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The Strongest Frost Loli (45)
🕑 Added 2024-05-09 16:34:31 +0000 UTCChapter 45 - Foolshout Island
"So you're after Octavia's daughter too, eh?"
"What if I am? Are you going to quietly return to your own territory?"
"Jihahahaha! You've gotten quite bold! As if I would quietly return!"
"Then it's just a matter of who's faster. Mamahahaha...! Or perhaps you want to be killed first, 'Golden Lion'?"
"Bring it on. I'll crush you, Linlin."
"──That was the intercepted communication between Shiki, the 'Golden Lion,' and Charlotte Linlin, 'Big Mom.'"
"...So the 'Witch' was her daughter after all."
"This is giving me a headache, honestly."
"Regardless, we need to maintain a strict surveillance posture. Garp, proceed as planned and prepare to make contact with the 'Witch' while escorting Saint Homing. Tsuru and Zephyr, stay on standby and be ready to move at any time."
"Ugh, why do I have to be the one escorting a Celestial Dragon..."
"Even if we tell you to stay on standby, you'll just sortie immediately. Besides, weren't you the one who said you had business with the 'Witch'?"
"I'm not going on the same mission with you again. You always destroy the ship as soon as we sortie."
"We haven't been able to locate the 'Witch' yet... but move as soon as we have her location. If you dawdle too long, you might run into the 'Golden Lion' and 'Big Mom'. If that happens, things will get out of hand."
***
A beach chair and parasol were set up on the beach, and Kanata was leisurely reading a newspaper while relaxing.
She occasionally sipped a drink made by one of the top chefs in the Kamabakka Kingdom, enjoying the peaceful time with the sound of gentle waves as background music.
"...Hey, aren't you taking it a bit too easy?"
"Unlike you guys, I don't have anything to do." Kanata replied to Scotch's question without even turning around.
In contrast to Kanata, who was in full relaxation mode, Scotch was covered in sand and sweat, looking completely exhausted.
Kanata chuckled at his disheveled appearance, and Scotch plopped down on the ground.
"You look like you're having a rough time. The Newkama Kenpo instructors must be pretty strong, huh?"
"They might be 'pretty strong' for you, but for me, they're incredibly strong!"
Scotch's current physique was slightly overweight, as he had been stress-eating and then losing weight through training, repeating the cycle.
The Newkama Kenpo instructors were all strong enough to be considered Rear Admirals in the Marines. Those with mediocre skills were no match for them.
Of course, those who could compete with Marine Admirals, like Kanata and her crew, were training on their own and hadn't fought the instructors.
"How much have you learned in two months?"
"At best, I can handle about twenty of them. George and I were confident in our fighting skills, but that's about our limit."
"What about Samuel?"
"He can handle about thirty. His base strength isn't that different from ours, but he has his ability. David can only handle a little over ten."
"David still has a long way to go. If he were a bit younger, I would have pushed him harder."
"I'm not that much older than him!" Scotch, who felt like he was being indirectly called old, retorted without thinking.
Even though he had lived twice as long as Kanata, he was still in his thirties. There was still room for growth.
"Anyway, it's about time we leave the Kamabakka Kingdom. This isn't a bad place, but if we stay here, we'll never be able to conquer the Grand Line."
"That's good. Let's get out of here quickly." Scotch jumped at the idea without hesitation. It seemed he really didn't like this island.
It was understandable, considering the effects of constantly interacting with okamas.
Kanata didn't mind that aspect at all, so she couldn't really relate.
"Where to next?"
"We'll follow the Log Pose. Even if we don't know the destination, if we keep going where it points, we'll eventually reach the end."
No matter what, they had to follow the Log Pose to reach the final island. They could take some shortcuts, but there was no reason to rush.
Kanata told him they would set sail in two days, and Scotch laughed and said, "That's sudden," before going to prepare his luggage.
