"Well, you guys chat here. I'll go cook something," Shun said and headed to the kitchen.
Thus began the weird spectacle of the guest cooks while the shop owner sat and watched.
"Really?" Shakky asked, but she had no objection to lending her kitchen. That was what it meant to be an SSS+ ranked cook.
"Sorry for the late introduction. My name is Shakky. Nice to meet you," Shakky said. She was quite interested in Mavis.
"Nice to meet you," Mavis replied with a smile and kept the light conversation going.
"So… young lady. How long have you known him?"
'Shakky unknowingly taking the role of the older one, huh? Mavis should be around ninety or something.'
"Eh, how long? About twenty years, I guess?"
"Twenty?!"
"Yeah, we're from a small island called Tenroujima." This time Shun answered from the kitchen. Seeing that Shun wasn't mentioning their home world, Mavis decided not to bring it up either.
"Tenroujima, huh? Never heard of it."
'Of course you haven't.'
"Anyways, Mavis never left the island before. She doesn't know anything about the outside world, so explain the basics she should know," Shun spoke while cooking.
A few moments later…
"Era of Pirates? World Government… Celestial Dragons?" Mavis was surprised by everything she heard.
"Wow, she really is clueless about everything. Is she a sheltered princess from somewhere?"
"Well, you're not far off. She was the fairy of Tenroujima. Until some bad guy stole her powers and made her unable to leave him," Shun shrugged as he placed the food he had just made.
Since it was just lunch, he didn't go overboard and cooked a simple meal with eggs and bacon.
"Of course that bad guy is you?"
"Indeed."
"To put it simply, she is the reason I'm strong."
'It's not an exaggeration. Fairy Heart is not just an infinite magic supply. There are also three super fairy magics,' Shun thought.
While Shakky was still processing the flood of information she was getting, Shun decided to move on.
"Well, enough about the boring topic."
'Boring… huh?' Shakky thought with a smile.
"Then, what's with your hair?"
"I just returned it to my original color. The white one was a side effect of overexerting my life force."
"…"
"I could return it to black, but I like the white one more. Makes it look like I'm from some special bloodline."
"Sometimes he is just like a child…"
"Fufu~ I agree!"
Shakky and Mavis got along well, to the surprise of nobody.
'Attractive people can get along with anybody. Or maybe they both being old makes them feel closer,' Shun thought, but he didn't dare voice it out loud.
A few more moments later, Mavis spoke with wisdom.
"But it's hard to believe this is an era of pirates and chaos. This island is very beautiful and peaceful—"
Crash—!
Before Mavis could finish speaking about peace, the door of Shakky's rip-off bar was kicked open. The poor door broke into pieces.
"Guys, catch the woman rumored to be a beauty like a fairy! We'll sell her for a fortune! Mermaids are outdated! Kill the guy!"
Ten bulky men with weapons, clearly slave traders, shouted with excitement.
"…"
Mavis was speechless.
Just when she had spoken about peace…
When she looked at Shun, a smile very familiar to the people around him had already formed on his face.
But he didn't laugh out loud like Shakky. He wasn't a demon like her.
"Ooaaahh—!!" Two of the slave traders sliced their swords down at Shun's head. It was aimed at a nasty spot. If it hit, it would hurt a lot.
Clang—! X2
The swords hit their target, but except for Mavis, the two just continued eating, completely ignoring the bunch.
"Shun—!" Only Mavis was alarmed. She immediately cast her magic.
"Tenrou!" When she shouted it, a giant wolf was created out of thin air, cramping the bar's limited space. Its head was almost touching the ceiling.
With its complete green eyes locked on the slave traders, the wolf stood protectively in front of Shun.
ROAR—!
"Eekk—! What is this?"
"She is a devil fruit user!!"
The poor slave traders were scared out of their minds.
"Run—!"
However, before they could move, a pervert spoke up with a big smile.
"Ah, I had forgotten the feeling of getting challenged… maybe I should keep changing my appearance."
"…"
"T-This voice… it can't be?!"
"It's the lunatic!!"
"Idiot, stop saying that out loud!"
'Seems like they also watched the live broadcast I used to do to bring Shiki out and gain some followers.'
Suddenly, someone who seemed to be the leader of the group spoke up.
"Wait, you guys! Use your brains, This wolf isn't doing anything… This wolf isn't real…"
"What?! He's right!"
