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Chapter 18: No Small Resolve
Eight years ago, the peaceful King of Dressrosa had been overthrown and replaced by a notorious Warlord of the Sea named Donquixote Doflamingo.
After uncovering that world-shattering fact in the dusty archives of Shakky's bar, I spent the rest of the day completely preoccupied by it.
King Riku attacked his own citizens... is a tragedy like that even possible? I paced back and forth across the wooden desk in my room, my fluffy tail twitching with restless anxiety. Dressrosa has been a peaceful country with zero wars for eight hundred years, you know? Why would a gentle man like him suddenly do something so horrific? And now a Warlord is the new king... how is everyone doing right now!? Are they even alive!?
My head was so full of Dressrosa that I couldn't get a single lick of work done all day. My actual job of bouncing for the bar was entirely forgotten.
My thoughts kept spinning in agonizing circles, tormented by questions with no answers. I just wanted to know whether everyone was safe. Viola, Scarlet, Kyros... Leo, Mansherry, and the rest of the Tontatta Tribe. Just knowing they survived would be enough to ease this crushing weight in my chest.
And so, the day slipped away in a haze of anxiety. Later that night...
"Um, Big Brother."
"...What's wrong, Esune?" I asked, tearing my eyes away from the rain pattering against the windowpane.
We were alone in my dimly lit room as usual. Esune walked over to the desk, her rabbit ears folded back slightly, and suddenly knelt down in front of me with a dead-serious expression. The playful, nervous energy she usually carried was entirely absent.
Wondering what had brought on this sudden intense mood, I looked up at her...
"Big Brother, you... want to go back to Dressrosa, don't you?"
"!!?"
She pierced right through to the heart of what was troubling me without a moment's hesitation.
"W-What? Esune, why would you think that?" I stammered, frantically trying to put my cool 'Phantom Thief' mask back on.
"You're easy to read, Big Brother. I can tell just by looking at your face," she said softly, her eyes filled with a quiet, observant empathy.
"A-Am I really that easy to read...? Wait, no, that's not it at all!" I waved my tiny hands dismissively, forcing a laugh. "It's not like I actually want to go back to Dressrosa! I left that island swearing I would never return until I got my hands on the Huge Huge Fruit! Fufufu..."
"You don't have to lie to me," Esune interrupted, her voice steady. "The King of Dressrosa changed while you were entirely unaware, and the news is making you incredibly anxious, isn't it?"
"Urgh..." My fake laugh died in my throat.
"You're worried about how Viola-san, Monet-san, and all your Tontatta friends you left behind in your homeland are doing right now under a pirate's rule... aren't you?"
"..." I looked down at my feet, unable to deny it.
"You're very kind, Big Brother... so I figured it out right away."
What the heck is with this girl...
She's seeing right through my deepest thoughts like they're printed on my forehead. Did she actually eat the Glare-Glare Fruit instead of the Rabbit-Rabbit Fruit...?
"But I know there's something else," Esune continued, leaning in slightly. "The thing tying you to the Sabaody Archipelago right now isn't your resolve to find the Huge Huge Fruit... It's me, isn't it?"
"Eh..." I blinked, caught off guard.
"You're staying here right now to keep your promise. The promise to look after me until I become an adult... am I wrong?"
If I told her she was wrong... I'd be lying through my teeth.
"Big Brother, look at me. I'm already eighteen, you know? I've become an adult. So... you don't need to worry about protecting me anymore. You can go home."
"Even if you say that..." I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose.
You literally just got kidnapped to Mary Geoise by a Celestial Dragon the other day... How am I supposed to just leave you alone after that?
I'm worried about Dressrosa, but I'm just as worried about Esune.
As I hemmed and hawed, stubbornly refusing to concede the point, Esune suddenly puffed out her cheeks in frustration. The serious, mature atmosphere vanished in an instant.
"Ah, geez! Big Brother! Are you still going to treat me like a helpless child!?"
"Huh?"
Before I could react, Esune reached out and effortlessly pinched me by the scruff of my shirt, hoisting my tiny body up into the air.
