Punishment

After more than two months of sailing, Kaguya and Perona finally returned to Mary Geoise.

Originally, Kaguya had planned to go stir up trouble with Kaido and "confiscate" the Devil Fruits he had collected.

After all, her current status was that of a World Government official. And when it comes to government matters, how could it be considered stealing?

Besides, Kaido was a pirate. Catching pirates is what officials do—nothing wrong with that.

As for his illicit gains, of course, they had to be seized. After all, there were still starving children in remote mountains.

Kaguya was perfectly justified.

However, an unexpected piece of news disrupted her plans.

On Dressrosa, a kingdom located in the Grand Line, a violent uprising had suddenly erupted. The chaos resulted in numerous civilian deaths and injuries, and the once-beautiful city was reduced to ruins by war.

According to intel, King Riku, once known for his benevolence, had suddenly imposed harsh taxes and sent his army to slaughter civilians, resulting in widespread bloodshed. Unable to bear such tyranny, the people rose up and overthrew the king in one swift rebellion.

At first glance, it wasn't all that strange. Such revolts happened all the time.

But what caught Kaguya's attention was how suspicious it all seemed. King Riku, beloved by his people, suddenly turning tyrannical without warning? It didn't make sense.

And more importantly, the new king was none other than Donquixote Doflamingo.

When Kaguya saw that name, she immediately understood.

It had to be Doflamingo's doing. After all, his String-String Fruit allowed him to manipulate people like puppets, and in the original timeline, he had indeed used this power to seize control of Dressrosa.

What made matters worse was that the World Government had done little in response. They sent a few investigators for appearances and quickly closed the case, seemingly approving of Doflamingo's rule.

This, too, was within Kaguya's expectations.

After all, Doflamingo had long been colluding with corrupt government officials, trading favors and profits. Since he dared make a move on Dressrosa, he must have been fully prepared. It wouldn't be surprising if some World Government officials had already been bought off.

With things as they were, Kaguya couldn't just sit back.

Not because she wanted to be some kind of hero for the people of Dressrosa, or because she had nothing better to do.

But because she remembered something important: in the original story, Doflamingo had collaborated with scientist Caesar to produce large quantities of artificial Zoan-type Devil Fruits for Kaido.

Kaguya was quite interested in those artificial Devil Fruits. She was curious to see if her system would recognize them as quest items. If it did, it would drastically increase the speed at which she completed missions.

But before anything else, Kaguya returned to Mary Geoise. It had been quite a while since she'd last been home.

Even before she reached the castle, she could see a row of identical maids lined up at the gate, waiting for her. The moment they saw her, they hurried forward to greet her.

"Welcome home, Master," Shirley stepped out and said respectfully.

"Welcome home, Master!" the line of beautiful maids chorused. It was quite the pleasant sight.

But just then, someone Kaguya hadn't expected appeared.

Shalria came running up, smiling sweetly. "Master, you're back! You must be tired. I already prepared your favorite dango and tea."

Over the years, Shalria had become more and more beautiful. Especially since she got rid of that awful, gaudy hairstyle, she looked like a completely different person. Even Kaguya sometimes couldn't help but be impressed.

Under Kaguya's piercing gaze, Shalria shifted uncomfortably, her cheeks turning pink. "Master, what's wrong?"

Kaguya reached out and placed a hand on her forehead. "Weird. No fever."

Shalria froze, then puffed up angrily as if insulted. "Master! I'm being sincere here!"

"Oh really?" Kaguya replied with amusement.

Shalria squirmed under her teasing look. Thankfully, Kaguya didn't say anything more and simply walked toward the castle, letting Shalria breathe a sigh of relief—though she quickly felt annoyed.

Why, as a dignified Celestial Dragon princess, did she always have to watch this woman's mood?

Inside, the castle hadn't changed much since Kaguya left. It remained elegant and refined, free of unnecessary decorations meant just to show off. There was a new warmth to the place—a homey atmosphere far better than the cold sterility of the past.

As soon as Kaguya sat down on the sofa, Shalria brought over the fragrant dango and steaming tea. "I made these myself for you, Master. I hope they suit your taste."

"Since when did you know how to make dango?" Kaguya blinked. "You didn't poison them, did you?"

Shalria clenched her teeth at the comment, nearly smashing the plate over Kaguya's head, but forced a smile. "Of course not."

Kaguya picked up a skewer and took a bite. To her surprise, it was quite good.

"You didn't get Shirley to make these for you, did you?" Kaguya asked suspiciously.

Shalria looked frustrated.

"Master, you're misunderstanding her," Shirley said with a smile. "She made them herself. She even asked me to teach her how."

"Really?" Kaguya looked at Shalria, a bit surprised. "So the saying is true—three days apart, and one should look at someone with new eyes."

Shalria gave a proud little huff.

Kaguya turned to her. "It was wrong of me to doubt you. I apologize."

Hearing the apology, all of Shalria's frustration melted away. She felt oddly flattered, basking in the unexpected praise.

"Seems like I can't keep looking at people through old lenses," Kaguya chuckled.

Shalria lifted her chin slightly, looking pleased with herself.

Just then, someone burst in.

Shalria flinched and panicked, desperately signaling with her eyes.

But the person didn't notice, and said anxiously, "Lady Shalria! Those three slaves escaped right after being branded!"

