I finished up at Amazon Lily and returned to the store. Nothing special had happened there. Mock Town was running smoothly, and Rob Lucci's group and Killer's group were managing the town well.
But an interesting phenonon had appeared now that I was preventing fights in Mock Town — when disputes broke out, people went north to fight instead. The funny part was that so rchant had built an arena there and was making money by taking bets. Of course, they gave a cut of the profits to the participants, so no one seed to mind.
"Impressive… Maybe I should have built one myself."
Just then, my personal Den Den Mushi rang.
BZZZZZZ
"Who is it?"
"It's , Hancock. It's so good to hear your voice~"
"Hmm? What's wrong? Did sothing happen already?"
"No, I just missed you… Ah! That's not the important part. Taejin, is it true you're married? I saw it in the newspaper!"
"Yes, I am."
"Oh no…"
Hancock seed shocked and was silent for a while before speaking again.
"Well… I suppose a wonderful man like you wouldn't be left alone… Ah… why did we et so late… I resent fate."
Before Hancock could sink into her own world, I asked her business.
"You called just to ask if I'm married?"
"No, there's another problem. Many have fallen ill at Amazon Lily. Granny Nyon says it's lovesickness. Precious warriors can't even eat. Granny Nyon said you're the only one who can solve it."
That caught off guard. How exactly was I supposed to cure lovesickness? Still, I had nothing urgent at the mont, so I figured I'd go again.
"Alright. I'll co."
"Really? When will you co???"
"In two days."
"Got it. We'll start preparing the banquet imdiately!!!"
I said I'd co in two days, but preparing now seed ridiculous. It wasn't an international event.
"No, you don't need to prepare that much…"
"No! If Taejin is coming, I can't just sit still!"
That was the last I heard before a clattering noise and the call cut off.
"Honestly…"
Suddenly, a loud crash ca from outside the store. I went out to see what happened — the ground in the empty lot next to the store was cratered in a paw-print shape, and Elody was lying there unconscious. Elody's condition was very serious. Most of her body was frozen, and if not treated carefully, she might lose her limbs to frostbite.
"Hey, Elody! Wake up!"
"Boss, who is this woman?"
Kalifa, who had been working in the next room and followed out, asked.
"She used to be a guard from the island orphanage. I'll treat her — please prepare so clothes for her to wear."
"Understood, boss."
I asked Kalifa that, then carried Elody to my room's bathroom in the store. I filled the tub with warm water, put Elody in, and used Heal on her. Her frozen body began to recover, and Elody started to regain consciousness.
"Boss… is this a dream?"
Elody couldn't think straight due to the shock of flying all the way here and the damage she'd taken.
"It's not a dream. Get a hold of yourself. What happened?"
"Well…"
Elody told about what happened at the Sabaody Archipelago. Luffy's group had arrived safely at Sabaody, just like in the original. The rmaid Camie they t along the way was suddenly kidnapped, so they confronted a Celestial Dragon at the Human Shop, which led to a fight with the Navy.
Up to that point, it matched the original. The problem ca after. Because Luffy punched the Celestial Dragon, the Admiral who showed up was Aokiji Kuzan. Kizaru had died at my hands, so Kuzan had co to Sabaody instead.
They fought as hard as they could but couldn't hold him off. They tried to escape with Silvers Rayleigh's help, but then Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords, suddenly appeared in front of them and sent all of her comrades flying sowhere.
"I have to go back…"
Elody tried to get up again, wanting to go to Sabaody where Luffy was.
"Forget it. Even if you go now, no one will be there."
Hearing that, Elody despaired and began to cry sadly.
"Boss… I think I'm too weak… I couldn't protect a single one of my comrades."
I patted Elody and comforted her.
"You just had a bad opponent. Kuzan is a top-tier fighter — even if it's awkward for to say since he's a friend. If you're frustrated, you need to get stronger."
Elody then asked , "Can I really beco stronger?"
"Of course. First, rest. I'll give you a room."
"Yes."
Seeing that Elody had almost stopped stamring after spending ti with Luffy's group, I could tell she had beco much more stable ntally. Luffy's crew really seed like good comrades. I gave Elody food and the clothes Kalifa had prepared, then showed her to a room to rest. After that, I repaired her fire spear, which had been badly damaged during the fight.
