"Why didn't you leave?"
After a brief stop at Punk Hazard, the large ship began sailing in another direction.
Karin squatted on the railing like a figurehead. Whether it was a bird instinct or not, she now always felt this was the most comfortable spot.
Upon hearing her question, Lucci remained silent, letting out a scornful snort before exposing his neck.
Though invisible now, a chain was still bound there.
The meaning was clear enough.
We are still leashed dogs, how could we escape?
Whether he believed it or not, he used it as an excuse.
Seeing this, Karin nodded understandingly and then asked,
"Where's the nearest Marine base from here?"
"Huh?"
Lucci was somewhat puzzled.
But Kaku beside him caught on. After a moment's thought, he replied,
"It's the Marine G-5 base... but, there might not be anyone left there."
Kaku sounded hesitant.
After the Summit War, the Marines, to maintain stability, temporarily redeployed their limited forces to the first half of the Grand Line.
—After all, they didn't have much advantage in the New World anyway.
Some Marine bases established in the cracks between major forces were basically already empty.
Without strong support from Headquarters, these bases found it difficult to maintain even daily patrols.
Pirates in the New World were far more troublesome than those in Paradise.
But at the same time, the pirate situation in the New World was relatively more stable under the rule of Four Emperors.
That's precisely why the Marines chose to allocate their limited forces more heavily to maintaining stability in Paradise and the Four Blues.
"Are you planning to turn yourself in?"
Lucci grinned widely, his tone sarcastic.
The result was him being forcibly pulled flat onto the deck by the chain.
Releasing control of the chain, Karin spoke as if nothing had happened.
"I'm not a pirate, so why would they arrest me?"
"Besides, with just the few of us, sending all these children back to their hometowns would be terribly inefficient."
Most of the forcibly conscripted agents and sailors from before were dead, and they only had this one ship.
—There were many unmanned warships floating at sea near Punk Hazard, but they didn't have enough crew. Even splitting one person in two wouldn't be enough.
In comparison, having the Marines send the children home was a more efficient choice.
As for safety... Karin believed her current self was completely different from before. Even if the other side turned hostile, she wouldn't be afraid.
"Tch... after what you did at Marineford, you still dare to say..."
Lucci muttered under his breath, but Karin simply pretended not to hear.
She turned to look at Kaku, then glanced at Kalifa, who was playing with the children alongside Naomi in the distance, and suddenly said,
"After we deliver the last child, you'll be free."
Regardless of the reason, Lucci and the others had indeed followed her orders and rescued those children from there.
They even came back on their own later.
That alone was enough to atone for their initial sin of firing cannons at her.
And... remembering the dead sailors, Karin deeply felt the difficulty of leading a large group.
Especially when most members of that group had insufficient combat strength and needed protection.
Imitating the approach of Big Mom or Whitebeard by establishing a large fleet seemed unfeasible for her.
In contrast, establishing a small group with few members but all elites, like that Straw Hat kid or Red-Haired Shanks, seemed more suitable for her.
Just like the [Tailed Beast Protection Squad] they had once formed.
If they encountered such an incident, even if outmatched, they wouldn't die like worthless grass to some indiscriminate AoE.
And as for Lucci and the others… although they had proven their obedience, that obedience was based on restraint.
She still preferred to have partners under her whom she could truly trust, like Naomi.
"...Are you serious?"
Obviously, Lucci didn't believe Karin's words immediately.
"Believe it or not. Of course, if you don't want to leave then, you can also stay on my ship as crew."
With that, Karin flapped her wings and flew towards Naomi and the others-
Leaving Kaku and Lucci looking at each other, no one speaking for a moment.
On the other side, seeing Karin suddenly fly over, Naomi, who had been somewhat at a loss, seemed to have found a savior. She somewhat clumsily 'swam' with her tail, quickly approaching.
"Mmm~ Looks like the children quite like you."
As usual, Karin transformed into her small bird form and perched on top of Naomi's head, speaking while looking at her tail.
Seeing this, Naomi's face fell in distress, and she looked back.
Sure enough, two children of normal size and three or four Tontatta Tribe little ones were currently lying on her tail, pretending she was some sort of vehicle.
Upon being discovered, they immediately ran away laughing.
They seemed to really like Naomi.
This even made Kalifa nearby feel a bit jealous.
Unlike her sister Alpha, Kalifa genuinely liked children.
Her [Soap Sheep] was quite popular with the children before, but as soon as Naomi came aboard, she attracted most of them.
Actually, at the very beginning, the children were quite afraid of Naomi.
Compared to Kalifa, who behaved very gently in front of them, Naomi, when not drunk, always seemed a bit shy.
Plus, with such a drastic change in her physical form, it was impossible for Naomi not to feel self-conscious.
So, at first, after being brought onto the large ship by Karin, she was still somewhat timid.
—As for the Shark Emeralda, it was too small to hold so many people.
And compared to the large transport ship with abundant supplies and complete facilities, the Shark Emeralda originally belonged to Mad Treasure's 'warship', and its comfort level was much worse.
Of course, the treasure was transferred.
After all, the whole ship's provisions and expenses would require money.
Compared to treating those captive crew members, Karin was clearly much more serious when facing these children.
Children are often very sensitive to the attitudes of those around them.
Especially these children who had survived for some time on Punk Hazard.
But at the same time, upon sensing genuine kindness, they would also quickly let down their guard.
This was true for Kalifa, and the same for Naomi.
When Naomi, under Karin's orders, carefully handed warm clothing and food to the children, and even gathered the courage to help a three-meter-tall 'little' girl tidy her disheveled hair-
The children immediately accepted this big sister who looked a bit strange.
Compared to those cold, aloof protective suit guards, Naomi was undoubtedly easier for them to accept.
Of course, acceptance didn't come without a price.
Like now… Naomi being used as a slide by several children was a prime example.
But although wearing a troubled expression, Naomi didn't drive the children away or truly feel bothered.
Karin could sense that.
Perhaps what really caught Naomi off guard was the purest hearts of the children.
'Hmm... I hope Naomi doesn't cry too hard when it's time to send the children away.'
Karin very naturally used her beak to groom her feathers, feeling the sea breeze blowing over her body.
That scent of blood seemed to have dissipated quite a bit.