Mermaid's Dance, Celestial Dragon's Taste

After more than ten minutes, Guernica finally returned to the palace.

"Saint Ross, it's been handled! Your new furniture will arrive within an hour."

"Good." Ross leaned back on the sofa and asked casually, "Anything major happening on the seas lately?"

Having just transmigrated into the world of One Piece, he needed to understand the current situation.

His memories held nothing about the seas—just images of him playing cricket with other Celestial Dragons. He'd never had much interest in those matters.

Play too much with other Celestial Dragons, and you'd really end up wasting yourself.

If there were no survival pressure, Ross wouldn't mind playing until he died of old age.

But if he did nothing, he'd definitely be purged in twenty years. Tough situation!

And this wasn't something that could be solved by just killing Luffy. Who knew what was up with Joy Boy and Nika? What if they just randomly awakened when the time came?

To be safe, Ross had to take precautions. He didn't want to enjoy himself for just a few years before it all ended.

Besides, if he really wanted to indulge, the things other Celestial Dragons did weren't worth his interest.

Now that he was a Celestial Dragon, hunting the strongest slaves and tasting the fiercest women—that was true pleasure.

What was the point of bullying ordinary people? You could barely squeeze out any rewards.

"Saint Ross, since the Pirate King Roger was executed, nothing major has occurred. Everything is under the World Government's control," Guernica replied respectfully.

"That's it?"

Hearing this answer, Ross frowned slightly.

His first reaction was that Guernica was hiding something.

The Great Pirate Era had been raging for two years now—how could there be no news at all?

Thinking of how other Celestial Dragons were practically kept like livestock, his suspicion wasn't unreasonable.

But when he saw the matter-of-fact expression on Guernica's face, he understood a bit.

From the standpoint of ordinary pirates or even the Marines, the Great Pirate Era seemed like the dawn of a new age.

But in the eyes of the World Government, in the eyes of CP0, the Celestial Dragons' strongest shield, the Great Pirate Era might not be such a big deal.

If Guernica weren't so arrogant, he wouldn't have been stupid enough to meddle in Kaido's fight.

"Which major pirates are active on the seas now?" Ross changed his approach.

"'The Lone Red' Patrick Redfield, 'Whitebeard' Edward Newgate, 'Pluto' Silbaz Rayleigh, 'Beast' Kaido, 'Big Mom' Charlotte Linlin."

"Saint Ross, all these great pirates possess Conqueror's Haki. They'd be very difficult to capture as slaves," Guernica added.

"Oh?"

Ross glanced at Guernica. Had he said anything about capturing them as slaves?

"Milord, this subordinate deserves death! I beg Your Highness to punish me!"

Guernica's whole body trembled. He suddenly slapped himself hard, and his clown-like face quickly swelled up red, making him look even more comical.

How dare he presume to guess a Celestial Dragon's intentions...

[Completed C-rank Defeat!]

[Strength +10,000]

[Special Reward: C-rank Martial Arts]

That counted as a defeat?

Even if it was a downgraded C-rank reward, it was far too generous.

[Host: Ross]

[Strength: 10,163/30,000 (D-rank, Captain-level Strength)]

[Skills: E-rank Marksmanship, C-rank Martial Arts]

Feeling the surging power within his body, Ross's eyes lit up.

In just a few hours, he'd attained Captain-level strength. The future looked promising.

"Don't let it happen again."

Ross waved his hand dismissively. Since Guernica was so cooperative, he wouldn't make a big deal of it.

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So this was the taste of power?

It really made one want to sink into depravity...

Back to business. From Guernica's account, Ross had a decent picture of the situation at sea.

It was Marineford Era 1500. Redfield hadn't yet clashed with Fleet Admiral Kong. Golden Lion was already in Impel Down. Roger was dead. Whitebeard was at his peak. Kaido and Big Mom were just beginning to make names for themselves.

This was the dawn of the Great Pirate Era—the most chaotic time in nearly a century. The future structure of the Four Emperors in the New World hadn't yet been set. The whole world was filled with pirates hunting for Roger's treasure.

"What a wonderful time this is."

So many pirates, too many to kill—enough for him to grow quickly.

Ross's lips curled slightly as he walked slowly toward the massive fish tank, where the mermaid slaves he had purchased on the Sabaody Archipelago swam leisurely.

The moment he approached the tank, the once-quiet underwater world came alive. The mermaids, as if sensing his arrival, swam to the front and began to dance gracefully, like spirits of the water.

Ross knew full well that the mermaids weren't dancing of their own will—they had simply been trained too well.

But still, these were four mermaids with vibrant hair, looks that could topple kingdoms, and figures each with their own charm, now dancing for him.

That sight was truly a pleasure to behold.

At the same time, as he admired the swimming fish, Guernica behind him knelt on the ground like a loyal servant, his face reverent with no trace of dissent.

Guernica's body wasn't tall or imposing, but Ross had no doubt that the man could easily annihilate a non-Allied Nation.

Whatever CP9's Lucci had once accomplished, all CP0 could do the same.

And yet, a powerhouse like this could only kneel before a Celestial Dragon, slap himself for a slip of the tongue, and consider himself beneath them.

A pity—these were merely privileges brought by status. Personal strength couldn't be neglected either, or else in the future, when facing higher-ranking Celestial Dragons, Ross would be no different from Guernica.

"Guernica!"

"Saints Ross! Your command!"

"My previous slaves died. I need a new batch of people. I want a list of the Navy's headquarters personnel and a list of Impel Down's prisoners."

Ross gave the order calmly. To fulfill his ultimate vision of pleasure, he needed more helpers.

"As you command!" Guernica acknowledged.

"When can I have it?"

"Your Highness, the task will be completed within one hour!"

Having received his orders and confirming that Ross had no further commands, Guernica's figure vanished instantly.

The palace fell silent again with his departure, leaving only the sound of water rippling from the mermaids' movements.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Ross tapped on the fish tank, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

The mermaids finished their dance and lined up timidly, wearing deliberately ingratiating smiles.

Ross had gone too far with his cricket-fighting before, playing most of his slaves to death.

The four ornamental fish before him were the only 'pets' he had left.

He had kept fish before in his past life, but raising mermaids was a first—and it was surprisingly fascinating.

Compared to fish, which were completely brainless creatures, mermaids were far more obedient and clever.

Back then, he used to boast that he had fish at home that could do backflips.

Today, that had come true.

Watching the four ornamental fish perform a synchronized backflip, Ross showed a satisfied smile and pressed the green button beneath the tank.

A bag of feed poured down from the top of the tank, scattering countless pearl-like pellets across the water.

The mermaids, overjoyed at the sight, rushed happily to the feed, opening their mouths to bite each little pearl one by one.

"It really does feel like keeping fish," Ross said, even more pleased.

These pellets were no cheap goods—the price of this single bag alone was more than the cost of an ordinary mermaid's lifetime of food.

Expensive things had their benefits. This Mary Geoise-produced mermaid-specific feed could keep mermaids fair, supple, and glossy, enhancing their looks and figures while also slowing aging.

Aside from cricket-fighting, beauty pageants were one of the Celestial Dragons' regular activities.

But Ross was a selfish man—he didn't much like sharing.

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching the author—maybe it just changed its name!