"How do you know my name?"
The blue-haired young man named Rovick looked at the black-haired, bespectacled man in the trench coat aboard the Going Merry with uncertainty. He studied him for a long time before his eyes suddenly widened.
"President? You're the President! You're actually still alive! Hahaha..."
He danced around excitedly, apparently overjoyed that Sherlock was still alive. However, his extreme joy quickly turned to sorrow; with his wild movements, his incredibly crude little wooden boat let out a pained "wail" and unexpectedly snapped in two. Under the astonished gazes of the Straw Hat crew, the blue-haired youth plummeted into the water...
"Ah, he fell into the sea." Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp were all dumbfounded by Rovick's actions.
Nami's face darkened with exasperation. She turned her head to ask the Sorcerer, "He just called you 'President.' Did you guys know each other before?"
"Yeah, I guess you could call him an old friend of mine," Sherlock said, calmly pushing up his glasses. "You guys should hurry up and fish him out. He's a Devil Fruit user, so he can't swim."
"Is that so? Then who should go down and save him?" a certain mosshead said coolly, his arms crossed over his chest.
Hearing this, everyone else uniformly shifted their gazes toward Zoro.
Zoro's expression changed slightly. "Hey, hey, hey, why are you all looking at me?"
Stare—The meaning behind everyone's gaze was self-evident.
"Bastards!!! Why is it that every time someone falls into the water, I'm the one who has to save them??!!" the green-haired swordsman roared, baring his shark-like teeth in agitation. "Am I the professional lifeguard on this ship or something?!"
"Uh-huh." The rest of them nodded in unison, expressing their agreement.
"...You bunch of bastards..." Zoro was momentarily speechless. He opened his mouth to argue, but ultimately just let out a long sigh as if resigning himself to his fate...
Inside the Going Merry's cabin.
After Zoro dragged up the drowning, unconscious Rovick, Dr. Chopper hurriedly examined him. He discovered that the blue-haired young man not only had hidden injuries, but he also hadn't eaten in many days. Seeing this, a certain kind-hearted curly-browed cook walked into the kitchen without a moment's hesitation.
Following that, Sherlock began to recount how he had met Rovick.
"Five years ago, I visited the North Blue once for business matters." The Sorcerer sat in his chair and elegantly took a sip of black tea. "And it was there, in a restaurant in the North Blue, that I met him trying to dine and dash..."
"What do you mean dine and dash?! It was clearly because my wallet got stolen!"
Before Sherlock could even finish his sentence, Rovick—who had previously been unconscious—suddenly sat bolt upright on the bed and loudly retorted, "President, you always love to smear my good name!"
"Smear your good name? Have you forgotten who it was that lent you the money back then?"
At the mention of borrowing money, the blue-haired youth became even more agitated. "Then have you forgotten who used that loan as an excuse to boss me around for more than two whole months?! Sherlock, you unscrupulous merchant..."
"Oh?" Sherlock narrowed his eyes slightly, his clear lenses reflecting two dangerous glints of light. "Do you think I was in the wrong, Rovick?"
"Uh..."
Rovick's face instantly stiffened, and he began shaking his head like a rattle-drum:
"No, no, no, how could that be? Your immense kindness and virtue back then, President, is something this little brother will never forget for the rest of his life!"
(It looks like these two actually have a pretty good relationship... though... "unscrupulous merchant"? That nickname is quite fitting, actually.)
Nami and the others looked at the completely composed Sherlock, then at the sheepishly grinning Rovick, and silently snarked in their hearts.
"Umm, I applied some special medicine to the old injuries on your body." The somewhat shy blue-nosed reindeer hid behind the Sorcerer's chair. "They should be fully healed in a few days."
Rovick finally noticed the bandages on his body and flashed a wide grin. "Ah, thank you so much for this, Reindeer Doctor."
The blue-haired youth's smile was incredibly bright and open; paired with his somewhat handsome face, it was easy for others to take a liking to him.
"Eh??? Reindeer Doctor!"
Upon hearing this, the Straw Hat crew simultaneously let out cries of extreme astonishment. Even the usually calm Robin's expression tightened slightly.
"He actually recognized at a single glance that Chopper is a reindeer! And not a raccoon dog!" Nami covered her small mouth in shock.
"And he wasn't even surprised that Chopper can speak!" Usopp muttered with a grave expression. "This guy is definitely no ordinary person!"
Zoro nodded in solemn agreement. "As expected of the Grand Line. Truly, a place where extraordinary people emerge!"
"Blue-haired guy, you're so amazing!!!!" The scatterbrained Captain had literal stars shining in his eyes.
(So you guys think that being able to tell a reindeer from a raccoon dog at first glance is some incredibly impressive feat?) Sherlock silently grumbled in his heart while sipping his black tea, completely ignoring the fact that he himself had also mistaken Chopper for a raccoon dog at first glance.
