"...Merveille."
When Colonel Moore said that awkward name—still not entirely sure of it—time in the office seemed to freeze.
Rain's hand, holding his teacup, stopped in midair. The amber tea rippled faintly, reflecting the sudden shrink of his pupils.
On the surface, he kept his lazy posture. Even his breathing didn't change.
But beneath that calm exterior, his heart slammed like it had been flooded with pure adrenaline.
"Merveille…"
He rolled the name silently across his mind. A fire of greed and ambition flared in his chest, burning out of control.
As a transmigrator who knew the world's future history, how could he not know what that name meant?
That wasn't some ordinary deserted island. It wasn't a "beast arena."
It was—
Golden Lion Shiki's nest.
The territory of the legendary pirate who once stood shoulder to shoulder with Pirate King Roger and Whitebeard Newgate—who nearly ruled the seas: the Flying Pirate, Golden Lion Shiki.
Even if Shiki had cut off his own legs to escape, even if he'd lost strength, even if the ship's wheel embedded in his head tormented him with constant pain—right now, he was still a true UR-class monster.
Rain's brain started racing. Information threads snapped together into a complete picture.
In canon, Shiki hid on a floating island called Merveille to carry out his "destroy the East Blue" revenge plan. He used the island's special IQ plants to breed violent mutated beasts—then stayed hidden for twenty years.
And Shiki's escape from Impel Down?
At most, it had been only about a month.
Rain felt his throat go dry. His eyes burned with raw ambition—his body reacting to pure excitement.
Shiki was powerful, yes—but alone. No flying armada. No countless beast army guarding him.
And the most critical part:
If Rain didn't move now, once Shiki lifted Merveille into the sky and disappeared into the endless clouds, where would Rain ever find him again?
I don't have that kind of patience. If I'm going to take a first kill, I'm taking the one with the highest value.
If I kill him…
Rain's fingers tightened around the teacup until his knuckles whitened.
What kind of reward would it bring?
Peak-tier physique? Shiki's two Ō Wazamono blades? That swordsmanship that could split seas and skies?
Any one of those could make Rain's strength leap in a single bound—straight past the "Admiral threshold," into the true summit of the world.
The temptation was enormous.
Enormous enough to overturn every plan he'd made.
Rain slowly exhaled and set the cup—now slightly cool—down on the desk.
"...Hah."
His eyes cleared again, but deep inside them was something colder than usual—decisive, ruthless.
If that place really belonged to Shiki, then everything changed.
Let Smoker take a few hundred soldiers who only knew how to win easy fights to Merveille?
That wouldn't be training.
That would be delivering a buffet to Shiki's beasts.
Even if you ignored the risk of total annihilation, there was the one thing Rain couldn't accept:
Alerting Shiki.
If Shiki got spooked and immediately sent the island ten thousand meters into the sky—
that "cooked duck" would fly away for good.
A top-tier prey required a top-tier hunter: silent approach, then a single killing blow.
"Plan change."
Rain stood up sharply, the laziness stripping off him like a cloak. In its place came a razor-sharp pressure that made people hesitate to meet his eyes.
His coat hem swept in an arc as he strode for the door.
"What's wrong?"
Smoker, cigar in his mouth and about to head out to gather troops, froze at Rain's sudden shift.
"I already figured out how I'm going to whip those brats into shape."
"No need."
Rain didn't slow. His voice was low, firm, absolute.
"Training exercise canceled. Everyone stays at base for standard drills."
"Huh?!" Smoker's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? You were just saying you'd show them some color—now you're flipping again?!"
Rain stopped and glanced sideways, adopting a serious "for the big picture" tone to conceal his real intent.
"I thought it over. The magnetic field's unstable, beasts everywhere—probably a one-way trip. Not suitable as a training ground."
"I'm trying to train them, not send them to die. Those men are my foundation—I finally paid them into shape. If they all die in that hellhole, I'd be losing money."
He offered a neat excuse.
"So I'm going to scout first. Confirm whether the danger level is controllable."
"Scout?" Smoker frowned. "Send a couple scouts, then."
"Even for scouts, it's too dangerous," Rain shook his head. "I'm going myself. More appropriate."
With that, he pushed toward the door—
but just as he was about to step out—
"Wait."
A cool voice spoke from the corner.
Gion, who hadn't said a word this whole time, set her coffee down and stood.
Long legs moving with quiet authority, she stepped directly into Rain's path.
Those beautiful eyes—eyes that looked like they could see through a heart—narrowed, sharp with suspicion.
"Rain. You're not acting normal."
Her voice was soft, but it struck the target cleanly.
"I've known you a long time. Since when did you become someone who cares this much about protecting subordinates?"
"And your eyes don't look like you're going to 'scout danger.'"
She leaned in half a step, pressure rising, every word crisp:
"They look more like… you're going to hunt something you're interested in."
Rain sighed inwardly.
This woman's intuition is ridiculously sharp.
He paused two seconds, then shrugged, putting on an helpless smile—half true, half bluff.
"Nothing gets past a Major General's eyes."
"Yeah. I'm interested in that place."
He lowered his voice and made it sound like a mysterious personal challenge.
"Think about it—an untouched primal island, full of so-called legendary beasts. I'm curious whether I'll run into something that actually feels like a challenge."
It was flimsy, but barely passable.
"Is that so?" Gion still looked unconvinced.
"Of course." Rain met her gaze calmly. "This might be dangerous, so I won't drag everyone into it. I'll go alone."
"No."
Gion refused flatly.
Arms folded, she leaned against the doorframe, blocking him completely.
"Don't forget who I am. I'm your special inspector. Until you pass your evaluation period, you don't leave my sight."
"And…"
A knowing curve lifted her lips, her hand resting on the hilt of Konpira.
"If you're going to 'check things out,' then I'm going too. Something that makes you look like that—"
her eyes sharpened—
"I want to know what it is."
Rain weighed it in a heartbeat.
"…Fine."
He sighed and acted like he was reluctantly giving in.
"If Inspector-sama insists, then I'll obey. But if something gets dangerous, don't try to be heroic."
"No problem." Gion nodded, satisfied, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "As long as you don't do anything reckless."
They turned to leave—
"Hey!! Wait!!"
Smoker finally exploded after being treated like furniture.
He lunged between them, face full of outrage and betrayal.
"So you two are going on a honeymoon—"
he caught himself, coughing,
"—I mean, scouting, and you're just leaving me here?!"
"I'm the deputy! I'm going too!"
"Why?" Rain stopped and looked him up and down with open disdain.
"Can you fly?"
"I—" Smoker choked. "I can fly with Logia propulsion!"
"How high?" Rain shot back. "How long? Can you coordinate with me in the sky?"
Smoker went silent.
His Smoke-Smoke flight was pushing air, not true aerial movement like lightning.
"And the base can't be left unattended."
Rain stepped in, clapped Smoker's shoulder, and slapped a big shiny title on him.
"These guys just got paid. Their hearts aren't settled yet. Besides you, who can keep them in line?"
"What if pirates raid us while we're gone? What if Moore can't hold the room?"
"Smoker—guarding the house is more important than scouting. This is me trusting you the most."
Smoker still felt something was off, but couldn't find a clean rebuttal.
"…Fine."
He slumped into the sofa, blowing out an irritated smoke ring and waving them away.
"Go. Both of you. Go. I'm just a damn gatekeeper anyway!"
~~~
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