Chapter 349: World Meeting - Reiju and Yonji
On the Sunny,
As the user of the "Paper-Paper Fruit," Roman naturally made the life papers for everyone. Moreover, every member of the Straw Hat crew had a "phone paper" for communication and positioning, so they didn't need a "log pose." They just had to sail toward the direction where Sanji was.
Of course, the daily weather on the Grand Line was still stormy in the morning and snowy at noon. But in front of Nami, all the bad weather had to obey and turn into a helping force to push the Sunny forward, leaving Pedro and Carrot wide-eyed.
"Nami-nee, Nami-nee~~ can you share some ice with me?"
Seeing the cute Carrot, Nami casually waved, and a large chunk of ice appeared, which Carrot happily hugged, rubbing and licking.
"It's so hot, I almost want to take off this fur coat!"
Chopper, tongue out, staggered over, "Nami, please."
A cold wind blew, and snowflakes drifted down from nowhere, making Chopper stretch out his arms in comfort.
"Feels so good! Pedro, do you want some too?"
"Coolness? That weak word will never describe me!"
Hey hey hey, your tongue's almost on the ground... The Mink Tribe has thick fur, which gives them an advantage in generating electricity through special techniques, but in high temperatures, it becomes a disadvantage. And the weather on the Grand Line—it's already 6 or 7 PM, and the air is so hot it's causing heat waves.
"Should I make a cloud for you guys?"
With Nami around, changing the weather was easy. But usually, Roman would stop such behavior, as he would say that true experts should "train in the heat of summer and the cold of winter!" Environmental factors are nothing... Nami suggesting this was because Pedro and Carrot weren't part of the crew, and Roman himself was currently: zoning out.
This usually meant his attention had shifted elsewhere. For example: ——————
Fish-Man Island, "I still can't do it. I'm so scared!"
Shirahoshi, holding a whale, looked like she was about to cry, making Roman, who had just entered the Ryugu Kingdom, roll his eyes. That massive fist! The ability to command Sea Kings! Isn't this a huge waste?!
How can I turn Shirahoshi into a true 'Sea King'...?
*cough cough cough* "Welcome to Ryugu Kingdom."
King Neptune coughed, interrupting Roman's training plans.
"Honored Marine Headquarters Candidate Admiral, 'Dove' Roman-sama."
"Huh? Roman-sama!"
Watching the huge whale that Shirahoshi casually shoved fly away, Roman once again felt that her talent was being wasted. That strength—how many people would spend their whole lives trying to reach that level, and yet here it is being used to... cry.
"Waa waa waa, it's really Roman-sama."
"My father and the others want to take me to the surface, it's so scary~~"
Looking at Shirahoshi's teary eyes, Roman stared at the sky in disbelief. One punch from her could probably kill a Mountain Bandit King with an 8 million bounty, right? Who should be afraid of who here? But...
"What's there to be afraid of? Can anyone be more terrifying than me?"
Ah... King Neptune and the third prince both fell silent. They had heard that "Dove" Roman was good at everything, but too much of a "straight man." Seeing it firsthand, the rumors were true.
"Anyway, since Fish-Man Island has decided to attend the 'World Meeting,' I'll be your escort."
Although Fish-Man Island is located directly below the Holy Land Mary Joa and only needs to rise to the surface, Roman didn't send his 'The White Knight' here to guard against pirates. Instead, it was to stop any foolish Celestial Dragons from causing trouble. If any unwise people show up, Roman wouldn't hesitate to beat them up on the spot! Calling a Marine Admiral?
Who kneels here, and why are they accusing me?!
"If it's Roman-sama, then I can gather my courage..."
"No need to gather courage. I'll just drag you up myself."
"Huh?!"
"Wait..."
Roman, controlling the White Knight, spun around and looked at the people in the Dragon Palace: King Neptune, the three princes—Fukaboshi, Hoshi, and the shy Tanku—and the blank-looking Shirahoshi.
"As you can see, I am the Marine candidate Admiral 'White Dove' Roman."
Four of them nodded, and one was left speechless.
"At the same time, I'm also the strategist 'The White Knight' Roman from the 'Straw Hat Pirates' who recently passed through here. So—"
"We understand," said the four of them. Though the policies of the Dragon Palace were a bit 'weak,' that was due to Fish-Man Island's lack of strength. The political IQ of the Neptune family was still on point—except, of course, for the shy and clueless Shirahoshi.
Roman, as a Marine candidate Admiral, was now in a position where many would wonder how he ended up with pirates. Let's put aside the massive secrets involved. The fact that the Straw Hat Pirates had saved the Neptune family and Fish-Man Island was enough to make them keep quiet. Besides, Roman had deliberately appeared as a 'Marine candidate Admiral' to show 'good intentions,' and they, of course, wouldn't overstep the bounds with someone who had helped them. So, Roman said:
"Shirahoshi, remember not to mention the 'Straw Hat Pirates' outside, understand?"
