One Piece: I Weave the Pirate Codex with My Zanpakuto

"I'm going to avenge you. Be good and wait for me here. I'll take you home afterward. I have a big house in the Ideal Land."

“I made it especially to your liking, and there’s also little Teach.”

Kneeling down and rubbing Teach's head, Rocks smiled and said:

"Don't you love cherry pie the most? We can plant a cherry tree in the yard and you can taste Alice's cherry pie yourself."

"Mom?" Teach looked up at Alice, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Dad is right. I will make the best cherry pie. Teach and Perry, you two can look forward to it."

As the two little devils embraced and shouted "Long live the king!", Rocks opened the door and stepped into the snowstorm.

Is this really a good idea?

Kureha leaned back in her recliner, her legs propped up on a wooden table covered with medical books.

"If the king dies, the country will soon collapse."

"If it's the king, isn't there one right here?"

Seeing the man smiling at her, Kureha's expression was inscrutable.

"You don't mean to make me the queen of this place, do you?"

"This country doesn't need a king, it just needs a leader, a leader who can guide doctors to become healers."

Rose's smile faded, and his expression turned serious.

"The great hero serves the country and the people."

“Kureha, I believe only you can bear the weight of this chivalrous title.”

"Don't joke around."

Kureha avoided eye contact with the man and picked up the bottle to drink.

"Have you ever seen a chivalrous knight-errant hole up in a small place like this to drink?"

"Isn't what you've been lacking the right opportunity? Now the opportunity has arrived, Kureha."

Ross's tone slowed, but it also became increasingly firm.

"This is Drum Island, the renowned island of doctors. What's needed here are the purest healers, not nobles."

"No matter how much you try to deny it, you can't deceive your own soul. You want to see this island become better."

"You want to see people here able to stand tall, afford medical care, and have enough to eat."

Kureha was still drinking, her old face flushed red from the alcohol.

"People have to do something while they're alive."

Ross slowly got up, carried the frail Alice on his back, and called for Bear and Ginny to take care of the two little devils.

"Whether you go or not is up to you. Anyway, we'll be leaving this island soon. Hana Hanafuda, leave that thing behind."

After everyone left, the room instantly became deserted.

Kureha glanced at the black paper package on the table, hesitated for a long time before putting down the bottle and reaching over to take it.

Once the package was opened, a black flag depicting clouds and a sun was laid out on the table.

"...You still like to act on your own initiative."

Kureha got up, grumbling, grabbed her coat from the hanger, and put it on.

He crumpled the flag into a ball and stuffed it into his backpack before opening the door and leaving, heading towards the highest peak.

"Damn it, I shouldn't have accepted that bottle of wine you brought!"

Chapter 186 Nature

"You really do like to disappear without a word, Ross."

Above Laboon, Crocus gazed at the man beside him, who was meditating while holding a knife.

"Is it really okay to just hand over a country to her so easily?"

"Kureha is not good at management."

Ross opened his eyes, and the wild sunflower he was holding turned back into fleshy slugs in the next second.

Wild Sun's 100% resonance has an ununlocked power—the true meaning of the sword demon.

But no matter how much he practiced swordsmanship, he could never discover the source of that ability.

"Don't underestimate the power of laziness, Crocus."

"Kureha will find a suitable candidate to be king, and her laziness will be the strongest motivation."

"Besides, didn't I already lend her my name?"

Ross turned his head, looking at the port receding into the distance, a smile spreading across his face.

Flags emblazoned with clouds and a sun fluttered in the wind over the only port.

I believe that soon the news that Drum Island is being taken care of by a great pirate will spread throughout the park.

"The Iron Bucket Kingdom is a member state of the World Government. Aren't you worried that the World Government will cause them trouble?"

"Trouble? Who would want to offend a group of the best doctors? Do they have a death wish?"

He wasn't worried about what Crocus was concerned about.

"This is the tacit understanding between me and the World Government. As long as I don't go to the Holy Land Mary Geoise to kill Celestial Dragons for fun, the Five Elders and the World Government will not attack the islands under my control."

"They won't do that until they have a 7% chance of winning."

"The rest depends on who accumulates a higher chance of winning over the next few decades."

Crocus secretly rejoiced: "It's really complicated. Not choosing to join you was definitely the best decision I've ever made."

"Where to next, that desert country?"

After much deliberation, Ross decided to change his plans and head to Alabasta first to find out what was going on.

He was genuinely curious about what Queen Lily had gone through back then.

Whether they are dead or alive, and what is it that Alabasta has protected for generations?

