Rhett and his crew were evolving into the ultimate sea drifters, dealing with scum like Rat Colonel by sending them straight to dreamland.
Finally, they arrived at Sabaody. "Hehe, I'm back again."
Back in the day, Rhett could barely hold his own against the three Admirals in their prime, but now he felt like he actually had a shot at winning—though slim, it was still a chance.
Before, it was impossible. Now... maybe. A flicker, at least. Because I'm cheating. I'm actually cheating.
*Sabaody Archipelago – Shakky's Rip-Off Bar*
Rhett sat at the bar counter, eyeing the newspaper photos of the three Admirals' promotion ceremony while Laboon munched on fish beside him.
Sengoku had officially taken over as Fleet Admiral from Kong. Akainu Sakazuki. Kizaru Borsalino. Aokiji Kuzan.
"The new Admirals, alongside the old guard—the Navy's strength is truly formidable now," Shakky remarked as she polished a glass, then suddenly chuckled. "But, little Rhett, you've picked up quite the crewmate recently, haven't you?"
"Hm?" Rhett raised an eyebrow.
"That Rumble-Rumble Fruit brat," Shakky adjusted her sunglasses, her red lips curling into an amused smirk. "The papers say he blew up a Marine base?"
Before Rhett could answer, Perona floated over and draped herself over the counter. "Shakky-nee~! Enel got made fun of! When he first joined, he found out Captain Rhett only wanted him to be the 'God of Thunder' so he could power the ship!"
Moriah grinned like a gremlin. "Fosfosfos... Now all the ship's electronics run on his lightning."
Shakky laughed so hard her shoulders shook. "If the non-Devil Fruit users out there knew you were using a Logia like this, they'd lose their minds."
Then she caught herself and teased, "Wait, no—Rhett got Moriah to solve the crew shortage and now Enel handles the power supply. Kid's got a knack for this, huh?"
*BANG!*
The bar door was blasted open by lightning, revealing a fuming Enel standing in the entrance. "I heard that."
Shakky's eyes gleamed. "Speak of the devil."
She eyed the still-smoking door. "That'll be 100,000 berries."
A vein bulged on Enel's forehead. "Woman, you're dead—"
*ZAP!*
A surge of pure Conqueror's Haki flattened Enel to the floor as a lazy voice drawled, "How many bottles of your most expensive booze can his bounty buy?"
Shakky pretended to think. "A hundred million berries... about a third of my cellar?" She leaned in toward Enel. "Wanna switch crews? Big sis will double your pay~"
Enel glanced at Rhett, who shrugged—he hadn't been the one using Haki.
Rayleigh emerged from the backroom, carrying coating tools. "Kids these days sure are lively."
Rhett snorted. "Pfft. There's something going on."
Shakky elegantly kicked her stool aside. "Your captain back in the Roger Pirates taught Shanks and Buggy well. His eye for talent's sharp."
She gave Rhett a meaningful look. "Now you've learned to pick up treasures—Rumble-Rumble, Ghost-Ghost, Shadow-Shadow..."
"And this." Rhett suddenly pulled out a Tone Dial and pressed play:
"Perona-sama is the cutest~"
"Moriah-sama is an idiot!"
The bar fell silent.
Perona's face burned red as she lunged for the dial. "CAPTAIN RHEEEETT! WHEN DID YOU TAKE THIS?!"
Shakky had always been kind to her, and she'd maintained a sweet, well-behaved image. How could the captain do this?!
Rayleigh chuckled. "Ship's coated. But..." He narrowed his eyes. "You're not planning to go kill a few Celestial Dragons again, are you?"
Rhett grinned. "Rayleigh, old man, how could you? Your suspicion wounds me. But nah, no interest this time. Just a legit vacation."
Rayleigh and Shakky raised their brows in unison. "Vacation?"
"Yep." Rhett stood, hefting his greatsword Black Tide onto his shoulder. "Fishman Island. Gonna sightsee. Last time was too rushed to enjoy it."
Rayleigh burst out laughing. "You? Sightseeing? You went to Skypeia to 'sightsee' and ended up kidnapping their god."
Rhett shrugged. "This time's legit. Current Fishman Island is... ah, whatever. Later, Rayleigh."
Perona floated by the ship's edge, poking at the coating bubble. The transparent film dimpled under her touch before springing back.
"Captain Rhett~ Will this bubble really take us underwater?" She blinked, her ghosts pressing curiously against the inner surface.
Rhett leaped onto the figurehead, grinning. "Set sail! Destination—Fishman Island!"
The Bluma Jackson descended, the coating refracting sunlight into a shimmering rainbow.
Just as everyone marveled at the deep-sea scenery—
*BOOM!!!*
A massive shadow surged from the depths, crimson eyes glowing like bloody moons in the dark. Its gargantuan body dwarfed the Bluma Jackson.
"Sea King!" Moriah's shadow instantly expanded. "Looking to die, huh?"
*CRASH!*
The beast's tail slammed against the shadow wall, rocking the ship violently. Ripples spread across the bubble's surface.
Perona was jolted into the air, her ghosts panicking. "Waaah—Are we sinking?!"
"Leave it to me!" She suddenly floated to the front.
Rhett smirked. "Hahaha, go for it, Perona!"
He could've just knocked it out with Conqueror's, but the kid needed training.
Perona planted her hands on her hips, confident. "A mere Sea King? Behold—Negative Hollows!"
She flicked her wrist, and three translucent ghosts phased through the bubble, drifting toward the beast.
The hollows hovered before its massive eyes.
The next second—
*PLOP!*
The colossal creature curled into a ball, tears welling. "Bububububu... Owububububu!"
(Translation: "I'm sorry... I'm just a useless deep-sea loser... Too scared to even sunbathe at the surface...")
The ship fell into stunned silence.
Moriah's shadow froze. "Fosfosfos... That works on Sea Kings?!"
Enel twitched. "You've gotta be kidding me. That's just pathetic..."
Rhett blinked, then roared with laughter. "Nice one, Perona!"
Perona preened as her ghosts cheered. "Hehe~ Perona-sama is the best!"
The Sea King remained curled below, muttering, "Bububu... I can't even break coral..."
As the Dawn Breaker continued its descent, the silhouette of Fishman Island grew clearer.
The island was encased in two colossal bubble membranes.
The mermaid guards had already spotted them, but their expressions were oddly... confident?
"T-That ship...!"
"Captain Rhett! The Crimson Dawn Pirates—they're back!"
Rhett stood at the prow, grinning. "Relax, we're just here to—"
The guard turned and bolted.
Rhett: "???" He sensed no fear. Why run?
He paused, glancing at Perona. "Uh... why are we here again?"
Perona rolled her eyes. "Sightseeing!"
---