Need Three Years?

As the group walked out of the restaurant, they saw the notice board not far away surrounded by a crowd, most of them whispering to each other as if discussing something, while a few wore contemplative expressions.

"Hey, isn't that person on top you?" Walking up to the notice board, they found a wanted poster pasted there, and the person on that poster was none other than Kaiser Lynn, with a bounty of ten million Berries.

"So it really is you. Your status is quite something, huh."

Seeing Kaiser Lynn stay silent, Shirakawa took it as her tacit admission.

"The Princess of the Kingdom of Mol, tsk tsk. No wonder you got such a high bounty—turns out you're high-ranking enemy nobility."

Shirakawa looked at her with a meaningful gaze.

"Hey, what are you staring at me like that for? You're not thinking of turning me in for the reward, are you?"

Kaiser Lynn hugged herself tightly, eyes wide as she spoke.

"Are you a worm in my stomach? How did you know what I was thinking?"

"That won't do! You said you'd take me to see the outside world—you can't go back on your word."

"Did I say that?"

"You did. You just said it."

Kaiser Lynn was genuinely scared now. If her identity were exposed by Shirakawa and the others, there was no way she could escape.

"Then I really regret it. For your sake, I missed out on ten million Berries."

"So you mean you're not turning me in?"

"Haha, look how scared you got. I was just joking with you."

"You bastard, go to hell!" Kaiser Lynn, furious, chopped her hand down on the back of Shirakawa's head.

"Ah!" But when her hand hit Shirakawa's head, she let out a shriek.

"Is your head made of iron? That hurts like hell."

"I suggest you take a good look at our surroundings right now."

"Huh?" Kaiser Lynn looked up and realized she had become the center of attention.

"That scream of yours just now drew everyone's attention."

"Look at that woman—isn't she the one on the wanted poster?"

"Huh? Now that you mention it, she really is."

"What are we waiting for? Get her!" Instantly, a crowd surged toward them, eyes gleaming like wolves.

"Run!" Kaiser Lynn shouted, immediately grabbing Shirakawa, trying to break through the encirclement.

Shirakawa, in turn, grabbed Shanks, Shanks grabbed Buggy, and Buggy grabbed Rayleigh. In truth, the only one actually putting in effort was Kaiser Lynn.

This drew even more attention. The number of people chasing them grew, and so did the onlookers.

"Isn't that the First Mate and Shirakawa and the others?" A member of the Roger Pirates spotted the situation and asked his companion beside him.

"It's them. But what did they do to get the kingdom's guards and citizens chasing them?"

"Who knows? But should we help?"

"No need. Haven't you noticed no one else is making a move? And those guys are no threat to the First Mate anyway."

"True. Let's keep having fun."

"Let's go!" The two immediately slung their arms around each other's shoulders, discussing where to go play next.

"These ungrateful bastards." Along the way, they naturally spotted their crewmates, and Buggy cursed without restraint.

"Shanks, let go of my hand! This has nothing to do with me!"

"Haha, sorry, but I'm being dragged by Shirakawa too. And don't you think this is fun?"

Shanks laughed.

"Fun? Fun my ass! It's dangerous! Let go, you guys draw the attention, and the First Mate and I can still escape."

"If that's the case, then I definitely can't let go. Am I right, Shirakawa?"

"You're right. And make sure Buggy holds the First Mate tight. As long as the First Mate is with us, we're safe."

"Did you hear that, Buggy? Hold the First Mate's hand tight."

"Don't worry, I—" Before Buggy could finish, he suddenly felt one of his hands go empty. Turning back, Rayleigh was already gone.

"Sorry, Shanks, Shirakawa. The First Mate seems to have slipped away."

"What?"

Shirakawa slammed on the brakes, yanking the running Kaiser Lynn back as well.

"That bastard Rayleigh ran off without taking us. What a lousy friend." Shirakawa cursed at Rayleigh.

"What do we do, Shirakawa? We're not going to get caught, are we?"

Among this group, Shirakawa was the strongest, so naturally, he became their pillar of support.

"Haha, you little brats, keep raising hell—I'm not sticking around for this. I've got a young lady to find."

On a relatively high rooftop, Rayleigh watched the four below, muttering to himself, then flashed a lecherous grin and took off.

"Relax, watch me take them all down in one go."

Shirakawa said to Buggy—what better time to use Conqueror's Haki?

Shirakawa stepped to the front of the three, and Conqueror's Haki erupted from him in an instant. This time, he didn't hold back and launched an indiscriminate attack.

In a flash, every last blocker collapsed, including a few members of the Roger Pirates caught in the blast.

"That feeling... is it Shirakawa?"

That was the last thought running through the minds of the fainted pirates.

"That kid really can't keep out of trouble." Rayleigh felt the Haki and gave a wry smile.

He didn't believe Shirakawa couldn't have escaped without using Haki.

"Hey, what just happened?"

Kaiser Lynn behind Shirakawa widened her eyes. Just moments ago, those people were lively and yelling, and now they'd dropped in an instant—she couldn't tell if they were unconscious or dead.

All she'd felt was the atmosphere around her turning a bit oppressive.

"They're just knocked out. And we need to run—if reinforcements come, we won't get away easily."

"Mm."

The four slipped into a clothing shop, changed outfits, and smeared some strange makeup on their faces.

"What do we do now?"

"Play it by ear."

"Can you take me home?" Kaiser Lynn said to them.

"Take you home? Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused us?"

Buggy glared at Kaiser Lynn in fury.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault, I dragged you into this. But right now, you're the only ones I can trust."

Kaiser Lynn said pitifully, though it was hard to tell if she was faking it.

"No can do. Once the Log Pose records the next island's magnetic reading, we're leaving."

"Then no problem. It'll take three years for you to record the next island's magnetism."

"What? Three years?" The three of them blurted out in disbelief. Three years was way too long—neither Shanks nor Buggy had ever seen an island that took three years to record since boarding the ship.

"That's right, three years. It's no secret on this island—just ask anyone."