Seeing that Jin did not continue speaking, Galette let out a quiet sigh of relief.
'That strange sound just now… it should've come from Big Brother's side…' Galette thought to herself.
If Jin had continued saying those things, there was no telling whether he might have provoked her brother.
With Jin's current strength…
He was absolutely no match for Katakuri.
And once the two of them started fighting, things would spiral into something irreversible.
That was not what she wanted to see.
Katakuri had also guessed what Galette was thinking, and sitting atop the building, he silently let out a sigh.
But as Mother's children…
What choice did they really have?
"Oh, right." Galette changed the subject. "How many days are you staying here?"
"Until the coating's finished."
"So… three to five days, then." Galette nodded. "In that case… before you head to Fish-Man Island, would you take me around for a walk here?"
"Just think of it as time spent between friends~"
Galette regained her lively smile and winked at Jin.
"With a beauty like me accompanying you around town, you're not seriously going to refuse, are you?"
"Just because you're Lola's sister, I wouldn't reject that."
Since she was the family of his friend, walking around with her for a bit was no big deal.
Besides…
This Galette was the kind of person it was hard to dislike.
She didn't carry any of the arrogance you'd expect from someone in a Yonko crew.
If anything…
She was surprisingly easygoing.
"That works too~"
Galette smiled, not resisting that framing at all.
As long as they spent time together, their distance would naturally shrink.
At the end of the day…
Her looks and figure were more than strong enough to compete.
"Oh, right, Galette." Jin said, "The reason your mother wants me to marry into the family… is it because I'm a ninja?"
"Yes."
Galette admitted it openly.
"That's definitely part of the reason."
Perhaps worried he might think too much into it, she explained,
"Jin, this world is actually very cruel. People without value don't even have the right to be noticed."
"Only those with enough strength or talent can attract more attention."
"And you… are exactly that kind of person."
Galette didn't dodge the issue at all. She simply laid it out plainly.
Because that was the truth.
The world of pirates really was this cruel.
So she wasn't afraid to let Jin know. She chose honesty.
Jin nodded. No matter the world, the law of the jungle never really changed.
Then he teased,
"I thought you were just a face-lover."
"Your face is also very attractive to me." Galette said. "Otherwise, why do you think I said I liked you at first sight?"
She openly admitted that she was a shallow person, and that she genuinely liked Jin's face.
There was nothing shameful about that.
As she spoke, Galette crossed one leg over the other, almost as if deliberately showing off her long legs.
"You really are honest."
"Please, I'm here to find myself a husband. Of course I have to be honest." Galette said. "If I'm not honest, how am I supposed to win your heart?"
"Fair enough. Very direct too."
Galette shot him a glance. This guy really was impossible.
"By the way, can you tell me about what happened at Enies Lobby?" Galette asked curiously.
The newspapers had reported that the Straw Hat Pirates caused havoc at Enies Lobby, but the specifics had been vague.
But Galette could guess why.
The World Government had clearly covered something up.
"Yeah, sure." Jin smiled. "We really did raise hell at Enies Lobby."
"Then why did you attack Enies Lobby in the first place?" Galette asked.
Normally, pirates avoided that place like the plague.
After all…
That was the face of the World Government.
Once you invaded it, even an Admiral could be dispatched.
"Because they took one of our crewmates." Jin said. "So we went there to take her back."
"It was because of that?"
Galette looked at him in surprise.
They had challenged the World Government over something like that?
How deep were their bonds?
If it had been another pirate crew, they might have abandoned that person.
This group…
Really was different.
"Yeah. And in order to erase us, they launched a Buster Call."
"A Buster Call?!" Galette exclaimed. "And you got away alive?"
"To be precise, we crushed the Buster Call."
Galette: …
Looking at the smiling Jin, Galette fell silent.
What exactly had happened back then?
The Straw Hat Pirates had actually defeated a Buster Call?
That was beyond what she'd imagined.
Still, she did not press for more details, just as Jin hadn't deeply questioned her about the Charlotte Family.
You could say…
That was an unspoken understanding between them.
After a moment of silence, Galette said,
"That's impressive."
"By the way, Galette." Jin suddenly recalled something. "You said your brother left to handle something… is it Katakuri?"
"Yes."
Galette nodded, not bothering to ask why he knew.
After all, their arrival had been fairly high-profile.
So it wasn't strange that Jin had heard of her brother from someone else.
"Then when will he be done?!" Jin's face lit up with excitement.
Galette: ???
What did that mean?
