Chapter 449: Cooperation with Keshia!
After Perona left, Ryuunosuke leaned against the rail, deep in thought.
For all the times he had clashed with the Guardians, he realized he still knew almost nothing about them. Their powers, their origins, even their motives remained shrouded in mystery. And yet, one of them was already aboard his ship.
If she's here, then she can pay her dues, he decided.
"Gaino, call Keshia for me. I want to see her."
Though the ship spirit was busy assisting Nojiko and Gaban, passing on a simple message was no trouble.
"Understood, Captain," Gaino's voice replied in his ear.
A moment later, Keshia appeared in front of him. She was in the middle of picking her feet when the scene shifted, and she suddenly stood before Ryuunosuke. Her hand froze awkwardly, half-raised to her mouth.
"What do you want?" she demanded warily.
Ryuunosuke's first words stuck in his throat. She'd strutted aboard as the noble "Lord Keshia"… and now here she was, caught picking her feet like a lazy deckhand.
"…I don't want to do anything," he muttered at last, exasperated.
"Hmph! If you're thinking anything improper, forget it." Keshia folded her arms and sniffed. "But if it's something else—ah, right! You don't get along with that guy Kruel Busulud, do you? How about we team up and take him down together?"
"…Huh?"
Ryuunosuke blinked. That wasn't what he expected. But then he remembered why he'd called her in the first place: to pry information about the Guardians. Since Busulud was one of them, maybe Keshia's offer wasn't as ridiculous as it sounded.
"Don't hesitate!" Keshia pressed eagerly. "I'm already prepared. If you join me, the success rate of my plan goes way up. So—how about it? Join my perfect plan!"
Ryuunosuke stared at her, caught between disbelief and amusement. He'd already heard about her so-called "plan" from Gaino. If he really followed her lead, he might be marching the entire crew straight into a disaster.
"Then tell me first—what exactly is this perfect plan?" he said evenly.
"You don't think I'm some fool, do you?" Kshia shot back with a grin. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't have my own reasons. What I told Perona before was just a joke to keep her busy."
Ryuunosuke's eyes narrowed. That, at least, made sense. No one who reached the rank of Guardian could be as brainless as she sometimes acted.
"Then tell me your plan," he said calmly. "And more than that—I want everything you know about the Guardians. Even about yourself. In exchange, the entire Dragon Hunter Pirates will commit to your plan. That's my offer."
Keshia froze, her playful air vanishing.
"You're saying you'd put your whole crew on the line for my strategy? Do you realize what you're promising? My plan is thorough, but if something goes wrong, it won't just be me who dies. You'll all be dragged down with me."
Ryuunosuke's smile didn't waver. "That's for me to consider. What I need now is your answer."
Keshia studied him for a long moment, then exhaled slowly. "Fine. What do you want to know first?"
"Start with your plan," he said.
She gave a small nod. "I already knew Kruel Busulud would target me. That's why Perona was really brought aboard—to serve as leverage. Busulud's strength doesn't come from a Devil Fruit. What he gained in Raftel was eternal life."
Her voice dropped, almost bitter. "But the price of that immortality was his lover… and his body."
Ryuunosuke stiffened. "Wait—you're saying Raftel can actually grant eternal life?"
The rumors spreading across the seas echoed in his mind. He'd assumed they were nothing but bait to stir chaos. But if Busulud himself had attained some form of immortality there, then perhaps the whispers weren't lies after all.
"Did all the Guardians gain their lives there?" he asked quietly.
Keshia's lips curled into a grim smile. "Call it eternal life if you want. I call it a curse. Raftel doesn't bless—it brands. And yes, I've endured it too." She raised her chin, eyes glinting. "Captain Ryuunosuke, you already know there's something unusual about me. Now you know why."
Her words hung heavy in the cabin, thick with implication. Whatever secrets the Guardians carried, they were tied to Raftel—and to immortality itself.
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