'So the Sabaody arc has already happened. Then Luffy went to Amazon Lily like in the original? I'm heading to Amazon Lily in two days anyway, so I'll check then.'
And I felt relieved that Kuzan had been the one to go to Sabaody. If Sakazuki had co, so of Luffy's crew might have died.
Fortunately, a rchant ship ca the next day, so I could send Elody to the rchant's Island.
"Rest on the rchant's Island for now. I'll let them know."
"Okay."
After that, I tended to store business for another day, then took the Talaria to Amazon Lily.
"Welco, Taejin! I missed you so much~"
Hancock greeted warmly, her face flushed. A feast was laid out as if for a festival, and Kuja Castle was decorated so gorgeously it was dazzling. Hancock must have run the Amazon Lily citizens ragged preparing for my arrival.
"This is too much. If you go this far, I'll feel burdened and won't be able to co often."
"Th-that's!!!"
Hancock was so shocked she nearly fell backward, but Sandersonia and Marigold quickly caught her.
"Sister, get a hold of yourself!"
Seeing this, Granny Nyon sighed and said to Hancock, "I knew this would happen… It really is too much."
Still, she had gone to all this trouble for , so I couldn't keep complaining.
"Well, since you went to all the trouble…"
At that, Hancock sprang back up as if nothing had happened. She quickly ca to , smiling, took my hand, and began guiding into Kuja Castle.
"Let guide you~!"
"Ri-right…"
I accepted the hospitality and began eating. Hancock wore a happy smile and occasionally fed bites of food.
"We caught this with difficulty — I hope you'll eat this too."
Hancock switched between polite and casual speech randomly. She was completely unpredictable.
"I appreciate the thought, but you don't need to go this far. From what I know about Amazon Lily, if you need sothing, you either take it through piracy or buy it, so your finances can't be that comfortable. Please don't overdo it in the future."
When I said that, Hancock covered her mouth, looking touched.
"How… how can you think of us so much? Your heart is as warm as your face."
Feeling like this would never end if it kept going, I steered the conversation to the main point.
"By the way, has a man with a straw hat co here?"
"Hmm? Straw hat?"
Hancock asked one of the warriors beside her, "Has such a person entered our island?"
"No, Snake Empress. The only man who has co to this island recently is Taejin."
"So he says."
Hearing that, I was confused — it was different from the original.
'Huh? Where did he go, then? Didn't Kuma send him here?'
While I was lost in thought, Hancock asked , "What are you thinking so deeply about? Who is this man with a straw hat that you're so worried?"
"It's nothing. Soone I know might be passing through this area, so I wondered if they'd stopped by."
"I see. But it's not easy for a man to enter this island. Of course, Taejin is an exception."
Hancock was blushing again. Afraid the conversation might drift sowhere strange, I told her about Sabaody.
"I heard the Pacifista was finally used at the Sabaody Archipelago — the cyborg created by the World Governnt was field-deployed. I heard it from an acquaintance, so the information is reliable."
Hancock seed a bit surprised.
"No… I thought you said there was still ti?"
"There is. Right now they're likely still in the testing phase, just capturing pirates. They'll use it more aggressively soon to prove its combat effectiveness."
"I see…"
Hancock thought for a mont, then said, "But we need ti. Our country takes pride in never being ruled by anyone. This isn't a decision we can make lightly."
"I understand completely."
I also brought up the other matter.
"And about the lovesickness — there's nothing I can do about that either."
When I ntioned lovesickness, Granny Nyon, who had been listening nearby, said, "I don't think that matters, nyon. It seems enough if you just show your face from ti to ti."
"Why is that?"
"Almost everyone has accepted the relationship between the Snake Empress and you. And seeing how just your face gets them out of bed, I think coming by often will be enough, nyon."
"I see… Is that good? But what's this about a relationship with the Snake Empress…?"
Granny Nyon turned her head, cleared her throat, and pretended not to hear.
"Well, since things have turned out this way, how about I set up a branch store on Amazon Lily?"