"Wait, could it be? What if… everything this lunatic shows on the live broadcast is an illusion made by this woman's ability to fool the whole world into thinking he is strong?!"
"It's all starting to make sense now…"
"Everything they show us is what they want us to think!"
"…"
'Are they some conspiracy theorists of this pirate world?' For the first time in a long while, Shun was left speechless by someone else's actions.
'Did they forget that their weapons hit his temple but caused no damage at all?' Shakky was holding back her laugh. After all, she didn't want to attract their attention and lose the stand-up comedy she was getting.
"Brother! You're smart as always."
"Now that we know, let's redo it again. From the start. No… from zero!"
One of them with bluish hair was spouting quite moving words.
'Well, it's about time to wrap things up here. Before Mavis starts using offensive magic. After all, her whole skill set is a bit ridiculous. It's illusion magic, then Fairy Law and Fairy Glitter. If others help her she could also cast Fairy Sphere, but that's not the point. If she uses any of the offensive ones, it would be a gore scene, though she'll probably hold back.'
A cold voice cooled down the excitement of the group.
"Who do you work for?"
"Shut up! We already know your trick—" Before the dude could finish, Shun flicked his finger, which resulted in a crack in the air.
"Kirk—!"
Crash—!
The crack created a shockwave that enveloped its victim and the space behind.
With an inaudible scream, the poor guy disappeared along with the wall of Shakky's bar.
"…"
"Call your leader." Shun said this because he figured there had to be some leader.
'Those guys are too dumb and weak to survive on their own.'
The slave traders stayed silent… until Shun made another motion to flick.
"W-WAIT—!!"
"Actually we work for a guy that works for another guy, that guy works for the Sea Warlord Donquixote Doflamingo! Sir…"
Though it wasn't what he expected, Shun didn't comment on it.
"I see. I'll let you guys live, but in exchange, when you leave here tell Doflamingo to contact me through Tesoro."
"R-Really?!"
"Yes. But since I don't trust you guys… Contract." Shun chanted, and immediately a bunch of words in alien language written in purple appeared in the air.
"Hmm, in simple words. If you guys don't do what I told you to do. It'll be seen as breaching the contract and your hearts will stop. No need to sign anything, I've already signed on your behalf."
When Shun finished talking, the purple letters appeared above the heads of every slave trader.
'It's Freed and Levy's magic combined, and I made some arrangements. As I mentioned before, I learned most of the Fairy Tail members' magic. I would've liked to add some details to the contract magic, but I haven't mastered it completely. So for now, the only thing I could do to contract breachers is kill them or not, with the purple letters marking them. Once they breach the contract, it contains my magic to kill them.'
"R-Run, tell the boss to tell his boss!!"
After that, the slave traders knew their fate was sealed and immediately ran off to inform their leader.
——
Swoosh—!
A cold wind blew through the now open wall.
"…"
The three who remained in the ruined Shakky's shop fell silent… until Shakky spoke up again.
"So… fixing that wall would cost at least a hundred million belli," she said, already back to her usual scheming.
"W-What? A hundred million?" Mavis didn't know what belli were, but a hundred million certainly sounded like a huge amount.
Until…
"What wall are you talking about?"
When Mavis and Shakky blinked, the wall was already fixed.
"You used some new ability again, huh?" Shakky asked. She had never taken her eyes off the wall, yet it looked as if time had been reversed just for that broken section.
"No, it was like that from the start."
Seeing Shun smirking, Shakky realized pressing the topic wouldn't get her anywhere and eventually let it go.
"We'll go to Gran Tesoro to play. Do you wanna come?"
"No, I'm too old for that."
"Really? Then we'll see you later," Shun said as he headed out with Mavis.
"Magic Motorcycle." Shun chanted the words to shape his imagination.
"Oh? It's a new ride this time?"
"Yeah, it's Sawyer's motorcycle, just a bit modified and upgraded."
Magic motorcycles and cars already existed in Fairy Tail, so Mavis wasn't particularly surprised.
"Why a motorcycle though? You usually go for something bigger…" Mavis wondered aloud.
"There's a very important reason behind this choice. Let's go," Shun replied mysteriously, then pulled out Baccarat's vivre card.
"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?"
Just as they were about to leave, Shakky called them back.
"Hm? A goodbye kiss?" Shun's honest mistake earned him a sharp pinch on his side. It didn't actually hurt, but he pretended it did.
