didnât I say? Iâm retired. The shape the sea takes now is up to those living in the present.â
âYou always say stuff like that... Hmph, and I wanted to fight. Oh wellâguess Iâm heading out!!â
âDo as you like.â
And with that, I stood up and left the shop. I really pushed to get him to fight, but no matter what I did, he had zero intention. Honestly, itâs kind of a letdown. Heâs not as strong as he used to be, and even if I did win, it wouldnât feel satisfying. But I still wanted a little payback, so itâs complicated.
Now with my cuteness enhanced by a stylish side ponytail, I headed back to the ship and returned to the New World. Thanks to my powers, itâs easy to float the ship into the sky with a UFO. No need to re-coat and pass through Fish-Man Island againâI can just cross the Red Line straight over.
This raid paid off big time. We gathered tons of spoils, and our crewâs gotten a great upgrade. Kaidoâll be thrilled. Especially with these kids:
ââAnyway, tonight you get to sleep in my bed!! Thereâs a bath too, so you can wash up and get all squeaky clean~âĄâ
âThanks a ton, Don!! Getting to bathe with Lady Nue and sleep next to her is a privilege mere mortals would never dream of!! Oh, PÄ-tan, you're sleeping alone tonight, okay? No sneaking into bed!â
âDonât say that like we always sleep together!!! Weâve never done that!! And quit it with that weird speech pattern!! And stop calling me PÄ-tan!!â
âYou canât, Ulti-chan. PÄ-tanâs hitting puberty, after all. If he sleeps next to usâme, you, and the three sistersâheâll end up with a nosebleed for sure.â
âWell, when you put it that way, Don, that does make sense.â
âThatâs not the issue!! And I wonât get a nosebleed either!!!â
â...The seas sure have some sharp-tongued men these daysâŠâ
âI didnât get good at this by choice!!!â
âAnd so, once again, PÄ-tanâs snappy comebacks stole the spotlight. After teasing him enough, Ulti-chan and I took the three sisters to the bath, got them all cleaned up, tucked them into bed, and then we returned to our territory in the New World.
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