The Bluma Jackson floated on the lake of gastric fluid inside the lantern fish, its gilded hull gleaming faintly as it resisted corrosion.
Gild Tesoro had coated the ship's hull with gold, and the Bluma Jackson now anchored by the stomach-island of the lantern fish.
"This place... is more spacious than I imagined," Rhett said, crimson mist swirling around his fingertips, illuminating their surroundings.
He'd thought it was huge in the storyline. But Rhett hadn't fully grasped the scale until now—inside, it felt like an entire kingdom.
"Rhett-sama!" Perona suddenly pointed, "Over there... a child?!"
A crisp snap echoed from behind a distant reef—like someone stepping on a broken branch.
"Who's there?" Rhett asked lazily. He probably already guessed.
He spotted a green and an orange lizard.
"Eek! We've been spotted!" a clear child's voice yelped in panic, followed by a thud.
Rhett raised an eyebrow and sauntered over.
There, a little blonde girl was scrambling up from the sand, her face smudged with grit, clutching a coconut tightly. She wore a deep purple kimono, barefoot, looking both disheveled and adorable.
"I-I wasn't spying on you!" she blurted, face reddening, then immediately clapped her hands over her mouth. "Ah! I said it out loud!"
Rhett: "..."
This was Olga—a kid whose heart and mouth were perfectly in sync. Heh.
Rhett flashed behind the girl.
"What's your name?" Rhett crouched down.
"Olga! Mikishina Olga!" She puffed out her chest, then covered her mouth again. "...Why am I telling you?!"
Rhett couldn't help but laugh. "You live here?"
"N-no! I was eaten by Lord Lantern!" She pouted angrily, then stomped her foot. "Aaaah, why do I keep talking?!"
"Don't ask me anything else, I won't tell you a thing!" She crossed her arms and turned away.
Perona floated over, circling her curiously. "Wow~ What an interesting kid!"
Olga looked up at the Ghost Princess, eyes sparkling. "Are you a ghost? So cute! ...Ah! I said it again!"
Everyone: "..."
By the evening bonfire.
Gild Tesoro grilled thick-cut dragon steaks on a gold-forged rack, juices sizzling, aroma filling the air.
Damn, that bastard Tesoro just keeps getting richer.
This was prey Rhett had specifically hunted. After all, he felt a pang for this kid who'd been surviving on nothing but fruit for nearly two hundred years.
Olga crouched nearby, eyes glued to the meat, her little nose twitching nonstop.
"Want some?" Rhett handed her a piece.
Olga took the meat and took a cautious bite—
"Mm...!!"
Her eyes widened, her chewing froze, and then—big fat tears started rolling down.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Rhett startled. "Too hot?"
Olga shook her head, sniffling as she shoved more meat into her mouth. "S-so good... I've never eaten anything this delicious... Inside Lord Lantern, all I could eat was fruit, because I couldn't beat anything else..."
She wolfed it down, then looked up with teary eyes. "M-more?"
Laboon silently pushed an entire plate of grilled meat toward her, glanced at Olga, hesitated, then pulled out three small dried fish from his pouch and placed them on her plate, patting her head.
On the beach at night, the bonfire crackled. Olga clutched a cup of warm milk, sipping slowly—prepared especially for her by Stella.
Perona floated beside her, curious. "Olga, how did you end up eaten by the lantern fish?"
Olga's fingers tightened around the cup, her gaze dimming.
"Because... Dad invented Pure Gold," she whispered, voice trembling. "Those bad pirates... they killed Mom trying to steal it... burned down Dad's lab. Why did he have to research something so dangerous?"
She bit her lip, tears welling. "I hate him... If he hadn't been obsessed with it, Mom wouldn't have died..."
Silence.
Rhett leaned against a tree, crimson mist swirling lazily around his fingers.
He knew the truth—Olga's father had never researched Pure Gold for wealth or immortality.
"Hey, kid," he cut in abruptly. "Ever been sick?"
Olga blinked, then nodded reflexively. "...When I was little, my chest burned so bad I thought I'd die. It hurt so much."
"Then..." She frowned. "One day, it just... stopped. The pain vanished. And not long after, the pirates came."
Rhett exchanged a glance with Gild Tesoro.
"Dad... shoved this at me, said 'Never take it off.'" She choked up. "But it just makes me sick!"
After a pause, Olga extended her hand, showing them the ring on her finger. In the firelight—
Rhett recognized it instantly—a small metal band. A Pure Gold ring.
"Listen up, kid," he said bluntly. "Your dad's alive."
Olga's sobs cut off mid-breath, a snot bubble still on her face. "...Huh?"
"Currently being raised as a son by some motherly dragon. In a nest on the next island over."
Rhett spoke rapidly. "Like I just said—your dad didn't research Pure Gold for riches or eternal life. You had an incurable disease—South Blue Emperor Fever. Your parents made Pure Gold to save you."
Rhett never pretended to be a good guy.
But a kid who'd been lonely for centuries, crying over a single bite of meat, while her parents—who'd sacrificed everything for her—were misunderstood? This kind of soap-opera drama was something Rhett refused to tolerate for even a second longer.
Gild Tesoro facepalmed. "Captain, your storytelling sounds like a bounty poster footnote. Couldn't you add a little emotion?"
Olga froze for three full seconds, clearly overwhelmed by Rhett's blunt delivery.
Rhett eyed her dazed expression. "Let's go. I'll take you to your dad."
Truthfully, Rhett only vaguely remembered Olga's father being in some cave—no clue where exactly.
To cross the gastric acid sea, Rhett snapped his fingers. He'd already spotted those two sneaky dinosaurs in the bushes earlier. Crimson mist dragged them over—one green (Olga's) and one orange (a particularly "wise" specimen).
"Oof." (Laboon translated: "He says you gotta make him laugh first, then he'll take you.")
Rhett stared at this "wise" creature.
Slowly, he said: "Laboon, beat him up."
Without hesitation, Laboon unleashed a flurry of punches.
Luffy? He thinks I'm like Luffy, making demands. The audacity.