Chapter 19: The Exclusive Hair Accessory and the Maid's New Power
"WHITE BLOW!"
Suzaku watched it come. He didn't flinch. He didn't dodge. He merely raised his right hand casually and opened his palm.
His movement appeared unhurried, almost lazy, yet it was exceptionally precise.
THWACK.
Just as the heavy, smoke-condensed punch struck, he caught it. His fingers clamped around the solidified smoke like a vice. A layer of invisible Armament Haki coated his skin, neutralizing the kinetic impact instantly.
"Guh..."
Smoker's eyes widened. He had expected resistance, maybe even a block, but to have his strongest attack caught with one hand? It was demoralizing.
He gritted his teeth, his jaw aching from the effort. He tried to push forward, to overwhelm the pirate with sheer mass, but it was like pushing against a mountain.
"Is that all?" Suzaku asked, his voice calm, cutting through Smoker's ragged breathing.
He tightened his grip.
CRUNCH.
The seemingly surging giant fist of white smoke cracked under the pressure. It didn't explode; it simply disintegrated. The dense smoke dispersed like a popped bubble, turning into wisps of powerless white fluff that vanished into the salty air.
Smoker stumbled forward, off-balance.
"Hey, Smoker," Suzaku continued, looking down at the kneeling Marine. "You've been in Loguetown for so long, acting as the gatekeeper... seeing so many pirates come and go... Do you truly still believe that the Marine represents absolute justice?"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Smoker suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot with fury. He spat out his ruined cigars.
"Are you trying to lecture me?! Are you trying to say that you pirates are the ones who represent justice?! Don't make me laugh! You are criminals who prey on the weak!"
It was precisely because he had witnessed too much filth and corruption at Marine Headquarters that Smoker had become unruly. He despised the politics, the bureaucracy, and the compromises. He earned the nickname "Marine Mad Dog" because he refused to bow to corrupt superiors. But despite everything, he still believed in the ideal of the Marines. Without them, the world would be chaos.
Suzaku merely smiled slightly.
"Of course I know that pirates aren't saints. Most are scum who deserve to die."
He leaned in slightly, his golden eyes boring into Smoker's soul.
"But have you never wondered why pirates spring up like weeds, generation after generation, across this great sea? Why can they never be completely wiped out, no matter how many you execute on that platform behind you?"
"Hmph..." Smoker growled, trying to stand up despite his trembling legs. "Isn't it just that damned Roger? He used his death to usher in this cursed Great Pirate Era with his last words... Greed. That's all it is."
His tone carried a hint of imperceptible weakness. He knew deep down that greed alone couldn't sustain an era for twenty years. There was something else fueling the fire. A desire for freedom that the World Government tried to crush.
"Well, I think you know in your heart that the root cause goes far beyond that," Suzaku shrugged, releasing Smoker's wrist and taking a step back.
"But none of this concerns me anymore. I originally just wanted to be a happy bounty hunter, maybe a traveler... Wasn't it you Marines who forced me to become the 'pirate' you speak of by putting a bounty on my head for killing a corrupt officer like Nezumi?"
He paused, his tone shifting from philosophical to authoritative.
"Remember this, Smoker. If you survive this... go back and tell those old men at your Headquarters to change my designation!"
Suzaku pointed a thumb at his chest, grinning.
"My name is Suzaku. Being called 'The Madman' is absolutely dreadful! It lacks style! I want something cool, like 'The Vermilion King' or 'The Sun God'!"
"As for why I'm called this..."
He offered a friendly, yet terrifying smile. His eyes flashed gold, and for a split second, the shadow of a massive bird seemed to manifest behind him.
"Just assume I'm an ability user who ate the Mythical Zoan Type: Suzaku fruit. It's easier to explain that way, isn't it?"
As he finished speaking, before Smoker could process the information or react, Suzaku moved.
He didn't use fire. He didn't use Haki. He just threw a simple, casual punch.
BANG!
It connected with Smoker's chest.
Smoker felt an unstoppable, massive force strike him. It felt like being hit by a train moving at full speed. His ribs groaned in protest.