This guy wasn't that interested in her, but he was interested in her brother?
Could it be…
Looking at the excited Jin, Galette wore a conflicted expression.
"What's wrong?"
"You… don't tell me you like men?"
Jin: …
Jin stared at Galette in total disbelief, as if struck by lightning.
"Why would you even think that?!"
Had he said anything wrong?
How had this somehow turned into her thinking he liked men?
This absolutely had to be corrected.
"I'm standing right here, a gorgeous beauty, and yet you're interested in my brother." Galette said. "Of course I'd think too much."
"That's not what's happening at all!" Jin protested. "I just want to fight your brother!"
Galette let out a breath of relief. Good. So it wasn't that.
Then she asked curiously,
"Why?"
"Because your brother's Haki is amazing." Jin grinned. "I'm really looking forward to crossing hands with someone like that."
The moment those words were spoken, a certain big brother's eyes lit up, and he immediately became restless.
Now that was a perfectly justifiable reason to beat the brat up.
Yet before he could make a move, his Observation Haki caught Galette's next words, and he immediately showed a helpless look.
'This girl…'
Katakuri sighed inwardly. He suddenly had the distinct feeling of… a daughter grown too attached to the outside world.
"Fighting can wait until later." Galette said.
She could understand that Jin wanted to test himself against her brother and polish his strength.
But…
If Katakuri came out now, Jin would absolutely be beaten black and blue.
After all…
Katakuri was the strongest of the Sweet Commanders.
His power was overwhelming—far beyond what Jin could handle right now. If they fought, it would just become a one-sided beating.
So it was better not to.
"No, I really do want to fight him—"
Before Jin could finish, Galette cut him off.
"My brother isn't here."
Jin opened his mouth, then finally sighed.
"…Fine."
If the man wasn't here, then there was nothing he could do. It wasn't like he could kidnap Galette and demand Katakuri come rescue her.
If he knew nothing, maybe he would've considered something like that.
But now that he understood why she was here, he couldn't do that.
After all, she was still Lola's sister.
Seeing that Jin let the matter drop, Galette relaxed and smiled again.
"So, how about we go shopping?"
Seeing Jin hesitate slightly, Galette sweetly added,
"Pleeease?"
"Fine. No problem."
Jin stood up.
"Then let's go. And while we're at it, maybe I can find some other Supernovas."
Galette looked a little helpless.
Even now, this guy still hadn't forgotten about finding people to fight?
What a… driven man.
"Hey, Zoro!"
Jin turned and called to the distant Zoro.
"The two of us are going to take a look around. Want to come?"
Hearing that, Zoro also got to his feet.
But before he could answer, he noticed that the woman standing behind Jin had instantly changed expressions.
The smile vanished in a flash, and she stared at him blankly.
That expression clearly said: Can you please not be a third wheel?
She hadn't even brought her own brother along.
Zoro: ???
"Hm?"
Sensing something strange, Jin turned around and looked at Galette, only to find her smiling warmly again, easygoing as ever.
Zoro: …
'The speed at which women change their expressions really puts me to shame…'
After silently complaining to himself, Zoro said,
"You guys go ahead. I'm not coming. I'm heading back to the ship."
Since it had already been confirmed that the woman wasn't dangerous, there was no point in following Jin around.
At the end of the day, Jin wasn't a child.
And besides…
He had zero interest in being a third wheel.
"You're not coming…" Jin nodded. "Alright, got it."
"You do remember where the ship is, right?"
"Of course I remember. How could I forget something that important?" Zoro replied.
Their ship was docked at Grove 1. There was no way he would get that wrong.
With that, Zoro turned and walked off without looking back.
"I'm going. See you back on the ship."
"Yeah. Be careful on the way."
Watching Zoro leave, Jin turned back to Galette.
"Alright, let's take a walk. I haven't really explored this place either."
"Okay~"
Blushing slightly, Galette took Jin's hand and led him toward the distance.
Thinking about it…
This was also her first time going on a date with a man.
"Ah…"
A certain big brother hidden in the shadows sighed quietly.
Looks like he'd have to stay hidden a while longer.
…
"Whew~"
"With this much stuff, we're set for quite a while." Sanji wiped the sweat off his forehead.
This time, they'd bought several million berries' worth of supplies. It was absolutely enough to last them a while.
"If Merry or Jin had been with us, we could've bought even more." Franky said.
"It's fine. This is enough."
They had already bought an enormous amount. Even if Luffy went all out, it would be enough to get them to the next island.
