Inside the main hall of the Donquixote Pirates' ship, an unusual silence reigned.
The officers of the Donquixote Family were gathered around the large table, each of them bearing the marks of the battle on Minion Island.
Diamante's clothes were torn in several places. Dellinger still carried burns from Nami's lightning attacks. Lao G's breathing was noticeably heavier than usual, while Senior Pink leaned silently against a wall with his arms crossed.
Seated in his usual place, Doflamingo rested one leg over the other, his fingers interlocked in front of his face. Behind his pink sunglasses, his expression was far more serious than normal.
He listened without interrupting as each officer gave their report, mentally analyzing every piece of information gathered from a battle that had most definitely not gone according to plan.
"That witch is dangerous, Young Master," Dellinger finally said, breaking the silence.
His usual mocking grin was gone.
"Her army is completely ridiculous. No matter how many times I pierced those soldiers, they just kept coming back. And even worse..."
He clenched his teeth as he recalled the battle.
"They were learning while we fought. Their coordination kept improving the longer the fight lasted."
He lowered his voice.
"And don't even get me started on those lightning beasts she summons. They were powerful enough to break through my Armament Haki and disrupt every single one of my movements. If the battle had lasted any longer... I'm honestly not sure I would've survived."
Doflamingo didn't answer immediately, but he memorized every detail.
An army capable of rebuilding itself, evolving during battle, and commanded by a lightning user...
That navigator was far more than simple support.
Lao G spoke next, slowly folding his arms.
"As for me... G for Great Surprise."
The old martial artist let out a sigh.
"The man I took for nothing more than a subordinate is anything but ordinary."
"He took my blows as if his body had been forged from steel, despite his lack of experience. But that's not what worries me the most."
His expression hardened.
"During our fight, I felt exactly the same sensation I used to get when facing Machvise."
"His weapon could go from almost weightless to monstrously heavy in an instant."
"It wasn't a simple transformation..."
"It was as if he had inherited part of Machvise's abilities."
That statement immediately caught Doflamingo's attention.
Without saying a word, he stored the information away.
If Jordan truly possessed a way to inherit the abilities of those who died in battle...
It explained far too many things.
And it made that power infinitely more dangerous than he had first imagined.
Diamante suddenly slammed his fist onto the table.
"And Law..."
he growled in frustration.
"He's still beneath me."
"Without Haki, he couldn't defeat me head-on. Give me a little more time and I would've exhausted him and captured him."
His face darkened.
"But those two damned Straw Hat swordsmen completely changed the battle."
"That woman wielding fire and that three-sword demon..."
"They forced me onto the defensive the entire time."
"I nearly got cut down several times."
He clenched his jaw.
"Three against one... that wasn't a duel anymore."
"It was a scheduled execution."
Senior Pink finally spoke in his usual calm voice.
"The most troubling part..."
He paused.
"...is that none of them fight like pirates."
"They fight like soldiers trained for war."
"How else do you explain that level of battlefield coordination?"
"And that's without even mentioning their mastery of Haki..."
He looked around the room.
"...when they haven't even entered the Grand Line yet."
Those words plunged the room into silence once again.
After several seconds of thought, Doflamingo slowly straightened up. A cold smile finally returned to his face.
"I understand the situation much better now."
He picked up a Den Den Mushi from the table.
"There are two calls I need to make."
"I'll inform Kaido that Jordan refused his offer to join the Beasts Pirates."
His smile widened slightly.
"Knowing his personality, that refusal alone will probably be enough to draw his attention to the Straw Hat crew for a very long time. Even if Jack failed today, Kaido certainly won't let an insult like that go unanswered."
He set the Den Den Mushi down for a few seconds before picking up another.
"Next... I need to warn several of our business partners."
His tone grew colder.
"From this day forward, they'll avoid all contact with that crew. I refuse to let our factories, our smuggling routes, or our weapons trade be jeopardized simply because a few fools decided to challenge Jordan or the Straw Hats."
His smile became even more unsettling.
"If those pirates want to upset the balance of the world... then we'll make sure every move they make has consequences."
"I don't need to act personally to make their lives a living hell."
On the coast, near the Merry
A few dozen minutes later, I quietly reappeared on the deck of the Vogue Merry after leaving the clearing where Sengoku had finally been reunited with Corazon.
The moment my feet touched the wooden deck, Luffy immediately raised an arm with his trademark grin.
"Jordan's back!" he shouted. "Set a course for the next island!"
"Aye, Captain!" Merry replied enthusiastically as she turned the helm.
The sails filled with the wind as the Vogue Merry slowly departed the snowy shores of Minion.
Behind us, the island gradually vanished into a thin winter mist, carrying away with it the final memories of that eventful day.
I then turned toward Bepo, Penguin, Shachi, and Lami, who were still standing aboard the submarine sailing alongside us, quietly watching the shoreline with emotional expressions.
"You should take Lami to reunite with Law," I said with an amused smile.
"That newly reunited family is going to make you change careers."
The three Heart Pirates looked at each other for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.
"A career change?" Penguin repeated.
"Yep."
I shrugged.
"You might end up wearing Marine uniforms."
I called out with a laugh.
"No way!" Shachi protested immediately before grinning.