"W-Wait, what are you doing—"
With her free hand, she boldly pulled open the wide neckline of her top. And without a shred of hesitation, she stuffed me right down into her deep cleavage... squish~♡
"Mmph!? W-Wait! Es... mmghgh!?"
"M-My b-boobs... can completely swallow up y-your entire body, you know!?" she stammered, her voice shaking with a mix of fierce determination and sheer, overwhelming embarrassment. "See...! I-I'm an adult, right? Admit I'm a grown woman! Admit I'm an adult... squish, squish~!"
She pressed her arms together, trapping me completely in a warm, impossibly soft prison of flesh.
"So s-soft...! Wait, no! Oho! Fuhe, fuheee... Ah!? W-Wait! Esune!" I thrashed wildly, my muffled voice echoing against her chest. "If you keep this up, my self-control is going to snap! L-L-Let me out! I can't breathe!"
"Then! Will you admit! That I'm an adult!?" she demanded stubbornly, squeezing me tighter. "If you don't... you're staying in here forever!"
"Ogogogo!? I-I get it! I get it, so let me go! I won't say what, but something is about to explode!!?"
Releasing her grip with a triumphant huff, Esune let me climb out. I stumbled dizzily as I broke free from the valley of her cleavage, collapsing onto the desk and gasping for air.
"Huff... huff... huff...!"
"Huff... huff... huff..."
I am terrifyingly turned on right now. My heart is beating so fast I think it might crack my ribs.
Looking over at her, Esune's face is unbelievably, vibrantly red, with steam practically shooting out of her ears. If you're that embarrassed by it, don't do it in the first place...
Thank you for the treat, though.
"...Huff, huff... I get it," I wheezed, holding up a hand in surrender. "You're an adult now. That was a devastating use of your assets that a child could never pull off."
"Uyu... I got caught up in the moment and did something completely outrageous..." Esune whimpered, covering her burning face with both hands. "I'm so embarrassed I could die..."
"..."
The girl I always thought of as just a fragile little sister is suddenly starting to look like a very bold, very attractive woman.
Alright, since it's come to this, there's only one thing to do.
I stood up, dusting off my clothes, and looked up at her face. "Esune, seeing you as a grown woman... I have one favor to ask."
"!? Y-Yes! Ask me anything!" she squeaked, peeking through her fingers.
"Your boobs..."
"Eh?"
"Please sandwich me one more time!" I bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle. "I chickened out earlier because it was so sudden, but this time I want to properly savor it! With everything I've got! Please!"
"You absolute pervert, Big Brother!"
Smack!
I didn't get my second Pafu Pafu. What a profound shame.
—————
The next day, after the chaos of the evening had settled into a quiet resolve, I sat down at the bar with Shakky and Ray-san. Over a cup of black coffee, I talked to them about leaving the Sabaody Archipelago to go check on my homeland, Dressrosa.
They both listened to my reasoning seriously. There were no jokes, no teasing. And to my immense relief, they understood. They even offered to take full responsibility for Esune while I was out at sea, keeping her safe from the World Government's lingering eyes. I was truly grateful.
"I see... so you're going, Line," Ray-san murmured, taking a slow drag from a cigar.
"It'll be lonely without you around to cause trouble, Line-chan," Shakky smiled gently, wiping down a glass.
"Thank you for everything you've done for me." I stood on the counter and gave them both a deep, respectful bow.
Alright! Next stop, Dressrosa!
"By the way, Line-chan. How exactly do you plan on getting to Dressrosa?" Shakky asked, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
"Eh...?"
Now that she mentions it... how am I supposed to get there?
In this world, there exists an equatorial ocean current meant for circling the globe, known as the Grand Line. The Sabaody Archipelago is located at the very end of the first half of the Grand Line, known as Paradise. Dressrosa, however, is located in the second half, the treacherous New World.
To travel from the first half to the second half, one must cross the massive, world-spanning continent known as the Red Line.
"Assuming I can just fly over the top of the Red Line using my Tail Copter like I did the other day... the main problem is finding a ship heading for Dressrosa on the other side and sneaking aboard," I reasoned, tapping my chin.