Besides…
They still hadn't eaten that giant Sea King.
"Yeah, true."
As he spoke, Franky looked at the bubbles floating overhead and sighed.
"It's a shame those bubble cars here stop working once you leave the island. Otherwise, they'd make amazing transportation."
To be honest, he really liked the bubble cars here.
But the bubbles depended on the local environment, and that was frustrating.
"Didn't Camie say they can still be used on Fish-Man Island?" Sanji said. "If you really liked them, you could've just bought one when we returned the rental."
"I'd have to be crazy to buy one." Franky rolled his eyes. "I can make that junk myself. What I'm missing is the bubbles."
What he wanted wasn't just something usable on Fish-Man Island. He wanted something usable anywhere.
Unfortunately, that wasn't possible.
"Well, can't be helped~" Sanji shrugged. "If you really want to, you can go ride one to your heart's content now."
"Nah, I'd rather wait for that coating guy to show up." Franky waved him off.
He was really looking forward to meeting the guy.
After all…
That was the Pirate King's first mate.
"Speaking of which…" Sanji looked toward the shore. "Why hasn't that old man shown up yet?"
"It's already been over an hour…"
The two of them had only been shopping for a short while. Yet that old man still hadn't appeared?
Could something have happened?
But that didn't seem likely either. If someone of that level had gotten into a fight, the disturbance would've been enormous.
So the odds were low.
"Just be patient." Franky said. "Maybe something came up."
"We've got to wait three or four days anyway. Another little while doesn't matter."
As a shipwright, Franky had plenty of patience.
After all…
In shipbuilding, you often had to spend a very long time shaping even a single plank of wood into exactly the right form.
It was tedious work. Without enough patience, perfection was impossible.
You could say good shipwrights never lacked patience.
"Fine."
Sanji sighed. There wasn't much else he could say.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi on the ship started ringing, immediately drawing both their attention.
"Bero bero bero~"
"Bero bero bero~"
"Bero bero bero~"
"The Den Den Mushi?"
Franky looked puzzled. "Who is it?"
"Probably Nami or the others!" Sanji ran over with a smile as he said, "The others don't really have a habit of carrying one."
Click.
After answering, Sanji said,
"Hello, this is Sanji. Nami, is that—"
"SANJI!!!"
"Hm?"
Sanji looked at the Den Den Mushi's expression and realized it was Chopper, and that he was crying.
Had something bad happened?
"Sanji… is that you?"
"It's me, Chopper. What happened?"
"It's bad! This is really bad!"
"Chopper, stop crying and calm down. Tell me properly."
"…Okay…"
After sniffling his snot back in, Chopper said,
"Sanji… Camie and Merry are gone…"
"Hachi said human traffickers took them. What do we do?!"
Click.
Franky and Sanji both looked as if they'd just been struck by lightning, their faces filled with disbelief.
Merry and Camie had been taken… by human traffickers?
Veins bulged on Sanji's forehead.
What the hell had Luffy and the others been doing?
How could they let that happen when they were right there?!
"If we don't find them… they'll become slaves for life."
"SANJI!!"
Listening to Chopper still crying on the other end, Sanji took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the rage rising in his chest.
He knew now was not the time to lose his temper.
The priority was finding them.
"Where are you now?"
"At Sabaody Park. I'm using public Den Den Mushi number 5."
"Got it. Stay where you are and wait for orders." Sanji said. "I'll get the Flying Fish Riders here."
With that, Sanji immediately hung up.
"This really is a terrible situation." Franky frowned. "They actually got taken by human traffickers…"
Even with Luffy—whose bounty was 420 million berries—there, they still dared make a move?
Were those traffickers insane?
Sanji didn't answer. He immediately dialed the number for the Flying Fish Riders.
"Hello?"
"It's me." Sanji said coldly. "Where are you?"
"Ah~"
"Is that Black Leg Boss?!" Duval laughed. "We're out shopping, you—"
"Enough nonsense. Come to me right now." Sanji cut him off. "I need your help."
His tone was sharp, but Duval didn't get angry.
Instead, he smiled.
"Alright. Give me the location."
"Dock 41."
"Understood~"
Looking at the now-silent Den Den Mushi, Duval frowned slightly.
He could tell from Sanji's voice that something serious had happened.
Thinking that, Duval raised his voice and shouted,
"Men! Black Leg Boss needs our help! What do we do?!"
"Through fire and water!"
"Well said!" Duval raised a hand dramatically. "Rosy Life Riders, move out!"
"Yes, handsome man!"
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