"Ow, that hurts."
"No. Your bill for the service and drinks. It's two million belli in total," Shakky said with a small smirk, still smoking her cigarette.
"A bill? I don't have money. I'll pay with gold. Is this enough?" Shun asked as he handed over a golden bracelet.
'Nami will be furious if she knew that I traded a golden bracelet for milk and orange juice. But I guess she'll never know.'
"Yes, good luck on your way," Shakky smiled and accepted the bracelet. As an information broker, she knew its value was easily in the tens of millions.
'Laughs at our orders, then laughs at our feelings. Then makes us fight some clowns. Then asks for two million belli. No wonder it's called Shakky's rip-off bar.'
The bike had to be coated with Shun's paw bubble. After all, the weather in the Grand Line was quite annoying, especially in the New World where they were heading.
'As for the group of slave traders, they will either die for breaching the contract or get killed by an angry Doflamingo. Either way, none of my business.'
——
Vrooom—!
A flying motorcycle sped toward Gran Tesoro, the world's largest entertainment city that constantly moved across the sea.
"Woah, it's so fast~"
"I'm glad you're having fun. I'm having fun too."
"…"
Shun's words brought Mavis back to her senses, and her cheeks turned red.
She was sitting in front, her body pressed firmly against Shun purely by coincidence.
Deciding to change the subject, Mavis asked,
"Are you after her too?"
"Shakky? No, she's married. I'm not interested in married women."
"Huh? Really?" Mavis asked, her eyebrows furrowing.
"Yeah. If that wasn't the case, Lucy's mom would've joined our guild. She is quite the beauty after all."
"…"
Mavis fell silent. As ridiculous as the claim sounded, she knew he was being serious.
Seeing this, Shun let go of the handle and let the paw bubble take control. With his now-free hands, he suddenly hugged her from behind around the waist.
"Kyah—!"
"It's dangerous, so I'll keep you in place."
"…"
Mavis didn't believe his reasoning for a second, but she didn't complain.
"Hey… why are you interested in making so many women fall for you?"
When Mavis asked him like that, Shun answered seriously.
"Hmm, at first it was for our continent's sake."
"Huh?"
"You probably realize it, but our continent Fiore is the weakest in the world. The strongest mage there recently was Serena. One random mage from outside the continent would be equal to an S-Class mage here."
"…"
Mavis listened quietly as she settled into Shun's embrace.
"However, with me giving my genes to everyone, in twenty years the Fiore continent will be full of SSS-Class mages!"
"W-What… can you be serious?"
"I'm being serious. Like I said, at first I thought like this."
"Then what about now?"
"Now… I don't know."
Seeing Shun fall into deep thought, Mavis waited patiently.
After a moment, he spoke again.
"I used to enjoy fighting. However, I became too strong too fast. Now whenever there's a fight, I don't think about whether I'll win or not. Instead, I have to consider how much I should hold back this time.
I'm a victim of my own success. There aren't many things left that make me feel alive anymore."
"…"
Mavis, who had been hugged from behind, slowly and carefully turned around to face him. Now she was sitting face to face while the motorcycle drove itself.
Then she hugged Shun wordlessly.
"?"
"Are you saying you're okay with it?"
"…Yes," Mavis said in a low voice, her face still hidden against his chest.
Shun gently lifted her face. He slowly leaned in. Just as Mavis puffed up her lips in anticipation, Shun licked the sweat off her cheek.
"…"
Mavis was at a loss for words, and her face turned red from embarrassment.
"This taste… is the taste of a liar! Mavis Vermillion."
"Y-You… seriously…"
Even the fairy seemed on the verge of getting angry.
'Mavis' situation is a bit complicated. There are two reasons why I have never tried to make a move on her. The first is obviously her PTSD from the nasty curse that kills others when she feels love. I was about to have a big talk about her curse being gone, but from her reaction earlier, it seems like I was overthinking it?'
Shun thought before leaning in to capture Mavis' lips, which were still complaining about how she would get back at him.
"Mmph~"
After about a minute of wet and soft kissing, the two finally separated.
'Hmm, the second reason is, due to the curse, her growth had completely stopped. No offense to her, but I wasn't interested in her body. However, now that her curse has been cured for more than a decade, the fruit has ripened.'
Shun snapped his fingers and activated his favorite magic: Arc of Time.
Snap—!
