Chinjao was furious.
To be more precise, the upper echelons of the Flower Country—who had signed a contract with the Eight Treasure Navy—were furious.
One of their ports had been destroyed, mountains had collapsed, and large swaths of land lay in ruins. Their reaction was only natural.
On top of that, with the Celestial Dragons approaching, the country was being pressured to pay an enormous sum in money and supplies to maintain appearances. It was an amount that Kanata and the others simply couldn't afford to pay immediately.
And so.
"...A Devil Fruit?"
"It's worth one hundred million berries on the market. That's it. For now, just endure this."
"...Hmm, that's acceptable. To be honest, I was prepared for a violent confrontation."
"I don't want that either. This amount is painful, but I believe we can make up for it in future transactions."
The Eight Treasure Navy was a mafia organization that had formed an uneasy alliance with the country. The transaction amount was significantly higher than their previous deals.
However, since the actual out-of-pocket expense was nearly zero, Kanata was grateful they had agreed to this arrangement.
As a merchant, he hadn't lost his credibility, and he could continue doing business with the Eight Treasure Navy, which had ties to the country. He could only be grateful that things had ended this way.
"Haha... I'll increase our transactions with you for a while."
"That would be greatly appreciated."
This incident had been aimed at Kanata—or more precisely, at Feiyun—but it was also an event that Chinjao and his group couldn't ignore. Understanding this, Chinjao had decided to offer a generous deal as a token of his gratitude.
Of course, initially he had planned to make the Georges family his subordinate organization, thinking they would never be able to repay their debt. But that was neither here nor there—he simply had many people he wanted to recruit as members of his organization.
With the business negotiations settled, Kanata took a sip of his lukewarm tea and asked Chinjao a question.
"I heard that the Celestial Dragons are coming. When will they arrive?"
"About two months from now. It'll be after the worst of winter passes. We must repair the port and roads by then."
"It's surprising that a mere mercenary is entrusted with such important domestic matters."
"Heh heh heh... We're short-handed everywhere. When the Celestial Dragons come, everyone has to prepare as if their lives depend on it."
"The 'descendants of the Creator'... I hear they're a symbol of corrupt power."
"That's right. If you do anything foolish, a Navy admiral will come out personally. You should be careful. If you're good-looking, they might force you to marry one of their women and drag you off to Mariejois."
"That's terrifying. I'll make sure to stay on the ship."
Kanata shrugged at the laughing Chinjao.
It was no laughing matter. With Kanata's looks, it was entirely possible, and if he resisted, the government's intelligence agency—Cipher Pol—might even mobilize the Navy.
He made a mental note that he'd rather not remain in the Flower Country if possible.
☆
After spending several days coordinating supplies in the Flower Country, they decided to head for another island.
Everyone had sustained some injuries, with only Zen and Kanata emerging unscathed. Kuro had also been wounded, but he had already recovered.
In his case, it might be more accurate to say the wounds had healed rather than been properly treated.
"Kanata-sama, may I have a moment?"
After finishing the cargo unloading and finding himself with nothing else to do, Zen visited Kanata's room, where he was killing time.
Without question, Kanata was led outside and stepped onto the deck into the chilly air.
At the edge of the deck, where snow was falling lightly, stood Feiyun, wearing a shabby coat made from various thick fabrics sewn together.
Kanata had checked with Chinjao, but apparently coats for giants were difficult to obtain unless specially commissioned. He hoped they would be able to acquire some in the future.
"Kanata-san!"
Feiyun had been dozing, but the moment she noticed Kanata, she smiled brightly, stood up, and ran toward him.
She's like a dog, Kanata thought to himself, smiling as he greeted her.
"I heard you wanted to talk to me. Is something troubling you?"
"No, it's not that. Georges is still scared of me, but he's very considerate. Kuro looks a little strange, but he's really kind. Junshi doesn't talk much, but he makes sure I'm comfortable... Everyone is truly wonderful."
"...I see."
"So... so, um..."
She fidgeted with her fingers and averted her gaze.
Zen smiled—though Kanata couldn't read his horse-like expression—and waited patiently for Feiyun's response.
Feiyun's face turned slightly red, and she looked directly at Kanata as if she had steeled her resolve.
"Please let us stay on this ship!"
"That's fine."
"We'll do anything—wait, is that really okay?"
"It was our idea to begin with. If you two want to stay here, you're more than welcome."
"Hehe. I told you, Feiyun. There's no need to worry."
"Yeah... yeah..."
Relieved, tears welled up in her eyes, and Kanata patted her leg with a wry smile.
"You can stay as long as you like. If there's anywhere you want to go, I'll take you there. If there's anything you need, just ask. Don't hold back just because we're 'different.'"
"...It's like you're my mother."
"I'm only fifteen."
Fifteen?! Are you kidding me?! Zen looked at her in surprise, wondering what she could possibly mean.
She looked away as if she hadn't meant to say it, but he could see she was still watching him with an intense gaze.
Since he was a horse, his eyes were positioned on the sides of his head.
"Are you my mother?"
"...Yeah. If that's what you want to call me, then you can."
She's a bit too young to be called 'mother,' Kanata thought.
He hadn't asked about Feiyun's parents, but judging from this exchange, he should probably assume they were deceased. He wanted to avoid prying too deeply, but it might be better to ask later.
Given that Zen had found and raised her, he could sort of imagine what had happened.
