"I can finally tell you where we are. Or rather, I personally have no idea how far we've already sailed from the beginning of the Grand Line, but right now we're approaching an island called Little Garden."
"Little Garden? The 'Pirate Slayers' began their journey at Whisky Peak?"
"More precisely, with what was left of it."
"...They destroyed an entire town of bounty hunters?"
"Yes. Very few survived... I didn't think the Marines knew about towns like that."
"They aren't breaking any laws, and they dispose of assorted small fry with bounties on their heads. No one is going to touch them as long as they limit themselves to pirates. They understand that better than anyone."
"I'll admit, I hadn't really thought of it that way. You're right; it would be strange if the Marines didn't know about towns like that. But if you didn't know where the 'Pirate Slayers' were headed, does that mean nobody has learned about the destruction of an entire town yet?"
"Looks that way."
"Then you don't know about the 'Surgeon of Death' either?"
"The 'Surgeon of Death'? Trafalgar Law? The strongest pirate in North Blue? What does he have to do with the 'Pirate Slayers'?"
"...My fault. I should have told you about him during our previous calls, but my head was constantly occupied with other things. The 'Pirate Slayers' ran into the 'Surgeon of Death's' crew right at Reverse Mountain, and they've been traveling together ever since."
"Together? Even now?"
"No. At Whisky Peak, You-Know-Who gave the 'Surgeon of Death' some kind of assignment, so they went their own way."
"An assignment? You mean..."
"Yes! I don't know how important this information is to the Marines, but I can confirm that the 'Surgeon of Death' and his crew now work for the 'Pirate Slayers'."
"So they're allies."
"No, no! You don't understand! There's no alliance! Complete submission! The 'Surgeon of Death' will do anything You-Know-Who orders him to do! He'll do it regardless of the consequences! You have to take that into account! Apparently they've brainwashed him, so for the sake of the 'Pirate Slayers', he and his crew are capable of anything!"
"I see."
"No, believe me, you absolutely do not understand! But that's not the most important thing right now! The most important thing is that you have to stop the 'Pirate Slayers' as quickly as possible, or another sea of blood is going to be spilled!"
"A sea of blood? I know Little Garden. There aren't any human settlements on the island. In fact, there's nothing there except jungle, dinosaurs, volcanoes, and a pair of giants. Or are those two their targets? Do they want to test their strength?"
"What do some giants or testing their strength have to do with anything?! Not long ago, I learned that after the massacre they carried out at Whisky Peak, You-Know-Who challenged some organization of bounty hunters! They agreed to hold their battle on the next island indicated by the Log Pose, meaning Little Garden! From what I've managed to learn, if you don't make it in time, the entire island will simply drown in blood! There will be thousands of corpses!"
"...How much longer until you arrive?"
"What do you mean, how much longer? The island is already visible on the horizon! Another hour, two at most, and the 'Pirate Slayers' will drop anchor beside it! That's why I've finally had the opportunity to contact you... Although I can't rule out the possibility that You-Know-Who simply allowed me to make this call. Now that the island is practically within arm's reach, I can clearly understand just how tiny the chance is that you'll arrive in time to stop the coming massacre. And if I understand that, then You-Know-Who understands it too. I'm almost certain that to him, all of this is nothing more than one big game. You may not like hearing this, but to him you're no more than an amusing puppet on strings. I've had plenty of time to study him, and I can tell you with certainty that he likes playing psychological games with his victims. He enjoys games like that far more than ordinary killing. It's entirely possible You-Know-Who allowed me to make this call only so that you could once again feel your complete helplessness to change anything or save anyone, and at the same time be reminded of Tashigi again. That's exactly his style. That bastard enjoys situations like this."
"...How is she?"
"Physically, there aren't any problems. Just a few bruises, a couple of scratches, and exhaustion. But as for everything else... I'm afraid there's nothing that can be done for her anymore. The Tashigi you knew is gone. You... you... no, why didn't you listen to me back then?! Why?! She was such a good person! She didn't deserve a fate like this! I've had to watch all of it day after day! I still do! Only now she's completely obedient and trained, but that bastard isn't even thinking about stopping! He keeps raising the bar on all this madness! You'd think she already does absolutely everything she's ordered to do, but he keeps inventing new ways to drive her to exhaustion!"
