I Want to Sleep in a Bed

"If that's the case, then let's hurry up and go."

Hearing that Shirakawa was willing to escort her back to her own country, Kaiser Lynn said excitedly.

"No need to rush. It's only our first day on the island, and we haven't had a chance to rest properly. We'll take it easy, then escort you back tomorrow."

"Huh?" Kaiser Lynn stared at him, dumbfounded. She hadn't expected to have to spend another night in an enemy country.

"We'll get you a room. Just stay in there and keep out of trouble. Taking you out with us would only cause problems."

"All right." Kaiser Lynn pouted and reluctantly agreed. She knew her position was sensitive.

As luck would have it, the entertainment complex had rooms. They were a little expensive, but they were very well equipped and had everything you could need.

"Stay in your room. We're heading out." Shirakawa walked Kaiser Lynn to the door and spoke.

"Then come back soon," Kaiser Lynn said anxiously. She was a little afraid of being left here alone.

"Got it."

With that, Shirakawa closed the door. As he walked away, he heard it lock from the inside.

"Where to next?" After meeting up with Buggy and Shanks on the first floor, Shirakawa asked them.

"No idea."

"Me neither." They both shook their heads, unsure what to do. Maybe spending so long aboard the ship had left them a little cut off from the outside world.

"How about a hot spring? This place has one," Rayleigh suggested, appearing from who knew where.

"Sounds good." Shirakawa's eyes lit up. A hot spring would be just the thing to help him relax.

"We're in," Buggy and Shanks agreed.

The hot spring was on the second floor. Though they called it a hot spring, it was more like a series of heated pools arranged in steps. The higher you went, the hotter the water.

After getting used to the temperature, all four of them headed straight for the top pool. It was hot, but still within Shirakawa's tolerance.

When Shirakawa and the others entered, everyone already inside kept their distance. They were frightening—or, more precisely, Rayleigh, who led the group, was frightening.

Rayleigh had dozens of scars of all sizes across his body. Some even crisscrossed, showing that the same spots had been struck several times.

Even Shanks had four or five scars, and Buggy had two. Only Shirakawa's body was completely unmarked.

"Must be nice, having such spotless skin."

Looking at Shirakawa's body, Rayleigh spoke with envy.

"Back before I went out to sea, I didn't have a mark on me. And just like that, so many years have passed."

"But you went from a nobody to Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King. Your bounty must be over a billion Berries, right?"

"Haha." Rayleigh laughed easily. "If I hadn't met Roger back then, I might be dead by now."

"But you're still alive, despite all those terrible injuries. That shows you're tough to kill. Even if you weren't a pirate, you wouldn't go down easily."

"Hahaha, you've got a point. If I hadn't met Roger, maybe I'd have struck out on my own."

"First Mate, why did you follow Captain, then? You're strong, and you even have Conqueror's Haki."

"Who knows? I don't know either. Maybe Roger has a certain charm about him—a charm that can even make other kings bow to him."

"I don't really see it."

"Then maybe I'm just imagining things." Rayleigh said it, but he didn't think he'd been wrong.

If Roger didn't have that sort of charm, how could someone like Bullet have submitted to him?

"Let's talk about you. Why is your Conqueror's Haki so powerful?"

"Who knows? Maybe I was born to be a king—the King of Silver." Shirakawa didn't say the last four words aloud.

"Hmph, you sure know how to brag. Born to be a king, huh?"

"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do." Shirakawa shrugged helplessly.

He wasn't wrong. Maybe he hadn't been a king in his past life, but in this world, the moment he appeared, it had already been proven that he was the King of Silver.

"Do you have any plans? I can tell you probably won't stay aboard our ship forever."

"Why?" Shirakawa was surprised. How did he know he'd leave eventually?

"I can tell you have ambition. And I'm not the only one who can see it. Roger knows, too."

"What does Captain think?" Shirakawa had no idea he'd been so obvious. Or perhaps Captain and First Mate were simply good at reading people.

"What could he think? We'll let things take their course. And it's not just you—we know what Shanks is thinking, too."

Shanks, who had been listening to their conversation, gave an awkward smile.

"So when are you planning to leave?"

"Probably once we get back to the Grand Line. With my current strength, making it from the New World to the Grand Line or the Four Seas would be nearly impossible."

"Oh, then it won't be long."

"What do you mean?" Shirakawa asked in confusion. Did he mean it wouldn't be long before Shirakawa died, or before he went back?

"Roger's already thinking about returning to the Grand Line."

"Why?"

"Who knows? Maybe he has his own reasons. Perhaps he wants to finish what he started and leave no regrets."

Shirakawa understood what Rayleigh meant by that last part: Roger already knew he had an incurable disease and might be going back to fulfill some wishes of his own.

After soaking in the hot spring and relaxing, Shirakawa felt much lighter. He'd also talked a lot with Rayleigh and learned quite a bit about the situation.

Captain was about to return to the Grand Line, and Shirakawa was about to leave the ship. At first, he'd considered going with Roger to Laugh Tale to see what kind of treasure Roger would leave there.

But after thinking it over for a few days, he gave up on the idea. It would be more interesting to look for treasure on his own.

With nothing else to do after the bath, he went back to his room. Shirakawa thought he'd take an afternoon nap to prepare for the nightlife ahead.

"Knock, knock, knock." He knocked on Kaiser Lynn's door.

"Who is it?" Soon, he heard Kaiser Lynn's slightly panicked voice.

"It's me."

"Who are you?"

At that, a dark line appeared across Shirakawa's forehead. She couldn't even recognize his voice?

"Shirakawa."

"Oh." Kaiser Lynn opened the door, holding a stick in her hand as if she were ready to club someone at any moment.

"Ah!" Seeing Shirakawa, Kaiser Lynn cried out.

"Why are you dressed like that? Are you trying to flash me?"

"Flash you? What are you talking about?" Shirakawa pushed past Kaiser Lynn, who was blocking the doorway, and walked into the room with an unconcerned expression.

"I just got out of the bath. What else would I wear if not a bathrobe?"

As he spoke, Shirakawa headed toward the bed.

"What are you doing?" Kaiser Lynn stepped in front of him.

"What do you think? I'm going to sleep." Shirakawa went around Kaiser Lynn and lay down on the bed.

"This is my room."

"We only booked two rooms. I can't exactly share with those two brats, can I? You can make do on the sofa for one night."

"Why don't you make do on the sofa?"

"I'm a man," Shirakawa said with complete seriousness.

"A man? So what if you're a man?" Kaiser Lynn was furious.

"Smack." Annoyed by how noisy Kaiser Lynn was, Shirakawa knocked her unconscious.

"Much better. Now I can get a good night's sleep. A soft bed really is the best."

Shirakawa smiled as he drifted off to sleep, paying no attention to Kaiser Lynn lying on the floor.