Oni Island, West Tower of the Castle.
Dinosaur Amusement Park.
This was the exclusive territory of Ulti and her younger brother.
Gurd returned to the amusement park and quickly found Ulti sprawled on a merry-go-round, looking utterly listless.
"Lady Ulti, I'm back."
"Gurd?"
The moment Ulti saw Gurd, she leaped at him in a flying tackle, wrapping her arms around his neck like a human pendant.
The girl burst into tears.
"Gurd-chan, I missed you so much!"
"Hmph."
Gurd looked thoroughly disgusted.
Missing him was one thing, but did she have to cling to him like this?
Every time this girl got clingy, it never ended well.
Feeling ignored, Ulti immediately flew into a rage and tried to strangle Gurd, but her fingers weren't long enough.
This only made her angrier!
"You jerk! What's with that attitude? I'm a beautiful girl, you know!"
"Yeah, yeah, Lady Ulti, you're drop-dead gorgeous," Gurd replied half-heartedly.
Now that he had a new backer, did he really need to humor this brat?
Keh keh keh keh—just wait. It wouldn't be long before their relationship flipped, and he'd be the one looking out for her!
"Fine, I forgive you!"
Though she sensed Gurd's lack of sincerity, Ulti decided to let it slide—she had more important matters for him to handle.
"Gurd!"
She tugged at his sleeve, her eyes welling up with huge tears, as if she might burst into sobs any second.
"Page One is missing!"
"Hmph."
"Waaah! I haven't seen Page One for five whole days!"
"Hmph."
"Could it be... he ran into bad guys and got taken out?"
"..."
Stop jinxing your own brother.
The girl slumped to the ground, looking utterly devastated.
"Page One... waaah... without Page One, what's the point of living?!"
"..."
Gurd's face darkened.
You're a leg monster, not a drama queen!
Ulti remained in her pitiful state for a long time, secretly glancing at Gurd out of the corner of her eye. When she realized he had no intention of comforting her, she flew into another rage.
The girl angrily scrambled to her feet and kicked Gurd hard in the shin.
"You jerk! Say something already!"
"Tch—!"
Gurd winced in pain.
Damn, that hurt!
This drama queen wasn't just long-legged—she packed a serious punch too.
Ulti planted her hands on her hips and glared at Gurd. "Stupid Gurd! I order you to find Page One right this instant!"
"Lady Ulti..."
Gurd sighed helplessly and steeled himself to explain his real purpose.
"I came to ask for leave."
"Huh?"
Ulti froze for three full seconds.
Leave?!
Was this guy planning to go fool around somewhere?!
"What do you need leave for?"
"Lord Kaido has ordered Princess Yamato to suppress the rebellion of the Kozuki Remnants. I've been selected to assist her."
Gurd told her the truth.
Heh, a perfectly legitimate reason to take time off.
This way, he could stay in Wano Country longer, scout out some land, and maybe even lease out his hot spring inn for some extra income.
"Assist Yamato?!"
Ulti's voice shot up an octave.
Oh no—this guy was about to switch sides!
No way!
Sure, Gurd had plenty of flaws, but he was incredibly capable. He handled everything for her so efficiently that she could focus entirely on taking care of her brother.
Without her brother around, she'd just be bored. But without Gurd? She'd barely be able to function!
Do you have any idea how hard these past two weeks have been?! She even kicked off her blankets at night, and there was no one to cover her back up!
"Waaah—!"
Ulti burst into loud, dramatic tears, wiping at her eyes with her hands.
"Gurd, are you abandoning me?"
"..."
Gurd opened his mouth slightly.
Damn it, girl, could you at least try to act convincingly? Stop peeking at my reaction through the corner of your eye!
"This is Lord Kaido's order!"
"Lord Kaido?"
Ulti flew into a rage upon hearing this.
"That bastard Kaido! How dare he give orders about my people!"
"..."
Gurd fell silent again.
He felt like he couldn't keep up with this girl's train of thought.
Exhausted, he decided to play his trump card.
Gurd pulled out a sheet of paper.
"Lady Ulti, this is for you."
"What is it?"
Ulti took the paper and glanced at it—a simple map of Oni Island, with many X marks along the coastline.
Gurd's lips curled slightly, with a hint of schadenfreude: "The marked spots are places your little brother frequents."
"Really?!"
Ulti's eyes lit up.
Gurd smiled without answering.
Sorry, Page One.
As the saying goes, better you than me. To get out of this—no, wait—to strengthen your sibling bond, you'll have to make a tiny sacrifice.
Next time, I'll treat you to skewers!
"Lady Ulti, I have other matters to attend to."
"Go, go!"
Ulti waved him off like shooing a fly, her attention now solely on the map.
"Hehe~ hehehehe~~"
Meanwhile, on the western shore of Oni Island.
Page One sat crouched on a windless cluster of rocks, patiently watching the sea until his fishing rod jerked violently.
Hey, got a bite!
The rod bent taut—clearly, something big was on the line.
Page One didn't yank it up recklessly but skillfully played the fish.
Perhaps it was his Spinosaurus instincts, but he loved fishing. However, since Devil Fruit users couldn't swim, he had to settle for angling instead.
On his days off, he could fish all day long!
After about ten minutes of struggle—
"Snap!"
The rod suddenly broke in half.
"If only Gurd were here..."
Page One grumbled in frustration.
If Gurd were around, he could've used the landing net to scoop up the fish. That guy might not be great at fishing, but he was excellent at netting them.
"Gurd should be back by now."
The boy missed Gurd.
By his estimate, Gurd's shift guarding the Dungeon should be over.
Thanks to his sister, he and Gurd often crossed paths, and over time, they became good friends.
Gurd frequently used him as an excuse to slack off and fish together, always bringing drinks and cooking gear to make a feast by the shore.
Way more enjoyable than fishing alone.
"That bastard didn't even save me last time. And I considered him a brother!"
Remembering what happened half a month ago, Page One seethed, vowing to pick a fight when they next met.
Though without using his abilities, he wasn't sure he could win—in fact, he'd probably lose.
Lately, Gurd had grown much stronger, and Page One didn't want to use his powers—that'd just be bullying.
He had some pride, after all.
"Achoo!"
Page One rubbed his nose and suddenly stood up, scanning his surroundings warily.
"Something's off!"
Years of evading his sister had honed his instincts to a terrifying degree—even sharper than Observation Haki.
Observation Haki could fail, but his gut never lied.
Danger was coming!
"Time to move."
The boy swiftly packed his gear, ready to relocate to another fishing spot. He'd put a lot of thought into dodging his sister's pursuits.
Just like this time, he had five whole days of peace.
Though he felt something was missing without Gurd by his side, he was perfectly content to fish in quiet.
After all, his sister was absolutely terrifying!
Just as the boy was about to grab his bucket and flee, a slender figure descended from the sky!
"Page One, found you!"
"Sister!"
The boy's pupils shrank violently!
How did she find him here?!
No way!
"Gurd! You %*$#—!!!"
(End of Chapter)