"That's right! Where do you think you're running off to, brat? We haven't settled our score yet! I'm going to win and claim my alone-time with Miss Shakky!"
Roger, who had followed Shakky over, shouted loudly, his face flushed from alcohol and excitement.
"Exactly! Midnight with the most beautiful woman in the world—just thinking about it gets my blood pumping! Roger, even if you're the Captain, I'm taking you down!"
Jabba tailed them, clearly drunk as well, jabbing a finger at Roger with fighting spirit.
"You two go ahead. I give up," Rayleigh sighed, rubbing his temples.
As first mate of the Roger Pirates, he had to stay sober—especially with Charlotte Linlin present.
She made his instincts scream danger, and her stance wasn't yet clear; he couldn't afford to drink himself senseless. His crew depended on him.
"No way!" Roger and Jabba roared in unison.
Roger added quickly, "Miss Shakky said everyone has to play or the bet's off!"
Jabba nodded hard. "Right! Be a man and keep drinking! First one to drop loses!"
With that, they grabbed the helpless Rayleigh, one on each side, and hauled him back.
Shakky hid a giggle behind her hand and said to Charlotte Linlin,
"We'll leave you to enjoy the night view, then."
Watching them go, Charlotte Linlin wondered wistfully when she would find companions like that.
A few steps away, Shakky turned as if she'd just remembered something.
"Oh, Gloriosa and some of the Kuja Pirates are looking everywhere for you. I was kind enough to point them this way."
Only then did she finally leave, vanishing from Linlin's sight.
Looking for her? Whatever for?
Before the question cleared her mind, a crowd of laughing, tipsy women arrived, bringing the sweet scent of fruit liquor.
"Found her! Lady Linlin's right here!"
"Tonight's mission: get Lady Linlin drunk—then hehehe..."
"Out of my way! Lady Linlin belongs to me, your Captain!"
Leading them was Gloriosa, cheeks pink and eyes sparkling. The rest were Kuja warriors Linlin had saved from the merchant ship.
She... was being treated as a conquest target?
Seeing the eager, green-eyed beauties, Linlin felt an odd sense of déjà vu.
The next second, a blushing Gloriosa leapt nimbly onto her shoulder and declared possessively,
"I told you all—Lady Linlin is mine!"
"No! Lady Linlin belongs to all of us!" a Kuja warrior shot back.
Giggling, the drunken women crowded forward; some boldly perched on her long legs.
Fortunately they showed restraint—no one tried to sit on her head. Even lovely women would get slapped for that.
Surrounded by chattering "koalas" and the fragrance of wine, Linlin didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
What exactly did they take her for?
...Bright moon, sparse stars, waves playing a solo.
Linlin lay lazily on the sand, one arm behind her head, gazing at the half-moon, savoring a rare peace.
Her other arm had been "occupied" by the fervent Kuja warriors.
They curled against it like cats that had found the perfect cushion.
Gloriosa sprawled across her stomach, unwilling to move, face blissful, as though she'd found the safest place on earth.
Nearby, the epic drinking contest among Roger, Rayleigh and Jabba neared its end; empty barrels ringed them.
"Damn it... I... can't fall yet..."
Thud!
Roger forced one last cup into Rayleigh's hand; the first mate finally toppled.
He hadn't wanted to get drunk, but the two love-struck fools, tempted by Shakky's charms, had poured drink after drink down his throat.
"Shishishi! I... I win! Shakky, time to... drink with... me—"
Roger collapsed mid-sentence, snoring loudly.
Shakky exhaled a languid smoke ring, unsurprised, showing no intention of honoring the "drinking companion" promise—she'd foreseen the mutual knockout.
Beyond the dying campfire she glanced toward Linlin, recalling what Gloriosa had said before the feast:
"Shakky, I've decided. When we return, I'll step down as Empress. From now on, the Kuja Pirates and Amazon Lily are yours."
"I'll take the warriors who want adventure and join Lady Linlin's banner. But the island itself can't bow to Charlotte Linlin or the Rocks Pirates yet; partnership is best for us."
"Kuja Island lies in the Grand Line, and our pirate group can only operate there."
"Flying the Rocks Pirates' flag would scare small fry, but the Marines would come in force—disaster for our homeland."
This ordeal had shown Gloriosa how fragile Kuja Island was in the eyes of New World monsters.
Barnett's crew, the Roger Pirates, even the helpful Charlotte Linlin—all could wipe them out on a whim.
Only by sailing under Rocks' name could their supply raids gain the strongest shield.
Keeping the island neutral and cooperative left her people a final sanctuary.
Shakky drew on her cigarette, exhaling white smoke that veiled her complicated look.
She glanced at the snoring, Captain-less Roger, then at Linlin surrounded by women, and finally at the blissful Gloriosa draped over her living "heater," and gave a wry smile.
"My dear Captain, you picked the perfect moment to skip duty... leaving me no reason to refuse."
Sea breeze carried her soft complaint away with the tide.
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