The Grand Line—Dream Island "Momoiro Island."
Animals, plants—as far as the eye could see, everything was pink. Everyone gathering on this island possessed a maiden's heart.
After about a week's voyage, arriving at this island renowned as the second Amazon Lily, their target was here.
"I see... so you came relying on me."
But before that, he—or she—said.
Microphone in hand, atop a flashy makeshift stage in flashy costume, smashing the mic stand while shouting.
"Mmm-fufufu!! Well!! OKAMAAAA!!! Welcome to this Okama Land!! I welcome you, heehaw!!"
About four meters tall, but the face was disproportionately large for the body. Watching him give high-energy instructions to prepare a welcome, Kanata thought briefly.
(Loud...)
Dragon, perhaps accustomed to Ivankov's energy, exchanged greetings without changing expression.
Ignoring Scotch sobbing behind them, Kanata also disembarked to exchange greetings for now.
"Mmm-fufu. So you're the 'Dragon-Slaying Witch.' I've heard rumors. Never thought you'd invite me aboard your ship though."
"Yeah, Dragon said if it's you, I can trust you. I thought I'd decide after meeting in person. You're completely different from who I imagined though."
"Oh really? But unfortunately, I'm a Newkama! I transcend imagination light-ly-chable!!"
Everyone on this island was okama—rather, "Newkama."
Having eaten the Horm-Horm Fruit, Ivankov was a "Hormone Manipulation Human" who could manipulate human hormones like gender, body temperature, pigmentation, growth, and tension, easily changing gender.
A man might have originally been a woman, a woman might have originally been a man.
That kind of island.
Which is why Scotch was crying.
"Ohhh... can such hell exist in this world...! Tell me it's a dream..."
"Not a dream! Dream country!!"
"Bweh!"
Ivankov created a blast wind with just a blink, slamming it into Scotch's face.
Tiger, who'd disembarked next, looked around at the okama with a puzzled expression, while Kuro, who came down with him, laughed clutching his stomach.
Neither had been to such a place before, and having never met okama as a species, they felt like they were viewing rare creatures.
"Humans are truly diverse..."
"Hihihi, this is why traveling's interesting."
"No doubt. Made for a good souvenir story."
Certainly might be an interesting story, but they hoped people wouldn't think this was normal.
For now, moving to a place to settle down, they decided to eat while holding a friendship gathering.
Explaining the situation thoroughly during cooking, asking Ivankov again to board the ship.
"—I see. So that's how it is-chable. When Dragon, who came a few months ago, came again, I wondered what happened."
"If you want trust, appropriate actions are necessary. Though I also wanted this man aboard because he seems interesting."
"But if Dragon has big goals, standing out isn't good-nable, right?"
"We'll fight the Marine pursuers. You just ride as guests. Though we'll have you work."
"That won't do. Being placed as crew, minimum work must be done."
That said, she didn't think Dragon or Ivankov could fight Marine Vice Admirals or Admirals head-on. Even Kanata would likely lose at high probability fighting head-on.
No method existed to quickly become strong. Daily accumulation elevated one's power.
The five years in the West Blue and the year at Little Garden weren't wasted.
She couldn't just keep running.
Eventually, even Admirals must be defeated.
"If that's the case, I'll send cooks from here too! What I'm hiding is that this Kamabakka Kingdom has traditionally passed-down Newkama Kenpo!!"
Among its secret techniques was one called "Bridal Training."
Build, personality—the "environment" of food created the foundation of the entire human body. The "Attack Cuisine" creating this environment through cooking was the power source for the strong okama on this island.
However, these "99 Vital Recipes" were literally secret techniques. Unable to teach casually, Ivankov said they'd send several crew members as cooks from their place.
"Okama boarding the ship!? No way!!"
"What do you mean no!? You won't let us board!?"
"Discrimination! Anti-okama discrimination!"
"Shut up!!"
Several crew members including Scotch raised fierce objections.
For Kanata, okama boarding or not didn't matter, but apparently it troubled them greatly.
She could force them aboard with captain's authority, but using power too much might leave grudges later. Better not doing unreasonable things.
Ivankov... well, had no choice but to board.
"Then have the cooks learn Newkama Kenpo?"
"That's fine."
"Scotch, you bastard!?"
"Treating it like someone else's problem, you jerk!"
"Shut up! Better than okama boarding, you guys learning whatever-kenpo and memorizing recipes benefits us later, right!? You'll get stronger too!"
"I'll say this, but these '99 Vital Recipes' are Newkama Kenpo secret techniques! Can't teach them casually-chible!!! Want to know? Make your heart a maiden's!! Study Newkama Kenpo seriously!!"
"That defeats the whole purpose!!"
Not wanting okama aboard, yet to learn recipes you must become okama—how's that?
With Scotch reaching utter hopelessness in this situation, he looked toward Kanata imploringly.
Believing she'd do something—
"Will you learn?"
"Like hell I would, you idiot!!"
Instantly betrayed.
☆
Idle talk aside.
Actually, only needing a ship's doctor meant only Ivankov boarding. While interested in "Attack Cuisine," understanding it was a secret technique meant understanding reasons for not teaching casually.
Just eating the food meant stopping by Kamabakka Kingdom, so Kanata's crew just needed to base themselves here until Skura's training ended.
Scotch and several crew would hate it, but well, that's that.
Being told "I don't want this, I don't want that" like children was troublesome, so she compromised minimally on this much.
"Witchy Girl. I don't mind boarding your ship, but is there a destination?"
"Destination... nothing particular I want to go to. For now just killing time until the ship doctor's studies end."
Plus needing to call at Drum Kingdom once a month.
