Inside the grand hall of the castle, Reid lounged lazily against the throne. His crimson eyes swept across everyone present.
"It's decided. We're holding a hundred day celebration for little Lati."
Before crossing over, Reid had seen other transmigrators.
Oh, those tiny little transmigrators.
They attended tea parties and weddings.
Big Mom: Did you call me?
Reid was different. He wanted his own event.
He wanted to see who, on this Grand Line, dared to show him disrespect.
Tesoro immediately agreed.
"That's right! It has to be the biggest celebration ever!"
Stella cradled the sleeping Lati and hesitated.
"Isn't this a bit too extravagant? She was just born…"
Reid waved his hand dismissively.
"Not extravagant at all. She's my niece. A princess of a World Government allied nation, and one of the chosen heirs of the Sea Emperor."
Tesoro nodded vigorously.
"Exactly! And we don't even need to start right away. We'll set it for one hundred days from now. That's plenty of time!"
"The location will be Tesoro's Golden City. What do you think? Big enough, right?"
Tesoro nodded seriously.
"That's not a problem. Though I think it's a bit old. It needs a full renovation."
"Fine, fine, fine. Then let's make it grand. Money is meant to be spent, isn't it?"
Moria smacked his lips.
"Keh heh heh… should we invite a zombie circus for entertainment?"
Everyone went silent.
"Golden Divine Punishment: Dragon God Prison!"
"Mist God Form: Nine Dragons Raise the Coffin!"
Moria blinked.
"Huh?"
For the second time, he was launched into the sky as a golden shooting star.
Perona raised her hand eagerly.
"I want to decorate the venue with ghosts! Cute little ghost balloons all over the castle!"
Chopper raised his hand excitedly.
"I I can prepare medicine for fevers and heatstroke! I just learned how!"
Laboon raised his fin too, looking thrilled.
"Wooo!"
(I want to perform the Island Whale Fountain!)
Reid replied flatly in his mind.
"Rejected. Do you want to flood the castle?"
Enel snorted.
"Boring… but if anyone causes trouble, this god can handle the cleanup."
Kureha puffed on her cigarette.
"I'll take charge of the medical team. And Doctor Hiluluk, put away your poisonous mushrooms."
Doctor Hiluluk hastily hid them.
"Ha ha… they're just decorations…"
Tesoro pulled out a thick stack of design blueprints, his eyes shining.
"I've already planned everything! The venue will be built entirely of pure gold. The carpets will be inlaid with diamonds. All tableware will be gold plated…"
Reid nodded.
"Fine, but don't make it tacky."
Tesoro hesitated.
"Then… how about adding a golden fountain? One that sprays liquid gold?"
Reid replied calmly.
"Approved."
Stella rubbed her forehead.
"You're going to spoil her…"
Reid grinned.
"Then let's spoil her properly. We'll all take care of her anyway."
Reid once thought the Pirate King's journey was just a children's adventure story. But after watching over a thousand episodes of One Piece, he finally understood that it was never just an adventure. It was a world where background mattered.
Long running stories often share a flaw. A nobody eventually turns out to be someone's descendant or heir. The Gum Gum Fruit becoming the Nika Fruit, for example. It creates the illusion that if your ancestors were not powerful enough, you were never qualified to save the world.
The connections and prestige Reid and Tesoro accumulated over years of wandering were not built for vanity. They were built to protect their children. Besides, the Crimson Dawn Pirates stayed by Stella's side throughout her labor, never rejecting outsiders. Fear only exists when you are not strong enough.
You should know that the necklace around the child's neck, woven in black, blue, red, and gold, contained Moria's Shadow Armor, Enel's Thunder Armor, and beneath them Reid's Mist Armor and Tesoro's Gold Dust Armor. The shadow, thunder, and mist armors were transparent and only manifested in moments of danger. The gold dust armor was different. It had to float around the child at all times, which was why she sparkled faintly. The moment even the slightest threat appeared, all four armors would activate instantly.
If someone could break through these defenses and harm the baby while the four of them remained unaware, they might as well jump off the building themselves.
"Don't worry, my dear. When the child grows a little older, we won't be this tense. Of course, we also know that flowers raised in a greenhouse cannot withstand the unpredictable weather of the Grand Line."
Just as everyone finished discussing the details of the celebration and prepared to leave, Doctor Hiluluk suddenly stood up. His expression was unusually solemn.
"Lord Reid…"
He took a deep breath, removed his ridiculous hat, and bowed deeply.
"I have a request."
Reid lazily lifted his eyelids.
"Ha ha, go on. You want to study my blood mist? Sure, sure. I'll give you some later."
Doctor Hiluluk straightened his back, his gaze unwavering.
"Please… help this country."
The hall fell deathly silent.
Tesoro frowned. Moria pressed his lips together. Enel snorted. Even the three little ones stopped chattering and turned their eyes toward Reid.
Reid was silent for a few seconds. Then he smiled.
"Oh? Why?"
Doctor Hiluluk clenched his fists.
"This country is sick! Wapol is a tyrant. The people are ignorant, but they…"
"But they are not bad people!" he shouted.
"They are only blinded by fear! If someone guides them, they will surely be able to…"
"Doctor Hiluluk." Reid interrupted softly.
The temperature in the hall dropped instantly.
"Have I made them miserable?"
Doctor Hiluluk froze.
"…What?"
Reid looked at him expressionlessly.
"I asked if I made them miserable."
Reid slowly stood up. Blood mist surged around him. His crimson eyes were terrifyingly cold.
"Was it me who made them stupid? Was it me who made them call my family 'monsters'?"
He walked toward Doctor Hiluluk step by step. With each step, the floor trembled faintly beneath his feet.
"Don't tell me they were ignorant or lacked knowledge."
"Stupidity is also a form of evil."
If this had been long ago, Reid might have been willing to help, because he once admired Doctor Hiluluk as a person. But after Laboon and Chopper returned from buying hats, that door had closed.
When reading the manga, people might sympathize with the way Chopper was treated. They might feel regret and pity for that ignorance. But when it happened to Reid himself, there was only anger.
Reid was not soft hearted. He had climbed to the position of Sea Emperor on a mountain of corpses.
His upbringing did not allow him to slaughter the innocent indiscriminately. But this world, his experiences, and his power all made one thing clear. He deserved respect, even fear.
Ignorance was not a free pass to do whatever one pleased. A gentleman judged actions, not intentions. And Reid was not a gentleman.
He was an emperor.
Doctor Hiluluk opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Reid stopped in front of him and looked down.
"Am I really that heartless? Insulted, and still expected to rush in and save them?"
Doctor Hiluluk's shoulders slumped, yet he stubbornly lifted his head.
"But…"
Reid stared at him for a few seconds, then sneered.
"Fine. Then you go save them."
He turned and walked back toward the throne, blood mist leaving a cold trail behind him.
"But do not involve me. And do not involve my crew."