As soon as the sound rang out, Mavis' elegant gown transformed into black satin and a few other materials, which Shun smoothly stored in his storage ring.
"Kyaa~"
Mavis, who had been fully clothed moments ago, was now only in her undergarments and shoes.
'Black huh? That's unexpected…'
"This is the correct method to use Arc of Time," Shun declared as he admired the result.
"N-No, you should wait until the night," Mavis said while covering her chest.
"Are you suggesting I can do whatever I want when the night comes?"
"…Yes." After a moment of silence, Mavis nodded. For her, as long as it wasn't right now while they were high up in the air, it was fine.
"All right. Since you're promising so much, let's not go all the way until the night."
Snap—!
With another snap, Mavis' last line of defense disappeared.
Mavis sat there in her bare and vulnerable state. Her pale white body and two medium-sized breasts with pink peaks. One of the peaks was marked with a familiar symbol.
Shun was completely captivated by the sight, but he was a patient man with priorities.
"So that's where you have been hiding your guild mark, huh?" Shun spoke while his hands explored.
"Mmh~"
Mavis kept silent with a bright red face.
"You're quite bold to tattoo it on your breast."
Seeing Shun's teasing smile, Mavis had to come clean.
"I-It's on my heart—"
"Mmph~"
Her words were silenced once again. With Shun deliberately slowing down their trip, for the next hour until they reached Gran Tesoro, they explored everything except the final act.
——
Vrooom—!
The unusual sound of the flying motorcycle quickly drew the attention of Gran Tesoro's higher-ups.
"…Is everything made of gold?" Mavis asked in a soft voice. She was fully dressed again in her black gown.
Though she was surprised and excited by the sight, she also felt a bit tired.
"Probably. The guy who owns this city has a power that controls gold," Shun explained the basics while walking hand in hand with her.
"Sir Shun. Welcome to Gran Tesoro." After just a few steps, Baccarat had already arrived with her assistants.
"Hi~, Baccarat. Bring two million in chips, then prepare a karaoke room. After that we'll have dinner, and then we'll rest for the night."
Shun ordered as if it were his hundredth visit.
'Tesoro and his team started treating me as a genuine VIP after I had some incidents with the celestial dragons. I don't remember the details, but those guys were probably victims of the celestial dragons.'
"Yes~" Baccarat replied with a sweet smile. Her assistants would handle the actual tasks.
"I'll introduce you two. This is Mavis Vermillion, my first wife."
"…Nice to meet you. I'm Baccarat, VIP exclusive concierge."
"N-Nice to meet you." Mavis had no idea what Baccarat even said, but decided to just nod politely.
"Let's go to the roulette first," Shun said as he took Mavis's hand.
"Ah, sorry for the intrusion but… Joker is requesting an audience." Baccarat spoke respectfully and pulled out a den den mushi.
"Joker…?"
"It's one of the warlords. Mr. Donquixote Doflamingo."
'Huh? He's contacting this fast?' Shun was a little surprised but took the call anyway.
"Hello~"
"I heard you asked me to call you."
While Shun's tone was relaxed, the other side was deadly serious.
"Mm, you probably heard about it. But me and my friends got brutally attacked just a few hours earlier by people who work under you."
"Pfft—!" In the tense atmosphere, Mavis suddenly remembered something funny and let out a small laugh.
"About them, our family has already taken care of them." Doflamingo said and gave a signal.
"Aghh—!"
As soon as the signal was given, a scream rang out.
"…"
Neither Baccarat nor Mavis showed any pity at the sound.
'Oh? Mavis didn't show any emotion to the cruelty she heard. I guess she has seen her share of things. Despite her appearance, she is quite old after all. Also, those slave traders aren't worth pitying.' Shun thought, then decided to wrap up the negotiation quickly so he could enjoy his time with Mavis.
"As you've heard, we have taken care of the fools."
"I see. If I didn't get a call from you, I was planning to strip off your warlord position and send Akainu to Dressrosa. But since you've taken the initiative to clean up your mess…" Shun paused for dramatic effect, and it worked.
Except for Mavis, everyone listening was grimly reminded of who they were dealing with.
"All right, bring me the Paramecia Calm-Calm Fruit. Then we can pretend nothing happened between us. Time limit is one week." Shun said and cut off the call.
"Paramecia fruit? If I'm not wrong, they're the type that gives unique powers," Mavis asked from the side.
