"Chiyo, let's get to know each other properly," Eli said with a friendly smile. "I'm Eli Winters, captain of the Dream Voyage Expedition Group our humble little adventure crew."
Chiyo blinked, slightly startled by his straightforwardness.
Before she could respond, a lively voice cut in.
"Heehee, I'm Filina Delrose, our group's navigator and treasurer. If you ever need money, Chiyo, you'll have to win me over with something delicious!" Filina giggled, pulling Chiyo into an affectionate hug.
A tall woman beside her gave a small smile. "I'm Fiona Delrose, Filina's older sister and the swordswoman of the crew. It's nice to finally meet you, Chiyo."
Then came a loud, booming voice. "Name's Big Pan the Kung Fu Panda! Don't call me a bear, though. I'm way tougher than that! If anyone bullies you, tell me and I'll flatten them into the floor. Anyway, welcome aboard our ship!"
The next one, a calm-looking fishman with silver scales and kind eyes, stepped forward. "I'm Simon, a bream-type fishman and the lookout on this ship. It's good to have you with us, Chiyo."
"And I'm Dorte," said another fishman, his fins slightly shimmering in the light. "Same species as Simon. I'm the helmsman. Nice to meet you."
Chiyo bowed slightly, her voice soft and polite. "I'm Chiyo Mochizuki, a cook. It's a pleasure to join you all. Please take care of me."
Eli grinned, raising his mug. "Then let's give our new chef a proper welcome! Cheers!"
"Cheers!" echoed the six voices together, laughter spilling across the deck.
After the brief celebration, Eli handed Chiyo a small silver ring.
She tilted her head, confused. "Captain, what's this?"
Before Eli could answer, Filina jumped in excitedly. "That's a storage ring! Eli made it with his ability. Once you bond with it, you can open a hidden space inside about one cubic meter. You can store your important things there, and once it's bound, no one else can open it."
Chiyo's eyes widened in awe. She immediately recognized how precious such an artifact must be. "This is too valuable… I can't "
Filina waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry! Eli makes these like it's nothing. Everyone on the crew already has one."
Reassured, Chiyo accepted it and followed Filina's guidance to bind the ring to her.
"Pack up whatever you need, Chiyo," Eli said warmly. "We'll head out when you're ready."
"Yes, Captain," she replied with a soft nod.
Eli didn't rush to leave the Flower Kingdom. With his current strength, no one in the kingdom posed any real threat. Once Chiyo finished gathering her things, he and the crew accompanied her around the city, enjoying the sights and flavors that only a local like Chiyo could show them.
Meanwhile, far away, Chisou Mochizuki was seething.
The more he thought about his humiliation, the more his anger burned. His family might not be powerful in battle, but their connections stretched across the nobility of the Flower Kingdom. He had always enjoyed a life where no one dared to cross him. Yet today, he had been beaten by foreigners.
Unforgivable.
But he wasn't foolish. Those outsiders were strong, far beyond what he could handle alone. So he called for his servant.
"Takuya, go to Lord Chikawa's estate and deliver my visiting card. Tell him I'll be paying my respects shortly."
"Yes, sir," Takuya bowed and left.
Lord Chikawa was the very noble Chisou had intended to marry his sister to a man of immense power, ranked among the top three families in the entire kingdom.
Later that day, Chisou arrived at Lord Chikawa's lavish mansion, bearing gifts wrapped in gold silk.
Inside the grand hall, Lord Chikawa lounged lazily on a cushion, his large body sinking into it like a pile of silk and flesh. His small, calculating eyes studied Chisou's bruised and swollen face.
"Chisou, what happened to you?"
"My lord!" Chisou fell to his knees, tears brimming in his eyes. "You must avenge me!"
"Oh?" Lord Chikawa's expression darkened with mild amusement. "Someone dared to lay hands on you? In my Flower Kingdom?"
"Them, my lord outsiders!" Chisou said, his voice trembling with feigned despair. "They were too powerful for my men. Even after I invoked your name, they beat me senseless! And… they've taken my sister, Chiyo!"
He embellished the story, twisting it into something vile claiming Eli and his crew had kidnapped Chiyo and brutalized him without reason.
Lord Chikawa frowned. In truth, he barely knew Chisou, but the man had offered to marry his younger sister, Chiyo, to him. Chikawa had seen the girl once sweet, pretty, and graceful and agreed easily. His household lacked a proper cook anyway.
But now, someone had dared to steal his future bride. The audacity!
He turned to a nearby guard. "Fetch Jūzan."
"Yes, my lord."
Jūzan was the leader of the Four Treasures Fleet an official pirate force sanctioned by the Flower Kingdom, much like the famed Eight Treasures Navy, though far less powerful. Jūzan's fleet served under Lord Chikawa's command.