"Feiyun, what happened to your real parents?"
"...Do you know the village of Elbaf?"
Feiyun mentioned the name of a country renowned even among the giant nations.
She closed her eyes tightly, her face contorting with bitter memories. Despite her desire to forget, she continued.
"I'm from that country. But my parents and I went out to sea... and we were attacked by pirates."
Flashbacks of the past flooded her mind.
No matter how much she wanted to forget, she couldn't. The most terrifying existence imaginable had gone on a rampage.
The first time "she" rampaged, the village of Elbaf was half-destroyed, and a respected giant hero was killed.
The second time "she" appeared as a pirate, she repeated acts of slaughter and plunder, killing Feiyun's parents as well.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma!! Leave the candy behind! If there's no candy, I'll destroy you all!"
A woman of extraordinary size even by human standards.
She led her followers and terrorized the seas—the pirate known as "Big Mom" Charlotte Linlin.
Her parents had been killed by her years ago, and Feiyun herself had narrowly escaped, only to be taken in by Zen, leading to her current situation.
"...Charlotte Linlin, huh?"
The bounty on her head exceeded five hundred million berries.
Her strength was overwhelming, and she was said to be one of the great pirates of the modern era, wreaking havoc in the latter half of the Grand Line.
Against an attack like that, there was no way anyone could stand a chance.
"I wanted to return to the village of Elbaf, but... I've been attacked by various people wherever I went."
After eating the Devil Fruit, she had been targeted by pirates under the Golden Lion's command and had escaped to these waters while being protected by Zen.
It must have been an unimaginable journey.
Yet somehow, she had made it this far.
"The village of Elbaf... It's quite far from here. If there were a way to get through..."
"It's not something I'd particularly want to attempt. It's infested with Sea Kings."
If someone possessed sufficient strength, it might not be impossible to traverse. But even then, it wasn't a route he'd want to take.
Even Zen, despite not fighting constantly, would find the passage quite exhausting.
"Couldn't we just use Conqueror's Haki to pass through easily?"
"Well, I'm not sure... I don't possess Conqueror's Haki myself."
Zen rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
If he could use Conqueror's Haki to intimidate the Sea Kings, perhaps they could pass through unharmed. He might ask Chinjao if he knew of any good methods.
In any case.
"Elbaf. I'd like to visit there someday."
"It's a wonderful place. Everyone there is kind... I wonder how Gerd and Hajrudin are doing..."
She closed her eyes quietly, thinking of her distant homeland.
Kanata had no longing for home himself, but he understood the desire to return.
It was impossible now, but he quietly thought that he would like to take them there someday.
☆
With the Celestial Dragons' arrival imminent, everyone was rushing around in preparation.
A large number of ships were coming and going to transport supplies, so Kanata and the others were naturally called upon to help.
Ideally, they would have preferred to be on another island when the Celestial Dragons arrived, but permission to sail was denied because "crossing in front of a Celestial Dragon's ship is considered disrespectful."
Apparently, there had been cases in the past where ships had been sunk for crossing in front of them, and the Georges family—with its many ability users—had no choice but to remain. Especially Feiyun—if she fell into the sea, no one could save her.
"Under no circumstances are you to leave the ship. If the Celestial Dragons spot you, it'll mean trouble. If anyone comes, we'll handle it ourselves."
"What about me... and Kanata?"
"Yes. If he goes out, there's a high chance something troublesome will happen. I'm certain of it."
Georges stated emphatically. He was absolutely convinced that something would occur if Kanata ventured outside.
Perhaps because Kanata always seemed to cause or attract trouble, Georges appeared confident in his assessment.
The person in question merely shrugged.
"Unlike you, I'm always moving around. It's only natural that someone who's more active would be more likely to encounter incidents."
"Guh!! That was a dig at me!! I'm not a shut-in by choice!!"
Since departments like accounting and procurement fell under Georges' direct supervision, he naturally had fewer opportunities to move around than hands-on workers like Kanata.
"But I have more life experience than you! Unlike you, I don't cause any unnecessary trouble!"
With that declaration, Georges left with Junshi, and it was past noon when he contacted them via Den Den Mushi.
Unable to venture onto the deck, they had eaten lunch prepared by Kanata and were killing time when...
"...I'm sorry. I don't know where the information leaked from, but the Celestial Dragons are demanding to see 'a giant larger than a mountain.'"
"You told me to do as I pleased, and now this?"
"No, really, I'm sorry. But I don't think this is my fault..."
Kanata hung up the Den Den Mushi without hesitation.
Another call came through immediately, and he picked up the receiver.
"This is Kanata."
"It's me, Chinjao."
"...Something about the Celestial Dragons?"
"Indeed. Did someone contact you?"
"Just now. Are you planning to put Feiyun on display?"
Kanata's voice betrayed his anger, and Chinjao continued the conversation with a troubled expression.
"I would have preferred to avoid this. But after such a fierce battle—especially the clash of two giants reaching the heavens—it's impossible to impose a gag order."
"That's your problem. You could just say she wasn't there and be done with it."
"This is quite troublesome," both of them sighed simultaneously.
They wanted to ignore the demand and, if possible, refuse outright, but that would also cause problems.
They had a very bad feeling about this, but they had no choice but to comply. They would have to think of some way to make it up to Feiyun later.
With that thought weighing on his mind, Kanata ended the call.
***
10 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://patreon.com/Well_being