Rhett had barely taken a few steps out of the conference hall when a tall figure silently blocked the corridor.
Shamrock had his hands in the pockets of his white uniform. His expressionless face beneath his silver hair showed no emotion. "Ah..."
Rhett raised an eyebrow. "Oh, Shanks?"
"I am Shamrock. Shanks's older brother. That guy seems to really enjoy living in the filthy lower world."
"Lord Imu wants to see you." His voice was as calm as if he were reading the weather forecast. "I'm just here to deliver the message."
The blood mist swirled around Rhett's fingertips. "What if I say no?"
"Ah..." Shamrock finally lifted his eyelids. A glint of danger flickered in his dark red pupils. "Then I would have to..."
He suddenly stepped aside, clearing the path. "Keep slacking off."
Rhett: "...?"
But thinking about it, it did fit. In the manga, Shamrock's work attitude was very slack. When it came to interrogating the giant Loki, hitting Loki, reporting, and carrying people, it was all done by the other person. If Loki hadn't mentioned Shanks, Shamrock wouldn't have moved at all. These brothers really did protect each other.
Shanks's gaze was sharper. Shamrock was more of a slacker. At least, when Rhett read the Laugh Tale manga, he seemed very lethargic, lacking any motivation.
So, the other person did all the work at Elbaf. How pathetic.
Tesoro: ???
"Lord Imu said, if you can come, come. If not, that's fine too."
Rhett: "Fine. I'll go take a look."
"Go alone. I'm sure you're not afraid."
"No problem. Tesoro, take everyone around Mary Geoise."
"Let's go."
"Ah~~ Oh, let's go" Shamrock stared blankly at nothing, completely lacking motivation.
"Is that... a catchphrase?"
"No. If I'm bored, I can just say 'ah' a couple of times."
---
The air in the Flower Chamber seemed to have frozen for a thousand years. Rhett followed Shamrock through layers of curtains. They stopped in front of a giant, empty throne.
Imu's back was to them.
Rhett clicked his tongue. He had thought he would solve the mystery that had troubled fans for so many years.
"What can't you show me? Just be open."
"You're here..." Imu's voice was impossible to tell if it was male or female. But it dropped the temperature in the room instantly.
Garling stood beside the throne. His eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses were sharp as blades. "Rhett, Lord Imu is giving you the opportunity to become a Celestial Dragon. This is an unparalleled honor."
Rhett picked his ear. "What? Your voice... I didn't catch that. Say it again."
The veins on Garling's forehead bulged. "You will become the nineteenth royal family. You will enjoy—"
"No." Rhett cut him off. "I'm not interested in being a pig."
The Flower Chamber fell silent.
Garling's face darkened. "You don't know what's good for you." He suddenly raised his hand. "Shamrock!"
"Ah..." Shamrock sighed. His sword slowly left its scabbard. The black blade was wrapped in a three-headed dog form of Haki. The dog's heads snarled fiercely.
Rhett's eyes lit up. "Oh, nice sword. Did yours eat a Dog-Dog Fruit?"
A black arrow appeared in front of Shamrock.
"You always seem so prepared for everything, as if you know something. But you don't understand how strong I am now. Joy Boy, Poseidon, Pluton — they all lost to the original twenty kings. They lost to me. Do you think you're stronger than them?" The voice was still impossible to distinguish between male and female. It made Rhett frown. What did it sound like?
Rhett picked his ear. The blood mist in his fingertips condensed into a small horn. "Huh? What did you say? Speak up. My hearing isn't good."
The air in the Flower Chamber froze.
Imu's robes moved without wind. The figure in the shadows seemed to lean forward slightly. "Interesting..."
Garling's face was already black as a pot. "Rhett! How dare you—"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Rhett waved his hand. "I wouldn't dare." He turned to leave. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going. I need to feed my dog."
"BOOM—!"
The three-headed dog form of Haki suddenly exploded. Shamrock's blade appeared at Rhett's throat in an instant. "Ah... I suggest you reconsider."
Rhett looked down at the sword, then up at Shamrock's expressionless face. He suddenly grinned. "This dog of yours..."
The blood mist suddenly exploded.
"Is it male or female?"
"THUD!"
The three-headed dog Haki and the blood mist collided. There was no stalemate. Shamrock was sent flying with a thud.
Garling was pushed back several steps by the shockwave. "You—!"
"Shanks refused the godly power you offered. I made him refuse. If I turned around and became a Celestial Dragon right after that, what kind of face would I have?" Rhett patted his own cheek. "If I wanted to become a Celestial Dragon, it wouldn't take long. Three minutes, maybe. I could do it in three minutes. So why don't I do it?" He patted his cheek again. "Because I have to save face."
Garling's fists crackled. His eyes behind his glasses were practically shooting fire.
"Yes. That's right." Rhett was overjoyed at Garling's angry expression. Today, he was going to see what Imu looked like, no matter what.
Just as he was about to erupt—
"Enough."
Imu's voice drifted over. It made Garling freeze in place instantly. That pale hand reached out from the shadows and waved casually. "Let him go."
Rhett tilted his head. "That's it?" He withdrew his blood mist, looking disappointed. "I thought I was going to get to destroy this dirty Flower Chamber."
Shamrock climbed out of the rubble and brushed the dust off his uniform. "Ah..."
Garling gritted his teeth. "Lord Imu! This arrogant pirate—"
"Garling." Imu's voice was still calm. "You're too loud."
The air suddenly fell silent.
Rhett laughed and turned to leave. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going. I look forward to seeing you all again."
---
Rhett waved as he walked out. The further he got, the more serious his expression became.
She could have been angry and attacked him herself. She could have been angry and had Garling attack him. Rhett could even have accepted Garling, the Five Elders, and Imu attacking him together. He would have just turned and run.
The worst outcome was this. Letting him go. Acting like she didn't care. This seemingly calmest state was actually the least calm.
He was thinking about slapping himself. "What exactly did I do in the past? I need to go back and see."
Which was why Rhett hadn't let his crew follow him into the Flower Chamber.