Moments later, a towering man entered the hall. He was over four meters tall, his frame bulky and crablike, with a broad carapace-like chest and narrow eyes that gleamed with a warrior's focus.
"Lord Chikawa," Jūzan said, bowing stiffly. "You called?"
"Some outsiders have insulted me," Chikawa said coldly. "Find them. Bring them back alive if you can dead if you must. And Chisou, you'll accompany him. Retrieve your sister."
"As you command," both men replied, then turned and left.
Outside the estate, Chisou tried to chat with Jūzan, but the man ignored him completely. Jūzan had no respect for a coward who'd trade his own sister for status. Raised by the Chikawa household himself, he found Chisou's sycophancy repulsive.
Still, Chisou swallowed his pride and followed, seething inside. Once Chiyo marries Lord Chikawa, I'll make you pay for this humiliation, Jūzan.
Elsewhere in the Flower Kingdom, Big Pan stood inside a weapons shop, looking down mournfully at his broken black staff.
"Can't you fix it? This thing's been with me forever."
The shopkeeper sighed. "We don't even know what kind of wood this is. I'm afraid we can't repair it. But we've got plenty of other staffs some of excellent quality "
"No need," Eli interrupted, shaking his head. As they left the shop, he patted Big Pan's shoulder. "That stick was already falling behind your strength. I've got something better for you."
He reached into his ring and pulled out a new weapon a dark-golden staff coiled with dragon engravings, faintly glowing with energy.
"This is the Dragoncoil Staff," Eli said. "A high-grade weapon nearly fifteen hundred pounds in weight. Try it."
Big Pan's eyes lit up. He took the staff, feeling its weight hum through his arms. With a laugh, he swung it, the air crackling around the motion. "Now this this feels right! Thanks, brother!"
Eli grinned. "Glad you like it."
Just then, shadows moved across the street. A squad of armed men surrounded them. At the front stood Jūzan and Chisou, smirking smugly behind him.
"Well, well," Chisou sneered. "You're done for, you stupid bear."
"Big Pan," Eli murmured, "stay calm."
Jūzan stepped forward, his voice steady. "You've broken the laws of the Flower Kingdom injured citizens, abducted Lady Chiyo. Surrender peacefully and come before Lord Chikawa."
"Lord Chikawa?" Eli frowned. "Never heard of him. And we didn't abduct anyone."
Chiyo stepped forward, her eyes flashing. "I went with them by choice! And I'll never marry Lord Chikawa, Chisou. Give up!"
"Enough!" Chisou barked. "Jūzan, take them all! Kill whoever resists but don't harm Chiyo!"
Big Pan's grin vanished. "You picked the wrong crew to mess with." He lunged first, swinging the Dragoncoil Staff. Three soldiers went flying before they even realized what hit them.
Eli didn't move yet he was watching, assessing.
Fiona drew her blade, locking eyes with a skilled swordsman among the enemies. Without a word, they clashed steel singing in the air.
Simon and Dorte charged into the fray, engaging two of Jūzan's lieutenants. Meanwhile, Filina pulled Chiyo back behind Eli for safety.
Chisou pointed toward them. "You idiots! Go kill the women!"
Eli's eyes narrowed. A ripple of invisible power burst from him an overwhelming pressure that crushed the air around them.
In an instant, half the attackers dropped, unconscious, eyes rolling back. The survivors froze, terror-stricken.
"Haoshoku Haki…" Jūzan muttered, his expression tightening. "Impossible. A brat that young "
"Heh," Big Pan grinned, spinning his staff. "Being distracted in a fight's a bad habit, old man!"
The Dragoncoil Staff smashed into Jūzan's side, sending him crashing through several buildings. Dust and debris filled the air.
From the rubble, Jūzan rose again, bruised but alive his body coated in Armament Haki. "Who are you people…? How have I never heard of such strength on these seas?"
Big Pan rested his staff on his shoulder, grinning. "Beat me, and maybe I'll tell you."
With a roar, Jūzan charged again.
Meanwhile, Eli led Chiyo and Filina toward Chisou, who was trembling, his earlier arrogance gone.
Eli looked at Chiyo. "Want me to kill him?"
Chiyo hesitated. Her expression softened with conflict. "No… He's still my brother. If you kill him, my father will go mad."
Eli shrugged. "Your call."
Then, without warning, he kicked Chisou squarely in the rear, sending him tumbling down the street like a sack of flour. "That's your free pass. Next time, I won't hold back."
When Eli turned back, the battle was nearly over. Big Pan was grinning ear to ear, pressing Jūzan hard. Fiona and her opponent were locked in an elegant dance of blades, perfectly matched.
Eli crossed his arms, calm and unreadable, as chaos unfolded around him.
The Flower Kingdom, once peaceful, was now on the brink of something much larger and Eli Winters knew this was only the beginning.
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