Chapter 181: Parting Again
On the giant rock, Ulti and Page One were sitting side-by-side, watching intently as Yelena unilaterally beat up a group of giants.
The fierce beating, the rolling sound waves, and the splendid special effects all made the two children, who were not yet thirteen, feel their blood boil. They wished they could jump into the field themselves and take a few hammer blows.
After seeing the four-horned pale figure once again swing her war hammer and send the horn-headed dinosaur-man flying, Ulti's eyes lit up. She grabbed the protesting Page One next to her and shook him back and forth.
"Page One, look! That was so cool!!"
Beside her, Page One stared with dead fish eyes, his face completely numb. "I know, sis. Now let go of me!"
"Huh?" Ulti's body froze, her face filled with disbelief. "Did you just call your cute big sister 'sis'?!"
"Page One!!"
A few hundred meters behind them, Hanafuda watched this scene and silently shook his head. Seeing this familiar sight, he was completely certain that his two kids were doing just fine here. Moreover, their relationship with Kaido's eldest daughter seemed to be quite good; they would even cheer for her outstanding performance.
Then, he strode forward, walking directly toward the two siblings. However, the next moment, the Den Den Mushi on his body rang.
Brrring~ Brrring~ Brrring~
Click. While walking, Hanafuda answered the call, asking with a blank expression, "What is it?"
"Captain, Gildo Tesoro's auction house has listed an Ancient Zoan for auction! Along with it, there are several ordinary Zoans!"
"What fruit?" Hanafuda, long accustomed to this, asked without changing his expression.
"It's the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Model: Spinosaurus!"
"Spinosaurus?" Hanafuda raised an eyebrow slightly and replied in a cold tone, "I understand. I'll bring Ulti and Page One back immediately. You all prepare to set sail."
With that, Hanafuda prepared to hang up. However, the next moment, his subordinate's somewhat hesitant voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
"But—Captain. Several other great pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions are also participating this time. And the Big Mom Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates, and the Golden Lion, who have usually shown no interest in Zoan types, have all specifically requested this Ancient Zoan—"
Hanafuda's advancing foot stopped in mid-air, and his expression became extremely serious.
"Big Mom, Whitebeard, and the Golden Lion... they're also interested?"
"That's right, Captain. And not just them, those guys with bounties in the hundreds of millions are no pushovers either. If they team up, even you, Captain, will be in considerable danger!"
Hearing this, Hanafuda fell into thought. He would certainly not give up on an Ancient Zoan so easily. But whether he should bring Ulti and Page One with him at this juncture made him hesitate. If he brought the two of them along, he would have to find a place to stash them during the operation and come back to get them after it was over.
As he pondered, Hanafuda's gaze subconsciously shifted to Ulti, who was shouting loudly, and Page One, who was protesting.
At this moment, a bold idea came to his mind. "Why not... just leave them here for now?"
Stashing them in another place was no different from stashing them here, and it was even many times safer here. Kaido's eldest daughter, Yelena, could also look after them a bit.
Soon, Hanafuda made his decision: he would leave his two children here with Yelena and come back to pick them up after he had seized the fruit.
Then, he hung up the Den Den Mushi and strode toward Ulti and Page One.
The sound of familiar footsteps made Ulti and Page One realize Hanafuda had arrived, and they both turned to look. "Father?!"
"It's me." Hanafuda took off his hood, revealing his face.
However, the warm reunion scene did not happen for this pirate family. Ulti and Page One, after exchanging glances, jumped down from the giant rock and slowly walked toward Hanafuda.
As they walked, Page One complained with a strange look on his face, "How come you're back to pick us up so early this time? In the past, you always took a long time to come back for us!"
Nearby, Ulti crossed her arms and turned her head away with a huff. "You dumped us with Kaido the other day when we were sleeping, didn't you?"
It was clear that Hanafuda often did this—stashing the two siblings in one place while he went off to snatch Devil Fruits.
Hanafuda heard this and nodded, then said with a blank face, "That's right. It's inconvenient for my operations to always bring you two along. And stashing you during an operation risks exposure and encountering danger. It would be better to just let Kaido take you back to the Land of Wano. That way, you can also focus on getting stronger."
Ulti heard this, casually waved her hand, and said nonchalantly, "Whatever. As long as I'm with Page One, it's fine!"
Nearby, the 11-year-old Page One lowered his head and fell silent.
Hanafuda took in the appearance of the two of them. Although his heart was touched, in the end, he kept his face cold.
"Let's go! I'm already missing the bed on the ship!" Ulti stretched and put her hands on her hips.
