"Sigh! This little girl really is unreasonable!" Roger wiped the cold sweat from his head, only to find fresh blood on his palm.
Looking down, he saw that the web between his thumb and forefinger had been torn open by the impact.
Rayleigh, at his side, also saw this but didn't rush to bandage the captain's wound. Instead, he teased Roger, "Hey, Captain, you're already wounded? Weren't you acting all high and mighty when you swung your sword just now? If you're not more careful, don't let those kids laugh at you later."
"What's a little scratch like this? More importantly, don't you dare sneak off and drink all the booze we buy on Spring Island later," Roger said, casually grabbing a piece of cloth and wrapping it around his hand as if that completed the treatment.
The Oro Jackson soon approached the edge of the Spring Island port. This time, they weren't attacked. Just before disembarking, Roger made a point to say!
"You all heard the little girl's warning just now. Let's try not to cause any trouble this time, everyone."
Rayleigh took a few swigs from his flask. "Don't be ridiculous. You're the one who's always causing trouble."
"That's right. Trouble follows this idiot captain wherever he goes," Gaban complained, clapping a hand on Rayleigh's shoulder and looking at Roger.
"You idiot, you don't have to say things like that out loud," Roger said with a slight smile, putting on his straw hat and jumping off the ship.
On the shore, two figures had already been waiting for a long time.
"Mamamama! It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Captain Gol D. Roger," Linlin was the first to greet him.
Al stood silently beside Linlin, but his gaze was fixed on Roger and his crew with hostility.
"Hahahaha! So I'm already this famous?" Roger scratched his head in embarrassment. "But compared to your goal of accepting all races and ensuring everyone has enough to eat, my fame is nothing. Queen Charlotte Linlin, your wish has shaken the entire sea!"
Linlin lowered her head and was silent for a few seconds. "Most people probably think I'm just a naive fool!"
Roger grinned, revealing a wild and arrogant smile. "No, everyone has the right to dream. Even if you fall and get covered in bruises, at least it's better than lying in bed regretting it when you're old!"
Linlin gave Roger a deep look. Although Roger's fame wasn't great in the newspapers, that was because the entire paper was dominated by Rocks.
This was the era of Rocks; no one could rise above him.
But based on Roger's presence alone, Linlin was certain that he was someone worth befriending.
Now that she was building a country, she couldn't be as carefree as a pirate. It was just as Milim had once said unintentionally.
Make more friends and fewer enemies.
Linlin thought this made a lot of sense. Thinking of this, she smiled.
"Then I wish you a good time in Totto Land. By the way, Milim is lying on that beach chair over there. If you have time, you can go and keep her company. She's quite bored right now."
After saying this, Linlin turned and left without hesitation. There was still a lot of work to be done in the country, and she had only come out because the commotion here was too loud.
Roger and Al stared at each other, not knowing what to say. The scene became awkward for a moment.
Suddenly, Roger was the first to speak. "Brothers, what are you all standing around for? If you want to go shopping, then go shopping. Don't just stand here."
"That's right, Roger. I'm going to go buy some booze now!" Rayleigh, the first mate, said and turned to leave.
The rest of the crew also dispersed, and in the blink of an eye, everyone was gone.
Al looked at Roger and simply said, "Have fun!" then went about his own business, calling the port workers back to retrieve all the cargo that had fallen into the sea.
Roger watched Al leave, his gaze instantly locking onto Milim, who was lying on a beach chair, drinking juice.
...
Milim, who was leisurely drinking her juice, suddenly felt a familiar presence approaching her.
Milim sat up in dissatisfaction. "Hey! Can't you see I'm working right now? If you dare to disturb me again, believe it or not, I'll beat you up!"
Roger moved a sun lounger, placed it next to Milim, and sat down as well.
"Don't be so angry!" Roger casually picked up an apple from the table and took a bite. "We've become acquainted through fighting, and you're not busy with anything right now, are you?"
"Who says? I'm protecting the safety of all of Totto Land right now. It's very tiring," Milim said, very unconvinced. She was clearly working hard too.
"Haha, hahaha!" Roger let out a series of laughs, looking at Milim's cute appearance.
Milim looked at Roger with a dark expression. "Do you have a problem with me?"
Roger quickly waved his hands. "I just think you're very cute. It would be nice if my future daughter could be as cute as you."
"You have good taste. Since you've praised me like this, I'll let the previous matter slide," Milim said. Her personality was like a child's, easily pleased and easily angered.
"By the way, are you and Charlotte Linlin really twin sisters?" Roger asked, sizing up Milim with a look of disbelief.
Milim proudly lifted her head. "Of course. Don't you see our hair color is the same?"
"That's really incredible! I heard you're the older sister. How could twins with such a huge difference in size be born?" Roger exclaimed.
"It's always like this. Every time someone finds out Linlin and I are sisters, they have this question."
"Well, you can't blame them. Even on the amazing Grand Line, twins like you are very surprising," Roger said with a couple of chuckles.
"By the way, Milim, is there anything fun to do around here?" Roger asked, looking at Milim. "I can't just sit here forever, right?"
"Fun stuff!" Milim thought for a moment, and then her eyes lit up.
"Roger, on this island, you can float in the sky just by jumping a little. Do you want to try?"
Roger smiled. Although he already knew about the island's characteristic, looking at Milim's sparkling eyes, even he was a little embarrassed to refuse. Oh well, he would just play along with her.
Milim took Roger to the highest cliff on Spring Island. The height of the cliff was so great that it could almost touch the clouds.
Roger glanced down and couldn't help but swallow when he saw the bottomless abyss.
"Hey, Milim, isn't this a bit too high?" Roger hesitated. From this height, even he would be seriously injured if he fell to the ground.
Milim showed a disdainful smile. "So you're already scared? As expected of a low-level pirate."