Shanks leaned in and poked the cradle curiously. "Big Brother, your blood mist can do this too?"
"Obviously," Rhett snapped his fingers proudly. The blood mist transformed into a pile of baby toys. "I'm the Mist Lord. A little childcare item is nothing. Where else would I put my sword?"
Olga came running over when she heard the commotion, still holding her newly made cloud shell wind chime. "Sister Stella, you're having a baby! We already knew! I'm going to be a big sister!"
Moria's shadow emerged from the floor and twisted into a heart shape. "Kishishishi... I've already converted my Thriller Bark into a nursery. Just in case the baby likes it, hahahaha."
Perona floated in the air. "Lord Moria, your ship is gloomy and scary. It would frighten the baby!"
Moria argued back, "What do you mean? Isn't your room pink? How could it scare a baby?"
Enel snorted coldly. "Mortals, this god has already said that I can bestow a thundercloud upon it as a toy."
Tesoro was caught between laughter and tears. "Everyone, the baby isn't even born yet..."
But Rhett had already waved his hand grandly. "Spread the word! The entire Sky Island gets three days off! Free drinks at every casino in the Golden City! I'm throwing a banquet!"
The blood mist shot into the sky and exploded into giant characters that read "Congratulations."
Stella covered her mouth and laughed softly. "Lord Rhett, you're being too dramatic."
"Dramatic?" Rhett grinned. "This is nothing. When the little one is born, I'll have every island in the New World fly celebratory banners!"
Lena's eyes suddenly lit up. "Big Brother, why don't we prepare a gift for the baby?"
Rhett rubbed his chin. "That's an idea... Tesoro, what do you want? An expansion of the Golden City? Or should I get the little one a Devil Fruit? No, I need to go back to Mary Geoise and take another look."
Tesoro gripped Stella's hand and shook his head. "Captain, having you as the baby's godfather is enough."
The blood mist suddenly froze for a moment.
Rhett stood there, stunned. His crimson eyes widened slightly.
After a long pause, he rubbed his nose. His voice was uncharacteristically soft. "You bastard... you actually know what to say at times like this."
The blood mist spread silently, gently enveloping everyone.
In the distance, the Golden Bell chimed on its own. The wind of Sky Island carried the fresh scent of clouds, spreading this joy far and wide.
"Shanks, what are your plans after this?" Rhett asked.
"I'll keep sailing. Maybe find an island to rest on for a while," Shanks said, scratching his head.
"What about you, Big Brother Rhett?"
Just thinking about what he was going to do next made Rhett want to laugh.
Rhett had become a member nation. The World Government had sent over some Devil Fruits and treasure chests full of berries. When others extend a courtesy, Rhett naturally had to respond.
What? You guessed that he had a bad relationship with two Emperors? Of course Rhett was going to make that official. Their relationship was bad. Even though Rhett had killed quite a few of Kaido's men in Wano, it wasn't clear enough. This time, Rhett was going to see how Kaido was doing. See if he had grown up at all.
Rhett counted. God Valley once. Whole Cake Island twice. Wano three times. New Onigashima... hehehe.
Kaido: ???
Rhett: Rhett. Kaido's strict godfather.
He started picking his crew. Enel, definitely. Tesoro? No, he had to take care of his pregnant wife. Moria? Hmm. Laboon, Perona, Lena. It seemed like he was missing a vice captain and a ship doctor.
Rhett kept thinking. He wanted to make sure he hadn't missed anything. Rhett had been raised by Roger, but Rhett had one thing Roger didn't. A brain.
Roger was perceptive, but more in the way of reading people's emotions. Rhett appeared carefree, but he liked to think things through carefully. Because Rhett knew that even if he didn't care about something, it would affect either him or the people around him.
At first, he had actually listened to Tesoro and let Stella rest on Sky Island. But then Rhett realized that Sky Island didn't have any real doctors. A doctor couldn't heal themselves. Looking at Stella's expression, Rhett could tell she wasn't completely at ease either. That was a problem. Being anxious wasn't good for the pregnancy.
The first place that came to Rhett's mind was Drum Kingdom. The medical center of the world. At this time, Drum Kingdom was still prosperous. Wapol hadn't become king yet. His father was still diligently maintaining the country.
Besides being a medical center, it was also home to a very skilled doctor — Dr. Kureha.
Why did Rhett think of this?
Just look at what happened next.
---
Morning on Sky Island. Sunlight filtered through the clouds and into the palace of the Golden City. Rhett sat on his throne, legs crossed, blood mist swirling around his fingertips. His face was serious in thought.
Tesoro and Stella sat across from him. They were anxiously flipping through a pregnancy guide. Tesoro frowned. "The book says pregnant women shouldn't eat cold food. Was the fruit yesterday too cold?"
Stella rubbed her belly, looking worried. "Lord Rhett, do you think the baby will think Sky Island is too high? Will the air pressure affect it?"
Rhett: "..."
Moria was struggling not to laugh. His face turned red. When Rhett glared at him, he quickly pretended to study his own shadow.
"You two —" Rhett put a hand to his forehead. "Stella, you're perfectly healthy. Tesoro, if you keep being this nervous, the baby will be born and you'll have lost your mind first."
Tesoro scratched his hair. "But Captain, I've read a lot of materials. They all say the last four months are the most critical. What if..."
Then, above Rhett's chibi head, a chibi Tesoro and a chibi Stella appeared.
Tesoro: "Lord Rhett, do you think we should wear light-colored clothes? The book says light colors don't give people a sense of pressure."
Rhett looked away. He didn't want to look at Tesoro.
Stella: "Lord Rhett, could you please use your blood mist to check again? Is the baby healthy? Is its vitality good?"
Rhett gave her a gentle smile. "Don't worry, don't worry. I've already infused you with a lot of life force. It's stored inside your body. No matter what happens, it will protect the baby first."
Chibi Tesoro, chibi Stella: "Lord Rhett, Lord Rhett, Lord Rhett..."
"STOP!" Rhett slammed his hand on the table. But then he suddenly remembered something and gently patted the table instead. His voice dropped an octave. The blood mist instantly formed a giant hand and covered Tesoro's mouth. "I'm declaring right now. You two are officially on mandatory leave. And you're coming with me on the ship."
The entire banquet hall fell silent. Everyone looked at him.
Moria still had meat stuffed in his mouth. He mumbled, "Captain, decided on what?"
Rhett grinned. The blood mist behind him condensed into a giant map of the seas. "We leave tomorrow. Destination — Drum Kingdom!"