"...I won't even comment on the sheer absurdity of the fact that you can easily fly over a ten-thousand-meter wall anymore," Shakky sighed. "But I will tell you that crossing through Mary Geoise is now next to impossible."
"Eh? Why?"
"Because of the massive slave-breakout incident you caused the other day, the security in the Holy Land has been heavily reinforced by the Marines and Cipher Pol. So crossing the Red Line from above is no longer a viable option. You'd be shot out of the sky."
"No way..."
Not being able to cross the Red Line means I can't reach the second half of the sea... the New World.
If I can't reach the New World, I can't go back to Dressrosa.
"Shakky! How can I get to the New World without crossing through Mary Geoise!?" I panicked, grabbing my head.
"Let's see..." Shakky hummed thoughtfully. "The most reliable method would be to dive under the Red Line in your own ship."
"Under?"
According to Shakky, there are two main ways to cross the continental wall of the Red Line...
One is to get permission from the World Government, abandon your pirate ship, and cross through Mary Geoise—the legal route from above.
The other is to literally dive into the ocean with a ship and pass through a "giant hole" located roughly 10,000 meters underwater, right beneath the Red Line itself—the outlaw route from below, passing through Fish-Man Island.
"...Wait, wait, diving to the bottom of the sea in a wooden ship... how do you even do that?" I asked incredulously. "Do you use a submarine or something?"
"No, even a normal ship can travel deep underwater if you apply a special resin coating to the hull," Shakky explained, gesturing vaguely toward the mangrove trees outside.
"Coating?"
Now that she mentions it, I think I heard Ray-san's real job is a 'coating mechanic'...
He works so infrequently that I completely forgot he actually had a profession...
When I slowly glanced over at Ray-san, he took a long drag of his cigar and nodded at me with an incredibly smug, knowing look on his face. ...I immediately averted my gaze.
"Okay, I understand that I can go by ship using this coating magic, but... I don't own a ship," I pointed out the glaring flaw in the plan.
"...Right. Wait here a moment."
"?"
Shakky disappeared into the back room of the shop. A few minutes later, she returned carrying a heavy-looking leather briefcase...
"Use this."
Thud!!
"!!?"
She slammed the heavy case down onto the counter and unlatched it, revealing a massive mountain of neatly stacked cash. What the heck is this!? The smell of crisp paper money hit my nose. There's got to be at least ten million Berries here...
"W-What is all this money... Shakky?" I stuttered, my eyes wide.
"It's all your money, Line-chan," Shakky smiled warmly.
"Eh?"
"When I hired you to work at this bar as our bouncer, I told you right at the start, didn't I? Your salary would be 2,000,000 Berries a year."
"Now that you mention it... was it...?"
"You paid off your 4,000,000 Berry debt in the first two years, and you've worked for me for six years since then..." Shakky tapped the stacks of bills. "So Line-chan's salary is 2,000,000 multiplied by six years, which makes exactly 12,000,000 Berries."
"Eh? Don't tell me... you've been saving it for me this whole time?"
"Pretty much. You're a thief, Line-chan; you'd have blown it all on something silly if I handed it over in pieces. You should use this money to buy your own ship. This should be more than enough for a custom, Tontatta-sized vessel."
...Even though I basically forced my way into working here out of pure selfishness over the past six years, seeking shelter and free food...
Shakky was diligently saving up all this money for me the whole time...
Just like a mother who confiscates your New Year's money to 'hold onto it', only to actually save it for you when you really need it.
"Wwaaaaah!! Thank you, Shakky! I owe you big time!" I wailed, diving into the pile of cash and hugging it tightly.
"There's no need to thank me. It's just the proper compensation for all your hard work keeping the riff-raff out," she chuckled, patting my head with a single finger.
"Mommyyyy!!"
"There, there..."
She's such a truly kind and incredibly caring person beneath that fearsome exterior. I'm so glad her place was the first one I washed up at when I fell from Mary Geoise all those years ago.
Someday, I want to pay her back in full.
—————
After tying the heavy briefcase of money securely to my back with a rope, I eagerly made my way down to the Grove 52 Shipyard. The air here was thick with the smell of sawdust, hot tar, and salty ocean breeze. The rhythmic sounds of hammering and sawing echoed across the docks.