"Let's follow the ocean current and go to Alabasta to see the king there."

……

Just as Ross and his party were en route to the desert kingdom of Alabasta, far away in the depths of the New World—

Elbaf, the Underworld, Ida's Tavern

"Oh, Lord Date, we've come to pick up the goods as agreed."

A group of humans, barely taller than the giant's knee, walked into the tavern.

The leader's voice was clearly obsequious, but the collar hidden beneath his beard was embroidered with a pattern unique to underground merchants.

A red skull.

That was the design on the ten-thousand-yuan Bailey, a skull Yuji wearing a stand-up collar and a diamond cowboy hat.

However, if placed on clothing, it generally symbolizes that the person wields considerable influence in the underworld.

"As for whether you can provide more goods this time, please rest assured. We are aware of Elbaf's rules, so we brought the payment in advance."

The giant's patrons, who had been waiting for a long time, whispered among themselves.

But what sounds like tiny voices to giants sounds like shouting through a megaphone to humans.

"He really is a human merchant. I didn't expect that Ida wasn't lying. It's amazing that someone with such a mottled bloodline from the South China Sea could do this."

"Even if she succeeds, so what? She's a giant from the South China Sea. Since she's a lowly giant from the South China Sea, she should obediently listen to us!"

"Shh, don't say that! King Harald just dealt with that fool who threatened Ida not long ago!"

"Everyone calls Ida a merchant who brings peace and benefits to Elbaf. You'd better not keep calling him a lowly giant."

"The last guy who said that is still in bed. Be careful, Harald might come after you if he hears the news."

The leading merchant's eyes darted around, a sly glint in his eyes.

It seems the partner has a very low status.

Having done so much without being acknowledged by the giants within their own tribe, this seems like a breakthrough.

With that thought in mind, the merchant climbed onto the bar and shook hands with Ida.

"The last transaction was very pleasant, but, I'm sorry, Princess Date, I may have to tell you some not-so-good news."

Ida was taken aback at first, then asked if there was a problem with the goods or if the demand had not been met.

"It's not that the products are bad. On the contrary, although the market demand for Giant medicinal herbs has decreased considerably, it still seems to have some market presence."

The underground businessman deliberately feigned a troubled expression.

"But the fur of those huge beasts may not be made by craftsmen whose skills do not meet human aesthetic standards, which makes it difficult for us to sell them."

"Many of the goods in the last batch were sold through personal connections."

"And also... cough."

The underground merchant glanced at the other giants in the tavern who were eavesdropping.

"We need to pay protection money to the giants, of course, of course!"

Hearing the giants' incredulous whispers, the underground merchant hurriedly offered an "explanation."

"It might be a giant that is wandering outside, I'm not referring to the giants of Elbaf."

"They said we were thieves who stole things that belonged to Elbaf and demanded 300 million Berries as protection money."

"What else is there to say? We will guarantee our safety in the waters off Elbaf from now on."

"so……"

The underground merchant took off his hat and sighed with feigned regret:

“The price for this transaction and future transactions may be lower, after all, we still have to make a living and pay protection money.”

“If we trade at the previous price, we’ll even have to lose money after factoring in the costs of shipping and selling.”

Ida looked bewildered. The giants were demanding extra protection money?!

How could she not know that such a thing had happened?!

“Mr. Valen, you must be mistaken. We did not send giants to collect extra fees from you.”

"No, no, no, you misunderstand, Your Highness."

Valen shouted out Ida's identity as a princess.

“Those are probably giants from somewhere else. I’m not saying anything bad about Elbaf.”

“This…do you remember what those people looked like or their names? I can have Harald send someone to help you get this money back.”

Despite Ida's well-intentioned suggestion, Valen looked miserable.

"You'd better not do anything reckless. If they find out, they'll definitely burn my ship and steal all our cargo."

"You can't possibly execute them for the sake of us human merchants, can you?"

Seeing that Ida's expression was unpleasant, Valen decided to stop while he was ahead.

This time, he was merely testing the giants' limits.

Like boiling a frog in lukewarm water, being too hasty will only backfire.

“We are businessmen, not schemers. We cannot let our relationship affect the unity of your Elbaf.”

After labeling himself as a victim, Valen put away his miserable expression and forced a smile.

"We must not let this affect our friendship, so Your Highness, please forgive us."

"This time, we can only accept goods from nobles at 80% of the usual price."

Ida was in a bit of a dilemma; losing 2% ​​of her income made it difficult for her to explain to everyone…

However, if they don't sell it, they have to transport it to Miracle Island, and the resulting sailing costs and time are equally troublesome.