"Did you hear the Divine Envoy's words? Anyone who dares steal gold, that yellow tal, won't even wait for the Envoy to act. I will kill them with my own hands!"
Shura roared at the workers, using the Envoy's authority to intimidate them.
Then he turned toward the three won, his expression suddenly twisting into a fawning, servile smile.
"Ahh~ You've worked so hard, my Envoy. Just a single word from you and the workers' enthusiasm has increased several tis over!"
The three won looked at him in silent contempt.
As for Nami, she didn't even bother hiding her disdain. She waved her hand dismissively and said:
"Is there sothing you want? If not, then go and do your job."
Shura was one of the Four Priests. Normally, he would have impaled anyone who spoke to him like that without hesitation. But the one speaking was Nami—she hadn't personally killed Enel, but she had humiliated him to the point of making him wish for death.
Shura imdiately lowered his head in submission, not even daring to sigh.
"Y-yes, yes… I'll go at once."
Then he hurried off to rejoin the busy workers.
"Hmm~"
Nami crossed her arms, staring at the treasure Peter had accumulated through his constant efforts inside the ever-growing treasure vault, then said irritably:
"What's the point of rebuilding this beautiful ship like this? Has he even thought about how much gold could be stolen during the process? He's wasting my ti and burdening with useless work."
Hina said nothing in response. She had long since given up trying to explain. Even she, soone with refined taste, found the bloated ship ugly, unlike Nami, who only saw it as a massive treasure.
"Hey, you've already started? You're not slow at all."
The three won turned toward the familiar voice.
Nami had been waiting for Peter to return so she could complain to him, but instead she saw Conis standing beside him, her spirit drained and her face pale.
Nami narrowed her eyes and said sarcastically:
"You troublemaker… did you go and kidnap another naive girl again? Aren't you ashad, surrounded by all these beautiful won?"
She brushed her hair, now reaching her shoulders, and placed a hand on her hip, striking an alluring pose.
Peter stopped in front of them, glanced at her for a mont, and said:
"Not bad… you're actually more beautiful than when we first t."
"Good taste."
Nami smiled instantly, completely forgetting about the new girl.
Hina murmured to herself:
...You're disturbingly easy to please.
Peter released Conis's hand and gently patted her back, pushing her forward toward the three won.
"This is Conis. The people of the Sky Island sent her to serve as a maid. Which one of you has ti to take care of her?"
"Oh my, her skin is so fair! And she even has small wings, how adorable."
Nami studied the shy girl for a mont and said casually:
"I agree. She can help supervise the workers."
"Is that so custom of Sky Island? Fine, then, she can stay with Hina. I don't mind."
Hina welcod the idea of helping the newcor settle in. However, she couldn't help but wonder, if Peter had left the girl with them, where was he going?
As if he had read her thoughts, Robin stepped forward silently without saying a word and clung gently to Peter's arm.
"Sorry, I need to borrow 'your dear one' for a bit."
"My dear one? He's your dear one too, Robin."
"Wait, wait! Did you co to Sky Island for adventure? Peter, don't you rember Robin can't handle too much exertion?"
At tis, Peter seriously wondered what was going on inside Nami's head.
"Your imagination is running wild. We only agreed to visit the Golden Poneglyph ruins together. Nothing urgent. Do as you like."
"Tch… who knows what you two are secretly planning?"
Nami muttered inwardly and waved them off.
"Go if you want. I'm not leaving the ship until the repairs are done."
"As you wish."
Peter and Robin set off hand in hand through the sky toward the Island of the Gods, where the Poneglyph ruins awaited them.
Conis stood there, watching the two disappear into the distance, unsure of what she should do.
Hina sighed and said:
"Sit here and watch the workers. My new friend and I will take a walk around. We might bring you sothing to eat or enjoy."
Nami turned her back and waved dismissively.
Hina understood there was no point continuing the conversation, so she gently took Conis's hand, and the two of them set off on a tour of the Sky Island.
While the four went their separate ways and enjoyed their ti across the Sky Island…
On Jaya Island, recently soaked in blood, Stussy had successfully completed the mission assigned to her by Peter, having located her hidden subordinates inside a shop on the island.
Inside a noisy bar filled with gaudy decorations that sent chills down one's spine, Carina was busy finalizing a deal when Stussy entered a back room with one of her subordinates to exchange updates.
