This happened back when I was still sailing the Four Blues.
A small incident—one that took place while we were exploring the East Blue.
In the East Blue, there's an island called Warship Island.
They say it got that name long ago because its silhouette resembles a warship.
Despite being relatively close to the Grand Line, Warship Island has a strange trait: from the outside, you can't see it at all. Because of that, even though it's part of the East Blue, it's more isolated than most islands in the Grand Line.
That said, it isn't "sealed off" or unreachable. Once you get close enough, it comes into view.
So if you know it exists—and you know where it is—you can visit it.
Just like we did.
Now, why were we there?
More specifically… why was I there?
Splash! Splash! Splash!
"Oh, they're back."
I'd been lounging on the rocky shore with my fishing line dangling in the water, killing time while I waited.
Then came the sound—something huge breaking the surface, heavy water slapping against stone.
I didn't even need to turn my head to know who it was. Still, it would've been rude not to acknowledge their hard work, so I reeled in my line and walked toward the noise.
"How'd it go, you three? Good haul?"
"Excellent," Ruby answered, sounding pleased. "Sapphire found a concentrated deposit. We got quite a lot."
"Hehe! Aren't I amazing, Sister? Praise me, praise me!" Sapphire puffed up proudly, while Ruby held up the bag so I could see the glittering contents.
Behind them, Emerald let out a quiet sigh, looking a little worn out.
"But since we were collecting stones—or rather, fossils—it was a pain. Hauling them all the way here was brutal," Emerald said. "Even with Fish-Man strength, dragging these up from the seabed wasn't easy. They're heavy."
"Good work, Emerald." I nodded. "So it really did turn out like that… as you'd expect from a so-called elixir of immortality. It wouldn't let itself be taken so easily."
"Dragon Bone."
"It doesn't grant immortality," Emerald said flatly.
"But I've heard it's an incredible nutritional supplement," Sapphire added, eyes bright.
Ruby set the bag on a rock and looked down at what they'd brought back—stones of various sizes and shapes.
No.
Fossils.
These weren't ordinary fossils. They were Dragon Bone: material formed over millennia from the fossilized remains of the legendary creature known as the Thousand-Year Dragon.
Let me start from the beginning.
Around Warship Island and its surrounding waters, there's a story passed down for generations—a legend, or maybe more of a folktale.
The Thousand-Year Dragon Legend.
Long ago, they say the nearby islands were ruled by a magnificent creature: the Thousand-Year Dragon.
And the legend claims that if you ate part of its body, you gained immortality—like the old Japanese tales about phoenixes.
Whether that "age" ever truly existed, I can't say.
But the Thousand-Year Dragon itself absolutely does.
Some still live today.
They seem to move in herds, though whether they're constantly migrating or hiding somewhere out of sight… I don't know. That part's still unclear.
I'm only guessing based on scattered sightings and eyewitness accounts.
Once, I ran into a stray one that had been separated from its herd.
It attacked me, so I put it down, but it wasn't nearly as terrifying as its appearance suggested. If you were careless, an ordinary Sea King could overpower and devour it. I'd even bet a warship's cannon fire could take it down.
So yes—the creature is real. It exists.
But the "immortality" part is nonsense.
We confirmed that by bringing the carcass of the one I killed to Papa's private researchers and having them examine it thoroughly.
That said, its body composition is unusual. While it doesn't grant immortality, it does have strong restorative and strengthening properties. With the right development, it could become medicine—something with real benefits to the human body.
Like Sapphire said, it's an exceptional nutritional supplement. It can restore vitality to weakened bodies, invigorate healthy ones, and depending on processing, could even serve as a base material for other drugs.
That's probably why the legend inflated over time—real effects turning into myths of immortality and eternal youth.
What's even stranger is this:
Material harvested from fossilized dragons seems more potent than material taken from recently deceased ones.
Why?
No one knows.
Off the coast of Warship Island lies the so-called Lost Island—a phantom land said to surface only once every thousand years.
They say it's where aging Thousand-Year Dragons go to meet their end.
