I returned to my VIP room and noticed that Baccarat was already awake. She had called someone to serve breakfast, which was now set beside the bed.
"J-Jason-sama…"
she said when she saw me open the door. She tried to stand to greet me, but her expression twisted in pain and she stumbled forward.
I calmly held her and helped her sit back down.
"Calm down, love... you had all your holes bullied by me yesterday. Let me take care of that."
I smiled as an ethereal light emerged from my hand and wrapped around her body. The pain vanished, and the vibrant coloration between her legs gave way to a healthy tone, a bright pink that looked as if it had just been reborn.
"Hnnn…"
Baccarat let out a deep sigh, closing her eyes as she felt the healing flow through her body.
"You always surprise me, Jason-sama…"
I only laughed at that and sat on the bed to eat some of the breakfast. There was fresh bread, artisanal jam, grilled Sea King meat, and exotic fruit juice. A great way to start the day.
"This is my last day here, Baccarat."
I spoke casually, cutting a piece of the meat. "The Marineford War is approaching, and I still have some things to take care of before it starts."
She stopped chewing. Her gaze wavered, and I saw hesitation take over her face. She knew this moment would come. And now she would have to make a decision — one that would change her life completely.
"I-I want to go with you…"
she said in an almost inaudible whisper. She knew she had no right to ask for that. That, perhaps, it had all been nothing more than a night of pleasure. But she did what her heart told her to do.
I remained silent for a few seconds, simply staring at Baccarat. I had already expected this. Every woman who shared my bed ended up getting attached.
"You know that I'm at war with the World Government, right? Are you sure you still want to come?"
"Yes. I… I can use my abilities to help you in the fight against them. I just want to stay by your side."
I reflected for a moment. The truth is, her abilities wouldn't make a difference in the battles to come. A strong enough Haoshoku can nullify the interference of the Luck Fruit. And I, as a god, don't need anyone's help in this world.
But I have never chosen my women based solely on usefulness. Of course, that matters. But it's not the main thing.
I choose based on loyalty, personality. On the impact they have on me.
As someone in constant evolution, I have let go of many things along the way. But there are three I will never abandon: battles, women, and my family.
Perhaps that is a weakness. Human feelings are bonds. And bonds can be exploited.
But it's only a weakness if I allow it to be.
And I… never allow it.
"I will accept you," I said as I served myself more juice, "but you can't come with me right now."
She widened her eyes but remained silent. Then I continued, explaining calmly:
"I want you to stay here. Tesoro will soon be my subordinate. And you will help me prepare the ground."
It wouldn't be difficult to make Tesoro work for me. I know his greatest secret… and I know the brutal hatred he feels toward the Celestial Dragons. And now that he has already seen me strolling around with Sharlia through the whole casino, he must have gotten the message: the World Government and I no longer have any connection.
I humiliated his gods. And lived to tell the tale.
I only need to say that I'm going to destroy the World Government, and Tesoro will fund any project of mine — gladly — using the billions of Berries he has accumulated.
Baccarat still seemed hesitant, but she accepted my words with the obedience of a devoted woman.
"And where is your… maid?"
She asked in a curious tone, looking around as if expecting Sharlia to appear at any moment. She hadn't seen her since yesterday.
I chewed a piece of Sea King meat, swallowed slowly, and replied naturally:
"She ran away. Took Garp's ship. She's probably heading to Marineford… and then to Mariejois."
Baccarat looked at me, visibly surprised. She had always suspected that Sharlia wasn't completely tamed yet. But letting her escape like that?
"She still thinks she can get away from me. How foolish."
I smiled, taking another piece of meat. "When she's convinced she's safe, when she feels free from my influence…" I snapped my fingers, and another piece of Sea King meat appeared in the palm of my hand "…I'll pull her back into the darkness. And tame that disobedient maid all over again."
A shiver ran through Baccarat's body. She stared at the meat I had materialized, but her thoughts were far away — on Sharlia. Would she appear before him like that? Suddenly, inevitably, torn from peace straight into his arms again?
What expression would she have… in the instant she left the comfort of Mariejois… and found herself once again before Jason?
Her world would collapse.
"So cruel…"
Baccarat whispered, her cheeks flushed and her eyes burning with desire.
"I'm wet."
I smiled at her perverted gaze.
She was a woman used to dealing with pirates, unpayable debts, and desperate slaves. A woman with her own darkness, a touch of sadism, and a deep taste for dangerous men.
And now… she was mine.
After we finished breakfast, it was time for goodbyes.
"I'm leaving now, luv."
Baccarat looked into my eyes, and I saw longing already taking shape there. I gave a faint smile, pulled her by the waist, and sealed our lips in a wet kiss. My tongue invaded her mouth, demanding and intimate.
"Hmmm…"
She practically melted in my arms. My hands slid along her body until they reached that plump ass. I squeezed it firmly, massaging it as if to say, through touch, that she was mine.
"See you soon, luv."
I stepped back with one last look and began walking forward. My body started to glow softly… and then became translucent, vanishing from the room like a ghost. The only thing I left behind was the taste of my lips — still warm in her mouth.
