The great bell's chime resonated through the heavens, audible even ten thousand meters below in the Blue Sea.
However, inside a pale yellow submarine deep beneath the waves, a group of people currently eating dinner was completely oblivious to the soul-shaking sound.
"Munch, munch... Ah, I'm saved! If I hadn't run into you guys today, I probably would've starved to death on the surface in a few more days."
Rovick was truly famished. He spoke with his mouth full, wolfing down the grilled fish on his plate. As his knife and fork flew, bits of food scattered everywhere, causing a man wearing a spotted furry hat across the table to watch with a look of pure exasperation.
A white bear, whose eating habits were no better than the blue-haired traveler's, spat out a few fish bones. "Rovick, your appetite is as huge as ever."
"Ahaha, it's all right, I guess."
Rovick gave a hearty laugh, then suddenly remembered something and hurriedly addressed the somewhat comical-looking white bear.
"By the way, Bepo, a few days ago I met a talking reindeer. He's a doctor, too—maybe he's from your neck of the woods?"
It seemed the reason Rovick hadn't been surprised by Chopper's ability to speak back then was that he had already met Bepo.
"Oh? Really?!" Hearing that there was another of his kind out on these seas, Bepo immediately grew excited. He slammed his paws on the table and stood up abruptly. "Where did you see him, Rovick? Where is he now? He—"
"Bepo, quiet down." The man sitting next to the white bear took a sip of his drink with an air of impatience.
"I'm sorry..."
The adorable, dimwitted bear immediately lowered his head in extreme dejection. The surrounding crew members shook their heads, thinking to themselves that this cuddly guy's emotional resilience was truly pathetic.
"Honestly, Law, you're still the same as ever." Rovick swallowed the grilled fish in his mouth. "By the way, do you have any bread on this ship? Eating nothing but grilled fish gets tiring fast."
"No. Because I hate bread..."
Trafalgar Law drained his glass, then leaned back and crossed his legs. He looked at his old friend from the North Blue with a mischievous smirk.
"Just make do for a few days. Once we hit the next island, you can eat whatever you want."
Both Rovick and Law were born in the North Blue. Years ago, the blue-haired traveler had encountered the Heart Pirates.
It had to be said that while Rovick was a bit of a goofball, he was incredibly skilled at making friends. Even with someone as fierce, predatory, and defiant as Law, Rovick had managed to hit it off with him, becoming one of the few friends the "Surgeon of Death" actually had.
"By the way, Rovick-ya."
Law rocked his chair back and forth, asking with a lazy expression, "That reindeer doctor you mentioned... was he with that 'Chairman' of yours?"
"Yeah, exactly. He's their ship's doctor. His medical skills are quite exquisite—honestly, he might even be better than you. Though, when it comes to actual surgery, he probably can't top a 'Surgeon of Death' like yourself."
Rovick laughed and waved his hand, then continued with a hint of confusion, "But speaking of which, it really is strange. How could someone like the Chairman—who is so similar to you—possibly join that crew?"
"Similar to me?"
Law, who initially hadn't been very interested in the "Chairman" the blue-haired swordsman kept mentioning, showed a flash of curiosity. "In what way? From what I know, he was just a wealthy merchant from the East Blue."
"Well... it's just that the two of you give off a very similar vibe."
Rovick rubbed his chin with his finger, adopting a thinking posture. "You're both clever people who love to scheme. Equally cold, equally manipulative, and equally mysterious. It seems even your ages are the same—twenty-four. Except..."
Holding up a finger, the blue-haired swordsman said with a grin, "The Chairman doesn't have any tattoos, and he's way more handsome than you..."
"Pfft—hahaha!"
Several Heart Pirates listening in nearby immediately spat out their food and burst into laughter.
A few tick marks appeared on Law's forehead, shattering his lazy expression. Without a word, he flicked his wrist, and a swirling ring of air abruptly manifested in his palm.
"ROOM." Law's voice was low and slightly raspy.
"Wait, wait, wait! Don't be like that, Law!"
The goofy swordsman nearly lost it when he saw that. He knew all too well how bizarre and terrifying Law's Devil Fruit ability was. "I was just joking! Don't take it so seriously!"
"..." Law remained silent, his face still dark with annoyance, as a translucent spherical field began to expand outward with him at the center.
