Beasts Pirates have a peculiar tradition. When traveling outside, it was common for them to pick up a few children along the way. Especially Kaido, who frequently does it.
Though she had brought back Setsuna last time, it was for a special reason. This time, she had no intention of picking up another child.
However, during her morning exercise the next day, she discovered a little girl on the deck.
“Amalee, explain to me what’s happening here.”
Amalee was one of the Gifters on her ship, user of the Leaf Blade ability and one of her direct subordinates. She is responsible for various minor tasks on the ship.
She had short, golden hair and wore a slightly revealing Viking pirate-style outfit, which was the attire adopted by most Beasts Pirates members.
“Well…Boss, didn’t you ask us to treat her last night?”
“I asked you to treat her, not to bring her onto the ship.”
Looking at the bandage on the little girl’s right hand, Shayna noticed Amalee had obeyed her orders. There was even a little butterfly knot tied on the bandage. Yet this didn’t explain why the girl was on the ship.
“Umm…her parents died in the fire last night. It seems she has no relatives in the village. And she seemed to want to come with us, so I brought her. Should we send her back?”
“Forget it. She’s here now. But does she really want to follow us?”
“Boss, why don’t you just wait for her to wake up and ask her yourself? I saw her secretly crying when I got up last night, so she probably didn’t sleep well.”
Her slightly swollen eyes made it clear what had happened the previous night. Upon hearing this, Shayna didn’t say anything and simply gestured for Amalee to continue with her tasks.
Meanwhile, she returned to her room to practice with the wooden dummy, or one might say, a stone dummy. The training tool was made of Seastone, known for its sturdiness, making it better suited for her training. Additionally, it could serve as a more effective means of restraining any captured Devil Fruit users.
Amidst the rolling waves, the little girl with deep orange hair woke up. Her name was Isuka, a survivor of a fire, and if the original timeline had unfolded, she would have been the sole survivor in the village.
Draw would take her away, and she would join the Marines as an adult, earning the moniker “Nailing” and eventually forming a friendship with Ace.
However, due to Shayna’s arrival, the number of survivors in the village increased significantly. Nevertheless, she still ended up an orphan. As for Draw, he no longer had the possibility of becoming a Vice Admiral, but he did achieve the rank of Captain.
Just as she woke up, Isuka was greeted by the curses of the pirates on board.
“These guys are really shameless. The fire was clearly started by the Marines, yet they’re trying to blame it on us?”
“Exactly! And who is this Draw, anyway? Died heroically fighting the Beasts Pirates, and they posthumously promoted him to Captain? Does that guy even deserve to fight Boss? I think I could take him down myself.”
The disgruntled voices came from the pirates on the ship after they saw the newspaper delivered by the News Coo. After the Marines chose to retreat, this news was reported to their superiors. However, only a few of Draw’s trusted followers knew what he had done.
But those people perished in the battle last night, and the remaining Marines genuinely believed that Draw fought back against the pirates. Moreover, they are unaware that their shots hit civilians among the targets.
The Marines barely conducted any investigation before publishing the report. Nevertheless, even if they knew the truth, the deceased Draw could only be portrayed as a valiant Marine, not a madman who burned civilians.
The Marines had acted worse than some pirates, and if word got out, it would be a great disgrace.
“Boss! The little girl’s awake!”
“Kid, what’s your name? Uncle has some candy here. Would you like some?”
These pirates were relatively kind to children. Based on their past experiences, one couldn’t predict what role this little girl might play in the future.
Most of the children picked up in the past became officers or reserve officers. Even the ones Olga bought ended up in roles like personal attendants or research assistants.
The only exception might be Robin, who wasn’t deeply involved with the Beasts Pirates but was friends with their young miss. This little girl may seem quite ordinary, but future remains uncertain.
Anyway, there’s no harm in building a good relationship now.
“It’s Isuka.”
The enthusiastic pirates scared her, and just then a wave came and knocked her down to the deck. However, before she could hit the ground, a wing swooped in to lift her up, and then Shayna caught her as she was thrown into the air by the wing.
“Isuka, huh? Amalee said you came on board on your own.”
“Because you saved me.”
“It wasn’t me who saved you; it was your parents who sacrificed themselves to give you a chance.”
This was witnessed by Isuka’s neighbor. Because the fire was extinguished promptly, her neighbor, despite being seriously injured, survived. He saw the scene of Isuka’s parents pushing her out, and he later shared this with some individuals, eventually reaching Shayna’s ears.
“But you defeated the person who started the fire.”
She had woken up just as Draw threw her out, so she witnessed Shayna catching her and heard Draw’s words.
“This is a pirate ship, do you even know what pirates are? The ones who robbed your village earlier were pirates. We’re not any kind of justice-bringers, kid. You better not mistake us for the wrong people.”
Those pirates were indeed robbing, and as a result, many people were hiding inside their homes, which ultimately led to more significant casualties from the fire.
In Shayna’s perspective, Isuka’s life trajectory originally had nothing to do with pirates, which is why she said these words.
“You’re different. I want the power to avenge my parents and save others.”
“As you wish, but this path can be very tough, and a little girl like you might not be able to endure it.”
“I’m ready. I’m already five years old this year!”
Just as Shayna began her return journey, Arceus had already arrived back at Onigashima. He followed a completely new route to get here. The moment he stepped onto Onigashima, he heard a scream.
Observing what seemed like a fire on the rooftop of Onigashima, he felt he had discovered what was going on. As he arrived, he happened to come across the lifeless bodies of the trio.
“Kaido, what’s happening?”
“Oh, it’s just ability training. Yamato has already mastered using Ice Breath consistently, the training has been quite effective.”
Kaido’s training method is certainly a crash course; after all, failing to use Ice Breath would result in burns. Though Berries are exceptionally effective in treating burns, it still hurts.
There was no need to say anything; from Yamato’s expression, he already saw the word “break.”
“Let’s stop here for today. I can see you haven’t given them any rest during this time. By the way, Jack, come with me; you can finally acquire your ability.”
The newly discovered Plate’s type is Steel, and given Jack’s personal preference, Copperajah became the ability prepared for him.
Chapter 338 Isuka and Iron Plate
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