“Sister, what are you doing?”
“Shh, play by yourself for a while. Sister has something to do.”
Setsuna took out a small model of a ship from her bag. Her bag contained various items, mainly small exquisite objects. Being from Zou Island, she knew what Zou Island needed.
Life here was very primitive because Mokomo Dukedom was located on the back of Zunesha. There were no mineral deposits, and even rocks and soil were scarce resources. This was also why the houses in Mokomo Dukedom were so old.
These stone houses had been passed down for a long time. Sometimes Zunesha would pick up some soil and stones when passing by small islands and throw them on his back. This was one of the sources of Zou Island’s soil and seeds.
After all, at this altitude, even birds were extremely rare. In such circumstances, there were naturally no extra metals or stones to create things like models.
The most advanced craftsmanship on Zou Island probably involves using sea sand to make glass.
Zunesha’s massive body stirs up sand from the seabed when it moves, and as it sprays seawater onto its back, it inevitably carries it with sand. The filters on the drainage channels within the Mokomo Dukedom capture this sand for other purposes.
The small toy was enough to capture the child’s attention. Meanwhile, she lay down on the ground with her ear against the floor, listening to what was happening downstairs. The old house didn’t have good soundproofing, so it wasn’t difficult to listen to the conversation from the corner.
“How old are you this year?”
“19.”
Age was a common starting point, but Hachi and Rin didn’t know what to say next as they hadn’t experienced this situation before. Back then, they had grown up together as childhood friends, so they naturally formed a family.
Meanwhile, Zeraora’s age was also a mystery. Strictly speaking, he was only 9 years old, the time he was created. But he couldn’t say that, or it would become too complicated to explain.
His origin and age are both a mystery, and in the end, this number was settled upon, coincidentally a few years older than Setsuna.
“They are about the same age.”
“He looks pretty handsome, just a bit short. I wonder if he can still grow at this age…”
Hachi and Rin leaned in close, whispering to each other. While looks cannot be the sole decider, it certainly can influence the first impression. A outstanding appearance can leave a positive impression.
Among the Minks, there are quite a few individuals with the average height of a regular human. Some unique individuals are also relatively short, like Dr. Miyagi and the guard monkey, Bariete.
However, most male Mink warriors are around two meters tall and Hachi himself was 2.5 meters tall.
While female Minks were generally shorter, Rin’s height was still two meters. Although she was shorter than big guys like Hitsugisukan, she was still relatively tall, and Setsuna clearly inherited genes from both sides.
From this perspective, Zeraora, at 1.8 meters, was quite a bit shorter.
As for wealth and property, Minks didn’t place much importance on them. Money was practically useless among Minks; a willing pair of hands for labor was enough. Their return to Zou Island with various sized packages indicated his wealth, but they were curious about what he does in the outside world.
“What have you and Setsuna been doing outside all these years?”
“Well….we’ve become pirates.”
This word wasn’t a taboo, and Setsuna had expected Hachi and Rin’s questioning and had guessed what they would ask as most people who venture out to sea eventually end up being pirates.
This was the World Government’s definition for most of the seafarers. Going to sea without a permit from a member nation is considered illegal. If you didn’t resist, you’d be taken away as a law-breaker, but if you resist, you’d be branded a pirate.
Hitsugisukan also started out this way when he was young, and in the future, Minks like Bepo, Pedro, Pekoms, Zepo, all those who set out to sea all had pirate affiliations. Even if they didn’t have the identity of a pirate, they were associated with pirate crews.
As for the pirates who can reach Zou Island, if there are no conflicts, they would be warmly received in exchange for supplies. However, if these pirates have any ulterior motives, it’s no joke that the entire Mink population will stand ready to defend their nation.
And if they were unlucky enough to arrive during a full moon, Minks would show them the terror of a fighting race.
“Pirates, huh? That explains it. Setsuna was never one to settle down after going out to sea. But when did you two meet?”
“More than nine years ago, on an island in the New World.”
“Nine years, huh? So, she met you as soon as she left?”
“That’s right.”
“Why did it take you so long to come back then?”
“I was born overseas, so I didn’t have a Vivre Card pointing back to this place, while Setsuna lost her Vivre Card, and when we finally found a Vivre Card leading back here, our schedule was quite hectic. So, it’s only this year that we found the time to return.”
“So that’s how it is. Looks like that girl has kept quite a few things from us,” Hachi’s tone changed upon hearing Zeraora’s explanation.
Zeraora’s response was fine, but Setsuna had forgotten to tell him not to mention the Vivre Card. Vivre Card was the Minks’ only hope of returning home when they went out to sea, so there was no way they could allow themselves to lose it.
Nekomamushi and Inuarashi had both been on Whitebeard and Roger’s ships in the original timeline, and they had also experienced the great battle in Wano Country, yet they never lost their Vivre Card.
So, a Mink losing their Vivre Card means that something extremely dangerous had happened.
At this moment, a loud thud came from the roof, indicating that something had fallen to the ground. Rin glanced at the ceiling and understood what had happened.
“We’re not stubborn people. If it’s someone Setsuna likes, we won’t oppose it too much.”
“Wait, Rin, that’s too hasty. We don’t know this kid well yet!”
“That’s Setsuna’s business. Why should we interfere? Are you going to live with him in the future?”
At this moment, the bloodline suppression between Huskies and Mongolian wolves seemed to show, making the status in Setsuna’s family quite evident. After Hachi’s voice was suppressed, Rin continued, “So, I need to make sure, what’s the relationship between you two?”
Up in the attic, Setsuna’s claws unconsciously gripped the floor, and her tail swayed nervously.
“Sister, are you okay?” Wanda, who was next to her, looked at Setsuna’s strange behavior with confusion. Her reaction was as if she had lice crawling on her.
“Shh, play a little longer. Sister has something to do.”
Although the two had become closer over the nine years, they had never officially defined their relationship. Setsuna didn’t want to press the issue herself, but today, Rin had asked on her behalf.
However, the atmosphere downstairs seemed to have quieted down, which made her, who was eavesdropping from upstairs, a little restless.
“We… are indeed in a relationship.”
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