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Wetton's once-arrogant expression gradually stiffened, and finally, he collapsed onto the ground.
Flip, standing beside him, wasn't any better off. His face was filled with despair. He knew that Ikki hadn't come just to collect taxes.
He still remembered Ikki's words:
"Pirates who do good get tax benefits."
But what about pirates who have done bad things?
Of course, they pay with blood...
Even though Flip had never been a pirate himself, his wealth and prosperity for over thirty years were built entirely on the back of his Father. And in that time, he had committed plenty of misdeeds on Ruluka Island.
Only Lake remained confused, unable to grasp the gravity of the situation.
Weren't these pirates supposed to be polite? They came to pay taxes, so how had things suddenly escalated into this?
"Considering my age… could you spare me?"
Wetton suddenly knelt before Ikki and the others, his face full of pleading.
Ikki smirked, then looked down at the old man.
"Y'know, I liked you better when you were acting tough."
"Hey! Boy… what exactly are you guys doing? You're not here to pay taxes, are you?"
It was only now that Lake finally realized that Ikki and his crew were here to cause trouble.
Ikki sighed. "Didn't I say from the start that I was here to collect taxes?"
Flip, frustrated, stepped forward and pushed his son to the ground.
"Sir, forgive him! My son's brain isn't exactly... functioning properly!"
Ikki ignored Flip and Lake, turning his attention back to Wetton.
"I said all of your property will be taken as tax. Any objections?"
Wetton clenched his teeth but nodded immediately.
"Fine… take all my wealth. But please… let Flip and Lake go! They haven't done anything bad—aside from, well… oppressing good people."
Ikki nearly rolled his eyes.
"So bullying innocent people doesn't count as doing bad things…?"
"Don't worry," he said. "There are others who'll deal with you properly. I'm just here for the tax collection."
Because in the end, it wasn't Ikki who would decide the fate of Wetton and his family.
Now came the part that Nami loved—counting every single asset that belonged to Wetton.
Of course, the money would eventually be returned to the people of Ruluka Island.
But for now?
The sheer joy of overseeing such a massive haul of wealth made Nami giddy.
Even better, the gold Ikki had originally given to Flip?
Now, it was sitting securely in her hands.
With Wetton and his family locked away in a cage, Ikki turned to the others.
"Alright, now that that's settled, let's go check out the Rainbow Mist."
"Rainbow Mist?"
Nami, still flipping through the account book, looked up curiously.
Vivi smiled and explained, "According to the books, countless pirate ships have been lost in the Rainbow Mist. It's considered one of the most mysterious natural phenomena in the world—rumored to contain enormous amounts of gold and treasure!"
The moment Nami heard gold and treasure, she immediately slammed the ledger shut.
"Why didn't you say so sooner?! What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
She waved dismissively at the accounts.
"This can be settled later! But if the Rainbow Mist disappears before we get there… I'd be losing a lot of money!"
Nami had already decided that all the treasure in the Rainbow Mist belonged to her… leaving everyone speechless.
"Alright! Let's set sail for the Rainbow Mist!"
The second most excited person was, of course, Luffy.
For him, there was nothing better than adventuring into the unknown!
With that, the Straw Hats handed over the situation on Ruluka Island to the islanders and made their way to the port.
The people of Ruluka Island were overjoyed that the Wetton family had been taken down—so much so that they were practically setting off fireworks in celebration.
As soon as they arrived at the port, Ikki overheard the islanders talking about the Rainbow Mist.
"Is that old man Henzo really going in there?"
"Hmph! If he dies, it's his own fault!"
"Yeah! Didn't Wetton send him to study the Rainbow Mist in the first place? Even if he never comes back, he brought it on himself..."
"Speaking of which… doesn't anyone want to go in and take a look? I mean, just to see what's inside?"
"Are you crazy?! Legend says no one who enters the mist ever comes out alive!"
Listening to their conversation, Usopp suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"Uh... Luffy, maybe we shouldn't go in!"
But when he turned to look at Luffy, he saw his captain practically glowing with excitement.
At that moment, Usopp knew his words were pointless—Luffy was definitely going in.
If Luffy's excitement for the Rainbow Mist had been at a 5 before, it was now at a full 10 after hearing how dangerous it was.
After all, what kind of adventure didn't involve the unknown and a little bit of danger?
And so, the Straw Hats sailed the Going Merry straight into the mist.
After passing through a thick, hazy fog, they emerged into an eerie sea.
All around them were shipwrecks—rotting merchant ships, broken pirate vessels, and forgotten debris.
It was a graveyard of ships.
"So this is... the Rainbow Mist?"
Vivi gazed at the strange sight in awe. "It feels like we've entered an entirely different world."
But Nami's attention was elsewhere.
"Are the gold and treasure hidden in these shipwrecks?"
Just as she spoke, the water suddenly stirred.
A small boat came speeding toward them, rocking wildly in the waves.
On board was an old man—Henzo—along with a chubby little boy.
But behind them was something far more terrifying…
A massive, yellow sea monster was chasing them, its gaping mouth filled with rows of sharp teeth.
Its enormous forehead and bulky frame looked strong enough to crush a ship with a single headbutt.
As the monster lunged forward, preparing to swallow the boat whole—
SMACK!
Luffy stretched out his arm and punched it with a Rubber-Rubber Pistol, knocking it away and saving Henzo and the child.
Henzo was stunned. He hadn't expected anyone to follow him into the Rainbow Mist… let alone a bunch of reckless pirates.
But Henzo had his own reason for coming here.
His former crew.
Not long after he entered the mist, he had seen them—Rapanui, Isoka, Pukau, Akibi, and Rongo—the Pumpkin Pirates from his youth.
Seeing them again after so many years filled him with both excitement… and sorrow.
Because while time had moved forward for him, turning him into an old man, for them—
It had never changed.
Time inside the Rainbow Mist flowed differently, and his friends still looked exactly as they had when they first entered.
At first, Henzo hesitated to reveal his identity.
But Rapanui, the leader of the Pumpkin Pirates, recognized him.
And because Henzo had entered the mist alone—without the Straw Hats—Rapanuihad no reason to be wary.
Instead, he was overjoyed to see that his friend was still alive.