Well, I'm back from Mary Geoise, safe and sound after completing my service!
Man, it felt like both a blink and an eternity... but yeah, it was definitely long. Almost a year, after all.
When I finally saw the blue sea again and stepped onto land that wasn't Mary Geoise, after so long, my eyes unexpectedly welled up. 'I'm finally home,' I thought.
I felt like a caged bird, or a hamster stuck in a wheel, like I'd wasted so much time... but I want to believe it wasn't all for nothing.
I had all sorts of experiences, met all sorts of people.
Like, for instance...
"Alright, let's go, Stella. There's a place nearby run by someone I know. We can stop by to say hello, give them an update, and grab a bite to eat together."
"U-um... nice to meet you, Sue."
Sue was someone I'd been with for about a year now.
Okay, let me rewind a bit and explain things in more detail.
One day, out of the blue, I was told our relationship was over—no warning, no explanation. The divorce went through surprisingly fast, and before I knew it, I was being kicked out of the Separate Residence.
Technically, nothing in that place was really mine anyway, so I didn't need to pack anything.
Come to think of it, everything—clothes, accessories, everything—had been provided by Saint Banosakka.
I returned it all and got back my original belongings and clothes, which had been practically confiscated when I first arrived. I changed into them right away:
A sleeveless button-down shirt.
A long vest with tons of pockets.
Jeans that stopped just below my knees.
And a surprisingly roomy waist pouch.
And then there was my weapon: the concealed umbrella.
Having changed back into my "usual" clothes for the first time in ages, I was about to board a random ship bound for the Sabaody Archipelago and leave the Holy Land when Saint Banosakka summoned me at the last moment.
Curious, I went to see what he wanted, only to receive an unexpected offer.
"You were quite entertaining," he said. "I'll give you a reward. Take whatever you want from my Separate Residence."
I was stunned.
Honestly, when you hear "Celestial Dragon," the first thing that comes to mind is cruelty and tyranny—in fact, that's pretty much the only image people have of them.
So I never imagined he'd say something like that.
Even though I'd learned over the past year that Saint Banosakka was "better than the other Celestial Dragons," I still didn't expect it.
Come to think of it, the original work did mention that, while rare, some people managed to ingratiate themselves with Celestial Dragons through wealth or other means and gain power.
Maybe they're actually quite generous to those they like, those who amuse them, or those they find useful. It just wasn't explored much in the original story.
But if I'm suddenly told to bring "anything," what should I even take? Sweets? Clothes? Accessories?
Furniture would definitely be out of the question.
Honestly, even though he said "anything," if I got carried away and displeased him, things could still turn disastrous at any moment. I need to choose carefully... but if I take too long, that might also be a problem.
Just as I was pondering all this, Saint Banosakka suddenly pointed at Stella and said, "How about that maidservant? Would she do?"
Wait, seriously? Is that even an option?
I mean, we were always together in the mansion. To Saint Banosakka, a slave was probably just another piece of furniture.
But if that was allowed... it would be far more meaningful than receiving dresses I'd never wear or jewels I didn't care about.
I shamelessly took him up on his offer. "Then I'll take Stella!" He readily agreed.
And just like that, Stella was casually released from Mary Geoise as my "bonus."
We were sent together to the Sabaody Archipelago, where she was finally freed... and that's how we ended up here.
"Excuse me! Shakky, are you here?"
"Welcome... Oh, Sue-chan! Long time no see!"
It had been a full year since our last reunion, but Shakky greeted me with her usual nonchalant ease, as if no time had passed at all.
The timing seemed perfect; there wasn't a single customer. Rayleigh was perched at the counter, nursing a drink.
When he saw me, Rayleigh gave a casual "Hey," like nothing had changed.
Not that I wanted some dramatic reunion... this laid-back vibe was strangely comforting.
It felt like slipping back into my old life, like nothing had ever changed.
At Shakky's unspoken invitation, I hopped onto my usual counter stool, and Stella settled in beside me.
Without a word, Shakky slid my usual favorite drink across the counter.
We settled into our usual banter, just like old times.
Well, the content of our conversation was anything but "usual." I ended up regaling her with a mountain of stories from Mary Geoise, and of course, introducing Stella.
"So, quite the adventure, huh?" Shakky remarked. "At least you made it back safe."
"Seriously!" I replied. "I nearly jumped out of my skin when Sue-chan's letter arrived out of the blue. Though I guess there's no point complaining to her about it now."
