Chapter 54 – I'm a Full-Time Employee, While You're Just Worker Cattle. How Could We Be the Same?
"Dang——!!!"
Terrifying collision sounds rang out again and again, like iron being hammered endlessly without pause.
Charlotte Smoothie—
One of the Three Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates—
At this very moment, she was experiencing the strangest and most shocking ordeal of her entire life.
In the first few minutes, all she felt was fear.
Every attack launched by the man named Akira carried a power that felt capable of shattering mountains.
Wearing that strange armor, she could only endure the blows like a punching bag. Every second, she worried whether the impact alone would kill her.
But then—
Not long after.
Ten seconds passed.
Dang!
A clear, ringing sound—like the toll of a bell—suddenly echoed inside her mind.
A warm current instantly spread throughout her entire body!
"Eh?!"
Smoothie's eyes flew wide open.
She could feel it clearly—her physical condition, which had been stagnant for years, had actually… strengthened, even if only a little?!
Two seconds later—
"Dang!!"
That warm flow surged again!
Her skin became tougher, her muscles filled with explosive power!
"T-This… what is this?!"
Smoothie was completely shaken!
She glanced at Yamato, Baby-5, and even the gentle-looking Viola.
Each of them, under these same brutal attacks, wore expressions of fanatic enjoyment.
"So this is the truth behind training to become stronger?!"
A massive wave surged violently within Smoothie's heart!
"Just by enduring attacks… you can grow this much stronger?!"
"This is too… too intoxicating!!"
The fear vanished.
In its place rose an urge to evolve—born from the deepest layers of biological instinct!
"Come on!!"
Smoothie was no longer passively taking the hits.
She began to actively cooperate!
She even started adjusting her stance, using the strongest parts of her body to meet Akira's attacks head-on!
Each full-powered impact—
Each sharp, ringing "Dang" from the Armor of Will—
Made her very soul tremble!
The sensation of her strength rapidly increasing almost made her forget that she was a prisoner!
"Incredible… this training method…"
A sharp glint flashed through Smoothie's eyes.
"If I can learn this…"
"If I can bring this method back to Totto Land, teach it to Mama, teach it to Katakuri-nii-san…"
"Then the Big Mom Pirates would become invincible across the entire world!!"
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became—and the more serious her movements grew!
…
However.
Just as Smoothie was completely immersed in the pleasure of "becoming stronger," unable to pull herself out—
"Enough."
Akira suddenly stopped his movements.
He glanced at the clock on the wall.
"It's been two hours."
"That's long enough."
"Huh?"
Smoothie, who had been preparing herself for the next round of "enhancement," stiffened.
"Is it… stopping?"
Akira completely ignored the reluctance in her eyes.
He spoke in a flat tone.
"It's time to eat."
"Smoothie, you should start working."
"Go prepare today's juice for the 'worker cattle' on this island."
After saying that—
Akira had only one thought.
Whoosh!
The [AOW] armor on Smoothie's body vanished instantly, recalled back into Akira's system space.
"!!!"
At that very moment—
Smoothie felt her body suddenly turn empty!
That steady warmth, the surging power, that sense of fullness that made her feel almost omnipotent—
In a single second—
All of it disappeared!
"No…"
Smoothie staggered, an unprecedented feeling of weakness and loss washing over her.
It was as if—
She had just lost one of the most important parts of her soul.
The emptiness was so painful it nearly made her cry.
"Give it back…"
Unconsciously, she reached out and grabbed the hem of Akira's shirt.
Her usually calm and elegant face now showed an expression of pleading… and longing.
"Can I… maybe…"
"Train just a little more… and then go?"
The moment those words left her mouth—
Smoothie's face flushed red!
Good heavens!
What had she just said?!
She was a Sweet Commander!
How could she say something so shameless?!
…
Akira looked at the woman who had trained so hard she had lost herself.
A cold, nearly imperceptible smile formed at the corner of his lips.
"Good. She finally took the bait."
Akira understood this perfectly.
No one could resist the pleasure of rapid growth brought by the Armor of Will.
Once you tasted it—
You became addicted instantly!
At this point, Smoothie no longer wanted to work—she only wanted to train!
"However…"
A sharp glint flashed in Akira's eyes.
"She's still not loyal enough."
"What she should be thinking about now is uncovering my secret and bringing it back to Totto Land."
"So I need to keep tempting her."
"No chance."
Akira mercilessly brushed Smoothie's hand away.
"You're a cook."
"A person with a legitimate job."
Akira said with a serious expression.
"If you don't work, won't the millions of 'worker cattle' on this island die of thirst?"
"But…"
Smoothie still tried to resist.
"No buts."
Akira's voice turned cold.
"Don't forget—you're now a 'debtor' carrying a 5 billion Berry burden."
"If you don't work, how do you plan to repay your debt?"
"And besides…"
Akira pointed to the spot where the armor had disappeared.
"I haven't even charged you for this 'training' yet."
"..."
Smoothie fell silent, unable to say a single word.
She looked at Akira, then turned to Yamato and the others, who were already dressed and preparing to rest.
In her eyes, there was deep reluctance and attachment.
"Go."
Akira waved his hand, as if shooing away a fly.
"Work hard."
"If you perform well… tonight, there might be another chance to train."
"R-Really?!"
Smoothie's eyes lit up instantly!