"..."
"Forgive me. I shouldn't have told you all that. I understand that for you, as her captain—and one who failed to protect her—this must be much harder than it is for me. But I just... I just look at all of it... Every single day. I watch, and there's nothing I can do... Promise me! Promise me that he'll answer for all of it! A man like that must not go unpunished!"
"He won't. I swear on the honor of the 'White Hunter'. I swear on my life."
"Thank you. I believe you."
"..."
"I have to go. How soon can you reach Little Garden? But before you answer, remember that someone may very well be listening to us."
"I'll be there in twenty-four hours."
"Twenty-four hours? I hope you're lying to me right now, otherwise all these people are finished."
"..."
"Try to save at least someone. Good luck. And goodbye."
With a sorrowful expression, Luffy placed the receiver of the large Den Den Mushi back into its cradle—and immediately broke into a wide grin. Spinning around in his chair, he looked at Nami and Robin sitting on the bed—the former wrapped around the latter from behind with both arms and legs like a large octopus—and flashed them a victory sign with two fingers. Both girls wore identical white strapless dresses with open backs and short hems, creating an extraordinarily enticing sight. It was worth remembering that both dresses belonged to Nami, who was a full ten centimeters shorter than Robin, which meant the hem of Robin's dress could fairly be called ultra-short. That was partly why she sat primly with her legs pressed together and her hands folded over her thighs. On the other hand, Robin was very lucky that the red-haired navigator's height had changed noticeably over the last year. It was hard to say whether Nami herself had grown or whether her Fruit was responsible, but she had stretched out considerably, with the result that Luffy could now rightfully be considered the shortest member of the family. In height, that is. Though in age as well.
"How long have you been calling him like this?" Nami asked.
"Only a couple of months."
And most importantly, he said it with the expression and tone of someone who had known the 'White Hunter' for ten years rather than the couple of months he'd just mentioned.
"Zoro is definitely going to kill you one day."
The girl was not exaggerating in the slightest. Smoker's voice had not changed once throughout the entire conversation. Monotonous, without the slightest trace of emotion, yet at the same time strong and focused. In other words, it was the voice of a man prepared to give his life without hesitation in pursuit of his goal. In light of everything that had been said, it was not difficult to guess that Smoker's goal was almost certainly Zoro's death and Tashigi's rescue. Once again, Luffy had thrown his first mate under the bus for his own amusement, casually creating a mortally dangerous enemy for him in the process. That really was something a person could—and should—be killed for.
"What's the big deal?" Luffy grinned. "I only told him the truth! I didn't lie anywhere! How is any of this my fault?" He rattled off his usual series of excuses.
"I can already more or less imagine Smoker's reaction when he finally sees Zoro." Nami rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if he starts foaming at the mouth from rage... Assuming Smoker actually believes you instead of merely pretending to. Judging by all of Tashigi's stories, he's an intelligent man with a lot of practical experience, including experience on the Grand Line. Maybe he's the one leading you around by the nose? Ever thought about that?"
"Of course I have! But if that's really true, it won't be nearly as interesting or as funny as if he believes every word I say." The young man wrinkled his nose slightly. As was easy to understand, spoiled amusement was the only thing that truly bothered him about such a possibility. "I agree, Schmoker's a smart guy, so he could have figured out my trick. Right now the weakest link is Whisky Peak, where we left a whole bunch of witnesses who know I'm the captain. The chance is small—they were warned about the consequences, after all—but those idiots could still blab if someone puts enough pressure on them. On the other hand, I have the fact that I haven't really lied to him about anything yet, and Schmoker has personally had the opportunity to confirm that what I said was true."