"Slaves?" Kaguya's brows rose as she turned her gaze toward Shalria.

"Slaves?" Kaguya glanced at Shalria. "What's going on here?"

The maid who had burst in finally noticed that the person sitting on the sofa was the master herself. Her face went pale, and she was too terrified to speak.

"No, no, it's not what you think," Shalria quickly waved her hands, forcing a smile. "You've misunderstood. It's not like that."

"I haven't even said anything yet," Kaguya said with amusement. "Though I do recall making it very clear before—slave trading is strictly forbidden. So, tell me, what happened?"

Shalria flailed as she tried to explain. "Really, it's not what you think! It wasn't me—"

But she clearly wasn't good at explaining. She looked every bit like a guilty villain in a drama who'd just been caught.

At that moment, another maid came rushing in. "Lady Shalria! Those three slaves—"

She stopped mid-sentence as soon as she saw who was on the sofa. Her words froze in her throat.

"Another one," Kaguya said. "Go on, what about those three slaves?"

The maid swallowed nervously, glancing furtively at Shalria.

Kaguya raised an eyebrow. "What? Even I'm not allowed to know now?"

Under Kaguya's piercing gaze, the maid steeled herself and said, "The three escaped slaves have been captured. They're currently locked in the dungeon."

"Dungeon?" Kaguya turned her gaze back to Shalria with a cold smile. "Seems like you've been busy while I was away."

"I... I..." Shalria stammered, unable to explain. She cursed the two maids in her heart.

Kaguya stood up. "Take me there. I'd like to see what kind of charm these three slaves possess that would make you all ignore my orders."

Seeing that Kaguya had made up her mind, Shalria looked utterly defeated.

What Kaguya didn't expect was that the dungeon wasn't far—it was inside the castle itself, specifically beneath it. There was a prison designed for holding slaves.

Because Kaguya despised slave trading, the dungeon had long been abandoned.

As they descended, the damp, earthy smell grew stronger. The corridor was quiet and eerie. The further down they went, the more sinister it felt. The torture devices hanging from the walls, stained with dried blood, made the place even more disturbing.

When they reached the interrogation room, Kaguya stopped in surprise.

Three young girls were hanging from the wall. Their hands and feet were bound with ropes. Their hair was messy, covering their faces, but from their blood-stained clothes and the bruises on their exposed skin, it was clear they had suffered quite a bit.

"Someone tell me," Kaguya said calmly, her face like still water. But it was exactly this calm that made her tone feel all the more chilling. "What's going on here?"

Shalria averted her gaze, mumbling incoherently.

Seeing her reaction, Kaguya could already guess what had happened.

And she wasn't far off.

After Kaguya left, Shalria's Celestial Dragon nature resurfaced. She had once been a pampered princess with everyone around her catering to her every whim.

Now, not only did Shirley not fear her, even Baby ignored her. Treated like just another servant, she naturally couldn't accept it.

So, she dipped into her personal stash and bought the three slaves, hoping to boss them around and regain that feeling of superiority she once had.

But what Shalria hadn't expected was that these three slaves had no intention of acting like slaves. Not only did they show her no respect, they even cursed at her.

They refused to obey and had the audacity to rebel. That was something Shalria simply couldn't tolerate.

Infuriated, she tried to teach them a lesson—intending to scare them into submission. But things backfired. Instead of giving in, the girls only insulted her more.

Boiling with rage, Shalria had them brutally punished. Not only that, she used a red-hot iron to brand them with the mark of the Celestial Dragons.

"So you deny being my slaves?" she had thought smugly. "Let's see you deny it now with this mark."

But what she hadn't expected was Kaguya returning at this exact moment, catching her red-handed. Panicking, she had rushed out to try and smooth things over.

Worse yet, the girls had escaped while she was gone.

Shalria was filled with regret. If she'd known this would happen, she would've used sea stone cuffs.

"So it's true what they say—you can change the mountains and rivers, but not someone's nature," Kaguya said with a glance. "I really thought you had changed. Turns out it was all just an act."

Guilty, Shalria stood with her head down, quietly awaiting her scolding.

Not that she truly felt remorse. She just knew that arguing with Kaguya would only make things worse. If she obediently admitted fault, Kaguya might go easier on her.

"Fine," Kaguya waved a hand. "I'll let this go."

Shalria looked up in surprise, eyes wide.

She hadn't expected to be forgiven so easily. She could hardly believe it.

"But," Kaguya added knowingly, "there will still be punishment. Come to my room later. I leave for a few days and you lose control? Looks like someone's getting too comfortable."

Knew it.

Shalria hung her head in dismay.

That damn woman would never let her off that easily.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder how Kaguya planned to punish her. If it was like last time...

Shalria's delicate face suddenly flushed bright red.

Kaguya glanced at the blushing girl and sighed internally.

This girl seriously needed to be taught a lesson. As the saying went, give them an inch and they'll take a mile—that was exactly Shalria. No matter how many times she got punished, she never seemed to learn.

That said... she did have a pretty nice figure. Soft and elastic. Just what you'd expect from a pampered princess. Hard not to enjoy.

Off to the side, Shirley hesitated and asked, "Then Master, what about them?"

"No rush," Kaguya replied with a wave, walking over to the three girls suspended by ropes.

She reached out and brushed the hair away from one of their faces.

The moment she saw the girl's appearance, Kaguya froze in place.

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