He instantly flew backward, his boots scraping uselessly against the stone. He crashed heavily onto the pavement twenty meters away, rolling until he hit the base of the execution platform.
His vision went black. He slumped down, completely losing consciousness.
"It's rude not to reciprocate," Suzaku said, shaking his hand as if he had touched something dirty. He looked at the unconscious Smoker in the distance and shrugged helplessly.
"You hit me once, I hit you once. Seems fair, right?"
Although the other party was highly unlikely to hear him.
He turned and walked without hesitation toward his waiting companions. The plaza was silent now, save for the wind whistling through the broken buildings.
As they left the square, Albedo gracefully turned back. Her black wings rustled like silk. Her golden eyes coldly swept over the unconscious Marines scattered on the ground like broken toys.
"Suzaku-sama," she asked softly, her voice devoid of mercy. "Do these disrespectful ants truly not need to be thoroughly eliminated? Leaving enemies alive is... inefficient. They might pursue us."
She raised a hand, dark energy gathering at her fingertips.
Suzaku smiled and shook his head, gently lowering her hand.
"Albedo, if we killed everyone, who would help us spread the name 'Suzaku' across the seas? Witnesses are valuable. Besides, Smoker isn't a bad guy. He's just... stubborn."
His tone was relaxed, as if everything that had just happened—defeating a Logia user, crushing a Marine Captain—was merely light exercise before dinner.
"Let's go. Since we're already here, I'll take you and Nami to properly explore Loguetown. We need supplies, and I promised to treat you to the local delicacies."
When Nami, who was nearby still recovering from the shock of seeing two Logia users defeated so easily, heard the words "shopping" and "delicacies," her eyes immediately lit up. The fear vanished, replaced by the sparkle of Berries.
"Yes, yes! I want to buy lots of new clothes! And map paper! And ink! And maybe some jewelry!"
She grabbed Suzaku's arm, pulling him toward the commercial district.
"My treat!" Suzaku laughed. "Using the money we took from Arlong, of course."
The three chatted and laughed, their figures gradually disappearing at the end of the long street, leaving the devastated plaza and the legend of the "Madman" behind.
Ten Minutes Later.
Not long after they left, a cautious figure crept back into the square from a side alley.
It was Masked Deuce, Ace's first mate.
He had initially been hiding nearby, observing the fight and snapping photos for his travel journal. Upon returning to the square now, he gasped in shock at the sight before him.
Unconscious Marines covered the ground like a carpet. Smoker was down. Tashigi was down. And in the center of the square, a horrific giant pit marred the stone, still radiating heat.
"Holy..."
His heart nearly leaped into his throat. He scrambled and crawled to the edge of the huge pit.
He finally let out a long sigh of relief when he saw Ace slumped at the bottom. He was unconscious, his limbs twisted at odd angles, and his face was bruised, but his chest was rising and falling steadily.
"Captain Ace!"
After laboriously hoisting the heavy fire-user onto his shoulder, Deuce warily scanned his surroundings.
"Who was that guy?" Deuce whispered, shivering as he recalled the golden flames. "He took down Ace in one hit... The Grand Line is going to be scary if monsters like that are roaming around."
He quickly vanished into the maze of alleys, dragging his Captain to safety before reinforcements arrived.
Evening. On the Vermilion Wing.
The ship was sailing away from Loguetown, the lighthouse fading into the distance as the sun began to dip below the horizon. The deck was covered in colorful shopping bags.
"Rem, I've been thinking about you."
Suzaku said with a warm smile, handing a large, beautifully wrapped bag to the blue-haired maid who had just finished preparing dinner.
"Look! I specifically had Nami help pick out lots of beautiful clothes for you! Maid uniforms are nice, but you need casual wear too. You can't fight in a skirt all the time."
As soon as he finished speaking, Nami, who was lounging on a deck chair nearby counting her remaining allowance, mercilessly exposed him.
"Liar!" Nami scoffed without looking up. "I clearly had to remind you, 'It's time to buy Rem some new clothes,' three times before you remembered! You were too busy looking at swords in that antique shop! Now you're trying to steal the credit?"
