Morning sunlight spilled gently through the window, illuminating the luxurious bedroom. Rosinante slowly opened his eyes, sat up from the enormous bed, and swung his legs over the side before getting up.
He walked to the window, pulled open the curtains, and was greeted by the breathtaking beauty of a Sabaody morning.
In the soft glow of dawn, the entire Sabaody Archipelago was shrouded in countless shimmering soap bubbles.
Under the rising sun, the bubbles reflected a rainbow of colors, making the entire island look like something out of a dream.
"What a beautiful sight… If only there weren't those annoying flies around, it would be perfect." Rosinante said as he admired the view outside.
After Borsalino had left yesterday, following the transfer of Bratt, countless World Government spies had shown up.
These spies were peculiar — most of them were not even skilled operatives. In fact, many were just civilians hired by the Government with money. They had no professional surveillance skills, simply standing in plain sight and openly watching the house, observing everyone inside.
Rosinante could kill them all in an instant if he wanted to — but he couldn't.
Most of them were just ordinary civilians. Yes, they were here for money, yes, they were spying on him, but killing them outright felt… wrong.
Unlike with the World Government officials or Marines he fought, he couldn't bring himself to slaughter these people like cattle.
For now, he had no choice but to endure their surveillance.
The World Government, of course, knew exactly what they were doing — this was meant to disgust and provoke Rosinante. They knew that with his stealth abilities, losing a tail would be trivial.
But instead, they deliberately sent powerless civilians to watch him — people he couldn't just wipe out — forcing him to either tolerate them or look like a fugitive if he left. It was the most infuriating move they could make.
And if Rosinante did something too extreme, the Government could easily spin the story, using it to discredit the Grey Kingdom's vassal system on a global scale.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Rosinante said casually.
The door opened, and a stunning woman in a maid's outfit walked in — but despite her clothes, she carried herself with the air of a queen.
"Has Your Majesty awakened?" Shaxia asked as she entered.
"The Sabaody mornings are truly beautiful," Rosinante replied, still gazing out the window.
"Yes… if only we didn't have those flies ruining the view, it would be perfect," Shaxia said.
Rosinante smiled faintly — that was exactly what he had just said.
"Don't worry. We'll deal with them soon enough. Go contact Kisu later and tell him I plan to visit the auction house today. Have him come pick us up," Rosinante said nonchalantly.
"Your Majesty wants to buy slaves?" Shaxia asked in surprise.
She knew Rosinante despised slavery — especially the kind where people were stripped of their humanity and treated as mere livestock.
The so-called "maids" like Shaxia weren't true servants — they were there because of Rosinante's personal taste. He never treated them like tools, much less like those poor souls without rights. As he often said, they were his family.
"Those spies are mostly just hired civilians. If they hear that a Celestial Dragon is visiting, no amount of money will keep them here. In Sabaody, the name of a Celestial Dragon is far more terrifying than any pirate. As for the actual Government agents… we'll have Ryan and the others clean them up later."
"Ah, I see! I'll fetch the Den Den Mushi right away!" Shaxia said, hurrying out.
Watching her rush off, Rosinante chuckled softly. She was clearly just as fed up with being watched as he was. If she had the means to contact a Celestial Dragon directly, she probably would have done so herself by now.
Moments later, Shaxia returned with the Den Den Mushi — and this time Robin and Laki followed behind her.
Clearly, the two had heard Rosinante had a plan to deal with the spies, and they eagerly tagged along to see.
The three women stared at him expectantly, their bright, shining eyes silently urging him to make the call right away.
"He's probably not even awake at this hour," Rosinante said with a small smile — but he still picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed.
Buru-buru-buru… The line connected after a few rings.
"Who is this?" came a respectful voice on the other end.
"It's me — Rosinante," he said.
"Oh! Lord Rosinante! This is Kaden. Are you calling for Saint Zashika? I'm afraid he's still sleeping. You know how it is — we dare not wake him. If you tell me your message, I'll relay it as soon as he wakes up," Kaden said respectfully.
"It's nothing urgent. Just tell him to come pick me up around noon — I plan to visit the auction house with him today," Rosinante replied.
"Yes, understood! I'll make sure he gets the message," Kaden said.
"See? Exactly as I expected. There's no way a Celestial Dragon would be awake before noon — they're basically pigs," Rosinante said with a grin as he hung up.
"Pfft!" Robin and the others couldn't help but burst out laughing at Rosinante's comparison.
"Come on, forget about those spies. Let's go have some fun. We came all the way to Sabaody — it'd be a waste not to enjoy it. I hear the Soap Bubble Park nearby is a lot of fun. Today, I'll take you there!" Rosinante said with a smile.
"Yes! Yes!" Robin and Laki shouted in excitement, jumping up like kids.
Shaxia didn't speak, but her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"Then let's go!" Rosinante said.
Soon after, he changed clothes and led the three women toward the famous Soap Bubble Park.
"This is the Soap Bubble Park?! Wow, look at all the rides! I want to try that one!"
"What's that thing? It looks so thrilling!"
"This one is adorable! I want to play with it!"
The moment they stepped inside, Robin and Laki started running around, pointing at everything with unrestrained excitement.
At first, Shaxia tried to maintain her usual composure — but within minutes, she too was laughing and playing along with them.
Rosinante and the others accompanied them from one attraction to another. At first, even Rosinante was entertained — but eventually, he found himself exhausted.
He couldn't believe it — someone with his stamina, tired out by a day at the amusement park!
Meanwhile, Robin, Laki, and Shaxia were still brimming with energy, dragging him from one game to the next, endlessly enthusiastic.
Rosinante felt this was somehow more tiring than combat training. Ryan and the others were equally worn out.
Watching the three women having the time of their lives, Rosinante finally gave up, letting them enjoy themselves while he and Raine found a café to sit down, sip coffee, and enjoy the scenery.
But an hour later, Shaxia suddenly came running over — her face pale.
"Robin and Laki are missing!" she cried.