Beyond that, no particular business, so if somewhere they wanted to go existed, she could take them.
Though being pursued meant they couldn't stay long-term.
"Somewhere you want to go?"
"No, nowhere particular I want to go."
Ivankov answered while making an X with hands.
Following the okama distributing food with her eyes, she said, "If there's nowhere to go, why not learn Newkama Kenpo on this island?"
"Me?"
"Yes. Though called kenpo, it's not just fighting techniques. Beauty, health... it's also kenpo for polishing 'women's weapons'!!"
"I see. I've never worn makeup in my life, so I wouldn't know."
"You're that beautiful without makeup!?"
Not to mention the heavily made-up Ivankov, everyone in Kamabakka Kingdom wore makeup to polish themselves.
Rather, the fact she was this beautiful bare-faced crushed the surrounding okama.
Partly because her surroundings were all men, but Kanata herself had zero interest in "those things," so had never worn makeup.
Come to think of it, she suddenly remembered.
"—Ah, no. A sister... or acquaintance like one made me up once. Never did it myself."
"Such a waste!! Polish your own beauty!! That's your duty to your innate self and gratitude to the parents who bore you-chable!!!"
"I'm an orphan, never met my parents, and the orphanage sold me to kidnappers, so when told gratitude..."
"You've had a hard life..."
Even Ivankov's energy dropped.
For now, deciding to continue after eating, everyone began eating as they pleased.
Kamabakka Kingdom's Newkama Kenpo headquarters' proud "Attack Cuisine" was truly tremendous, making vitality well up from inside the body.
Building the body from within. Never having that perspective, this might be the perfect island for training against Zephyr.
With dining halls large enough for giants, Feiyun was also devouring dish after dish.
"It's delicious! I can keep eating!"
Perhaps moved by Feiyun eating with a smile, surrounding okama competed to attend to her.
"This is... motherhood...!"
"The motherhood within me awakens...!"
"Love... is like this...!"
Watching them going thump... heartbeat-struck, Kanata and Ivankov exchanged glances.
"Feiyun seems quite popular."
"Those who come to this island are mostly Newkama, rarely attending to anyone, so can't be helped-nashible! If you'd like, I'd like to let them do as they please—is that all right?"
"Feiyun doesn't seem to dislike it. Probably fine letting them do as they like."
"Thank you! I'm grateful!"
Scotch also apparently approved the food, eating voraciously.
Someone with likes and dislikes about people, but regarding food, the spirit of "if it's edible, it's fine" had been cultivated. Mainly at Little Garden.
Well, back then for fruits not in books, they first had Samuel taste-test for poison, so Samuel basically suffered the damage.
☆
The meal doubling as a friendship gathering ended, and while everyone rested, they planned future activities.
"Outside World Government member nations, even if we move we're unlikely to be exposed, but..."
"Was there one around here... Iva, do you have Eternal Poses?"
"Well. Rather than me, my candies*1 had several Eternal Poses-chable."
"We could hunt pirates and plunder valuables, but without particular business, I want to just go between Drum and here for training."
"Training? For what?"
"To defeat Zephyr. Can't just keep running."
Kanata, Dragon, and Ivankov continued their meeting while checking sea charts, deciding for now to spend the next month at Kamabakka Kingdom.
Either way, Ivankov said they'd teach Newkama Kenpo, so judging that even if their stay lengthened somewhat, there'd be no loss.
Still though—Kanata looked outside from Kamabakka Kingdom's palace.
"Our ship's crew has grown."
"How many originally?"
"At first... right, less than thirty. Became merchants, people increased—at one point there must've been two hundred."
Gathering Marx Island's thugs, hiring them as laborers, using two secondhand galleons to circle the West Blue.
Just a year ago supposedly, but felt strangely nostalgic.
"Picked up Feiyun and Zen, I killed a Celestial Dragon and we dropped back to about thirty... entered the Grand Line and met Skura and you."
"Fufu... so you were originally merchants. I'm a bit curious about your past though."
"Don't pry into backgrounds too much, Iva. There are things people don't want to discuss."
Particularly originally an orphan, plus a past of being sold to kidnappers—Dragon admonished that asking carelessly was inappropriate.
Kanata, not particularly bothered, answered, "Back then I was desperate to survive."
She'd never told anyone about the orphanage. Partly no need to mention it, partly no one tried asking.
"Nothing particularly interesting. At most the balding old director feared me—or rather, my parents."
She'd wondered why, but having been sold before resolving that, even interest had faded.
But like when meeting Kureha, apparently mother and Kanata resembled each other considerably, so she might be mistaken going forward.
Troublesome, but she just hoped strange types wouldn't come around.
☆
Marine Headquarters at Marineford.
In one room, the man sitting in the Fleet Admiral's chair—Kong—was receiving reports from a flustered subordinate.
"R-reporting! Golden Lion Shiki sank all military surveillance ships in the New World and went missing! After that, near Water Seven, sightings of flying pirate ships..."
"That bastard...! What's his objective?"
Kong pressed his forehead looking pained, for now ordering notification to Zephyr and Sengoku.
Those two were currently out on separate matters, but against an opponent like Golden Lion, ordinary Vice Admirals couldn't handle it.
Garp was chasing Roger as usual, Tsuru was at headquarters but busy with other matters. Only those two could move immediately and respond.
"Hope nothing happens..."
Looking at the wanted poster for the woman Zephyr was chasing, he sighed.
When strange things continued, causes were often surprisingly the same.
Hoping this wasn't the case, Kong quietly sipped his tea.
***
*1 "Candies" - Ivankov's term of endearment for subordinates/followers