Rono answered honestly. "Spandam."
"Spandam? Then there's definitely something else you haven't told me." Sairona knew Spandam's character all too well. He raised an eyebrow.
"Sōka! The Revolutionary Army robbed us of a shipment. I'm going to get it back. I'll have Spandam call you with the details." At some point, Rono had let go of Sairona's leg. He slapped one fist into his palm.
"I see. Since it's the captain's decision, I'll go find out the details first." Sairona stood up. Dazhiki stood as well. "I have a question. What kind of shipment are you talking about?" As a just Marine, Dazhiki couldn't stand the thought of the person she liked doing anything illegal.
"We're Shichibukai. We have documents issued by the World Government. This is within the scope of what we're allowed to do," Rono explained, without revealing the truth. In the end, he still didn't trust this sweet, clueless Marine.
"Sairona, you tell me." Dazhiki ignored Rono and turned to Sairona, hoping he wouldn't lie to her.
Sairona felt a headache coming on. How had he forgotten about this girl? He gave Dazhiki an apologetic smile. "Rono is both the captain and the head of the family. I need to discuss it with him." Once Dazhiki agreed, Sairona pulled Rono aside.
"She'll be my sister-in-law someday, so I think we can tell her about this. Of course, if you don't want to, I won't. You can always find another woman, but there's only one family."
"Hey! Sister-in-law? Since when?" Rono was astonished. How could he not know about something this important? Should I stir up some trouble?
"They made their relationship official today. Didn't you notice at dinner? Do I really have to spell it out?" Sairona sighed helplessly. What a hopeless family head.
"Umm... Did they?" Rono's tiny brain had already forgotten almost everything that had happened at dinner.
"They did. So, what do you think...?" Sairona's expression remained unchanged.
"If we're all family, then there's no need to hide anything." Rono made the final call.
Satisfied with his answer, Sairona returned to Dazhiki's side, took her hand, and gently explained everything. As Rono had said, this was part of the Shichibukai's treaty: the right to plunder in certain waters. And that didn't just mean plundering small countries. Take Donquixote Doflamingo, for example. As the King of the Kingdom of Flevance, he held the lives of his people in his hands, yet the Marines didn't permit his underworld activities. He had opened several auction houses on the Sabaody Archipelago, and nothing had happened for years. The Marines had tacitly allowed it. With such a vast underworld, how could they know nothing? As long as there was no evidence, they had to turn a blind eye.
Rono was no different. Dazhiki fell silent for a long time. To be honest, compared with the other Shichibukai, Rono wasn't so bad. Apart from taxes on maritime trade, he hadn't demanded money from those countries. With his power, he could easily destroy a small country. As for the larger ones, unless they wanted to give up going to sea, every ship they sent out would be sunk. Of course, Baroque Works, which Xil ran, specialized in reselling firearms and occasionally dealt in human trafficking. But Dazhiki didn't know that, and Rono and Sairona had no intention of telling her—unless she really married Sairona and took the Wolf surname.
Sairona had left out the worst parts, and although Dazhiki still struggled to accept that Rono was smuggling, she didn't make a scene. She'd heard enough about what the other Shichibukai did to know what to expect.
When Dazhiki relented, Sairona breathed a sigh of relief. At last, that was settled. Nami let out a sigh of relief too; she didn't want to lose her good friend. Gelu sighed as well. Well, he was just copying them.
Sairona kissed Dazhiki on the forehead, then went with Rono into a room and shut the door to discuss their battle plan. Rono would probably forget ninety percent of it, but at least he'd remember the other ten.
In the dining room, Nami and Dazhiki left and sat in the rest area on the deck. Nami held Gelu too. Gelu was very unhappy. Aunt Nami was always smothering him with her breasts. It was so uncomfortable he could hardly breathe. He braced both hands against Nami's chest and leaned his head back, trying to make a little room to breathe. Nami didn't mind at all. For someone who charged one hundred thousand Beli for a look, this was nothing, especially since Gelu was just a child. She set him down on the table, and he scampered away, hiding behind a parasol and peeking out. When he saw Nami looking at him, he hurriedly ducked back.
Nami rolled her eyes at Gelu, then turned to Dazhiki. "Dazhiki, we're close, so I'm going to be honest with you. When you first came aboard, you should've known this sort of thing was bound to happen. What you just did put Sairona in a really difficult position." Nami's expression was serious. She'd seen many pirate crews, and the moment she boarded, she'd mentally prepared herself for the things a pirate would do.
Dazhiki lowered her head and smiled bitterly. "Maybe I was too naive. You're pirates. It's only natural for you to do things like this."
Nami consoled her. "I don't think the Marines sent you aboard Rono's ship to spy on him. Given his relationship with Admiral Aokiji, he's clearly not like an ordinary Shichibukai. I believe Rono must have another identity, too. But he chose not to tell us, so he must have his reasons. We should try to understand them, shouldn't we? After all, we've been aboard for less than two months. I wouldn't tell two newcomers about confidential matters either, especially when one of them is a Marine."
Nami paused, then continued, "I think Sairona has already given a lot for you. You have to understand, in a family, the head's orders are practically unquestionable. Rono may seem pretty scatterbrained most of the time, but when something serious comes up, he handles it better than any of us."
Dazhiki fell silent. Maybe she'd been overthinking it. Did she really expect to change Rono and Sairona? Even she didn't believe she could. If changing their minds were that easy, they wouldn't have become such powerful people. A strong person's resolve wouldn't be shaken by others. Luffy was a perfect example. On his voyage, countless people had mocked him, refusing to believe that a rookie could become Pirate King. But Luffy had never wavered in his dream, just like a famous novel said: "A person can be knocked down, but not defeated."
"I think I'll go get some rest." Dazhiki stood and headed back to her room.
Nami didn't stop her. Dazhiki needed some time to think.
In the men's quarters, Rono sat cross-legged on the bed, hugging his knees. After listening to Spandam's intelligence and getting up to speed, Sairona came up with a plan. "It's hard to track down the Revolutionary Army's movements. We'll have to find a way to make them show up in front of us. Also, I need Xil to look into the intelligence again. I don't trust CP."
Rono nodded and took out a Den Den Mushi, dialing Xil's number. Once Xil had gone to carry out his orders, Sairona said to Rono, "I'm calling this plan 'Fishing Plan.' Let's see what big fish we can catch. Rono, call Spandam later and spread the word that we're going to destroy the country where the shipment of Dancing Powder was stolen. Then summon our subordinate pirate crews. We've supported them for long enough; it's time they did something. Oh, and don't forget to notify the Marines. I'm sure they'll love this gift. As for the Revolutionary Army, I'm certain they'll come. Otherwise, it wouldn't fit their beliefs."
Rono made the calls one by one, and all the captains of the subordinate pirate crews agreed. Spandam didn't hesitate either. The Marines were a little reluctant, but with Tsuru's approval, they agreed to send troops. In the Red Devil Pirates and the Wolf Family, Sairona was the strategist. Rono only had to carry out his plans.
The net was cast, the bait was set, and all that remained was for the fish to bite.
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