"I-I… I'll be right back!!"
She didn't dare waste even a second.
For the chance to "train" tonight!
For the sake of becoming stronger!
She jumped to her feet and, with her long legs, dashed out of the room like the wind!
In her mind, there was only one thought:
"Work!!"
"I have to work as hard as I can!!"
"As long as I finish my work, I can come back and keep getting stronger!!"
…
Outside the room.
In the living room.
Gion was lifting a cup of already-cold tea to her lips.
But when she saw Smoothie's back as she ran off enthusiastically—like she had been injected with chicken blood—muttering nonstop, "I have to work," "I have to become stronger"—
Clink.
The teacup slipped from Gion's hand, shattering on the floor.
Gion's beautiful face was filled with shock and fear.
"This…"
"It's only been two hours, right?!"
A chill ran down Gion's spine.
"A dignified Sweet Commander like Smoothie…"
"In such a short amount of time…"
"She's already been completely brainwashed by that bastard Akira?!"
"This is terrifying…"
"This is ten thousand times more terrifying than the Marines' 'doctrine of justice'!!"
Gion stared intensely at the door to the master bedroom.
Inside her heart, alarm bells were blaring wildly!
"No way!!"
"This is clearly a bottomless pit!!"
"Momousagi! Hold firm!"
"No matter what happens… you absolutely must not be tempted to step inside!!"
…
At the same time—
In the center of Dressrosa.
The massive chasm that had once split the island in two, then into four, had now been leveled into flat ground.
Thud!
A giant figure collapsed onto the freshly leveled earth without the slightest hint of dignity.
It was Pica.
His stone skin, once smooth, was now riddled with cracks and dust.
The tiny eyes that were usually filled with murderous intent now held nothing but emptiness and despair.
"Hah… hah…"
Pica panted heavily, as if his lungs were about to explode.
"God…"
"Please… save me…"
He stared up at the sky, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes.
"I've already…"
"Four days…"
"Four whole days… without closing my eyes even once!!"
He recalled Akira's terrifying "new city plan."
Constructing dense structures called "skyscrapers" across the entire island.
"This is just the beginning!"
"If another battle happens and the city gets destroyed again…"
Pica felt like he wanted to die.
"Hey… big guy over there."
Just as Pica was questioning the meaning of life—
Two equally weak and exhausted voices came from the side.
Vista the Flower Swordsman had been assigned to the "material transport group," while Jozu the Diamond had been placed in the "mining group."
The two of them were pushing carts piled high with stone, their bodies barely able to stay upright.
"So this is…"
"The price of being a prisoner, huh?"
Vista looked at Pica lying on the ground, gave a bitter smile, and shook his head.
"You said Akira wouldn't let anyone sleep for four straight days?"
"That's truly cruel."
Jozu's face was filled with bitterness.
"This isn't work…"
"This is treating people like livestock until they die."
Just as the three of them were sharing the same grim fate—
A suspicious figure approached quietly.
It was Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach.
In the original timeline, he was an important figure.
But here, he was just another laborer captured to "carry stones," most likely dragged in during the earlier chaos.
Blackbeard's legs trembled from exhaustion.
He rolled his eyes, then leaned closer to Pica and lowered his voice.
"Zehahaha…"
"Brother."
"If we're this exhausted… why don't we just pretend to work hard for Akira?"
A sly glint flashed in Blackbeard's eyes.
"We all start slacking off."
"Do the job, but don't waste energy!"
"Anyway, the law can't punish everyone!"
"Does he really dare kill all of us?"
It was classic demagoguery.
Blackbeard wanted to drag Pica into chaos—sabotage the project, create disorder, then look for a chance to escape.
But—
The moment those words were spoken—
Pica, who had been lying there pretending to be dead—
Suddenly!
Sat straight up!
He stared at Blackbeard with a look of disgust and arrogance.
"Heh."
Pica let out a cold, piercing laugh.
"You idiot."
"You really think…"
Pica patted his chest. Despite being torn, the Donquixote Family emblem on his uniform was still clearly visible.
"That I, unlike a slave like you, am working without pay?!"
"W-What?!"
Blackbeard was stunned.
"Hehehe!"
Pica lifted his chin proudly, his face filled with the superiority of an "insider."
"My boss, Doflamingo, already told you!"
"We of the Donquixote Family are official employees of the 'Mingo Construction Group'!"
"We have formal status!"
"In the future, it's not impossible that we'll receive salaries—maybe even bonuses!"
Pica pointed at Blackbeard, then glanced disdainfully at Vista and Jozu.
"And you?"
"You'll forever just be defeated prisoners of war! You're nothing but workhorses and cattle!"
"Got it?!"
"You're still carrying debts that won't be repaid even in the next generation!"
"How could we possibly be treated the same?!"
"I don't owe a single Berry!"
Pica stood up, brushed the dust off his pants, and his work ethic burned once more.
"Don't even think about dragging me into betraying Boss Akira!"
"We're in completely different classes!"
"Do you understand or not?!"
After saying that—
Pica let out a loud "Pica Pica," reactivated his ability, transformed back into a diligent stone giant, and returned to constructing the buildings.
Leaving Blackbeard, Vista, and Jozu behind—
Standing there in the wind.
Their faces completely twisted.
"…"
"…Seriously…"
Blackbeard stared at Pica's hardworking back, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"You can do this too?!"
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