"Of course, Big Brother shouldn't be left out when it comes to treasure," Carina smoothly took over the conversation, lightly patting Nami as a signal to follow her lead.
"Treasure?" Hikaru chuckled. "I have no shortage of that. My name is Shen Hikaru, and I am both god and emperor of the Kingdom of God. My palace is filled with glittering gold, countless jewels, and rare treasures beyond imagination."
Kingdom of God? God? Emperor?
Nami and Carina were stunned. He didn't sound like he was boasting—could he really be that powerful?
(He has no shortage of treasure… Then is he interested in me? No… Maybe he's after Nami instead!)
"Don't overthink it. I like both of you. Be my consorts!"
Hikaru didn't wait for them to make a move, choosing to be direct instead.
The two women were taken aback. Could he read minds?! No… that was impossible. It had to be a coincidence.
Nami: (Wait… I can agree for now and use his power to get rid of those Fish-Men! 100 million Berries is still far off—this guy is strong and handsome. If sacrificing myself means saving the entire village, then so be it!)
Carina: (This is bad! I can't escape this situation. Against such overwhelming power, even my wits won't help me out of this mess…)
(Forget it. I'll agree for now. If his status is real and he can offer me a stable and luxurious life, then I'll be living my dream much sooner than expected.)
Their thoughts raced like lightning, and in mere seconds, they had already formed a plan. Exchanging glances, they nodded.
"I'll agree—but only if you help me drive a group of Fish-Men out of my hometown," Nami said firmly, gritting her teeth.
Despite everything Arlong and his crew had done—oppressing her village, extorting them, and even killing her adoptive mother—she still didn't demand revenge.
Seeing this, Carina quickly added,
"I'll agree too—but only if you prove that you're truly an emperor and can provide me and Nami with a life where we never have to worry about money again."
Just as Hikaru expected, given their circumstances and past experiences, neither of them would outright refuse.
"That's no problem. Then it's settled!"
Satisfied, Hikaru stood up, hovering in midair before extending his arms toward them.
"Come on up. I'll take you away from here. Your sisters are waiting above."
"Wait! We still need to grab our treasure!"
The two money-loving thieves hadn't forgotten about their loot.
"How much could there even be? How are you planning to carry it all?" Hikaru asked, unconcerned.
"That's why you're here, Big Brother Qin! Please, take the treasure with us. We worked so hard to steal it!"
Nami and Carina clung to his arms, shaking them playfully as they pleaded.
Hikaru sighed, pretending to hesitate for a moment before giving in.
"Alright, alright… You two little troublemakers are impossible. Follow me to the ship first—then you can show me the way."
Hearing that, the two women beamed with joy. Leaving behind treasure they had risked their lives to steal? That would've been more painful than death itself.
"Hiss~ That hurts…"
Nami took a step and winced in pain, suddenly remembering that she had sprained her ankle earlier.
Seeing this, Hikaru approached her with a look of concern, examining her injury.
Feeling his eyes on her, Nami's cheeks turned slightly red. He clearly intended to help, so she didn't dare to complain and simply endured the pain.
Hikaru nodded, gently lifting her foot and massaging it for a moment. Then, channeling a controlled electric current, he stimulated her skin to promote blood circulation and ease the swelling.
The numbing sensation made Nami bite her lip lightly, but she knew Hikaru was treating her injury.
"Alright, let's see how it feels now~"
Finally, Hikaru finished the treatment.
Nami let out a relieved breath. But when she noticed Carina's teasing gaze, she shot her a sharp glare before testing her foot. She took a couple of steps and realized there was no more pain.
"Amazing! I didn't expect Brother Qin to know medical skills too!"
Her face was filled with genuine surprise. At first, she had thought Hikaru might have just been using her injury as an excuse to take advantage of her.
"Of course. I know everything—I am a god."
Hikaru smirked as the scent lingering around Nami reached his nose—a mix of fresh oranges and sunflowers.
Seeing that they were ready, he took them back to his ship, landing gently as the other women greeted them with cheerful voices.
The three women on board were no longer surprised that Hikaru had returned with two more beautiful girls. They stepped forward, welcoming Nami and Carina while introducing themselves.
"So, you're Nojiko's sister? You're so beautiful—no wonder Hikaru couldn't forget you~" Robin covered her mouth with a teasing smile.
"No way~ Sister, you're much prettier than me..." Nami started to deny it, but then her expression suddenly shifted. "Wait!! How do you know my sister's name!?"
"Oh? Didn't Hikaru tell you?" Robin raised an eyebrow, glancing at Hikaru with a playful smirk. "Tsk, he really has bad taste when it comes to handling things."
"Could it be…?" Nami turned toward Hikaru in disbelief, her voice barely above a whisper.
"That's right," Hikaru nodded. "I've already taken care of the Fish-Men in Cocoyasi Village. The deal between us has been fulfilled ahead of time."
"WHAT!?"
Nami stood frozen in shock. It took her a few moments to process his words before her eyes welled up with tears.
"Bellemere... The Fish-Men who brought us so much pain... they're all dead!!!"
Before she could finish speaking, her tears spilled over, and she threw herself into Carina's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Nami..." Carina's voice was soft, touched by the moment.
As the emotional scene unfolded, Hikaru's expression suddenly sharpened.
His eyes locked onto the sky in the southeast, where chunks of earth—ranging in size—were falling, eventually crashing into the sea.
Falling debris? From that high up...?
Is there a Sky Island above the East Blue!?
A thought flickered in his mind. It wasn't impossible—after all, the world of One Piece had more than one Sky Island. He himself ruled over one.
Though the existence of a Sky Island in the East Blue had never been mentioned, that didn't mean it wasn't there.
Sky Island...
Wait. Could it be... Golden Lion Shiki!?
Hikaru suddenly remembered something—after escaping from Impel Down, Shiki had discovered an island called Vermeil.
There, creatures had turned into ferocious beasts after consuming plants containing the "IQ" ingredient. Together with his assistant, Dr. Indigo, Shiki had been conducting research on "IQ" while plotting his revenge—right above the East Blue.
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