Roger instantly lost interest and curled his lip. "Not the world's most beautiful? Forget it then. My Shakky's still the prettiest~"
He bustled over to Shakky with a fawning smile.
Shakky, now fully detoxified, flicked her hair back, smiled with alluring detachment, and said:
"Thanks for the compliment, Captain Roger. But I'm a woman who'll never bow to anyone."
"I won't give up!"
Far from being discouraged, Roger flared his nostrils, eyes sparkling even more excitedly.
"Oho—well said! Full of spirit, shorty!"
Charlotte Linlin wore a perfect fake smile, lowered her head, and told Jabba—though the last three words were squeezed through clenched teeth, icy-cold.
(Fine! You bean-eyed runt, I've got you marked! Want to woo me? I'll steal every future wife you could've had! …Wait, does Jabba even have a wife? Was it ever mentioned?)
Charlotte Linlin, no expert on One Piece, had no idea whether Jabba was still alive when Luffy set sail; she only knew Roger had a subordinate named Jabba.
For the first time in her life a man had approached her in such a "gentlemanly" manner, and instead of feeling flattered she broke out in goosebumps, a chill running down her spine.
"Sh-shorty!"
The previously dashing Jabba was struck by lightning, petrified on the spot, then slunk to the rail to crouch in a corner and draw circles in self-pity.
"Shishishishi—Jabba! She called you a shorty!"
Beside him, Roger slapped his thigh and roared with laughter, dignity nowhere in sight.
Shakky cheerfully twisted the knife: "To the Dragon Swordsman lady, you're a complete shorty too, Roger~"
"Ah! I'm a shorty too!"
Roger's laughter cut off; shock froze his face as if he'd stumbled upon an unbelievable truth.
The next second he hung his head, and the deck gained two self-loathing brothers-in-arms.
"So… humiliating!"
Rayleigh beside them covered his face, black lines sliding down his forehead, looking as if he'd never met these two.
Gloriosa walked to Shakky and asked with concern:
"Enough chatter. What happened on your side? Is the poison gone?"
Shakky rubbed her fully recovered neck and threw Rayleigh a cryptic wink:
"Lucky—Rayleigh knew the antidote to the poison I got."
Caught off guard, Rayleigh turned his head, ears reddening:
"I-it was nothing."
Shakky went on: "They really had come to 'kidnap' people."
She pointed at the Roger Pirates.
"But when they saw we were in trouble and asked why, they dropped the idea and even wanted to rescue you. Looks like your luck's pretty good too, Captain," she added, glancing at the towering, beautiful Charlotte Linlin.
"Thank you, Miss Linlin, for looking after our Captain," Shakky said sincerely.
Linlin replied coolly, "It was nothing."
Seeing Shakky act like the crew's elder, Gloriosa bristled like a cat whose Tail had been stepped on: "Shakky! What do you mean? I'm the Captain!"
Shakky nodded obediently, teasing yet unable to hide her joy: "Yes, my dear Captain."
Only then did Gloriosa fold her arms in satisfaction. "Hmph, that's better."
After that, Shakky's gaze sharpened as she turned to Charlotte Linlin, her tone turning serious:
"But Miss Charlotte Linlin, what is your real purpose? A Great Pirate famed across the New World doesn't just happen to appear in this remote sea by coincidence, does she?"
The atmosphere on deck tensed at once. Gloriosa looked from the stern Shakky to the unruffled Linlin, at a loss.
Shakky was grateful Linlin had saved Gloriosa, but both of them were weakened; while the powerful "outside force" of the Roger Pirates was still present, they had to learn this dangerous woman's true aim.
Once Roger's group left, the Kuja Pirates would be helpless as lambs. Like Gloriosa, she would never let any hidden danger threaten her people—especially now that Gloriosa seemed quite taken with Linlin.
If they grew closer and the woman later betrayed them, their Captain would probably cry herself to sleep under her blanket.
Hearing this, Linlin arched her elegant brow, glanced at Roger's crew, lifted her shapely chin, and hinted: "Isn't it obvious?"
Shakky followed her gaze to Roger.
The moment Shakky looked at him, Roger snapped out of his slump, sprang to her side, and, borrowing her fierceness, glared at Linlin: "Yeah! What are you up to, dangerous woman?"
Shakky sighed helplessly: "Their goal's clear—some idiot Captain acted on impulse to snatch a person."
Roger loudly agreed: "Right! We only wanted to steal Shakky away!"
Shakky's fist quietly clenched, brows knitting: "They're here only because some dumb Captain steered us wrong!"
Roger kept shouting: "Yeah! All the dumb Captain's fault! Huh? Shakky… this 'dumb Captain' sounds like me?"
Smack!
Shakky finally snapped; a loving iron fist slammed onto Roger's head, raising a huge pink bump.
"Huh? Why are three Shakky's spinning…?"
Roger's eyes spiraled; he wobbled twice and crashed to the deck.
Shakky drew a deep breath, turned back to Linlin, gaze heavy once more: "So what's your aim? Surely… you're not here to steal women too?"
At this point the remaining two clowns of the Roger Pirates—Rayleigh and the just-recovered Jabba—also stilled, staring gravely at Charlotte Linlin; invisible pressure began to spread.
Linlin folded her arms beneath her impressive chest.
She glanced at the wary Rayleigh and Jabba, fully understood part of Shakky's reason for forcing the issue, and mused aloud: "Worthy of the Kuja Pirates' first mate—clearly quicker-witted than certain 'ordinary folk'."
(Ordinary folk · Gloriosa: "???")
Linlin continued playfully: "But how do you know… I'm not?"
Jabba took a heavy hit; his twin axes clanged to the deck, his trembling finger pointing at Linlin as his voice cracked: "Wh-what! You… you like women?!"
Linlin tilted her head, showing a languid smile: "Mmhmm—problem with that?"
Beside them, Gloriosa's cheeks burst crimson, steam starting to rise from her head.
(Eh? Eeeh! Could… could I really have a chance to repay her with myself? Should I agree first or pounce first? Do I need a bride-price? Kuja custom is bride-kidnapping, right? No, wait…)
Crack—
The clear sound of a heart breaking seemed to come from Jabba.
"How could this be! My love's over before it began?! And for this reason?!"
Jabba turned completely to stone; a cold breeze blew and he looked like a gray statue cracking apart.
Roger, just awakened, paled and threw himself before Jabba's "remains," wailing: "Jabba! Jabba! Hang on! We haven't become the greatest pirates yet!"
Rayleigh covered his face again.
Shakky's expression stiffened; she asked uncertainly: "You… you're serious?"
Watching the chaotic, comical scene, Linlin dropped her teasing look, became calm and solemn, and said to Shakky: "More or less. But more precisely—I'm here to subdue you, the Kuja Pirates… and the entire island of Kuja."
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