"Nani? Captain, you actually saved the princess of Dressrosa?"
Jinbei's eyes went wide in surprise. He hurried forward a few steps and carefully looked Scarlet up and down. He had only ever heard that Dressrosa had a beautiful princess; he had never seen her in person, much less imagined that his own captain would run into her at sea and rescue her.
The other crew members gathered around as well, all wearing stunned expressions as they chattered among themselves.
Only Smoothie's gaze changed slightly. She quietly stepped closer, moved to Jabal Shiro's side, and gently hooked her arm through his. Her eyes swept over Scarlet with a hint of wariness, silently declaring her own claim.
The group did not linger by the shore. Before long, they were heading toward the royal palace of Dressrosa.
At that moment, out on the plaza before the palace gates, King Riku was pacing back and forth anxiously. His brows were tightly furrowed, his hands clasped behind his back, and every so often he would lift his head to stare out toward the distant sea.
Ever since he had received the news that his eldest daughter, Scarlet, had been taken by pirates, he had been unable to sit still or focus on any of the kingdom's affairs.
"Father, I'm back!"
The moment Scarlet spotted King Riku in the distance, she could no longer hold back. Her eyes reddened and she called out through her tears as she ran toward him.
"Scarlet, my daughter!"
Hearing her voice, King Riku spun around. Seeing Scarlet return safe and sound, he was so overwhelmed that even his voice trembled.
He rushed forward and wrapped her tightly in his arms, gently patting her back. His face was full of the raw joy of losing and then regaining something precious. "You're safe… thank goodness you're safe. I was worried sick!"
"I'm sorry for making you worry, Father… it's my fault…"
Scarlet buried herself in his embrace. Her tears could no longer be held back and streamed down her cheeks as she choked on her words.
"Was it Kyros who rescued you?"
King Riku gently released her and wiped the tears from her face, asking softly.
"No, Father. It was this gentleman who saved me."
Scarlet shook her head, then turned and pointed toward Jabal Shiro, who was standing to one side.
King Riku followed the line of her finger. When his gaze landed on Shiro's face, his pupils shrank and his body trembled slightly. His voice carried an uncertain edge as he asked, "You… are you the man on the wanted posters, the strongest king of the new generation—Jabal Shiro?"
Shiro stepped forward with a calm smile and inclined his head slightly in greeting. "That's right, King Riku. That's me."
Scarlet stared at her father in surprise. "Father, you know who this gentleman is?"
Until now, she had only known that Shiro was incredibly strong. It had never occurred to her that her father would recognize him.
"Yes. Though I have never seen him in person, his name carries no small weight on this sea."
Beads of sweat slowly formed along King Riku's brow as his tone grew solemn. "He is a former member of the Roger Pirates, and now one of the most powerful pirates on the entire sea. His bounty is so high it begs disbelief."
"Nani?"
Scarlet gasped, her eyes going perfectly round as she stared at Shiro in disbelief. "He… he's a pirate too? But he just saved me…"
In her mind, pirates were all murderous, pillaging villains. Yet everything Shiro had done was completely different from the pirates she imagined.
"Princess Scarlet, there's no need to be nervous."
Shiro took a step toward them, his right hand resting lightly on his sword hilt. A powerful aura surged outward, making the very air seem to thicken, yet his voice remained gentle. "Our Virtue crew is not like those pirates who commit every imaginable crime. We believe in conquering people with virtue. Out on the sea, we specifically target scum who prey on innocent folk. You could say we're a pirate crew of justice."
"Pirates can be… just?"
Kyros stood off to the side, rubbing his chin as he muttered under his breath, his eyes filled with confusion. He had once been a man who made mistakes, then turned his life around and become captain of the royal guard. But this idea of 'just pirates' was something he had never heard before.
"Of course, Kyros."
Shiro turned to him and patiently explained, "There are good and bad people in every field. There are rotten ones in the navy who abuse their power, so naturally there can be decent people among pirates who hold to their bottom line. Weren't you once a man who did wrong, who then reformed and became King Riku's captain of the guard, protecting Dressrosa?"
Kyros slowly nodded in sudden understanding. The doubt in his eyes faded away. Shiro's words had struck home: no group could be defined by a single label.
Seeing that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, King Riku quickly set aside his earlier solemnity. He stepped forward with renewed warmth and clasped his hands respectfully toward Jabal Shiro and the Virtue crew.
"Everyone, please, come into the palace. Today, thanks to Captain Shiro, my daughter Scarlet has returned safely. I have already ordered a banquet prepared—we must give you all proper hospitality."
With that, he led them into the palace.
Inside the banquet hall, candle flames flickered softly. Gilded tableware glowed with a warm light under the chandeliers, and the air was rich with the scent of roasted meat and the sweetness of fruit wine.
It was the height of the feast: cups had been raised three times, dishes changed five. The members of the Virtue crew were laughing and chatting as they drank.
Before King Riku sat a plate with half a lamb chop remaining, and his cup of fruit wine was nearly empty. Clearly, this banquet in honor of Captain Shiro's rescue of his daughter had already put everyone at ease.
Amid the lively atmosphere, a sudden thought flashed through King Riku's mind. He quietly set down his cup, cleared his throat, and turned his gaze toward Shiro at the head of the table. His voice was formal, but there was no hiding the hopeful note in it as he spoke for all to hear:
"Captain Shiro, it is only thanks to your intervention that my daughter Scarlet was able to return unharmed. This debt is one that Dressrosa cannot possibly repay. After much consideration, I have decided to betroth my daughter Scarlet to you. I wonder… what do you think of this?"
He had, of course, carefully weighed this decision before voicing it.
Dressrosa might be a member nation of the World Government, but it lay in a remote part of the seas, far from Navy Headquarters. If a powerful pirate crew chose to invade, the kingdom's military forces would be utterly unable to resist. They would be forced to watch their homeland fall to ruin.
What worried him even more was the World Government's Shichibukai system. On the surface, it claimed to restrain pirates, but in reality it granted many powerful pirates the legal right to plunder. For a nation as militarily weak as Dressrosa, the danger hanging over them never truly lifted.
Jabal Shiro's name, however, resounded across the seas. His influence was immense. If such a man became the son-in-law of Dressrosa's royal family, then in the future, no pirate faction would dare to casually lay a hand on this land.
At King Riku's side, Scarlet's fair cheeks flushed a soft pink the moment she heard his declaration.
She lowered her gaze, fingers nervously twisting at the hem of her dress, yet she did not voice any objection.
From her reaction, it was clear: she was more than satisfied with Jabal Shiro.
T/N: If you would like to read up to 20 chapters ahead for all my works, check out my P@treon: patreon.com/GhidorahWriter
Thanks for reading! Be sure to collect and vote for more chapters!