"So mysterious…"
She murmured, not knowing exactly to whom.
Baccarat didn't understand how, but she knew Jason wasn't like the others. He wasn't just another strong man. He was different. Very different. The things he did, the powers he displayed… they weren't of this world. And she felt, deep in her soul, that staying by his side meant leaving behind everything that was normal.
And she was willing to do that.
==
Somewhere in the vast ocean…
The sound of the waves was constant, yet gentle — lightly breaking against the imposing hull of a battleship that cut through the sea like a hungry beast. The ship's bow, shaped like the head of a fierce dog, inspired respect wherever it passed.
In the captain's cabin, the atmosphere was different. Heavier. Silent.
Garp, the legendary hero of the Marines, sat before his desk with a frowning, mustached den den mushi in front of him. On the other end of the line, the deep and calm voice of Sengoku echoed:
— So… what did you think of this Jason D. Winchester?
Garp slowly chewed a rice cracker. His eyes stared into the void as if still facing that man. After a long silence, he answered:
"A monster."
Sengoku furrowed his brow even more.
— Be more specific.
Garp leaned back, letting out a low sigh.
"You ever looked into someone's eyes and knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that you were facing someone the entire world isn't ready to confront? Jason is that. He's not like Roger, nor like Whitebeard. They were giants in this world. But Jason… he acts like someone who surpassed this world a long time ago."
— Arrogant?
"Extremely. But it's not the blind arrogance of a young man who's too strong. It's the calm certainty of someone who has already won. Someone who knows the pieces, the board… and maybe even the player behind it all."
Garp pressed his lips together, thoughtful.
"The way he talks, the way he observes… He's not trying to prove himself. He speaks as if he has already won. He walks as if this sea is just another among many. And the worst part? I think he's right."
— Do you intend to report this to the higher-ups?
"Bah… what are they going to do? Send an Admiral after him? Send two? He'll play with them. I'm not exaggerating. This kid carries the 'D.', but he's different from all I've seen. He doesn't want the throne of the world. He wants to flip the whole board upside down."
— So what do you suggest?
Just as Garp was about to answer, a commotion erupted on deck.
Muffled shouts, running footsteps, and the clear sound of a metal tray hitting the floor. Garp didn't even need to use his Observation Haki to know who was behind the disturbance. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, taking a deep breath.
"Tsk… We should have left that girl there. At least there, she knew how to behave."
On the other end of the line, Sengoku's den den mushi widened its eyes, mimicking his expression.
— Garp! — he hissed, glancing quickly to the sides. — Watch what you say! What if someone hears?!
Fortunately, only Tsuru was present in the office. The CP agents who usually lingered around the room were absent at that moment, delivering reports. Sengoku let out a tense sigh.
— Still… keep that kind of comment to yourself. She's a political problem now, not just your burden.
Garp crossed his arms, his expression heavy with irritation and impatience. His gaze turned to the door, as if he could see through it the source of the commotion.
Lady Sharlia.
The young Tenryuubito had been aboard for only a few hours, and she was already testing the limits of everyone's patience. She refused the food from the battleship's cooks, complained about everything — from the smell of the wood to the shade of the sky — and often threw fits over trivialities, as if she were still in her private mansion surrounded by slaves.
But there was something more. Something Garp had noticed from the start.
She barely left her room.
And when she did, her eyes were in constant paranoia. Always suspicious. Always watching. But not the sea, not the dangers… the sailors.
She was feeling something she had never experienced in her entire life of privilege.
Contempt.
Not fear.
Not blind obedience.
Not reverence.
Just silent contempt.
The sailors on Garp's battleship didn't fear her. Not anymore. They looked at her as if she were just another spoiled woman, an annoyance to be ignored, not an untouchable entity with the divine right to have someone executed for a sideways glance.
She was tasting, for the first time, the bitter flavor of irrelevance. And it terrified her.
"Jason…" Garp murmured, still staring at the door. "He broke the damn aura they had. Executing a Celestial Dragon live… making another his personal maid… he turned the 'gods' into ordinary people. And worse… into people worth despising."
— The civilians are talking, — said Tsuru, approaching Sengoku and folding her arms with a thoughtful air. — They're saying the "divine power" of the Celestial Dragons is over. Some newspapers have even begun to discreetly question whether they still deserve protection.
Sengoku rubbed his forehead.
— If this continues… we won't just have rebellions. We'll have a revolution.
Garp let out a low, dry laugh with no trace of joy.
"That's what happens when the world witnesses the impossible. Jason didn't just kill one of them. He proved that no one needs to be afraid. And now… not even my sailors bother pretending to respect her anymore."
— And she's realized that, — Tsuru added. — That's why she's losing it.
Sengoku remained silent for a moment. The den den mushi mimicked his grave expression.
— The Government will need to make a decision soon… before the symbol of their authority collapses completely.
Garp turned his back, returning to the cabin window, watching the sun about to set.
"It might already be too late."