However, after some thought, Hanafuda knelt down, revealing his somewhat terrifying appearance to the two siblings. "You two... just stay in Dressrosa for a while longer. I have to go to a dangerous place to snatch a Devil Fruit."
The two siblings heard him, and a subtle change came over their expressions.
Ulti, in particular, complained, "I knew it—"
BONK—
"Ow!" With a dull thud, Ulti let out a cry of pain and crouched down, holding her head.
"You two just stay with Kaido's eldest daughter. Explain my relationship with Kaido to her, and she will protect you," Hanafuda said in a deep voice, ignoring Ulti's complaints.
"Kaido's eldest daughter? Who?" Page One asked with a puzzled face.
"Yelena," Hanafuda replied.
"She's Kaido's daughter?!" the two siblings exclaimed, looking as if they had just seen a ghost. They recalled Kaido's terrifying appearance and cruel personality, then thought of the outstandingly beautiful, extremely gentle, white-haired big sister. For a moment, they didn't know what to say.
No matter how they tried, they couldn't connect Kaido with that gentle older sister.
"Stay here for a little while longer. I'll come back to get you." Hanafuda didn't exchange many words with the two siblings. He turned and left. Although there was still some time before the auction, because of the distance, Hanafuda didn't have much time to waste and had to set off as soon as possible.
The Whitebeard Pirates were one thing, but Big Mom and the Golden Lion... neither of them seemed like the type to follow the rules. If he went late, the auction house might already be torn to shreds. As for the other so-called great pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions, Hanafuda didn't pay them any mind at all. Just trash. So what if he made enemies of them and they teamed up? Hanafuda didn't care about their so-called alliance at all.
Ulti glared at the departing back, just as she always did, then turned and began to comfort Page One, whose spirits were clearly low.
Just then, a gentle voice sounded from behind them, making the two of them jump. "You two... you didn't leave with him?"
"!!!"
The two heard her, and goosebumps covered their bodies. They shot apart, jumping dozens of meters away at the speed of light. When they saw Yelena's face clearly, Ulti angrily marched forward, rolling up her sleeves, looking as if she wanted to give Yelena a piece of her mind. And Page One, with a look of helplessness, held her back from behind to prevent her from doing anything reckless.
After Ulti calmed down, she realized that the one-sided beating behind her had ended at some unknown point. One by one, the extremely massive giants were lying scattered on the shattered battlefield.
"..."
Ulti crossed her arms and answered Yelena's question with an indifferent look. "That guy... he has other business to attend to. He wants us to stay here for the time being."
"He also said... as long as we tell you his relationship with Kaido, you'll take care of us," Page One said tentatively, looking at Yelena's scarlet eyes.
Hearing this, Yelena was first taken aback. Then, her scarlet eyes narrowed slightly, and a mysterious smile appeared on her face. "He thinks my relationship with Kaido is good?"
"What?!" Ulti and Page One heard her and realized something was wrong. Had their old man screwed them over?
Then, under their gaze, Yelena extended a fair, slender hand toward them. The two of them saw it and subconsciously shrank back.
...
A golden holy light fell like snow, merging directly into Kyros's body and causing his haggard face to return to normal at a visible rate. Then, with Rebecca's help, he stood up. He glanced in the direction of the battlefield, where the golden rain was also falling, and then turned to look at the distant King's Plateau. Although his eyes reflected the giant Gothic building, his heart was still shrouded in the gloom of having been so easily subdued just now.
Kyros hugged Rebecca tightly, his eyes full of lingering fear. He didn't know why that person had appeared in front of his house, nor why he had suddenly given up on killing him. But Kyros understood that the next time, he and Rebecca might not be so lucky.
Gradually, a special determination appeared in his eyes as he looked at the King's Plateau.
...
Hanafuda landed heavily on his sailing ship. The huge impact caused the entire vessel to rock, creating waves on the sea. The crew members looked at Hanafuda returning alone and subconsciously asked, "Captain, where are the two young masters?"
"In Dressrosa."
Hanafuda looked in the direction of Dressrosa and said in a deep voice, "Set sail! We'll snatch the fruit and then come back to get them!"
"Yes, sir!" After receiving the captain's order, the crew did not dare to delay and quickly set sail. As for Ulti and Page One, the crew had already experienced many times the captain stashing them somewhere and coming back to get them later.
Soon, the sailing ship, driven by the sea breeze, moved quickly, leaving Dressrosa behind.
And just at that moment, a terrifying roar of thunder sounded from the sky.
Hanafuda, standing at the bow, subconsciously looked up, only to find a dazzling bolt of lightning splitting the sky, aiming straight at him.
Hanafuda's eyes widened, and a thought instantly rose in his mind. "Is this the punishment for my actions on Dressrosa?"
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