As if taking his place, George came to Kanata. "I heard from Scotch that we're leaving this island in two days?"
"Yeah, I told him to get ready for departure."
"Is Ivankov getting off here?"
"Yes. He originally joined us as a substitute ship's doctor for Sukura. Besides, Ivankov has his duties as the queen of this country."
Of course, if he insisted on coming along, there was no reason to stop him, but he had said he planned to start a revolution in this world with Dragon.
For now, it was probably best for him not to attract too much attention.
No other crew members wanted to stay either, and they should get some rest and prepare for the voyage.
"The Marines seem to be busy dealing with the 'Golden Lion' and 'Big Mom,' so I want to get through the first half of the Grand Line as quickly as possible while we have the chance."
"Yeah... I have no idea why those two great pirates suddenly appeared in the first half of the Grand Line, but I've had a bad feeling about this the whole time."
"I wish I could laugh it off as needless worry."
Kanata said that since two individuals who were active in the second half of the Grand Line had suddenly appeared in the first half, they had to assume there was some reason for it.
George, with a tired expression, said he could only hope they weren't involved.
Unaware of what the two great pirates mentioned in the newspaper were after.
"It's so sad that you're leaving already, Witchy Girl."
"We're trying to conquer this sea. We can't stay in one place forever."
"Nn~ Fufufu. That's a big dream, that's good."
Two days later, as they were preparing to set sail, Kanata and Ivankov were exchanging their final greetings.
It wasn't a permanent goodbye, but they didn't know when they would meet again on this vast sea. They wanted to avoid any regrets.
"Dragon. When Vanata starts a revolution in this world! Vatashee is prepared to help her! I'll be ready, so please contact me anytime!"
"Yeah, I appreciate it. From here on, our journey depends on the captain's decisions... but you can probably find out if we're safe by reading the newspaper."
"That's true. I'm sure Vanata and her crew will be making headlines."
The fact that they had repelled an Admiral wasn't in the newspaper, but their high bounties spoke for themselves.
If they stayed by Kanata's side, a known troublemaker, they would likely get caught up in incidents and be featured prominently in the news.
Even if that didn't happen, they trusted that Kanata and her crew wouldn't die so easily, considering their strength.
"The next island after the Kamabakka Kingdom is 'Foolshout Island'. It's a peaceful island, but I've heard there have been pirates there lately."
"If they stand in our way, we'll just defeat them. Eventually, I want to take down the 'Golden Lion' and 'Big Mom' as well."
They were formidable pirates. In their current state, they couldn't compete, both in terms of their forces and individual strength.
However, if they wanted to conquer this sea, they were enemies they couldn't avoid.
"I'm sure Vanata and her crew can do it. Vatashee can't join you on your journey, but I'll be cheering you on from here!"
"We'll meet again someday. After I achieve my goal, I promised to help Dragon achieve his."
"It would be incredibly reassuring to have Vanata as an ally!"
They didn't know how far in the future that would be, but their journey would eventually end. Perhaps it was still too early to think about that.
As they were talking, they finished preparing for departure, and George called out to them, "We're ready to go anytime."
"It's about time. What are we going to do about those okamas over there?"
"Hmm..."
The two of them looked towards a group of okamas who were crying and bidding farewell to Feiyun, who was leaving.
Some of them had tried to follow her, but Scotch had desperately blocked their way.
Feiyun was also flustered, her gaze darting around before finally looking at Kanata with a "What should I do?" expression.
"I'll bring them back. Our journey will be arduous, but will you still follow me?"
"÷〈ΨΘ×γ!!"
"Speak in a language I can understand."
Kanata calmed down the okama, who was sobbing and speaking incoherently, and asked again.
"Sniff... We're sad to say goodbye too, but we can't follow you. Please come visit us again!"
"Yes! I'll definitely come back to play!"
After somehow appeasing them, Scotch watched with a tired expression as Feiyun exchanged a few words with the okamas.