"Oh, right, right! Law, I've got some really explosive news for you!" To distract the temperamental pirate, Rovick hurried to adopt a mysterious tone and whispered:
"Did you know? I ran into a real heavy-hitter back in that town on Jaya... It was that Warlord you were so interested in, Donquixote Doflamingo."
Shing— The field formed by the Op-Op Fruit instantly vanished.
"You met him?!" Law stood up abruptly, his eyes wide. His usual lethargy was gone, replaced by an intensity that left Rovick and the other crew members bewildered.
(What was JOKER doing there?)
After pondering internally for a moment, Law calmed his breathing and asked the blue-haired traveler seriously:
"Can you tell me exactly what happened, Rovick-ya?"
Half an hour later...
"Little partner?! Rovick-ya, are you sure you didn't mishear him?" Law's voice suddenly spiked in volume. "He really referred to your Chairman as his 'little partner' back then?!"
"Yeah, that's what he said. How could I mishear such a funny, childish nickname?"
Rovick looked doubtfully at the Surgeon of Death, whose forehead was now beaded with a fine sweat. He asked tentatively, "What? Is something wrong? Does that name have some kind of special meaning?"
"Wrong? Yeah, being called a 'little partner' by that 'Demon' is definitely wrong!"
Recalling information he had heard through the grapevine, the goatee-wearing man adjusted his winter furry hat and asked in a flat tone:
"Rovick-ya, do you know how to play poker?"
"Of course I do. Why?" The blue-haired swordsman grinned, thinking to himself that he wasn't a total idiot like that Straw Hat captain.
Law nodded. "In poker, there are four suits: Spades, Diamonds, Clubs, and Hearts..."
For some reason, when mentioning "Hearts," a flash of a ridiculous, smiling face appeared in Law's mind. His eyes betrayed a hint of sorrow, but it vanished in an instant.
"Aside from those, there are two cards that stand above the four suits—the JOKERs."
Law's right fist clenched instinctively. "And the only kind of existence that JOKER would call a 'partner' would naturally be the other JOKER..."
"One JOKER is terrifying, but not unbeatable. But if a JOKER finds one of his own kind..."
"Oh, I get it!" Unaware of the Donquixote Family's internal structure, Rovick didn't catch Law's metaphor. He slapped his thigh and said excitedly:
"Then that's a 'King Bomb,' right?! That's the most broken combo there is! Not even four 2s can stop that..."
Law, who had been looking dead serious, was momentarily stunned. After thinking about it for a second, he actually found some logic in it.
(Could it be that the reason JOKER wants to find a kindred spirit is really just to form a 'King Bomb'?)
(I used to wonder why the Donquixote Family used poker suits for their ranks. Turns out that guy is just a poker fanatic... Wait, what the hell am I thinking?!)
Law shook his head vigorously to clear the ridiculous thoughts from his mind. He then looked over at the big white bear, who was still in a slump.
"Bepo, what's our next island?" (As a side note, this white bear wasn't the Heart Pirates' mascot; he was their vital Navigator.)
"Hannabal, Captain. The name of our next island is Hannabal," Bepo said weakly, sprawled across the dining table.
"Hannabal?" Law frowned slightly. "That name sounds familiar..."
"Oh, I've heard of that place. That island is famous in the first half of the Grand Line because pirates regularly hold an event called the 'Dead End Race.' It's a very interesting place; this is bound to be a fun trip."
The well-traveled blue-haired man crossed his arms. After thinking for a moment, he continued, "And I've heard rumors that the island is one of the bases for the Oswald family in the first half of the sea."
"Oh? That Oswald family..."
Law's expression turned knowing. As a former member of the Donquixote Family, he was well-acquainted with the name of a family currently so active in the New World's Underworld.
(Maybe I can try to find some 'allies' there...)
Crossing his legs, a sharp glint flashed in Law's eyes as he wore an indecipherable smile. Watching him, Rovick shouted internally: This guy is definitely scheming again! That sinister look is way too similar to that profiteer Chairman!
(Sherlock Sarsalian... are you really the Demon's 'little partner'? I wonder when we will meet.)
(And Monkey D. Luffy, the inheritor of the Will of 'D'... why would someone JOKER sees as a kindred spirit become your comrade?)
(This ocean is getting more and more interesting.)
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