"Our captain would kill us."
Bepo shyly scratched his cheek.
"Let's go find Captain. We'll figure out why he said that."
Lami looked back toward the island.
"I think we should listen to his suggestion. I want to make sure my big brother is okay."
I didn't have time to add anything else before a familiar orange-haired girl practically threw herself at me.
Nami wrapped her arms around my neck before leaning close enough to whisper into my ear.
Her voice was almost inaudible.
"Do you remember what you promised me?"
I immediately felt her warm breath against my ear.
"I'm waiting for my reward..."
She paused for a moment, a mischievous smile spreading across her lips.
"And it's absolutely non-negotiable."
I couldn't help but smile.
"Really?"
She nodded slowly.
"Really."
Without another word, I slipped one arm beneath her legs and gently lifted her into a bridal carry.
A small yelp of surprise escaped her lips before she instinctively wrapped an arm around my neck.
"Hey!"
The smile on her face, however, betrayed that she wasn't unhappy about it.
I then turned toward the rest of the crew.
"Luffy, I'm going to take a little nap."
Luffy simply gave me a thumbs-up without taking his eyes off the horizon.
"Alright! Sleep well!"
As if the situation were perfectly normal.
We had barely started walking away when Kuina smiled mischievously.
"Good idea."
Without any warning, she grabbed Zoro by the wrist.
"Come on."
The swordsman lazily looked up.
"Huh? Why?"
"Because I feel like taking a nap too."
Before he could protest, she was already dragging him toward the crow's nest.
"Hey... wait..."
A few seconds later, the two of them had disappeared overhead beneath the crew's amused gazes.
Sanji watched them.
Then he looked at me and Nami.
The color slowly drained from his face.
He dramatically collapsed to his knees.
"I already miss Kazuki..."
Fake tears burst from his eyes like twin fountains.
"Why am I doomed to watch all these couples living happily while I suffer?!"
He raised a fist toward the sky.
"Kazukiiiiii! Come back soon!!"
Charles discreetly looked away to hide his smile.
Luffy simply walked over to Merry at the bow of the ship, a huge chunk of meat in one hand.
Sitting atop the figurehead with his legs dangling over the sea, he calmly munched away while staring at the horizon.
Over the past several weeks, he had genuinely dedicated himself to learning navigation from Nami.
Granted, he was still nowhere near her level, but he could now read nautical charts, recognize the major currents, and estimate the distances between several islands in the North Blue.
After comparing the charts with Merry, they quickly reached the same conclusion.
"Swallow Island is closer..." Merry observed as she studied the sea chart.
Luffy shook his head while swallowing another bite.
"No. We're going to Rubeck."
The young girl looked up at him.
"Why?"
"Because we just made far too much noise on Minion," he replied with a grin. "If we stop at the closest island, everyone will assume we're hiding there. We might as well put some distance between ourselves and Minion before making port again."
Merry smiled in satisfaction.
"You're really starting to think like a captain."
Luffy burst into laughter.
"Shishishi! Jordan's the one who explained to me that a captain has to think about that kind of stuff too."
The two of them immediately returned to studying the charts.
Ever since Merry had also seriously studied navigation under Nami's guidance, she had become an excellent assistant. While Luffy relied more on instinct and the bigger picture, Merry corrected the finer details, monitored the winds, and anticipated changes in the currents.
Together, they now formed a capable enough duo to avoid most navigational problems whenever Nami was busy or simply wanted to enjoy some well-earned rest.
At the stern, the sails were adjusted slightly to take full advantage of the favorable wind, and the Vogue Merry gradually set a course for Rubeck Island, slowly leaving the snowy shores of Minion behind.
Meanwhile, I had already returned to my cabin.
The door quietly closed behind us as Nami leaned against it with a satisfied little smile.
Her arms were crossed, but the mischievous expression on her face left absolutely no doubt about her intentions.
"So..." she said, tilting her head slightly.
"Do you still remember the reward you owe me?"
I let out a quiet chuckle.
"How could I forget?"
I slowly walked toward her until only a few inches separated our faces.
"After the way you held the battlefield today..."
I gently ran a hand through her hair.
"You've definitely earned a reward worthy of your performance."
A faint blush spread across her cheeks, but her smile never faded.
"I like the sound of that..."
She slowly slipped her arms around my neck.
"I was worried you'd try to get away with nothing more than another compliment."
I smiled back at her.
"Do you really know me that poorly?"
She raised an amused eyebrow.
"After how long it took you to ask me out... yes. I'd rather take my precautions."
I couldn't help laughing as I shook my head.
"Fair enough."
The atmosphere inside the cabin became peaceful once again, far removed from the chaos of battle and the responsibilities that had followed us throughout the day.
At least...
For a little while longer.
(I'm not going to write a lemon scene, so I'll leave things here. Feel free to imagine one in the comments if you want. I might write a short excerpt in the comments myself... but no promises.)
(Author's Note: A short chapter today. After all, my inspiration isn't endless. ^^ Rubeck Island is mentioned on the One Piece wiki but doesn't have any real details, so I decided to turn it into a pirate haven. Feel free to invent pirate names in the comments—I might pick three of them to use on Rubeck Island!)