He had put in the most effort to hold them back.
While they might consider taking on Newkama Kenpo instructors, they couldn't just let ordinary okamas board the ship. It wasn't realistic to think they could keep up with the journey from here on out.
"Alright, let's set sail. Hoist the sails!"
The sails billowed as they caught the wind, and the ship left the port.
Leaving behind Ivankov and the others, who continued waving until they disappeared over the horizon.
***
It took about four days to reach Foolshout Island.
They hadn't encountered any storms along the way, and the voyage had been smooth sailing.
It was a quiet island where people lived peacefully, with nothing particularly noteworthy except for some large cacti.
──That is, if there hadn't been a large pirate ship docked at the port.
"What do you want? A merchant ship? If you value your lives, leave your cargo and go."
Apparently, they had a considerable number of crew members, as they were surrounded as soon as they arrived at the port.
Hmm, Kanata glanced at the surrounding pirates and spoke to George, who was standing next to her.
"What do you think? They seem to have some skill."
"What do you mean, 'what do I think'... We need to stay here for a few days to get to the next island, right? We have no choice."
"You're right. Let's take them down quickly and ask the residents for information."
Kanata and her crew's ship was a galleon large enough for giants to board, but the pirate ship was even bigger. They had to assume there were quite a few of them.
However, most of them seemed to be inside the island, and there weren't many guarding the port.
Subduing them would be a piece of cake.
When the pirates saw Kanata disembark, they gave her lecherous looks, and a few of them started talking with puzzled expressions.
"Hey, that face... could it be..."
"Yeah, it's probably her... Hey! You, are you the 'Dragon-Slaying Witch'!?"
"I'm sometimes called that. Are you scared now?"
"Boss Shiki, the 'Golden Lion', told us to contact him if we saw you. Will you come with us quietly, or will you wait until the boss gets here?"
This time, it was Kanata's turn to look puzzled.
From what she could gather, they were likely pirates under the "Golden Lion." It made sense that they were fairly strong, considering their boss was powerful enough to have his base in the "New World."
But that wasn't the issue.
"What business does the 'Golden Lion' have with me?"
"We don't know the details. You have two choices. Wait, or come with us to the boss."
"I refuse both. Even if you have business with me, I have no business with you."
"...We're talking about the 'Golden Lion' here."
"Bring it on. I'll kill him if he comes."
Kanata unleashed her Conqueror's Haki, causing the weaker pirates to collapse one after another. The stronger ones, overwhelmed by the pressure, were quickly defeated by Junshi and the others.
Junshi, who had been expecting a tough fight against pirates under the "Golden Lion," seemed disappointed and knocked them down with a scowl.
They quickly subdued everyone at the port and plundered all the valuables, food, and other supplies from the pirate ship.
Their opponents were pirates, so there was no need for mercy.
"The 'Golden Lion', huh... My bad feeling was spot on."
"He said he had business with me. It's probably nothing good, so let's ignore him."
It was probably just an attempt to recruit her and strengthen his forces.
She had heard that the pirates who were competing in the "New World" were all trying to increase their manpower. Roger was the only exception, but his crew already had several strong individuals when Kanata met them. He probably didn't need to worry about such things.
"There seem to be quite a few of them inside the island..."
They could sense the number of people, but they couldn't distinguish between residents and pirates.
Considering the size of the ship, there were too few pirates at the port. There had to be more inside the island.
They had tied up all the pirates at the port, but they were wondering whether they should just leave them there.
"Then let's do this."
Kuro extended his "Darkness" and gathered it beneath the pirates' feet, sinking them into it.
Into the inescapable darkness.
After swallowing them all, Kuro smiled and said, "This should do it," while George winced.
"That's scary... He's pretty ruthless too..."
"Then don't provoke him. We're going inside the island, so leave a few people on the ship."
Kanata left Feiyun and a few others to guard the ship and headed towards the island's interior.