"Yeah, they're the ones I like the most. My favorite one would be the Luck-Luck Fruit."
Hearing this, Baccarat's heart pounded. Just like Shun, she loved her own devil fruit ability. However, she was a professional at dealing with people.
"Thanks for the compliment," Baccarat smiled sweetly.
'But Baccarat's been good to me and even helped me find the Pure Gold. I can't rob away her power. I'm just too nice of a guy.' Shun sighed internally.
'As for why I want the Calm-Calm Fruit, I think it'd be hilarious to silence people at certain moments.'
——
Shun had turned his hair back to normal since he often stayed at Gran Tesoro. His presence there wasn't unusual.
Guided by Baccarat, Shun and Mavis headed toward the roulette tables.
"But why roulette today?" Baccarat asked curiously. Usually Shun preferred slot machines since his instinct was too strong for a game like roulette.
"There's someone strong there… about current Garp's level, maybe?" Shun's reply was completely unexpected.
"Who is Garp?" Mavis asked from the side. She wasn't interested in gambling at all and was simply following Shun's lead today.
"He's a coworker at a place I'm doing part-time work. He used to be strong, but now he can't even beat an admiral."
"…"
'Part-time admiral…' Baccarat smiled awkwardly as they finally reached their destination.
When they arrived, they encountered a strange sight.
An old blind man was playing roulette.
"Hey old man, are you gonna play again or no?"
A mean-looking dealer asked with a grin.
"Ughh, I'll go all in next! All on red!" The blind man declared, frustration clear on his face from his previous losses.
"Of course!" The dealer replied eagerly, his grin widening.
Spin—!
The sound of the tiny ball spinning inside the roulette wheel began.
The atmosphere was tense, mostly because the old man had a tall posture and carried a sword. The dealer was bold enough to try conning him.
While everyone waited patiently, with each second feeling like an hour, a man with pale white hair spoke up.
"Oh? It's 21… red. You won. Well played."
"Eh?"
"Idiot, the ball is still spinning!"
While the old man looked confused, the dealer grew furious.
Shun didn't even care, but Baccarat acted efficiently. At her signal, two figures resembling ninjas appeared out of nowhere.
"Kirk—!" The dealer's mouth was covered as he was dragged away, leaving only a muffled noise.
The small crowd that had been watching the old man get scammed was terrified by the sudden display.
"H-He is…"
"W-Why is a marine admiral on this ship?!"
Ignoring the commotion, the ball finally settled into the pocket.
"…"
"It really landed on 21 red!!"
"He actually called it! The exact number… so it's true that he can see the future!"
The crowd grew noisy.
Baccarat made another signal and quietly dispersed them. This time it was done more politely, and no one dared talk back.
"So, you are him… I've been wanting to meet you. The honorary admiral of the navy, Shun…" the blind swordsman named Issho spoke in a heavy tone.
"Huh? Is there anything you want from me?" Shun asked directly.
"Yes… I want to join your team." Fujitora appreciated the directness and replied in kind.
"My team?" Shun only remembered that he even had a team just now. It was mostly in name only. The only thing he had done with them so far was killing Ochoku.
"Yes… because you are the only one with the courage to go against the world government's regime. I want to ask you to get rid of the seven warlord system. I can't accept a system that allows criminals to legally rob others.
In exchange I'll work for you until I die." Fujitora spoke with clear rage in his voice.
"!"
Baccarat was shocked by the old man's bold words.
'Does this guy think he is worthy of such a trade? How highly does he see himself…' Baccarat thought, though her face remained neutral. Mavis, on the other hand, didn't care at all.
'Hmm, I guess he is strong enough to be a tutor for the brats I'm about to kidnap later…'
"All right, you're hired. In under a year your wish will be granted. But you will start working from tomorrow. Those are my conditions. Whether you agree or not is up to you."
"!"
This time Fujitora was the one who looked shocked, but he replied with a small, happy smile.
"I accept."
The two shook hands and went their separate ways.
Just like that, under the witness of Mavis and Baccarat, a ridiculous deal was made between two powerful individuals.
'The warlord system would probably be removed anyway. I got a free subordinate of admiral level, huh. Is Baccarat's devil fruit passively increasing my luck?' Thinking such things, Shun turned to Baccarat.
"All right, I'm not in the mood for gambling anymore. Let's go to the next stage. Did you prepare the karaoke room?"
"Of course."