Which means the place is littered with fossilized remains of dragons that died there long ago… an effectively endless supply.
And the fossilized remains found there are more precisely called Dragon Bones.
Yes, it felt a little like grave-robbing.
But there was no one around to complain, so I helped myself to the Dragon Bones scattered across the island.
And since I'm hopeless in the water, I asked the Fish-Man Trio to retrieve them from the seabed for me.
I'm a complete disaster swimmer. There's no way I could haul anything up from the ocean floor myself.
Anyway—long story short, we finally secured a massive stockpile of Dragon Bone for Papa.
All that remained was getting it onto the ship.
But the Dragon Bones the Fish-Men gathered at full strength were fossilized—dense, absurdly heavy—and there was so much of it that the pile was ridiculously bulky. Loading it onto the ship would be a nightmare. Even moving it would be miserable.
…At least, it would've been, if I didn't have a solution.
"Alright, then… Enigma."
As I murmured the word, I touched the massive pile.
One by one, the Dragon Bones shrank, flattened, and transformed—until the entire haul became a single sheet of paper.
Perfect.
Back when I was traveling the Four Blues, my Paper-Paper Fruit abilities had already reached the Awakening level. That let me affect my surroundings, and once that door opened, my options multiplied.
What I'd just done was one of those options.
With Awakening, I can turn objects around me into paper.
And unlike Doflamingo's ability, it isn't a one-way transformation—I can restore the object later.
When I do, the "paper-ified" object appears like a drawing of itself on a large sheet. Being paper, it's light and foldable.
And since I'm a Paper Human, I can merge that sheet into my body and store it inside myself.
Combine those two tricks, and I effectively have a living item box.
I don't carry things in a bag or ship's hold.
I carry them in me.
It's especially useful for anything I don't want others to see. Once something is stored inside my paper body, it won't fall overboard, won't get lost, and won't be affected by Seastone or the sea.
So, with a massive quantity of Dragon Bone safely stored, I was about to head back—
Puru-puru-puru-puru…
The small Den Den Mushi in my pocket rang.
"Hello? …Oh, Honey? What's wrong? Everything okay? …Wait—there's a thief on the ship?"
"Huh?!"
---
Third-person perspective
The ship Sue and her companions used to traverse the Four Blues had a hull made with special paper clay. With it, they could form wings and other appendages, allowing the vessel to move with surprising freedom.
It was a bit small—only big enough for a few people to sleep comfortably—but it was impressively designed, built for comfort despite its size.
"Let go… let go of me!"
A girl cried out on the deck, her pretty face twisted with pain as she glared at the woman gripping her by the throat.
"Behave," the woman sneered. "You can't escape with strength like that."
She lifted the struggling girl into the air as if she weighed nothing, suspending her helplessly. A sadistic smile curled on her lips.
"Don't look so terrified. Relax—I'm not going to eat you." Her smile sharpened. "But you don't seriously think we're letting you go without consequences, do you? This is a pirate ship, no matter how small. And you broke in to steal."
"Ugh…!"
The light purple-haired girl glared back, defiant even as she choked.
That defiance only seemed to amuse the blonde woman in the revealing outfit—as if being challenged, even by someone weak, offended her enough to make her want to prove a point.
Her hand suddenly softened, melting into a viscous liquid that oozed across the girl's face.
The girl gasped—and then froze in panic as the liquid covered the lower half of her face, sealing her nose and mouth.
She thrashed wildly, but it was useless.
She punched, kicked, clawed at the arm restraining her—but each impact only rippled across the surface as if she were striking water. The grip didn't budge.
The liquid never flowed into her lungs, as though it was carefully controlled… but being unable to breathe was still suffocating.
Her struggles weakened.
Her eyes began to glaze.
Just before she lost consciousness, the liquid peeled away.
Still held by the throat, she sucked in air like a drowning person.
Phew! Hah… cough, cough! Hah… hah… cough… guh…
"Do you finally understand your place, you thieving little cat?"
"Hah… hah… I'm not a thieving cat," the girl rasped. "That's someone else."
"…?"