Hancock was delighted.
"That's a good idea. But you'll be the one selling things, right? Not soone else?"
"I'll co now and then to sell things myself. Given the nature of this island, I can't very well send soone else."
"Then I'll get to see you often. That's a relief… We'll build the store for you."
Afraid that Hancock would overdo it and build sothing huge and extravagant, I pointed to a modest building and said, "Sothing about that size should be enough."
"Isn't it too small?"
"No, it's fine. It's just for occasional use."
"I see. Alright."
After chatting with Hancock about this and that, I gave her so iron ingots as thanks for the wonderful al. tal was sowhat scarce on Amazon Lily.
"Then I'll co again."
"Stay longer… I'm sad, but I suppose it can't be helped… I'll wait for you, no matter how long."
After saying goodbye to Hancock, I took the Talaria Campervan and headed to the Sabaody Archipelago this ti. I wanted to find out where Luffy had gone.
The Sabaody Archipelago is a cluster of 79 Yarukiman Mangroves. The ground isn't actually ground — it's all the complexly intertwined roots of the mangroves. But calling them "trees" doesn't do them justice — each one is impossibly enormous, so while it's called an archipelago, strictly speaking it's not an island.
Each mangrove has a large identification number — GR (Grove)-XX — carved into it, and all the groves are connected by bridges. As long as you rember the numbers, you'll never get lost. It's also an island where adventurers seeking to reach the New World gather. There's only one official route to the New World: obtaining permission from the World Governnt and crossing through Mary Geoise. But there's no way pirates would ever get that permission.
So pirates have no choice but to coat their ships here and then pass through Fish-Man Island, located 10,000 ters below the sea. Coating involves covering the ship with resin from the Yarukiman Mangroves. It requires a skilled coating craftsman, but since the craftsn gather in one area, finding one is easy.
I moved to Grove 13 of the Sabaody Archipelago and entered the bar "Shakky's Rip-off Bar."
"Rip-off Bar… Quite a na…"
I went inside and sat for a while. An old white-haired drunkard who had been slumped over at the next magnetic table spoke to . With a long scar over his right eye and wearing glasses, he was unmistakably Rayleigh.
"Well, well, a huge celebrity has co. The rchant King Taejin, one of the Five Emperors."
"First ti eting you. The Pirate King's first mate, Dark King Silvers Rayleigh."
"You don't look like you ca to fight. Why have you graced us with your presence?"
"Soone I know has worried. I ca to find out where they are. Speaking of which — for the Pirate King's first mate, this is a pretty quiet retirent spot. Won't it sink beneath the sea?"
At that, Rayleigh seed briefly surprised. "How do you know that?"
"Because I've reached Laugh Tale too."
"I-I see…"
Rayleigh thought for a mont, then asked, "Then why didn't you beco Pirate King?"
"Because I'm a rchant, not a pirate. And I don't see much point in becoming Pirate King in this situation."
Rayleigh laughed heartily.
"Hahahahaha! You're right! There's no point. So you really have reached Laugh Tale. Then I suppose I can tell you why I've settled here. You see, I'm running a coating business — to send more ships to the New World. You could say I'm carrying on Roger's will, even if only a little."
Listening to Rayleigh, it seed Roger's true purpose in starting the Great Age of Pirates was indeed to encourage the construction of more ships.
Just then, Shakky, the short-haired woman, ca into the bar carrying various things, having returned from shopping.
"I'm back! Oh my, we have a very handso custor. Where have I seen… Ah! The rchant King Taejin!"
"That's right, Taejin. But I feel like I've seen you sowhere too… Oh… Shakky, the Pirate Idol?"
Shakky looked surprised. "My! I'm surprised soone still recognizes . But keep it a secret. I'm retired, just like Rayleigh."
I already knew from the original, but I pretended to be surprised.
"Why didn't you go to Amazon Lily and instead stay here with Rayleigh… Ah, I see."
Rayleigh smirked. "Yeah, that's how it is. So who's this person you're looking for? Soone important enough for a big shot like you to co all this way?"
"I ca looking for Straw Hat Luffy. I lost contact with him here."
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