The two of them arrived at Twin Harbor. First, they found a place where they could purchase large quantities of supplies. Holding a list, they bought almost everything they needed in one go.
All of it was stuffed into Meowth's belly.
"We spent money on all that stuff, meow. As pirates, shouldn't we just rob people instead, meow?"
Meowth had the instincts and habits of a "villain." Even though its bounty was only a measly 200 Belly—barely enough to buy two newspapers—being wanted still made it a pirate. It rather agreed with the reckless logic of Tant and Dice. Just take it by force.
"Meowth, aim higher. Robbing these minor nobles isn't interesting and will only alert the enemy… If we're going to rob someone, we rob the king."
As the wealthiest man in the entire nation, the king's treasury would be piled high with Belly—far more worth plundering.
Next, they headed to a tavern to gather information. For example, whether there were any famous Devil Fruit users in the Twin Kingdom… and about the extra island that had appeared on the map.
As it turned out, this wasn't particularly hard to ask about.
Almost everyone in the Twin Kingdom knew what had happened. Among the ships that arrived later, Vane wasn't the first to inquire.
"Let me tell you, about a month ago at noon, anyone with a clear head heard an enormous noise!"
"It was more than ten times louder than any undersea volcanic eruption I've experienced!"
"In an instant, massive waves slammed into the eastern shore of Twin Island! Large stretches of forest and houses were destroyed. A lot of people died!"
"And then that island appeared."
An island had appeared in an instant—lush and verdant, overflowing with vegetation.
"Lots of people say they saw the island fall from the sky… It sounds unbelievable, but that seems to be the only explanation."
Over the past month, the tavern owner had told this story countless times. Every time, many refused to believe him—especially those sailing this route for the first time.
"Stop bragging. How could such a huge island fall from the sky?"
"That's even more ridiculous than a story about a monster that eats islands!"
"I'm telling the truth! There's no benefit in lying to you! I also know that island is extremely dangerous. After the kingdom's army went up there, barely anyone came back!"
The boss kept defending himself, but few were convinced.
"How could an island fall from the sky… meow. Could it be a Sky Island?"
Meowth had heard from Vane that Sky Islands existed in this world.
"Not a Sky Island… If I'm not mistaken, it's the work of an old geezer… The question is whether he did it intentionally or by accident."
An island falling from the sky sounded like a Sky Island legend. In reality, land floating above the White Sea was stable and fundamentally different from islands in the Blue Sea.
If it wasn't a Sky Island, then there was only one possibility… the Golden Lion, Shiki! His ability allowed islands to fly through the sky—and to drop them at will.
The question was whether this island had been casually discarded by Shiki after losing its usefulness, or whether it had been deliberately thrown here for some purpose.
However, judging from Sengoku and Garp's reaction when Shiki appeared in the movie version, when he used warships to smash into a Marine base, that was said to be his first activity since disappearing. That made it highly likely this island never revealed any connection to the Golden Lion afterward… so it was probably discarded casually—and just happened to crash into the waters near Twin Island?
After asking around further and finding nothing useful, Vane and Meowth prepared to leave Twin Island.
They had barely stepped onto the street when a burst of commotion drew their attention.
A large group of soldiers were chasing a green-haired girl who looked about fourteen or fifteen years old.
"That person's a Twin Island resident without an entry permit! She snuck into the special district and caused trouble!"
"Catch her!"
For commoners, the minimum requirement to enter the special district was to have gone through fratricidal combat among siblings. Even then, further screening and connections were needed for approval.
There were always people like that girl who snuck in illegally. In such a vast special district, it was inevitable. Once caught, she would face Twin Island's punishment.
The girl was quite agile, weaving through the crowd. It wasn't easy for the guards to catch her.
"Meowth… create some chaos."
Meowth immediately pulled out a round ball marked with its emblem.
"Meowth Smoke Bomb."
It slammed the smoke bomb onto the ground.
Boom!
A thick cloud of smoke instantly spread across the street, engulfing everyone within more than ten meters.
"Cough, cough!"
"Who did that?! Where did this smoke come from?!"
"It must be that stowaway!"
By the time the smoke cleared, the green-haired girl was nowhere to be seen.
Of course, a conservatively dressed person and a cat had also disappeared—but no one noticed.
...
Inside Meowth's castle world.
The bewildered green-haired girl was filled with fear of the unknown.
The moment the smoke rose, she felt an irresistible force pull her forward two steps. Her vision blurred—and she suddenly found herself in what looked like the interior of a castle.
She had clearly been on the street just moments ago. How had she suddenly appeared inside a castle?
At that moment, the castle floor twisted like jelly. Soon, two chairs rose from it.
Vane appeared and sat down on one of the chairs, gesturing for her to sit on the other.
But clearly, fear kept her rooted in place, unable to move a step.
Vane didn't care whether she sat or not. He spoke directly.
"I'm someone from outside the Twin Kingdom. I need a local guide… What's your name?"
Truth be told, he didn't particularly need a guide. The only reason he had pulled her in was because she strongly resembled a character from his memory.
"M-My name is Monet."
The moment she spoke her name, Vane knew he had found the right person.
Snow Woman Monet. In the future, she would become a minor officer in the Donquixote Family and the user of the Snow-Snow Fruit.
She and her younger sister Sugar joined Doflamingo's crew after Law obtained the Op-Op Fruit. They were among the last "family members" Doflamingo took in.
Sugar was highly valued by Doflamingo. He had her eat the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, making her one of the most crucial pieces in his control over the country.
Monet, by contrast, though she ate the Logia-type Snow-Snow Fruit, was merely a disposable chess piece in Doflamingo's eyes. If he told her to press a self-destruct button, she would do so without hesitation.
Her loyalty to him was absolute.
"Monet… Perhaps there's a Logia Fruit on this island."