"Nami!" Suzaku hissed, looking betrayed. "You are maliciously trying to sow discord in the pure master-servant relationship between Rem and me! Can't you let me look cool for once?"
He immediately retorted, attempting to maintain his image as a considerate master.
"Hmph, I'm just stating the facts!" Nami crossed her arms, refusing to back down. "And you owe me for the fashion consultation fee! That's 5,000 Berries!"
While the two were bickering, Albedo had already quietly taken another bag—a sleek, black one containing elegant dresses Suzaku had personally selected for her (under intense pressure and many threats of "bed-warming").
She silently entered the shared cabin she had claimed.
She gently closed the door. Uncharacteristically abandoning her usual elegance and poise, she dove onto the bed while hugging the bag tightly.
"He chose them for me... He touched them..."
She buried her face into the soft fabric, inhaling deeply. She silently rolled around on the bed twice, her black wings fluttering happily, her ear tips turning slightly red.
Back on the deck.
Suzaku ignored Nami and magically produced a small, exquisite box from behind his back. He presented it to Rem with a flourish.
"Don't listen to Nami's nonsense, Rem. Look at this."
He opened the box. Inside sat a delicate pink flower hair ornament, crafted from rare coral and silk found in a specialty shop in Loguetown.
"Isn't it almost exactly the same as your original hair ornament from... back home? But made with materials from this world. I specifically chose it for you."
"Huh?"
Nami leaned closer, peering at the box. Her eyes widened in genuine surprise.
"Wait... when did you buy that? I was with you the whole time! How did I not notice?"
"There are many things you don't know about me, Navigator-san." Suzaku raised an eyebrow smugly. "I have fast hands."
He turned to Rem, his expression softening.
"What do you think? Do you like it?"
Rem carefully took the hair ornament. Her fingers trembled slightly as she touched the petals. It was a reminder of her sister, Ram, and her home in the Roswaal Mansion. But it was also a gift from her new Master in this new life.
Genuine delight welled up in her single visible blue eye.
"Thank you very much, Suzaku-sama."
She curtsied deeply, holding the flower to her chest.
"You specifically chose it for Rem... Rem is very happy. Rem will treasure it forever."
She carefully put the hair ornament away in her apron pocket, treating it like a sacred relic. Then, she took the large bag of clothes and began to look through them.
"Oh my..."
A moment later, she tilted her head slightly in confusion. She held up a few garments.
There were a few nice sundresses. But the rest...
She held up a string bikini. And another one. And a monokini with daring cutouts.
"Suzaku-sama," she asked innocently, her voice carrying across the deck. "Why is it that besides these few normal clothes... everything else is all sorts of swimsuits? And they are very... minimal. Does this world lack fabric?"
Completely ignoring Nami's look of utter disdain beside him—the expression clearly saying, "I saw right through you, you pervert"—Suzaku cleared his throat seriously.
"Ahem~ Well, Rem, that's just logic!"
He puffed out his chest, trying to look dignified.
"We are sailing on the high seas! We will always encounter sunny, beautiful weather! The Grand Line is tropical! When that happens, we can all enjoy a comfortable sunbath together! Vitamin D is crucial for health! Maximizing skin exposure is purely for medical reasons!"
"Is that so?" Rem asked, looking at the tiny piece of fabric that barely constituted a bottom.
"Yes! Absolutely!"
Of course, he wouldn't admit that he had bought a large number of swimsuits for all three women purely so that at some point in the future, he could feast his eyes on his harem.
"Scum," Nami whispered.
"Visionary," Suzaku corrected.
As he watched Rem carefully fold the swimsuit, treating his perverted gift with the same reverence as the hair ornament, a mechanical chime suddenly rang in his mind.
[System Notification:]
[Ding~]
[Rem's Affection Level has significantly increased due to the thoughtful gift.]
[Current Bond Level: Shared Life and Death (MAX)!]
[Akarin Note:] In the original raw text for this chapter, although the bond level increases to MAX, there is no immediate reward (skill/item) given to Suzaku at this specific moment. The reward might appear in later chapters or simply be a narrative milestone for now. Stay tuned!