Manaphy didn’t care about Vander Decken IX’s fate; he let the Ryugu Kingdom handle it however they wanted. To him, Vander Decken IX was just a clown, not worth his attention.
Hody Jones had at least caused some trouble, making things difficult for all sides. But Vander Decken IX barely caused any disturbance before a group of miners captured him.
Swamperts usually dealt with the rocks at the bottom of the deep sea; this time, they showed mercy by not turning their opponents into fish patties. With the Fishman Island incident largely resolved, Mandrell prepared to return to his territory.
But before leaving, he took the opportunity to promote their security locks to the Ryugu Kingdom.
These are magical fingerprint locks created by Queen: if the fingerprint is correct, you’ll get electrocuted. The keyhole under the fingerprint button is the correct way to unlock it.
Pierman reported that Hody easily stole the Ryugu Kingdom’s national treasure while posing as a regular soldier, highlighting the need for urgently improving the security.
After seeing how absurd this security measure was, Neptune purchased several boxes like this.
As Mandrell left, Tiger gathered some of his former subordinates to form his Fish-Men exploration team. Naturally, Arlong was among them, which temporarily dashed his dream of riding the Ferris wheel again.
…
Onigashima, during this time the Beasts Pirates gained a new member—Who’s-Who. While the second generation of the Beasts Pirates were out having fun and sightseeing, Who’s-Who successfully returned from the East Blue with the head of the king, using it as his joining fee. [TN: *King who betrayed Queen and Yamato.]
After this, he officially joined the Beasts Pirates.
Jack led his subordinates on several missions, and afterward, they respected him more because they realized Jack wasn’t as kind-hearted as they initially thought.
In previous battles, he showed his brutality, contrasting sharply with his usual playful demeanor when teasing Alcremie.
“Boss Jack is scary…”
“Yeah, he didn’t take any prisoners from that pirate crew. That’s not like the usual rules.”
In the dining hall, some pirates under Jack’s command were quietly discussing recent events.
“Shh, Sir Mandrell again held a wedding on Fishman Island a while ago. Those guys delayed Boss Jack for days, causing him to miss Sir Mandrell’s wedding. Do you think he wouldn’t be angry?”
Every pirate stationed on Onigashima knows Jack and Mandrell have a close relationship.
“I don’t think Boss Jack has calmed down much yet.. Do you guys want to spar with him?”
Remembering Jack’s terrifying behavior earlier, everyone around the table shook their heads and quickly changed the subject.
“How do you know so much?”
“Rumors, of course. They’re usually pretty accurate.”
Fueled by alcohol, the group gossiped about the internal affairs of the crew, such as how an unlucky guy recently got too close to the drunk Kaido and took a hit of his kanabo. However, after recovering in the hospital, the guy who survived seems to have shown signs of awakening Armament Haki.
Zeraora’s family hadn’t decided on a name for their children yet. Also, according to the purchasing department, Setsuna recently bought several cat teaser toys, though no one knew why.
And a lucky guy received Arceus’ blessing, Yamato was recently moving significantly more soil, someone founded a Uta fan club, and so on.
Within the Beasts Pirates, there’s freedom of speech, so it’s fine even if you praise other pirates as long as there are no insulting remarks.
Meanwhile, in the Flower Capital, Denjiro and others sensed a strange atmosphere.
The trip to Gran Tesoro was over long ago, and everyone had returned to Wano Country. However, Kozuki Hiyori, who had also returned to Wano Country, seemed to have become a bit strange.
They couldn’t pinpoint what was off, but they had a strong feeling that she had changed significantly compared to before.
This applied to both her attitude towards the Beasts Pirates and her responses to them.
During the familiar visiting time, Denjiro came to see Hiyori this time. Besides giving a comprehensive report, there weren’t many restrictions in other aspects, and there was no need for body searches or anything like that.
“Hiyori-sama, greetings. Have you been feeling unwell recently?”
“No, why would I feel unwell? Everything I need is here, and even if I were sick, there are plenty of excellent doctors around.”
The doctors at the Wano Country’s Shogun’s residence are already capable of handling most illnesses, not to mention the Beasts Pirates have doctors from all over the world which also include a few geniuses.
“Hiyori-sama, pardon my bluntness, but lately you seem… a bit off.”
“It’s just your imagination. But Denjiro, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“Do you care about me, or just my Kozuki family name?”
Kozuki Hiyori asked calmly, without much emotion, as if just chatting. But Denjiro realized that something was wrong.
The old Hiyori wouldn’t ask such questions.
“Hiyori-sama, what are you saying? We care about you because you are Oden-sama’s…”
Denjiro instinctively began to explain, but halfway through his words, he suddenly noticed something amiss. It seemed inappropriate to continue with that explanation.
“Heh, as I thought, it’s all because of Father. I didn’t mean anything else by it. I’m doing fine. Let’s leave it at that for today. I’m feeling a bit tired.”
“I shall take my leave…”
Denjiro knew it was inappropriate to continue, so he excused himself. But as he was about to leave, Hiyori spoke again.
“Brother Momonosuke, he must be living well, right?”
…
Denjiro left feeling troubled. Hiyori’s words made him feel like she was going through a rebellious phase, and he couldn’t grasp her thoughts at all. In reality, Hiyori was just feeling a bit unsettled.
Although she was born in the open seas, she quickly returned to Wano Country and knew little about the outside world.
Previously, she didn’t mind because it must have also been very difficult for Momonosuke, who had to flee.
But this trip changed her perspective; life outside wasn’t as terrible as she thought, especially with enough money and status, even scum like Celestial Dragons could live well.
At this moment, she misunderstood Momonosuke’s situation, doubting Kozuki Toki’s decision to leave her behind and send Momonosuke away.
Being Oden’s children, why could Momonosuke live freely while she faced restrictions because of her identity?
Kozuki name became a burden instead, and it was actually the enemy who gave her the opportunity to travel.
Besides the Celestial Dragons incident, she found the outside world quite wonderful. While she was suffering, Momonosuke might be enjoying life. When these feelings surfaced, she couldn’t help but feel unsettled.
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