Shirahoshi nodded enthusiastically in response to her brother and father's instructions.
"Then, it's settled. I will escort the 'Neptune Royal Family' of Fish-Man Island to the Holy Land for the World Summit."
Roman turned and walked toward the exit, waving his hand.
"Let's go, Shirahoshi."
"Okay, Mr. Roman~~Luffy and the others..."
"They're still traveling..."
The three princes looked at King Neptune as they watched the two leave. The king nodded.
"Follow them, and make sure Shirahoshi doesn't say anything out of line."
It seemed like Fish-Man Island might really be able to peacefully build relations with humans.
Otohime, your dream...
Not just Fish-Man Island, many other royal families were also being escorted by the Marines to the Holy Land of Mariejois. The World Summit, which happens once every four years, was about to start. Although there were theoretically over 170 member countries, in reality, only about fifty would actually attend the summit.
After all, participating in the World Summit required a certain level of 'strength.' If a country didn't have special significance or a powerful force backing them, attending would just be pointless.
It was like those small nations in the United Nations in Roman's previous life, trying to join the game of big countries—it was simply self-humiliation.
After taking care of the Fish-Man Island situation, Roman shifted his attention back to the Sunny, and then—
He snapped back to reality and saw a beautiful older woman French-kissing Luffy.
Ah... The Empress was furious: I came first! "Sanji?"
...When Luffy woke up and said his first words, everyone could only facepalm.
You don't even need eyes—you can just recognize people by your feelings...
"How could you think this is a guy?"
Usopp couldn't even make a proper complaint anymore. Just because someone has curled eyebrows like Sanji doesn't mean they're him! Otherwise, the guy with green hair on the other ship... Wouldn't that be a mix of Sanji and Zoro?
"Luffy, how rude!"
Nami scolded the guy who caught a fish and started eating it, only to get poisoned and pass out.
"You were poisoned, and this young lady saved you!—She's Sanji's sister."
"My little brother has been taken care of by you all along."
The woman who had just helped Luffy by sucking out the poison had pink medium-length hair that covered her right eye. Her left eyebrow was shaped in a counterclockwise swirl. She had blue eyes and wore pale pink lipstick.
She wore earmuffs, a blue scarf around her neck, a slim top that exposed her chest and navel, a butterfly-shaped cape, and white and pink knee-high boots. Her long legs were tattooed with a "6" design.
She was both seductive and elegant, beautiful and dangerous.
Vinsmoke Reiju, the eldest daughter of the Vinsmoke family and Sanji's sister.
"Then where is Sanji?"
Since she is Sanji's "relative," her goals should be the same as the Straw Hat Crew's:
"Who knows, maybe she's with Big Mom; maybe she's with our father. We're here to join the wedding, but it seems like we missed it."
"Thank you for saving me, Sanji's sister."
Luffy said seriously to Reiju and then straightened his expression.
"But Sanji is our friend, and we have to get him back!"
"...Hmph, we'll see."
On a giant snail ship nearby, a man with a face resembling Sanji's, green spiky hair, and an arrogant look spoke with disdain. He wore headphones, an orange scarf, a green combat suit, a black cloak, and had the number '66' on his chest with the cloak insignia as '4'.
"Saving the 'enemy' only to try to bite us back? Ungrateful scum!"
"Hey, don't say things like that using Sanji's face!"
The man's face, green hair, and his rude tone made Zoro's anger rise.
"Do you want me to teach you a lesson instead of your brother?"
"I say,"
Roman, who had just regained his composure, rubbed his temple. "Aren't we all here to attend Sanji's 'wedding'?"
"The groom and bride haven't even arrived yet, and the guests are already fighting. This doesn't make sense, does it?"
Whoosh—
In a rush of air, Reiju elegantly flew back to the giant snail ship and turned to face the Straw Hat Crew.
"Then let's pretend we didn't see you for now."
"That's right, if we cause a disturbance here, we might ruin my brother's wedding—so you better be careful too."
Although she seemed very "reasonable," Luffy's face turned serious. He couldn't sense any emotions from her or the man with her—whether they were angry or happy, their hearts were completely still, almost like machines.
"Sanji's sister,"
Roman waved at Reiju, who was about to leave. "If you meet Sanji, tell him this:"
"Hit them hard!"
?
"Okay, I'll make sure to pass it on."
Well, cyborgs... "German technology is the best in the world," right? (The name "Germa" is similar to "German.") Clones, mental control, suppressing emotions... This is much harder than Franky's body modifications. No wonder they're called "war experts." Being ruthless to enemies is one thing, but being ruthless to yourself is what makes them scary.
"It seems like Sanji's siblings are both quite reasonable..."
Nami remarked, and Luffy pressed down on his straw hat.
"I don't like them!"
?! "They're Sanji's family, and they just saved you! What do you mean you don't like them?"
"I just don't like them!"
Are you a child?
(End of chapter)
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