"Hehehe, a new journey finally begins!"
The moment the Traveler left Kano Country's port and sailed into the vast open sea, Perona began bouncing around the cabin in excitement.
"Arashi, Arashi! Where are we going next?!"
"No idea."
With that, Arashi stepped into the cabin. He had only intended to grab a bottle of liquor and head back out to the deck—but the moment he walked in, he froze.
The entire cabin…
Was filled with snacks.
And piles upon piles of clothes—skirts, stockings, all kinds of outfits.
He stood there for a few seconds before finally snapping out of it.
"…Did you two empty out all the snack shops in Kano Country?"
"Nope!"
Perona blinked her big eyes and said solemnly:
"I hate snacks! The only way to stop them from harming people is to eat them all! So I had a dozen Happo Navy 'servants' help me move all these dangerous snacks here!"
Arashi stepped forward and crushed a bag of chips under his foot, smiling faintly.
"Alright. How much of my money did you spend?"
"Hehe… not that much!"
Perona glanced nervously at Robin.
"Robin told me there was money in the liquor cabinet, and I just… couldn't help myself. Oh, and I found more in the storage room! Wow, Arashi, you're amazing—you're so rich!"
"So I've decided—I'll follow you forever and never leave! Are you touched?!"
"Wow. So touched."
Crunch.
Another snack bag met its end under Arashi's foot.
"And these clothes?" he asked, pointing at the mountain of outfits. "Let me guess—you hate them too, so you bought them all to protect others?"
"Yes, yes!"
Perona nodded vigorously.
"Am I kind or what?"
"…Sure."
Arashi walked to the liquor cabinet, grabbed a bottle of whiskey, and spoke calmly:
"From now on, you have two hours to finish all those 'harmful' snacks."
"And Robin—come here."
He glanced at Robin, who had been quietly laughing at the side.
"You helped pick these clothes, right? Good taste. Perona eats, you try them on. Start with that dress."
Robin froze.
All… of them?
But after a brief hesitation—
"Understood, Mr. Arashi."
She picked up a dress and went to change.
And so—
Perona sat there, stuffing snacks into her mouth.
Robin, meanwhile, kept changing outfits, walking up to Arashi and spinning around to show him each look.
At first, she was a little shy.
But after a couple of outfits, she relaxed completely—posing naturally, even playfully.
The more she changed, the more confident she became.
On the other hand…
Perona grew more and more miserable.
Two hours to finish that mountain of snacks?
Impossible.
Halfway through, she started crying while eating.
"Too good! This is amazing! Hahaha!"
Looking at Robin in a gothic lolita outfit—radiating a completely different charm—
And then at Perona, tearfully chewing through snacks—
Arashi couldn't stop laughing.
Money?
He didn't care.
This was just for fun.
And he had just discovered—
Robin was basically a perfect model.
No matter what style she wore, she made it look stunning.
Noted.
He'd need to prepare more outfits in the future.
Maybe even custom costumes…
Cosplay?
Now that would be fun.
Truly—
A feast for the eyes.
"…Hmm?"
Suddenly, Arashi's laughter stopped.
In the next instant—
He vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already on the deck.
Not far away—
A small boat drifted across the sea.
It was about the size of Mihawk's coffin boat.
Except—
There was no coffin.
Only ten women stood aboard.
And at the center—
A single figure.
A woman.
The boat had no sails.
Yet it moved steadily, unaffected by the currents.
Strange.
Very strange.
Perona and Robin, noticing Arashi's sudden reaction, rushed out after him—
"Don't come out!"
Arashi stopped them immediately.
He didn't know who that woman was—
But his instincts screamed one thing:
Danger.
Just moments ago—
His Observation Haki had activated on its own.
For the first time ever.
As the small boat drew closer, maintaining a parallel course—
The woman's appearance became clearer.
She wore a long black cloak.
A silver hairpin adorned with leaf patterns and pearls rested in her hair.
A black veil covered her face—
But her red eyes…
Cold.
Emotionless.
Chilling to the bone.
Her pale, snow-like skin was faintly visible beneath layers of dark fabric.
Only her slender fingers were exposed.
She stood there—
Yet felt… unreal.
Like a phantom.
Like she didn't exist at all.
Her gaze passed over Arashi—
Without the slightest ripple.
As if he…
Didn't exist.
Who is she?
Arashi's mind raced.
There was no such character in the original story.
Not in the West Blue.
Her most striking feature wasn't her veil.
Nor her cloak.
Nor even the faint, overwhelming aura of authority surrounding her.
It was—
Those eyes.
Red eyes.
Suddenly—
Arashi's eyes lit up.
Could it be…?
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