I was going to commission the construction of a custom ship right here.
Would it be okay for a high-profile wanted criminal with a 480-million Berry bounty to just casually commission a ship? I was worried about that, but apparently, the lawless zone shipwrights don't care. As long as you pay upfront, they'll happily build a ship for pirates, murderers, or anyone else.
They've certainly got some nerve.
"A Tontatta-sized ship, eh...?" The burly, soot-covered shipwright scratched his beard, looking down at me in mild amusement. "Well, the material costs won't be that high for something that small, so with a budget of 12,000,000 Berries, I reckon we can build you a pretty damn good ship! We can use top-tier, reinforced mangrove wood for the hull, little bro!"
"Thank you, Old Man Shipwright!"
"However, we're swamped with other pirate orders trying to get to the New World," the old man warned, crossing his thick arms. "Expect your custom ship to take a few months to finish, little bro."
"Okay! Take your time and make it perfect! Thanks, old man!"
After officially commissioning the ship and handing over the deposit, I returned to Shakky's Rip-off Bar once again.
During the few months it will take for the ship to be completed... there was only one thing I could do. One thing I needed to do.
"Ray-san!" I called out as I marched back into the bar.
"Hmm? What is it, Line?" Ray-san asked, pausing his drink.
"Please! Train me how to fight!"
"...Oho." Ray-san slowly set his glass down, his eyes narrowing slightly.
I don't know what's happening in Dressrosa right now. I don't know what kind of monster Doflamingo is. But if the situation there is at its absolute worst...
If I have the power, I might be able to resolve it! I won't have to run!
Even when we fought Aokiji the other day, the only thing my vaunted speed allowed me to do was run for my life like a coward... I had to rely entirely on Esune's 'Haki' or whatever it is for our attacks. I couldn't even scratch him.
That's exactly why I need to learn it...!
"I need to dramatically power up in the few months before my ship is completed..." I declared, clenching my fists. "So, Ray-san! Please teach me how to use 'Haki'!"
"Mastering Haki in just a few months..." Ray-san chuckled, crossing his arms. "Fufu, you're asking for quite the impossible task, young man."
"Is it... impossible after all...?" I wilted slightly.
"Normally I would say it's impossible, but Line... you are already subconsciously utilizing Haki."
"Hah?"
"Your Observation Haki is quite decent. Your ability to dodge light-speed kicks and predict movements is proof of that," Ray-san explained calmly. "And as for Armament Haki... considering the sheer force behind your tail strikes, you could say you already have one foot in the door."
"?? I don't completely understand the mechanics, but basically, are you saying I have a natural talent for it?"
"Well, yes. Although it's also partly because Shakky has been subtly making you and Esune undergo practical Haki training for years."
"She... was!?" I spun around to look at Shakky, who merely smiled innocently.
Now that he mentions it, whenever we beat up rowdy customers to rip them off over the past few years, Shakky would often give me bizarre advice during the brawls.
"Try reading their presence more and fighting with your eyes closed," or "Try attacking while imagining gathering an invisible armor around your fists," and so on...
I always wondered what the heck kind of weird zen meditation she was talking about, but all of that was actually live-combat Haki training...
I clenched my fists tightly, feeling a surge of determination.
I will get stronger... I have to get stronger! For Dressrosa. For Esune. For myself!
"Your foundation is already built," Ray-san said, his voice taking on the heavy, commanding tone of the Dark King. "Whether you can gain true, conscious Haki Control in a mere few months is entirely up to your own blood, sweat, and tears. My training is incredibly strict... will you be able to keep up without giving up?"
"Osu!! I look forward to your strict guidance! Ray-san!" I shouted, bowing deeply.
"...No good," Ray-san sighed, shaking his head.
"Eh?"
"It's 'I look forward to your guidance, Father!' ...No, wait, 'Dad'... 'Papa' is also hard to pass up..." Ray-san mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"...I look forward to your guidance. Shitty old man!"
"..."
And so, my hellish Haki training finally began.
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