"Ahaha... Sorry for causing you so much trouble," I said sheepishly. "But like Rayleigh said, I gained some truly invaluable experience and met some amazing people. It wasn't a complete waste of time at all. I even got to do things commoners like us could never dream of."
"Oh my," Rayleigh chuckled. "Hahaha, this next book of yours is looking promising. You never let a fall go to waste, do you? You always manage to turn everything into experience points."
His teasing was a little embarrassing, but he wasn't wrong, so I couldn't argue.
I keep going through things normal people would never experience—or even want to—and I meticulously turn it all into "Experience Material," every single time.
Like when pirates attacked and kidnapped me, then sold me into slavery. Even on the way, I managed to pry interesting stories from them, adding to my knowledge.
Or when I was being trained to become an "Elite Slave" at my workplace, I learned all sorts of practical skills and even turned the harsh training into something that improved my strength.
After carelessly getting caught by a group of human traffickers, I managed to turn the tables and rob them. Then, by chance, I ran into Shakky again and met Rayleigh and his crew, who even started training me.
This time, I was abducted by a Celestial Dragon and forced to become his "wife," effectively imprisoning me in Mary Geoise. But even there, I had experiences most people could only dream of, and I got to know Stella, Hancock, and others.
"...Now that I think about it, I've been captured a lot lately, haven't I?"
"Seriously, you're only realizing that now? Well, at least you've gained invaluable experiences each time. It hasn't been a complete loss, right?"
"I guess so, but every time I'm captured, I secretly brace myself, thinking, 'Oh no, this is it, this is going to be the worst one yet!' So it's hard to honestly say it was a good experience, even if I do learn something new each time, right?"
"So, is this becoming Sue-chan's personal curse or something? Like, every time she gets captured or locked up, she ends up having some kind of 'great experience'?"
"If that's the case, after pirates, slaves, human traffickers, and Celestial Dragons... where next? A Marine prison? Some random country's jail? Or maybe straight to Impel Down?"
"Stop it! Stop talking like it's inevitable I'll get locked up somewhere again, especially that last one! I'd definitely suffer horribly... No, beyond horribly! It wouldn't just be 'horrible' anymore—I'd be traumatized for life!"
I can't stand the thought of that! A massive underwater prison lined with torture chambers and execution platforms! I'd die! Or wish I were dead from the horrors I'd endure!
Well, at least I'm doing honest work now, not running with pirates. I don't think I'll ever need to visit a place like that... Rayleigh's got a wicked sense of humor, though.
She's not coming, right?
"Well, putting aside your future journalistic endeavors for now... Stella, was it?"
"Y-yes...!"
Stella jumped at being suddenly addressed after a casual conversation. I'd already introduced her, explaining how she'd taken care of me back in Mary Geoise—mostly as a slave following orders, but we'd also become close friends.
Stella was naturally friendly, kind to everyone, and easily made friends. That's why she'd warmed up to Rayleigh and Shakky so quickly.
...Though when Rayleigh casually revealed he used to be the Vice-Captain of the Roger Pirates, even she seemed genuinely shocked.
You probably realize by now that I'm a decent person, but still, the Roger Pirates are known throughout the world as history's greatest villains. It's perfectly understandable if you're nervous and hesitant to let your guard down completely.
Rayleigh seemed to understand this too, showing no sign of concern.
"Thank you for taking such good care of her," he said. "You're still so young, yet you were forced into such a harsh situation... It must have been tough."
"Oh, no... Sue helped me so much too. Thanks to her, even as a slave, I enjoyed every day. And now, to be freed like this..."
As Stella spoke, she unconsciously touched her neck. The Explosive Collar that had once been fastened there was already gone.
I got the key when I received Stella, so as soon as we arrived at Sabaody Archipelago and she was freed, I took the collar off immediately.
I'd always thought it didn't suit her, even back in Mary Geoise.
And I was right—she looks so much cuter without it.
"By the way, Sue-chan, have you decided what you're going to do now?"
"Hmm... there are a lot of things I want to do... but first, I need to get my body back in shape. I'm going to focus on training for a while."
After all, it's been almost a year since I last fought. My body and instincts must be getting rusty.
I've kept up with basic workouts and strength training, so my stamina shouldn't be too bad... but it'd be too dangerous to go back to bounty hunting until I'm fully back in fighting form.
For a while, I'll focus on building up my strength and training. And in between... I guess I'll work on my writing.
"Oh, by the way, what happened to my ship? The one I asked Rayleigh and Shakky to look after?"