"I'm called Vixen," she said, still glaring through watery eyes. "Don't get it wrong."
"…Astonishing." The blonde woman smiled wider. "You still want to act tough after that? Hmm. Maybe I should try something even worse. Heh heh heh~"
"Ghk…!"
Fear flashed across the girl's face despite her brave mouth, and the blonde woman looked delighted by it—like she was tasting the terror.
"Hey, Sister—Ruby, Emerald… what's Honey doing over there?"
"I think she's restraining an intruder… but it kind of looks like straight-up bullying," Ruby said. "Like she's enjoying it while she asserts dominance."
"Maybe she hasn't had anyone like that lately," Emerald added with a weary sigh. "Someone she can overpower and torment unilaterally. She looks… weirdly alive."
"Ah, Honey always liked this sort of thing," Sapphire chirped. "Maybe she was stressed out!"
"Shut it back there!" Honey snapped, dropping the cold executive façade instantly. "If you're back, talk to me normally instead of whispering behind my back!"
Right on cue, Sue arrived with the Fish-Man Trio, striding toward Honey without hesitation.
Honey released the girl and dropped her onto the deck with a rough shove.
Sue crouched, taking in the girl's face—pain, fury, and the faint relief of still being alive—and let out a long sigh.
"Just like I thought," Sue said. "It's you again, Carina. Could you stop stalking me already?"
"…Shut up."
---
Her name was Carina.
I met her during my travels through the Four Blues—a thief, like Nami in the original story. I don't know if she specialized in pirates, but she once snuck onto my ship looking for treasure.
Naturally, I spotted her immediately and dealt with her.
Still, I remember the shock—she couldn't have been more than ten, and she was already stealing.
Even if she was a thief, she was still a child. I couldn't bring myself to kill her or seriously hurt her, so I lectured her and let her go.
At the time, she bowed her head, thanked me, and swore, "I'll never do it again!" before scurrying away.
…And then, an hour later, she tried to break in and steal again.
That was when I finally lost my temper.
After thinking, What am I supposed to do with this brat…? I decided on a solution.
A hundred spanks.
Then I let her go.
She ran off half-crying and sticking her tongue out at me. I laughed as I watched her limp away—her sore backside making it hard to run properly.
Naturally, she didn't try a third time that day.
But ever since then, for some reason, Carina kept targeting me.
She'd attempt a theft. I'd catch her. She'd get punished. I'd let her go.
That's the kind of relationship we ended up with.
"Doesn't this brat think she can take advantage of you, Lady?" Ruby asked, irritation sharpening her voice. "She probably believes you'll always forgive her and let her go because you never harm her."
"Even if we're letting her go, shouldn't we give her a proper punishment first?" Sapphire chimed in, eyes sparkling with dangerous enthusiasm. "We can handle it ourselves, if you want…"
"H-EEP!" Carina squeaked, going pale at Ruby's tone. Her whole face screamed, I'm in trouble.
Emerald watched her with a sigh that was half exasperation, half reluctant amusement.
"Trying to rob pirates?" Emerald muttered. "She'd have no right to complain if they caught her and killed her on the spot. She's clearly taking advantage of Sister's kindness. Honestly, with that attitude, I'm surprised she hasn't picked the wrong crew and ended up dead already. How has she survived this long?"
"Her thinking is… naïve," Ruby said. "Careless. She lacks the resolve she'd need to live this way."
"If even Sapphire says that," Emerald added dryly, "she's done for."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Sapphire huffed. "I've been thinking things through and acting more carefully lately!"
"So what's the plan, Lady?" Ruby asked. "Let her escape again? Or should we… get creative this time?"
Carina looked torn between blurting, What do you mean by 'creative'?! and staying very, very quiet.
Honestly, I wouldn't have minded letting her go like always.
But having her challenge me over and over… it was getting tiring.
Still, I knew she wasn't truly a bad person.
And I understood why she kept coming at me with that stubborn determination.
So somehow… I kept forgiving her.
This reminds me—there's more context to the first time she boarded my ship.
