"Mmm! Now this is life—living like a salted fish. Fighting and killing all the time is just plain stupid."
A magnificent, strangely designed ship was gliding swiftly across the open sea.
It looked like a luxury cruise liner, but unlike ordinary ships, it had no sails—yet it skimmed over the waves at remarkable speed.
In the middle of the deck, sprawled on a beach chair, a young man stretched lazily, wearing a deeply contented smile.
At his remark, two little girls in frilly maid outfits standing nearby giggled.
"Rosinante-nii, if a few of the squad captains heard you say that, they'd probably sigh about having followed the wrong person!" one of the little maids teased with a grin.
The people aboard this cruise ship were none other than Rosinante and his group.
After returning to Birka and resting for a few days, Rosinante had handed the affairs of the Grey Kingdom over to Bins and Katakuri.
Then, taking Shaxia, Robin, and the others, he left Skypiea behind.
Now he lay on his reclining beach chair under the warm sun, sipping the iced juice and enjoying the fresh fruit Robin and the others brought him.
Shaxia and the other two women, dressed in light maid uniforms, attended to him like noble companions on a seaside holiday.
With a stunning mature beauty, adorable little lolis, sunshine, ocean waves, and a luxury yacht, Rosinante felt utterly satisfied. This—this was the life he had always wanted.
The cruise ship was large, far too much for just a handful of them to operate.
But apart from Shaxia and the others, there were also over a dozen men in suits, looking like dignified butlers, running the vessel powered by dials from the sky.
These weren't ordinary attendants—they were elite picks from the Bloodsworn Guard, each with a strength comparable to pirates worth over a hundred million berries, led by the Guard's vice commander.
"Who cares what others think? Pirates are free. Anyone can pursue the life they want," Rosinante said carelessly.
"Of course, the premise is that you have the strength to back up the life you want. In this world, only those with power can afford to be willful." His tone suddenly became serious.
Hearing this, Shaxia and the other two exchanged glances, thoughtful expressions flickering across their faces.
"Rosinante-nii, where are we going this time?" Robin asked curiously.
"Have you heard of the Sabaody Archipelago?" Rosinante took a sip of iced juice before answering.
"Sabaody Archipelago?" Robin's eyes lit up and she exclaimed in delight.
At the name, Shaxia and Raqi remained blank-faced—coming from Skypiea, they had no idea what kind of place it was. But Robin had read about it in books and heard tales; she had long dreamed of seeing it.
Sabaody was one of the most famous resort and shopping destinations in the world.
She had never had the chance to go there before, so hearing it was Rosinante's next destination made her break into a smile of pure joy.
"Rosinante-nii, you mean the island formed by the world's largest mangrove trees—the Yarukiman Mangroves—where the roots breathe out special natural resin that expands into bubbles in the air, making the whole place a sea of floating bubbles? The so-called Soap Bubble Archipelago?" Robin recited eagerly.
"Your Rosinante-nii doesn't have your encyclopedic knowledge—say it like that and even I don't know where you're talking about. But there's only one Sabaody Archipelago in the world," Rosinante replied with a laugh.
"That's wonderful! I've heard it's such a magical, beautiful place. I always wanted to go someday—I can't believe I'm going to see it so soon!" Robin said excitedly.
She immediately pulled Raqi into a long and animated discussion about all the things she knew of Sabaody.
Hearing her words, Raqi's face lit up with delight too, their laughter ringing across the deck.
Even Shaxia, listening from the side, wore a look of yearning.
What woman didn't like shopping, sightseeing, and travel? In this world, Sabaody was one of the most famous places for it.
"Wait a second, Rosinante-nii—you said we were going to find someone to teach you swordsmanship. Why Sabaody? Or is this just an excuse to come out and play?" Robin suddenly asked suspiciously.
Hearing this, Shaxia and Raqi also turned questioning eyes toward him.
"Why would I need an excuse to go have fun? But in Sabaody lives a very important man—a man known as the Dark King, one of the few great swordsmen in the world. I'm going to ask him to teach me the sword," Rosinante said, gazing into the distance.
"Dark King? You mean the Pirate King's right hand, Silvers Rayleigh? He's in Sabaody? That's awfully close to Navy headquarters!" Robin exclaimed in shock.
"So what? He's the man they call the Dark King Rayleigh. If the Navy wanted to catch him, they'd have to send at least two top admirals. Right now, the Navy has no interest in provoking a man like him," Rosinante said matter-of-factly.
Robin nodded slowly, deep in thought.
"And have you heard the saying, 'The most dangerous place is the safest place'? Right under the Navy's nose—hidden in plain sight. With his skills, it's still questionable whether the Navy could even find him," Rosinante continued.
"True. The Navy would never imagine that a remnant of the Pirate King's crew, the man called Dark King, would actually be hiding right in front of them," Robin agreed.
"Even if they did find him, they wouldn't dare provoke him right now. Remember, half the Pirate King's legend was his doing. Rayleigh today is an absolute monster—if they angered him and he took to the seas again, raising another Pirate King wouldn't be impossible. They're relieved to have him quietly retired—why would they risk stirring him up?" Rosinante said.
"But would such a man even agree to teach you swordsmanship?" Robin asked doubtfully.
"Who knows? But as it happens, I have a piece of information that's very important to him. I imagine that'll be enough to convince him," Rosinante replied with a sly smile.
"Your Majesty, we've spotted a World Government vessel behind us. Should we evade?" Ryan's voice came from beside him.
"There's a World Government ship out here?" Rosinante's brows rose in surprise.
"They seem to be heading in the same direction as us. If we keep sailing at this speed, they'll probably catch up before long," Ryan reported.