"It's docked at our shipyard around back," Shakky replied. "Don't worry, we've taken good care of it."
"That's great... thank you. I'll be sure to repay you later."
"No need for thanks," Rayleigh chuckled. "We just let you use the space, and the maintenance was something we did on a whim. More importantly... are you planning to move your base back to your old island?"
"That's the plan. Eddie-chan—my editor—would find it much easier to meet if I stayed near the publishing house on that island. Plus, it's a peaceful and comfortable place to live."
The Sabaody Archipelago is nice, but... the security isn't great, and those Celestial Dragons pop up from time to time. Like that time when I was nearly forced to become someone's "wife" out of nowhere.
Living in a place where human traffickers and human auction houses run rampant is a bit unsettling, you know?
Not that I'm criticizing Shakky and the others who live here, of course.
"Well then," Rayleigh said, "we should check how rusty you've gotten before you set sail. I'll spar with you later for old time's sake."
"Oh, how lovely!" Shakky replied. "I might just close the shop early this afternoon."
And just like that, she agreed to oversee my training. It was sudden, but honestly, it was perfect timing. I was grateful and determined to make the most of it.
"Hey, Sue-chan, why don't you stay here for a while?" Shakky suggested. "You haven't found a place to stay yet, right? And you don't seem to be in a hurry, do you?"
"Eh, but... honestly, I'd be grateful if I could... but is that really okay?"
"Of course! No need for silly reservations now. I still want to hear all your stories from your travels."
"It'll be easier to give you proper training if you stay for a few days," Rayleigh said. "Besides, Hatchan should be dropping by soon, so you should see him. He's been worried about you too."
Ah, right. I'd been meaning to properly greet Hatchan. We used to hang out here a lot, chatting and having fun, just like with Rayleigh and Shakky. But before we could go to Fish-Man Island, I was dragged off to Mary Geoise.
We weren't even allowed to send letters there, so I couldn't let anyone know what was happening. Hatchan and Eddie must be worried sick. I need to contact them ASAP.
I was planning to meet Eddie in person later, but I should probably call him first with a Den Den Mushi.
From that day on, Stella and I stayed at Shakky's shop for a while, helping out as staff in exchange for her hospitality. Between shifts, Rayleigh and the others gave me training sessions.
As I expected, my skills had gotten pretty rusty, so I was glad to have the time and opportunity to whip them back into shape. If I'd set sail in that state, I might not have lost to weaklings, but against a decent opponent, I could have been caught off guard.
Working at this shop, we get our fair share—actually, more than fair—of troublesome customers. It's the location, you know? Some try to skip out on the bill, others try to get handsy...
Honestly, the prices here probably contribute to the first problem...
But we don't bother being polite. We just beat the crap out of them, no holds barred.
Shakky, the owner, has given us the go-ahead. In fact, she's usually the first one throwing punches.
I'd say it's about a 70/30 split between her and me. Stella can't really handle this kind of thing.
So whenever someone tries to harass her, we step in.
Or, if Rayleigh were around, he'd silently knock them unconscious with his Conqueror's Haki.
A few days later, I ran into Hatchan at the shop. He'd been terribly worried when he heard I'd been taken by the Celestial Dragons. He even cried with relief when he saw I was safe. Hatchan's really just a friendly and harmless Fish-Man when he's alone.
Then he blurted out, "What happened to you? You only have four limbs! Did they do something awful to you?!"
"I've always had four limbs," I reminded him, pointing to the octopus Fish-Man with eight.
Oh, and I casually mentioned to Shakky that I'd seen the Kuja girls—Hancock and the others—in Mary Geoise. I guessed they'd been kidnapped by human traffickers during an expedition.
Shakky said she'd never heard of the Kuja when she was still active. So they must have joined a Kuja ship after she retired... and ended up enslaved afterward.
Shakky seemed to feel sorry for them too, but unfortunately, there was nothing we could do right now. All we could do was hope for their safety.
...If I remember correctly from the original story, a few years later, Fisher Tiger would lead a massive slave revolt, culminating in an attack on Mary Geoise and the liberation of countless slaves.
Hancock and the others should escape during that chaos. And then, sometime after that, weren't they rescued by Elder Nyon after drifting or wandering somewhere? My memory of this part is a bit hazy...
If possible, I'd love to go and get them right away when that happens.
And if I could, I'd also want to rescue Tesoro at that time. I can't exactly storm Mary Geoise to save him, but if he manages to escape on his own, at least I could pick him up...
I really want to make sure Stella gets reunited with him properly.
To be continued...