Back then, Carina was part of a group of orphans—kids whose parents were gone, or who'd been abandoned. She was one of the older ones, and she acted like a big sister, taking care of the others.
It turned out one of the children was sick and needed money for medicine and treatment.
That was why she kept trying to break into my ship, even knowing how dangerous it was.
After her second attempt, I had a hunch something was wrong, so I followed her and found out the truth.
Around the same time, one of the orphans apparently crossed the wrong pirate crew.
The pirates stormed in, furious, ready to slaughter the children in a blind rage.
Unlike me, they weren't bluffing.
They were there to kill.
I couldn't abandon the kids, so I wiped the pirates out and saved them.
They were East Blue pirates. It wasn't even remotely difficult.
I took half the treasure we seized from the pirates and gave the other half to Carina and the orphans.
After that, I anonymously tipped off the Marines, and the pirates were rounded up soon after.
Even the sick child recovered, and I was showered with gratitude.
For once, Carina thanked me sincerely too.
After that, the orphans grew attached to me—not just because I saved them, but because my fighting style looked "cool" to them.
Maybe because I was so relaxed, I ended up fighting in a flashy way—like a swordsman in a period drama, showing off without realizing it.
In fact, more than a few of them started clinging to me more than to Carina, who was supposed to be their "Sister."
She didn't look amused.
After we left the island, we didn't see each other for a while.
Then, over a year later, I nearly fell over when Carina broke into my ship again—on a completely different island.
When I demanded an explanation, she told me she'd left the orphan group not long after our first encounter.
They kept supporting themselves through thievery… but they also stole from ordinary citizens. That drew attention fast, and it became impossible to stay in one place.
Carina decided she was becoming a burden, so she left and took to the sea alone.
Even as a young teen, her willpower was something.
…She kept living as a thief.
Then one day, she happened to spot my ship at port, and with a dramatic glare declared, "Time for revenge!" and challenged me to a fight.
And that's how our peculiar relationship continued.
In the end, after an hour of scolding her while she knelt in proper seiza, I let her go again—without anything beyond the lecture.
As she left, Sapphire poked Carina's immobilized leg for fun, making her shriek in terror. I decided that counted as punishment.
After that, Carina would occasionally target my ship somewhere in the East Blue.
By then, the Fish-Man Trio and Honey were so used to her that her break-ins became a game—competing to see who could "catch" her first. Whether Carina realized that or not… I honestly couldn't tell.
And Carina herself kept growing.
Her methods became more cunning, her movements quicker, and she even managed to slip through our defenses a few times, catching us off guard.
We couldn't afford to underestimate her anymore—not even casually.
In a strange way, her attempts became decent security training… and a way to kill time.
…Though truthfully, all of my real valuables were stored in Enigma, under my direct control. There was never any chance she'd steal them.
Then one day, she vanished.
Or rather—she stopped coming.
Did she quit thievery? Did she just stop targeting us? Or did something happen to her?
It felt ridiculous, worrying about a kid who used to break into my ship, but somewhere along the way I'd grown fond of her.
I did care.
When I asked around, I learned the period when Carina "disappeared" lined up perfectly with the time Stella and Tesoro found her.
Hearing that left me relieved.
And, honestly… a little vindicated.
Now, watching Carina sing and dance on the stage below, she looks radiant. Alive.
Her voice is excellent. And I can't help thinking this is what she was meant to do.
She looks like she's truly enjoying herself.
When she risked her life to save those slave children, and when she was with her junior, Uta—those moments of genuine happiness were unmistakable.
And yet…
For some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling she'd never fully abandon her life as a thief.
It was just a hunch, but—
If I let my guard down, I had this nagging sense that one day she'd sneak into my room again, giggling, "Ushishishi♪" as she tried to steal from me.
A few hours later—
"Sister~! A message from Honey! That vixen broke into your room and tried to steal Louis Arnaut's first edition of Blackmen, but we caught her!"
"Flag collection speedrun"
That little brat!
Of all the things to target, she went after something more valuable to me than money!
Alright.
Punishment decided.
Next time, she's doing hours of kneeling meditation.
To be continued...