~
If Shaya took Stussy to see him and told Bullet that, given enough time, he could replicate a brand-new, healthy Roger...
No, what if it was a Roger clone with the bloodlines of the Lunarian tribe and the Buccaneer pirate tribe, a clone even stronger than the original Roger? Would Bullet then serve him?
Shaya narrowed his eyes as he considered it, even though his proposal was full of holes...
Even if he replicated Roger and added Lunarian blood to him, the cloned Roger might not necessarily be stronger than the original Roger...
But for Bullet, who had given up on himself and felt hopeless about his life, it should be enough to become a lifeline.
By then, he might gain himself a bodyguard and enforcer.
And if it failed, Shaya would not lose anything, would he?!
As Shaya thought this, his eyes gleamed as he looked at Stussy before him.
"Uh..."
The moment Stussy felt Shaya's gaze, she immediately took several steps back.
"Could it be that this Celestial Dragon brat has finally taken a liking to me?"
Stussy muttered doubtfully to herself.
"Though with my natural beauty and delicate charm, conquering a Celestial Dragon brat would be ridiculously easy..."
Thinking this, Stussy smiled faintly, her eyes carrying a touch of smugness.
"Hey, Stussy, my feet hurt from reading. Massage them for me."
Just as Stussy was secretly feeling pleased with herself, Shaya's voice slowly sounded beside her ear.
"Your feet hurt from reading?!"
"This damned Celestial Dragon brat is just making trouble for no reason!"
Stussy froze at first, then cursed Shaya inwardly.
"Yes, young master."
Though Stussy was unwilling in every possible way, she still knelt before Shaya, removed his shoes, and began gently massaging his fair little feet.
Shaya accepted it with perfect ease.
And that was not all...
Shaya continued reading the books in the library. As Stussy massaged him, he lost himself in the sea of knowledge.
And so, an hour passed...
"Does this brat not know pain?!"
"My hands are getting sore. Doesn't he feel anything?"
Stussy looked at Shaya, whose expression had not changed as he continued turning pages, and cursed furiously in her heart.
"Stussy, get up."
At that moment, Shaya suddenly spoke and told Stussy to rise.
"Yes, young master. What is it?"
With a smile on her face, Stussy looked at Shaya and spoke respectfully.
At the same time, she sighed inwardly. That evil Celestial Dragon brat is finally letting me rest properly! These Celestial Dragons are all harder to serve than the last! Even their children are this detestable.
"My shoulders are sore. Massage them for me."
Just as Stussy thought Shaya was about to let her rest...
Shaya's voice rang out beside her ear again.
"Damned Celestial Dragon brat, evil from birth!"
Stussy cursed inwardly, feeling that Shaya was not human.
"Oh, right! Wash your hands first."
"You touched my feet just now, after all."
Just as Stussy was about to say something, Shaya's voice continued.
"You're disgusted by yourself now, are you?"
"I haven't even started being disgusted by you!"
After hearing Shaya's words, Stussy roared inwardly.
Yet she still wore a sweet smile and respectfully said to Shaya, "Yes, young master! Understood, young master! I'll be right back."
"Mm, go."
"Be quick."
"You know, don't make me wait until I get impatient."
Shaya waved Stussy away as he spoke.
He was now a thoroughly wicked noble, and he enjoyed it with a clear conscience!
As for the price of the carefree life he needed in this lifetime, he had already paid it in his previous life.
"Understood, young master."
Stussy's voice trembled as she nodded at Shaya.
At that moment, who knew how fiercely Stussy was cursing Shaya in her heart.
Unfortunately, Shaya truly did not care in the slightest.
Time flowed by, and the years passed like an arrow.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye...
Sea Circle Calendar 1497.
This year, Shaya turned fourteen.
At the same time, it was his third year hiding out in the library.
After two years of study, Shaya had gained a somewhat scholarly air.
Paired with the non-prescription glasses perched on his nose, he looked extremely frail, like the sort of person who would be easy to bully at a glance...
After the Five Elders had secretly observed Shaya for two years, the intensity of their surveillance gradually decreased year by year. Jaygarcia Saturn Saint, the Scientific Defense Warrior, secretly met several times with Stussy of CP0, who was responsible for monitoring Shaya.
"What books has Shaya been reading lately?!"
Saint Saturn looked at Stussy and asked in a low, grave voice.
"A few days ago, Lord Shaya was reading elephant postpartum care."
Stussy answered honestly.
"Oh? It seems he really likes animals."
"I remember that not long ago, he had just finished ostrich postpartum care."
Saint Saturn believed he understood Shaya very well by now, and he spoke with a smile.
"Uh..."
"Lord Shaya occasionally reads Quantum Mechanics and Naval Log alongside books about animal postpartum care..."
"Oh, right! Lord Shaya also sometimes reads books related to history! However, Saint Shaya has not shown any interest in the Void Century."
After thinking for a moment, Stussy answered.
"..."
For a moment, Saint Saturn fell silent.
Even he could not understand what connection there could possibly be between animal postpartum care, Quantum Mechanics, Naval Log, and world history.
"Does he have any pattern when choosing books?!"
Saint Saturn asked Stussy.
"Yes and no."
Stussy answered honestly.
"Explain in detail..."
Saint Saturn asked Stussy.
"Saint Shaya has a habit of rolling dice before reading."
Stussy explained truthfully.
"Why does he roll dice?!"
Saint Saturn clearly froze for a moment, apparently not expecting Shaya's pre-reading habit to be so bizarre.
"Uh..."
"Lord Shaya says it helps him decide more quickly what to read that day."
"Whether it is which floor of the library to go to, which bookshelf to choose, or which book to take, Saint Shaya uses dice to decide everything."
Stussy told Saint Saturn what she had observed.
"..."
Saint Saturn fell silent after hearing this.
"Fine! Continue observing him."
After a brief silence, Saint Saturn first nodded lightly, then shook his head.
He added to Stussy, "Mm, right, you won't need to report to me anymore!"
"As you command."
Stussy lightly bowed to Saint Saturn and spoke respectfully.
"Looks like I have truly been too sensitive lately."
"From the looks of it, that brat from the Figarland family simply likes reading! Fine, since he is so willing to read, let him keep reading."
"At least he has not caused me a great deal of trouble like those other abnormal Celestial Dragons. That is already quite good! Things are no longer as they once were. The times are growing more chaotic..."
"Ever since the Donquixote family, Donquixote Homing Saint and his family, betrayed the Holy Land and left the Celestial Dragons, and that brat from the Figarland family became a member of the Roger Pirates, I have become increasingly sensitive! Whenever a Celestial Dragon behaves unusually, I fear something will go wrong..."
Saint Saturn sighed, feeling utterly exhausted.
The ordinary Celestial Dragons were able to live so freely only because the Five Elders constantly bore the burden for them.
Who knew how many hours these Five Elders, the highest authorities in the world, had to work every single day, year after year, in order to maintain the unshakable status of the Celestial Dragons?! They worked harder than even the most relentless workaholics, and suffered more than some slaves...
Before you continue