"Is that Lord Logan's daughter? She's so cute! I heard Lord Logan split from that woman a long time ago... I'd love to be her stepmother..."
On the side of the street, a female pirate dressed in a bold, revealing outfit spoke her mind to her companion without any restraint.
Hachinosu, as the Island of Pirates, was a place that worshipped the strong. With Logan's striking looks and top-tier strength—plus the added bonus of being one of the few on the island uninterested in Shakky's charms—there were many like her.
"Stop dreaming. Why would Lord Logan look at someone like you? The mermaids around him are far more beautiful than you'll ever be."
"Can't a girl at least fantasize?!"
"You'd better think about our next move instead. It feels like something big is brewing on the island lately. The top brass of the Rocks Pirates have been huddled together discussing something."
As the pirates whispered among themselves, they failed to notice a mound of earth slowly moving forward nearby. It was heading exactly in the direction Nanamo was walking.
As it passed the gossiping pirates, a massive head suddenly popped out of the dirt.
"She's right. Big Brother doesn't like people like you. Pu-hee~ Pu-hee-hee-hee!"
With that, the head ducked back underground.
"Who... who was that?"
"I don't know. Maybe a... Fish-Man?"
"A Fish-Man... can swim in the dirt?"
This happened all along the road. Every so often, a giant head would poke out from the ground, scout the surroundings, and then retract, giving more than a few people a fright.
He wasn't an enemy; he was Bikapanda, whom Logan had mentioned would be following Nanamo.
Bikapanda was a Devil Fruit user. For most Fish-Men, the inability to swim caused by a Devil Fruit was a massive drawback. However, certain fruits were unexpectedly perfect for the Fish-Man race—like the one Bikapanda ate: the Sui Sui no Mi (Swim-Swim Fruit).
Though it had nothing to do with actual water, it allowed the user to treat the ground and walls as if they were liquid, allowing them to swim through them freely.
For a human, the power boost was minimal (in the original timeline, it was consumed by Senor Pink of the Donquixote Pirates). For Senor Pink, it offered little more than a method for sneak attacks. Later, Vegapunk used the Lineage Factor of this fruit for the Seraphim S-Shark (the Jinbe version).
A Fish-Man Seraphim, aided by this fruit, could treat the ground as water and use Fish-Man Karate or Fish-Man Jujutsu to manipulate the earth. A single punch could cause landslips and mountain-shattering tremors.
Since Bikapanda's natural combat talent was lower than the other three executives, Logan had given him this fruit to bolster his strength. This ensured that even on land, Bikapanda was always in his "home element." He could swim and hide in the earth, and even breathe underground.
As Bikapanda swam beneath the surface, Nanamo soon reached Charlotte Linlin's encampment—a pier on the other side of the island.
However, the atmosphere here was heavy. The other children of the Charlotte family weren't as happy as Nanamo.
Currently, Charlotte Brulee was lying there, a hideous scar slashing across her entire face. The blood on her skin and her soaked clothes made it clear the wound was fresh.
Standing over her was a boy with reddish-purple hair and sharp teeth, with stitched scars on both sides of his mouth. At only ten years old, Charlotte Katakuri stared at the ground with a face full of rage and disbelief.
"What happened?! How did Brulee get hurt so badly?!"
"It was those guys you taught a lesson to earlier. They came back for revenge," replied the eldest son, Perospero.
Katakuri, despite being only ten, had already displayed extraordinary combat potential. The scars on his mouth weren't from battle, but from stretching his mouth open too wide to eat donuts.
"Revenge? Why target my sister?! If those bastards wanted revenge, they should have come for me!"
Young Katakuri couldn't understand why they wouldn't face him directly, choosing instead to target his innocent sister.
"Is that even a question? They were afraid of you, so they went after Brulee instead. Is Mama busy with something else? Is that why she's not here?"
Nanamo, having just arrived, overheard Katakuri's furious questioning. She tossed her snacks aside and walked over.
"Big Sis? Mama received some news earlier and went to a meeting..." Perospero answered. He wasn't surprised to see Nanamo; she visited often, though her timing today was coincidental.
The pirates on the island still feared Charlotte Linlin. Attacking her children while she was away was a bold, reckless move. Had they done it to her face, it would have been a death sentence.
"I knew it. Do we know who did it?"
"Of course... it was those guys from the Fat Bottle Pirates..." Katakuri ground out the words through gritted teeth. Anyone could feel his rage boiling over.
"Then let's go," Nanamo said.
"Do what?"
"Is that even a question? We're going for revenge. If they can seek revenge on Brulee, we can certainly strike back."
"No... they came for me. I'll handle this myself—"
"Idiot, stop talking nonsense. She's my sister too. And you're just my little brother. When something like this happens, there's no way your Big Sister isn't stepping up."
"Sister, Brother... I'm okay. The wound... it doesn't hurt. You don't have to go..." Brulee, worried for her siblings' safety, tried to dissuade them, but it was useless.
Nanamo could still control her emotions, but Katakuri's fury had reached its breaking point. Ignoring whether Nanamo followed or not, he grabbed a tablecloth, wrapped it around his face several times like a scarf to hide his mouth, picked up his trident, and charged down the path.
Nanamo followed immediately.
"Wait! Princess Nanamo! And her brother! I believe we should plan this out! We should gauge the enemy's strength first, report to Mama or Lord Logan, and then act!"
Hermes's words fell on deaf ears. Both had already rushed out. Seeing this, Hermes didn't linger and hurried after them, while Bikapanda shifted his direction beneath the ground.
After flying a short distance, Hermes remembered something. He extended his body, stretching his head back toward Perospero.
"Long-tongue brother! Now! Right now! Go notify Mama! I'm heading out!"
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