The moment those words left his mouth, both Kuzan and Dragon wore the same stunned expressions that Kizaru had shown back then.
Dragon, however, quickly moved past the initial shock, his face shifting to one of admiration and respect.
"That kind of attitude... it's truly something. With someone like you in the Grand Line, this world is bound to be turned upside down."
Kuzan, on the other hand, could only sigh helplessly. He wasn't like Kizaru—he couldn't just throw a punch whenever he felt like it.
"You've got a pretty twisted sense of humor."
"This isn't about humor... It's fine if you don't want to join now. The doors of the Sky Pirates will always be open to you. Still, things really are getting lively today..."
Just as Yemu finished speaking, the battered wooden door creaked open again, and someone—no, something—walked in. A bird, dressed in a sharp suit.
The moment it stepped inside and saw the three sitting side by side, its eyes lit up.
"So the intel I received was true! What a once-in-a-century scene—pirate, Marine, and Marine traitor all sitting together! This is front-page material! If none of you mind, would you allow me to take a photo to commemorate this moment...?"
At that, Yemu—who had been wondering who the bird was—suddenly remembered.
Kuzan, however, frowned and spoke up with a resigned tone.
"Forget it, Morgans. If this gets out, Admiral Sengoku will kill me."
"A real shame..."
Morgans looked genuinely disappointed as he reluctantly stashed away the Den Den Mushi camera he'd already pulled out.
But he quickly turned his attention to the others.
"Dragon, traitor of the Marines—rumor has it you're plotting something quite terrifying lately. Would I be so fortunate as to score an interview?"
Dragon clearly wasn't amused.
"Sorry. Now's not the time."
"Pity, truly... Well then..."
Morgans shifted his gaze to the last man in the row.
"Captain Yemu of the Sky Pirates, The Most Evil One, the world criminal bold enough to kill a Celestial Dragon—would you be interested in a personal interview?"
Yemu gave a toothy grin and shot back with a question of his own.
"I'll ask you this—do you even dare to publish it?"
"!!!"
Morgans froze for a moment—but then his eyes lit up with excitement. He could smell a headline a mile away.
"Well... that depends on how explosive the news is."
"Hahahaha. Fair enough. But this isn't exactly the right setting for an interview. Leave me your Den Den Mushi number. I'll contact you later."
"Absolutely, absolutely!"
Morgans eagerly pulled a Den Den Mushi from his coat.
"I'll make sure your interview's front and center—top headline!"
With that, Morgans had achieved his goal. He looked toward the other two men who clearly weren't thrilled with his presence, then bowed politely like a proper gentleman.
"Well then, I won't intrude any longer... Captain Yemu, I'll be waiting for your call."
Morgans left, practically humming with excitement.
Right after, the beat-up wooden door creaked open again.
"You guys are back, huh...?"
"Ah..."
Enel strolled in slowly, a slice of pizza dangling from his mouth, and mumbled vaguely,
"Who was that giant bird that just left...?"
"A reporter. Wants to do a feature interview on me."
Enel looked puzzled, then glanced over at the two men sitting beside Yemu.
"Who are those two?"
"Vice Admiral Kuzan of the Marines... and Dragon, the Marine traitor."
"Oh..."
Enel's eyes lit up as he swallowed the last bite of pizza.
"So he's the same rank as that yellow monkey? Yeah, I can feel the power from him. Not bad at all."
"You ran into Kizaru?"
"Yeah, but we didn't fight. That guy's slippery. We loaded up the supplies, swatted a few bugs, and came looking for you."
Enel said casually as he found himself a seat.
Just then, Tiger stepped inside—but what caught everyone's attention was the tiny girl at his feet. She had short black hair, wore ragged clothes, and was no taller than his knee.
The little girl, who had been nervously following Tiger, suddenly lit up when she saw Enel. She immediately darted past Tiger and ran straight to Enel, clinging to his leg with joy.
"Enel-sama! I'm so happy to see you again!"
"Hey! You little brat, I told you not to cling to me like that!"
In that instant, the usually proud and aloof Enel was flustered—showing a side Yemu had never seen before. He stared in disbelief at Enel's panicked expression.
"Uh... Can someone tell me what's going on?"
Yemu was dumbfounded. Where did this little girl come from? And why did she act so attached to Enel?
Tiger, who had spotted Kuzan and Dragon the moment he entered, had tensed up at first. But once he noticed there wasn't any immediate hostility, he relaxed slightly and walked over, speaking in a low voice.
"We rescued her from a group of slave traders. Me and First Mate Enel."
"Slave traders!?"
At those words, Yemu, Kuzan, and Dragon all frowned simultaneously.
"Yeah."
Tiger glanced at the two beside him and explained.
"After we finished shopping and were heading back, First Mate Enel noticed someone tailing us—a bunch of slave traders. They spotted that I'm a fishman... Enel caught the ones following us and got them to spill the location of their slave ship. We dealt with them and freed the slaves. But this girl... she latched onto Enel like he's family and refused to leave. On top of that, I noticed something odd about her, so I brought her here to ask what you think."
"Oh? What's special about her?"
Tiger lowered his voice.
"She's a Devil Fruit user. I've heard of this particular one—it's a powerful fruit called the Buki Buki no Mi, the Weapon Weapon Fruit."
"The Weapon Fruit..."
Yemu froze. Something clicked in his mind. He looked down at the girl—still wrapped around Enel's leg, completely ignoring his protests, her face full of bliss.
"It really can't be... but I get it now."
He quickly turned his attention to the girl and waved her over.
"Hey, little one, what's your name?"
The girl didn't even glance at him, her eyes glued to Enel. Seeing that, Enel sighed and ordered,
"Stop clinging to me. Answer Captain Yemu."
Only then did the little girl nod cheerfully and, still hugging Enel's leg, reply.
"Mm-hmm! I'll do what Enel-sama says! I don't have a name!"
"Oh? Then how about I give you one? From today on, you'll be Enel's personal maid."
Her eyes sparkled like stars, but Enel instantly panicked.
"Hey! Yemu! Don't go making decisions for me!"
"I'm the captain—and your big brother. Just go with it this time."
Yemu waved him off, then looked at the glowing expression on the girl's face.
"You're the fifth member of our Sky Pirates. And since you're still just a kid, let's name you Baby-5. Sound good?"