The assistant wore a short skirt with a low neckline, massaging Stussy's shoulders skillfully as she whispered:
"Lady Stussy, the wedding date for Charlotte Linlin has been set for the 29th of this month. A few days ago, Perospero of the Big Mom Pirates personally contacted you to invite you. What do you think?"
"The 29th? So just two weeks away… Linlin is as impatient as ever."
Stussy calculated the date with a faint, mocking smile, as if speaking of an old friend.
"I'll think about the wedding later. More importantly, has the execution date for 'Fire Fist' Ace been confird? That Marshal Sengoku won't miss such an opportunity."
"Of course not."
The assistant leaned closer and whispered into her ear:
"Marshal Sengoku deliberately chose the sa day as Big Mom's wedding for Ace's public execution. That day, the world will be in chaos… the Marines and the great pirate forces will all move."
"I'm not surprised by Sengoku… he always accounts for everything."
Stussy smiled in admiration, then closed her eyes as she pictured the coming day.
But then she wondered inwardly: had Sengoku ever imagined that one of the rising monsters of this era would crash the stage with an entirely different kind of 'surprise'?
She pictured Sengoku's face upon seeing Peter, and couldn't help but smile faintly.
At that mont, the assistant noticed her hands had gone slightly beyond professional limits during the massage and asked boldly:
"Lady… are you really involved with that man called Peter?"
Stussy's expression cooled slightly.
"Don't overstep your bounds. The man you're talking about is not soone to be taken lightly. Even if we won are close to him, crossing the line with him would end… unpleasantly."
The assistant froze instantly, then carefully resud the massage without further daring moves.
"Lady, I was only joking… I didn't an anything bad."
Stussy let out a soft sigh and didn't respond.
Rumors had spread about her avoiding n, and so even thought she preferred won, which led her subordinates to try excessively hard to gain her favor.
But the truth was far from that… after eting Peter, there was no room left in her heart for anyone else.
"Hoof… hmm…"
Under the soothing massage, Stussy slowly began to doze off.
But peace never lasted long.
Knock knock knock!
A formal knock echoed, and the door opened imdiately.
Carina walked in, glanced at the scene, and let out a disappointed sigh:
"Tch… nothing interesting."
Stussy thought to herself: What exactly were you expecting?
She rubbed her temples and said:
"You're done? Did my n disappoint you?"
The assistant stepped aside and left. Carina glanced at her as she passed.
The assistant winked, causing Carina to flinch slightly.
"Eek…!"
She quickly closed the door.
Carina casually sat on the edge of the desk, flipping through papers.
"They didn't disappoint … they actually surprised . Can you believe it? A broken-down ship with no clear number of owners sold for 300 million Belly! Seems like your reputation scared them into overbidding."
Stussy raised a file calmly.
"Or perhaps they feared the buyer was connected to us. Or maybe a pirate collector saw it and decided to resell it for profit."
"What? There are people collecting pirate junk?"
Carina's eyes widened.
"If I had known, I would've stolen Peter's clothes and sold them!"
Stussy raised an eyebrow.
"If you want to end up on an execution post, try it."
"I'm kidding~."
Carina laughed it off.
After a pause, she said:
"Ah, I almost forgot. Nami called. It seems Peter didn't like the ship's new appearance, so they'll need more ti to fix it. We're staying in Mogu City for a few more days."
"Rebuilding? At a ti like this?"
Stussy sighed.
"The execution is soon… the whole world is about to move… and he's worried about a ship's appearance?"
Then she shrugged:
"But it doesn't matter. That's not my concern. I'll just enjoy myself and let things unfold as he wishes."
Carina pulled her out of the bar:
"Let's go change the mood a bit."
While walking, Carina suddenly said:
"By the way… Sky Island is only ten thousand ters above us, right? Maybe we could reach it if we flew together."
Stussy looked up at the clear sky.
After a mont of silence…
"…Why not try?"
"Agreed!"
On the Great Belfry of Shandora, as Peter accompanied Robin, completely absorbed in studying ancient inscriptions with an archaeologist's passion…
He suddenly stopped and looked downward with a strange expression.
"Hmm… is this my imagination? Why do I feel two energies rising and falling, as if they are jumping from different heights?"
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