"So weak..."
Charlotte Linlin glanced in disgust at the unconscious Liji and Mora. The two Homies had barely launched a couple of attacks and the enemy had already lost all fighting strength.
With this level of skill, they actually dared to raid a Naval Base—and even succeeded? Was it because this place is so remote that the stationed Marines are good-for-nothings?
Since they're here, there's no reason to leave empty-handed.
Her gaze fell on the pile of treasure the Demon Pirates had looted from the Naval Base, not far away.
By now, the other Heavenly Calamity Female Warriors had arrived one after another.
On Charlotte Linlin's order, the loot and the unconscious pirates were escorted together onto the Demon Pirates' own ship.
She had no wish to let those disgusting fellows sully her st. freya.
After Gölz drains their lifespans, sending them and their wreck of a ship to the bottom of the sea is where these pirates belong... At the harbor, the bearded Marine Lieutenant watched the Heavenly Calamity Pirates' movements with a conflicted expression, lips quivering as if to speak. A Marine Captain beside him, equally battered, forced himself forward first and said:
"Ma'am, thank you very much for saving me and the civilians of this island. We have no objection to your taking the treasure..."
He paused, sweeping his gaze over the captured pirates, "But could you hand over the raiders to us Marines for disposal?"
He still had one line unspoken: the treasure was Navy property to begin with, not his own; later he could file for reimbursement... Charlotte Linlin gave the Captain a sidelong, mocking glance: "Hand them to you? Lock them in Impel Down and wait for them to escape one day?"
"Impel Down is the most severe prison under the World Government!" the Captain said solemnly, pride of the Marines in his voice.
"To this day, no one has ever truly escaped from there!"
"Oh? True." Charlotte Linlin blinked, then realized. The Impel Down of this era wasn't yet the "public restroom" she remembered where anyone could stroll in and out.
"However—" her tone turned absolute, "these people are the 'resources' I captured—why should I gift them to you for free?"
"'Resources'?" Confusion covered the Captain's face. Since when were pirates considered resources?
Charlotte Linlin had no intention of explaining further... Inside the town, civilians who had survived the disaster gradually calmed and began searching for missing relatives.
When they discovered their saviors were pirates—and beautiful, powerful women at that—they found it hard to believe.
Some young men, hearts aflutter, ignored the Marines' sour faces, plucked wildflowers and tried to ingratiate themselves with the Heavenly Calamity Pirate Crew's Female Warriors who were helping move the treasure.
"Benefactor, thank you for saving my life! I wonder... could I treat you to dinner?" A youth clutching wildflowers summoned his courage and said to Lilith.
"Scram!" Lilith turned away in disgust.
She aimed to follow Captain Linlin in conquering the world—how could she fancy fellows who couldn't match even a fingernail of her Captain?
Meanwhile, other rescued residents brought the best they could offer—perhaps food, perhaps handiwork—to express gratitude to the Heavenly Calamity Pirates.
Of course, they had no treasure to give; their valuables were piled next to the Demon Pirates' ship.
"beautiful big sister, thank you for saving my Mama and me." A little girl carrying a basket of fruit approached Mia timidly.
The woman beside her quickly added, "These were picked from the trees only yesterday, very fresh... please accept them."
As she spoke, the woman couldn't help glancing at the treasure pile—her entire savings were in there. Right now, apart from the fruit, she truly had nothing more valuable to offer.
Mia looked back at Charlotte Linlin, who was lounging on the deck being hand-fed fruit by Gloriosa, and asked for instructions:
"Captain, should we accept these?"
Charlotte Linlin's gaze swept over them, moved: truly simple, grateful folk... "No—hmm?" She had been about to refuse when her eyes locked onto a strangely shaped fruit in the girl's basket. Rubbing her chin, she studied it, then amended:
"Take some food only, nothing else."
"Aye, Captain!" Mia, head of logistics, answered.
Charlotte Linlin turned to Gloriosa beside her and murmured:
"Gloriosa, see that fruit in the girl's basket? It's a Devil Fruit. Later, quietly give the mother and daughter some money. Make sure no one notices."
After a moment's thought, Charlotte Linlin added, "...plus our basic training manual."
"Understood, Linlin." Gloriosa nodded, then gave her a plaintive look. Their cozy duo time had been interrupted.
And since when did pirates run fair-trade businesses?
Ignoring Gloriosa's aggrieved gaze, Charlotte Linlin said to Mia:
"Mia, bring that basket of fruit over for me to see."
"Certainly, Linlin."
...Meanwhile, far away at the island's other end, inside an active volcano.
Scorching air nearly ignited, dark-red lava flowed below, occasionally bulging into a huge bubble that burst with a sizzle, splashing molten spray.
In an environment that would dehydrate an ordinary person in seconds, two figures stood on a jutting rock platform baked by heat.
"It's so hot!" Ripley wiped sweat that instantly beaded on her forehead, feeling her clothes about to bake dry. Watching Gölz beside her, equally drenched yet focused, she complained:
"Captain Linlin's ideas are always so... creative. First it was light, then sea-tornadoes, now she wants Homies made from magma?"
"Then why did you follow?" Gölz rolled her eyes at Ripley.
"Heh-heh!" Ripley's eyes spun as she chuckled, "Never mind that—I came for my own reasons."
Gölz withdrew her gaze, eyes fixed on the boiling magma below:
"The Captain says the harsher the environment, the easier it is to give Homies strong 'personalities' and power. This searing, violent magma is perfect for creating a new companion!"
She drew a scorching breath, concentrated, and carefully pushed the soul orb in her hand toward the center of the lava pool, shouting:
"Come, magma! I grant you life—become my partner!"
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