On the deck, Arashi was already preparing to spar with Mihawk.
If he kept refusing, Mihawk would probably end up with a psychological shadow. More importantly, Arashi could tell that Mihawk now truly regarded him as a friend.
And between friends, there had to be mutual respect.
The fact that Mihawk had never forced a fight on him before was itself a sign of that respect.
But—
Just as Arashi stepped onto the deck, ready to begin, his gaze suddenly landed on Mihawk's coffin boat.
"Wait—what the hell, Mihawk? There's… someone on your boat?!"
The moment his words fell, Mihawk also snapped back to his senses. He quickly stood up, leapt back onto his coffin boat, and—like grabbing a chicken—hauled the unconscious Perona over and dropped her in front of Arashi.
"Whoa, Mihawk…"
Seeing him toss a person over, Arashi looked at him in disbelief.
"What kind of situation is this?!"
"How would I know?"
Mihawk casually threw Perona onto the deck and replied irritably,
"I picked her up from the sea just now. You already have a maid on your ship—just deal with this little girl yourself!"
"What do you mean I deal with it? You're the one who saved—"
Before Arashi could finish, Perona—who had been tossed onto the deck—stirred.
She flipped over and sat up, looking around blankly at Mihawk and Arashi.
That porcelain-doll-like face…
Even Arashi couldn't help but pause.
Gothic dress, pink twin-tails, striped leggings—she looked about twelve or thirteen, like a perfectly crafted doll.
This… was Perona?
What the hell is going on?
Arashi was momentarily stunned.
Did she just… drop as loot from the ghost ship he cut earlier?
"Hey, hey—who are you people?!"
Now fully awake, Perona blinked at Mihawk, then at Arashi, before quickly standing up in alarm.
"W-why am I here? You—you guys… wahhh! Did you kidnap me?!"
"Stop crying!"
Mihawk frowned immediately, his tone sharp.
"Speak. What's your name?"
Clearly intimidated by his gaze, Perona stammered,
"P-Perona…"
"Perona, huh?"
Arashi narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"Did you fall into the sea from that ghost ship just now?"
Perona nodded quickly.
"Yeah! Some weird slash came out of nowhere, and I got blown into the sea!"
"So… you're with Moria?"
"No way!!"
Perona shook her head frantically.
"That awful guy captured me!"
Hearing this, Arashi's thoughts stirred.
In the original story, Perona's background had always been a mystery. Some speculated she was a princess, but it was never confirmed.
One thing was certain—she had been with Moria since she was very young.
And Moria had treated her quite well.
Still… those theories about her being from Wano Country? Arashi didn't buy it.
Her style, her clothing—everything about her was completely different.
If anything, he found it more believable that she came from some fallen noble family in the West Blue.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was—
She had somehow fallen off Thriller Bark… and ended up here.
That was the key point!
Just like Mihawk said, his Traveler already had one maid—
What's one more little girl?
"Captured by Moria, huh?"
Mihawk frowned again.
"Then where's your hometown?"
"I… I don't remember…"
Perona blinked—and then burst into tears again.
"Waaahhh… you're bullying me!"
"Alright, alright…"
Mihawk looked instantly overwhelmed and turned to Arashi.
"I'm not good with this kind of thing. She's your problem now."
"Like I'm any better…"
Arashi tilted his head, then stepped closer to Perona, softening his tone.
"Perona, right? I'm Arashi—a traveler. Until you remember where you're from, you can travel with me. See that big sister over there? Go play with her."
"Big sister?"
Following his gaze, Perona spotted Robin, who had just stepped out of the cabin.
Her eyes instantly lit up.
"Wow! She's so pretty!"
"Hello, Perona."
Robin walked over and smiled gently.
"You're completely soaked. Come on—I'll help you change into some dry clothes."
"I like what you're wearing!"
Perona stared at Robin's maid outfit with sparkling eyes, practically drooling with excitement.
Robin glanced awkwardly at Arashi—then quietly took Perona's hand and led her away.
"...You can really get a loli just by slashing a ship?"
Arashi watched them leave, utterly baffled.
Tilting his head, he muttered to himself,
"That actually works?"
Just like that, the sudden chaos caused by the ghost ship came to a quiet end.
At the royal palace of the Ilusia Kingdom—
Nobles and ministers had gathered, each still shaken as they looked at the ruined hall.
King Topkapı III was dead.
And seated upon the throne—
Was none other than Queen Sophia.
"Your Majesty, it has been confirmed—the attacker on Constantin City was a pirate named Moria!"
"Your Majesty, Moria has already retreated!"
"Your Majesty, the one who repelled Moria was Sir Arashi, recently appointed Grand Knight!"
"Your Majesty, Sir Arashi is currently still stationed at the port!"
"Your Majesty, order has been restored in the royal city…"
Reports echoed one after another through the hall.
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