Chapter 33 – The Bounty That Shook Paradise, and the New Swordswoman's First Night
The only thing Aike regretted skipping at Baratie was the transaction points Sanji would have given.
But he decided to wait.
Once the Straw Hats fully assembled, he'd swoop in for a massive harvest.
Same reason he never bothered hunting Zoro down.
"Relax. I'm not some irredeemable villain."
Aike smiled at Tashigi, who was sitting ramrod straight like she was at a court-martial.
"Once you're on the ship, you're family. Nami and the girls are easy to get along with."
After leaving Loguetown, Tashigi had gone completely silent.
She just stood beside him like an obedient servant, waiting for orders.
It gave Aike a headache.
The girl was adorably dense, but she was also stubbornly attached to that Marine-brand "Justice."
It would take time to pry it out of her head.
So he attacked her weak point directly.
"I hear your dream is to collect every famous sword that's fallen into evil hands?"
The moment her dream was mentioned, Tashigi's eyes lit up. She clenched her fists.
"Yes!"
"Every blade that's been tarnished by villains—I'll take them back, one by one!"
"And you think staying in Loguetown was ever going to make that happen?"
Aike cut straight through the fantasy.
"Eagle Eye's Yoru. Red-Hair's Gryphon. Whitebeard's Murakumogiri."
"Which one of those monsters can you beat right now?"
Tashigi went silent.
Exactly.
The twelve Supreme Grade blades were all in the hands of the strongest people alive.
Even Admirals wouldn't claim they could 100% defeat those three.
A branch Sergeant Major? Zero chance.
Seeing her deflate, Aike dangled the carrot.
"But on my ship? That kind of power is within reach."
"You've seen my file. Devil Merchant. Lifespan, strength—those are just products I sell."
One sentence.
Tashigi instantly connected the dots:
The girl who looked exactly like her and crushed her in seconds.
The woman who knocked out Smoker with a single punch.
All that power… came from the man in front of her?!
Her heart skipped.
If that was true, then his claim of not fearing Headquarters might actually be real.
For the first time, returning to the Marines felt… distant.
Right on cue, the crew's official big sister Nami walked over.
She dragged Tashigi aside and shot Aike a look:
'Leave the brainwashing to me. She'll be one of us in no time.'
Aike gave her a big thumbs-up.
'Excellent work, comrade. Huge reward tonight.'
Nami rolled her eyes so hard they nearly fell out.
With the head wife stepping in, plus Kuina's subtle rivalry as motivation, turning Tashigi wasn't hard.
Double the swordswomen, double the fun…
Just thinking about it made him giddy.
When the two returned, Carina, Nojiko, Kaya, Izumi, and Hikari had joined them.
Tashigi's expression had softened noticeably.
Clearly Nami had sung Aike's praises (and probably threatened her a little).
Strictly speaking, everything he'd done since arriving in this world could still be called "law-abiding citizen" behavior.
Good start = good mood.
Aike happily kept his promise.
He pulled Nami into Kamui space.
Moments later, sky-high singing echoed through the dimension.
Unbeknownst to them, in a hidden corner of the space, a pair of shy eyes was secretly watching the entire "battle."
Next morning.
The brand-new wanted posters, personally approved by Marine Headquarters, were distributed across the globe.
They caused an earthquake in every major faction.
Paradise—the first half of the Grand Line.
The only pirates who truly ruled these waters were the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
When Aike's bounty reached their hands…
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