Skypiea.
Elsewhere, in the Shandian settlement.
"Was that the Golden Bell?"
The clear peal made the Shandian warrior Wyper jerk his head up in shock.
"It was probably Captain Arton and the others ringing the Golden Bell. That should finally put your mind at ease, Wyper."
Raki said it to him with a smile.
Because of the sailing diary, Raki had already known there was a good chance Arton would ring the Golden Bell.
So rather than being surprised by what was happening, she was simply happy.
Happy that Arton—her future captain—had been the one to ring it.
If that happened, the Shandians would definitely feel even more goodwill toward him.
And Raki believed that as long as the Shandians accepted Arton more, no one would try to stop her from setting out to sea with him.
Of course, even if someone did try to stop her, she would still choose to go with Arton anyway.
"It doesn't matter whether I'm at ease or not. If you're really planning to go out to sea, you still need to tell the chief. Come on—the chief's waiting for us."
Wyper said it bluntly.
They had been gone for quite a while, and from what Wyper knew of the Shandian chief, the old man was definitely already waiting anxiously.
Unless Aisa had already seen what happened through Observation Haki and told him everything.
And in fact, that was exactly what had happened.
By the time Wyper brought Raki to the chief's room, Aisa was already there.
The moment she saw the two of them come in, she smiled and waved.
"Welcome back, our great hero."
Aisa said it with a grin.
"Tch. I'm not some great hero. I wasn't the one who beat Enel, and I wasn't the one who rang the Golden Bell either."
Wyper dropped down cross-legged on the floor, wearing an irritated look.
Even so, everyone there knew full well that deep down, he was probably over the moon.
No matter what, one of their long-held wishes had finally come true.
"As long as everyone came back safely, that's enough."
The chief smiled as he stroked his beard, then looked at Raki.
"Raki, Aisa told me you plan to leave Skypiea and follow that Blue Sea man?"
"Yes, Chief. Arton is our benefactor. Since he needs my… strength, I should follow him."
Raki answered without hesitation.
Truth is, besides my strength, Arton wants my body too.
A faint blush crept across her face as she muttered that to herself.
"All right. Since you've already made up your mind, there's not much else I can say."
The chief let out a sigh.
He knew Raki well. She was one of the few female warriors among the Shandians, and once she made a decision, she usually didn't change it.
He understood that even if he kept trying to persuade her, it probably would not do any good.
"But you'll come back, won't you, Raki?"
Aisa stepped forward, her big eyes fixed on Raki.
"I will. When the time is right, I'll ask Captain Arton to let me come back to Skypiea."
Raki nodded firmly.
Arton was still sailing all over the world right now, but from what Raki knew of him, once his voyage was over, he would absolutely be willing to visit his crewmates' homes with them.
"Then I'm relieved. Later on, you'll have to tell me all the interesting things about the Blue Sea."
Aisa's face lit up with a sweet smile.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure to remember everything."
Raki smiled back.
Then her gaze swept across everyone in the room, and she said, "Chief, Aisa, I'll leave it to you to tell everyone else that I'm going out to sea."
That made the chief jolt in surprise.
"Raki, are you leaving right now? Isn't that a little too rushed?"
Raki waved a hand.
"That depends on what Captain Arton decides. I just want to head over to his side first. I'm at least a local here in Skypiea, so if Captain Arton decides he wants to look around the island, I think I'm one of the people best suited to show him around. Other than me, Conis is probably the only other good choice."
Chapter 617: Raki's This Outstanding — How Could Anyone Not Like Her?
"All right. You really are one of the best people to show that Blue Sea man around Skypiea."
The chief let out a sigh as he said it.
He could tell by now that Raki's heart had already flown over to that group of Blue Sea people.
It wasn't as if there had never been Shandian warriors before who showed a strong interest in things from the Blue Sea.
But the chief had never imagined that one day Raki would become one of them.
And the eagerness Raki was showing now far surpassed that of any other curious Shandian he had seen before.
That left the chief more than a little puzzled.
Still, puzzled or not, it was a fact that Arton and his group had helped the Shandians.
Maybe Raki had simply been moved by them.
"Then I'm heading out first. You all keep talking."
Raki waved to them and turned to leave the room.
Just then, Aisa grabbed her sleeve.
"What is it, Aisa?" Raki lowered her head and looked at her in confusion.
"Raki, can you take me with you so I can go see them too?" Aisa asked with a smile.
"Why?" Raki tilted her head. "You're not thinking of going out to sea with me too, are you?"
"Hey, Aisa, don't even think about something like that," the chief said at once.
"Right, right. You're still way too young," Wyper chimed in immediately.
It was one thing for Raki to leave Skypiea and head to the Blue Sea with Arton.
But Aisa was still so young that neither the Shandian chief nor Wyper could possibly feel comfortable with her leaving their land.
On top of that, Aisa was one of the rare people who possessed the same Mantra ability Enel had used.
Neither the chief nor Wyper said it aloud, but both of them understood the same thing:
Aisa was very likely the Shandians' future chief.
There was no way they wanted someone with that kind of boundless potential leaving Shandian territory.
Raki's expression turned serious too. She put both hands on Aisa's shoulders and said, "Aisa, you're still too young. Don't think about leaving Skypiea yet. If you really want to leave someday, wait until you're grown."
Aisa gave Wyper, Raki, and the chief a strange look, then tilted her head and said, "Why do all of you keep assuming I want to leave Skypiea?"
"Huh?" Raki blinked. "You're not planning to leave Skypiea with me?"
"Of course not," Aisa said as if it were obvious. "I'm just curious about the group that beat Enel, so I want to go see them. I'm not so obsessed that I'd insist on sailing out with a bunch of Blue Sea people like you are."
"Honestly, I was starting to think you'd fallen for someone in that group."
"Aha… haha…"
Raki rubbed the back of her head, looking deeply embarrassed.
She really couldn't bring herself to tell Aisa that she had actually guessed right.
The pace had just been a little fast, and the way it happened had been a little unusual.
But yes—Raki really had fallen for Arton.
For his sake, she was even willing to do bold things and squeeze more potential out of her body.
"What?" The chief's eyes went wide.
"Raki fell for a Blue Sea man?" Wyper blurted out.
The chief and Wyper exchanged a look, then both nodded.
Well, yes. If Raki was that eager to sail out with Arton, then what else could it be but love?
"Don't tell me a woman like you actually finally found someone who wants you?" Wyper said, mouth hanging open.
"Hey, you bastard—"
Raki instantly got pissed.
What the hell was that supposed to mean—a woman like her finally found someone who wants her?
Was he saying a good-looking woman like her was supposed to go unwanted?
"What are you saying, Wyper?" The chief gave a light cough. "A fine warrior like Raki is obviously the kind of woman people would want. You may not know it, but there are plenty of people in the tribe who like her."
Then he sighed.
"But Raki's about to leave with that Blue Sea man. If those people find out, they're definitely going to be heartbroken."
...
Read 50+ chapters ahead on Patreon! [patreon.com/METARLN]