"Hahaha, I'm not all that amazing." Rovick waved his hand modestly. "It's because a friend of mine also has a talking white bear on his ship, so I wasn't so surprised this time. Besides..."
Rovick pointed a finger at the pair of cute antlers on top of the little reindeer's head, his expression earnest and entirely serious:
"Doesn't he have antlers growing on his head? How could he possibly be a raccoon dog?"
Uh...
Everyone's breath hitched. They looked at each other, one by one, all wearing expressions that screamed, "What he says makes so much sense, I am completely speechless."
"Rovick, you, you..." Chopper mumbled with teary eyes. Then, unable to hold it in any longer, he leaped onto the bed in a flying tackle, grabbing the blue-haired youth's clothes and bursting into loud, wailing tears.
"...You're such a good person!!! Waaaahhhhh~~"
This time, the blue-nosed reindeer—who had been mistaken for a raccoon dog countless times and had even begun to doubt his own existence as a "deer"—suddenly felt that he had finally met a "kindred spirit"! Overcome with excitement, he lost his composure a bit.
"Hey guys, food's ready! I made some takoyaki today~~~~ Eh, why are all of your expressions so weird?"
The rest of them all shook their heads with awkward expressions, remaining silent.
Sanji furrowed his curly brows in confusion. Then, seeing Chopper actually clinging to Rovick and crying out loud, the love-struck cook—who didn't understand what had just happened—shot a darkened glare at the newcomer.
"Hey, blue-mosshead, what did you do to our ship's doctor?"
"No, it wasn't me!" Rovick hurriedly shook his head. "I don't know why he suddenly got so emotional after I called him a reindeer either."
"Shishishi, Chopper is just really happy, that's all~~~" the clueless, scatterbrained Captain grinned, laughing without a care in the world.
Holiday Island. A summer island located not too far from Alabasta. Thanks to its pleasant climate and beautiful scenery all year round, it was the top choice for many people in the vicinity when taking a vacation.
Whether they were civilians, criminals, pirates, or even Marines.
Black Cage Hina was still wearing her signature burgundy women's suit. Sporting a pair of sunglasses, she lay on a wide lounge chair, resting with her eyes closed and enjoying this rare moment of leisure.
A gentle, warm breeze brushed by, fluttering her smooth pink hair. The refreshing sensation caused Hina to stretch involuntarily. That languid posture instantly reduced the two goofy Marines beside her into lovestruck fools once more.
"Ah~~~~ Colonel Hina looks so beautiful even when she's stretching..." x2
Right at this moment, a Marine soldier hurriedly walked over, delivering a crisp and proper Marine salute to Black Cage Hina.
"Colonel Hina! Mr. 3 Galdino and Mr. 2 Bon Clay still haven't been found." [Translator's Note: The original Chinese text accidentally swaps the numerical titles for Galdino and Bon Clay. This has been corrected here to match canon.]
"Oh? These Officer Agents are indeed a bit troublesome." Hina pushed her sunglasses up onto her forehead. "What about Miss Goldenweek, Miss Valentine, and Mr. 5?"
The Marine instantly broke out in a heavy sweat. "No news on them either."
"Is that so? Your operational efficiency is truly far too low. Hina is very angry." Although the pink-haired female Marine said she was angry, looking at her relaxed demeanor, there wasn't the slightest trace of actual anger.
(It doesn't matter. Take your time searching, no need to rush. Anyway, since Rear Admiral Alan has Smoker to accompany him, I can use this as an excuse to rest here for a few more days. I absolutely do not want to run into that chest-groping loli again!!!)
Black Cage Hina, wearing an "all according to plan" expression, silently mourned for the White Hunter in her heart for three seconds. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she continued to ask:
"Is Crocodile still being detained at the G-8 Base?"
"Uh, yes, Colonel Hina." Speaking of this, the Marine's expression grew a bit strange. "Under normal circumstances, Crocodile should have been sent to the Great Prison a long time ago. However, because some higher-ups still suspect him of colluding with the Revolutionary Army, he's been forcibly detained at the G-8 Base by [Those People] in the hopes of interrogating him for information."
"Hmph, they're all just a bunch of guys who only know how to hold things up!" Hina pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. The Marine top brass were never a unified front. Not only did this lower operational efficiency, but it also made many originally simple matters incredibly complicated.
(If only Fleet Admiral Sengoku's stance were a bit firmer... Furthermore, is it really safe to keep Crocodile locked up in that so-called 'Iron Wall', the G-8 Base?)
Feeling a slight unease in her heart, the pink-haired female Marine let out a soft sigh and then issued an order to the Marine soldier:
"Continue the search for those Baroque Works remnants. If you're short on manpower, go to the G-17 Base and request backup. Vice Admiral Hisoka has plenty of free time right now."
"Yes! Colonel Hina!"
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