Night fell over the tavern in the fortress.
To provide laborers with some leisure, the fortress had established a living area complete with facilities like taverns.
In a corner of the tavern...
"Lady Shakky is here too!"
Seeing Rayleigh and Shakky, the two younger sisters were nearly moved to tears. This was, after all, the territory of the Beasts Pirates, heavily guarded with numerous troops.
"Mr. Rayleigh, Lady Shakky, thank you for coming to rescue us."
"I didn't expect it to go so smoothly either."
Rayleigh took a sip of his drink and chuckled, shaking his head.
This trip had indeed gone surprisingly well.
Contrary to his expectations, the Kuja Pirates hadn't been imprisoned or tortured—they were treated no differently from ordinary laborers.
At night, they could even come to the tavern for a drink.
Now, all that remained was to find an opportunity to rescue Hancock and the crew, then return to Nine Snake via the Calm Belt.
For him, this wasn't particularly difficult.
Rayleigh lowered his voice and asked, "Sandersonia, is Hancock being held on Calamity Gurd's ship?"
"Well, 'held' might not be the right word..."
Sandersonia looked somewhat awkward. "That Calamity Gurd found Elder Sister too troublesome, so he sent her to live on the ship instead."
"..."
Rayleigh was speechless.
"Pfft!"
Shakky burst out laughing. "That's so like Hancock-chan."
Rayleigh rubbed his temples in exasperation. "If I recall correctly, Calamity's ship is called the Groudon Ship, right? I didn't see it at the harbor."
"Mr. Gurd returned this afternoon."
Marigold chimed in—she had happened to see the Groudon Ship return, along with a group of Mink Tribe members.
"I see. That makes things easier."
Rayleigh glanced at the sky.
"I'll go find her later tonight."
"Mr. Rayleigh, there's no need for that trouble."
Sandersonia whispered, "If you want to see Elder Sister, I can just call her over. That Calamity Gurd won't mind."
"..."
Rayleigh's face darkened.
Are you all even prisoners?!
Did they have any idea how hard he'd worked to get here? He'd disguised himself as a carpenter and done no small amount of labor along the way!
Why do I feel like I'm the prisoner here?!
Sandersonia was also embarrassed. Rayleigh had gone to such lengths to rescue them, yet they hadn't suffered much—just done a bit of work.
For warriors of Nine Snake, this was far too easy.
"Mr. Rayleigh, how about we all go to see Elder Sister together?"
"Fine."
A short while later, the four arrived at the Groudon Ship.
The Antelope on watch glanced at the two younger sisters and didn't even bother questioning them, allowing them to lead Rayleigh and Shakky into the ship's cabin.
If Lord Gurd doesn't care, why should I meddle? As long as the work wasn't delayed, anything was fine.
"That old man looks familiar..."
The Antelope couldn't quite place him, so he pulled out a photo of Hancock looking cold and aloof from his pocket.
Hehehe!
He'd taken it secretly.
To secure this ship-watching duty, he'd spent a fortune bribing his colleagues—all to get closer to Lady Hancock.
Ship's Cabin – Bar
It wasn't yet bedtime, and Hancock sat alone, drinking listlessly. She seemed to have had quite a bit, her cheeks flushed red.
"Chikara, that Gurd... he really doesn't look down on you?"
"No, he's very kind."
Chikara stood behind the counter, serving Hancock while also wiping down the barware and tables—never a moment of idleness.
The girl cheerfully explained.
"Even slaves and prisoners, as long as they work hard, Lord Gurd won't discriminate against them. Status isn't a measure of worth in his eyes."
"What a strange man."
Hancock rested her chin on the bar counter, her mood growing increasingly gloomy.
Though strange, she had to admit her current life wasn't bad—except for that certain man who kept making her scrub toilets.
The bar door swung open.
Hancock turned her head, tilting it slightly in confusion.
"Rayleigh?"
"Hancock, looks like you've had quite a bit to drink."
Rayleigh took a seat beside Hancock.
Noticing this, Chikara approached with a smile. "Are you a friend of Hancock's sister? What would you like to drink?"
"Well hello there, cute little lady. I'll have some vodka."
Rayleigh smiled, his mind filled with reflections.
Since arriving in the Beasts' territory, he'd been constantly amazed. In the Nation of Labor, the people were passionate and lively—completely unlike the oppressed populace rumors suggested.
Here at the Fortress, both laborers and giants worked with remarkable enthusiasm. Even the warriors of the Kuja tribe seemed to be living well.
It was hard to believe this was truly under the Beasts' rule.
All of this was Earth Calamity's doing.
It made him want to meet this Earth Calamity in person.
What kind of man could he be? The curiosity was killing him.
Chikara placed a glass before Rayleigh.
"Your vodka."
"Thank you."
Rayleigh took a sip, his eyes lighting up.
"Huh, this is good stuff."
"Of course! Lord Gurd has very high standards for alcohol quality. Not just drinks—everything on this ship is the best!"
Chikara answered cheerfully.
Rayleigh chuckled.
"You really admire him, don't you?"
"Yes!"
Chikara nodded vigorously, her face flushing red.
Rayleigh laughed heartily before turning back to Hancock. "Hancock, I came to take you back to the Kuja tribe."
"Back to Kuja?"
Hancock's drunken mind took a full three seconds to process this before she took another swig and slumped onto the counter, her beautiful face pressed against the wood.
She looked like a complete drunken mess.
"This one isn't going back."
"Hmm?"
Rayleigh frowned slightly.
She must be drunk!
"Why don't you want to return?"
"This one is no longer a Warlord of the Sea. Can't go back to Kuja. It's fine here—food, drinks, no need to think about anything."
Hancock listlessly swirled her glass.
Losing her Warlord title meant the Marines would hunt her. Though unafraid, she didn't want to bring disaster upon Kuja.
She didn't know where else to go.
Her current life wasn't bad. Though no one waited on her, there were no troubles either—a rare peace.
Except for that bastard man always ordering her to mop floors and scrub toilets.
Rayleigh's face darkened with exasperation.
He understood Hancock's concerns. Earth Calamity had deliberately leaked news of her capture to prevent her return.
But it hadn't even been two months yet—how had this girl already turned into such a listless, good-for-nothing slacker?
Her will had deteriorated completely!
Sighing, Rayleigh took a drink and glanced at Shakky beside him.
"Isn't this perfectly fine?"
Shakky disagreed with Rayleigh's perspective.
Back when she was Empress of the Kuja, lovesickness had forced her to leave the tribe—a decision that saved her life.
If little Hancock wasn't suffering here, what was wrong with staying? This might even be her salvation.
The successive empresses of the Kuja tribe have never escaped the fate of lovesickness.
Without exception.
The next empress after her departure died from lovesickness.
"That Earth Calamity fellow doesn't seem too malicious. Perhaps it's not a bad thing for Hancock to stay by his side."
"Ah, do as you will."
Rayleigh downed his drink in one gulp.
What exactly had he come here for?
To work for Earth Calamity?
"Another drink, young lady!"
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/GoddessTL
Thanks!