"Robin, did you hear all that?" Nami rubbed her cheek against the cheek of the girl in her arms. "This is exactly what I was warning you about. Always stay on your guard around him, and no matter how truthful his words may seem, never rush to any final conclusions. Better yet, never believe him at all. It's safer that way. Like I've told you more than once already, what you need to fear isn't that he might break his word, kill you, or hand you over to the World Government by force. Our Luffy doesn't work like that. That would be too simple and boring for him. No, if you ever die because of him, or end up in the World Government's hands because of him, you'll do it with a smile on your lips and even as you die you'll be absolutely convinced that you did the right thing. Believe me, I know. A year ago I hated pirates so much that I was ready to cut off my own arm just to get rid of the pirate flag tattooed on it, but all it took was replacing one flag with another, and that tattoo became a source of pride. Now I'd sooner cut off the arm of anyone who insulted my flag."
Technically speaking, the tattoo on Nami's left shoulder—where the hated symbol of the 'Arlong Pirates' had once been—was not an entirely authentic 'Straw Hat Pirates' flag, but rather a mixture of that flag with a tangerine bush and a pinwheel. A tribute to her late mother, her village elder, and her beloved sister, who had once gotten a tattoo for Nami's sake as well.
"Whose side are you even on?" Luffy asked accusingly after that 'exposing' speech.
"My Robin's side, of course!" Without the slightest thought, hesitation, or shame, the red-haired girl openly admitted to betraying her captain. "What's going to happen to you? My Robin's already been scared half to death by everyone! The last thing she needs is you adding new psychological trauma."
Considering everything that had happened at Whisky Peak, Nami was a little late with her warnings.
"Seems to me you're the only one here adding new psychological trauma," the young man countered.
Considering that the captured Robin had sat in Nami's arms the entire time without making a single sound or movement, stiff as though she'd swallowed a crowbar, Luffy's words were not particularly far from the truth. One also could not forget that over the last several days, whenever it helped her avoid the red-haired shameless woman's harassment, Robin had preferred the company of Luffy himself and Zoro. It was difficult to imagine a clearer indicator than that.
"You're exaggerating!" Nami snorted. "My Robin is simply frightened by her new emotions and desires. She's never felt anything like this before, so now she's scared."
"And after saying something like that, you still have the nerve to accuse me of anything?" Luffy raised an eyebrow at the double meaning in her words. "Robin, Nami was leading whole pirate crews around by the nose for years before she ever met me, so if I were you, I'd think very carefully before taking her at her word. Otherwise you risk no longer being a girl."
"And what's wrong with that?" Nami was not embarrassed in the slightest, unlike the Robin in her arms. "Weren't you the one who told me it's better to be a young grandfather than an old boy? Well, I can tell you with complete confidence that being a young grandmother is also much better than being an old girl!"
"I'd like to see how you plan on turning her into a young grandmother!" Luffy smirked. "Last time I checked, you didn't have a dick of your own... A real one, anyway."
"But I do have my own harem!" Nami bared her teeth. "Any of them will help, none of them will refuse! Except Usopp. But I'm working on him."
All Luffy could do was roll his eyes at that statement. Robin, meanwhile, began impersonating a chameleon, cycling through an entire palette of different colors across her face in the space of a single minute.
"At that rate, you'll die under Yosaku by the end of the week, our little harem mistress. And secondly, Robin is already too old to become a young grandmother." Luffy rose from his chair.
"Forty-five can still count as a young grandmother!" Nami objected, completely ignoring the first half of his statement.
"Then good luck, harem keeper!" He headed toward the ladder. "More precisely, good luck to our Robin," he immediately corrected himself after noticing the black-haired girl's eyes widen as she realized that the moment he left, she would be alone with Nami.
"A... ah..." the 'wide-eyed' Robin tried to force something out, but before she managed to say anything coherent, Luffy had already closed the hatch from the other side of the cabin.
"So!" Nami began with a promisingly wicked smile. "Last time I was a little too distracted to deal with it, but over the last few days I've realized very clearly that it was quite rude of you to try stopping me with your Fruit's power. I think that kind of insolence deserves punishment. You're going to be punished, Robin."
Without waiting for an answer, she fell backward onto the bed, dragging her defenseless victim down with her. Or was it a 'victim' after all? That still remained to be determined. Robin behaved far too suspiciously for a proper victim.
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