Shakky's Identity

Shakky's Hotel, bedroom.

"Interesting..."

Reg came out of the bathroom and casually opened the refrigerator... At last, he could eat his fill.

This bedroom was about the same size as his room on Tower Forest Island... around fifty square meters. It was fully furnished, simply laid out, and fairly comfortable to live in.

"Nom..."

With his mouth stuffed full of food, Reg's thoughts continued to wander... He had more or less figured out Shakky's background.

In his memories, Shakky had said... she had been a pirate over forty years ago, and Garp had hunted her across the world.

Next door to his room was the former emperor from three generations before Amazon Lily... Gloriosa, better known as "Elder Nyon."

Together with Rayleigh, who had just left, these three would one day save Hancock and her two sisters... after they escaped from Mary Geoise.

Shakky and Rayleigh might have saved them because they were friends with Elder Nyon... but Reg leaned more toward another possibility: they were not merely friends. Shakky and Elder Nyon came from the same place—Amazon Lily.

Shakky's name could also be read as... Peony.

In Reg's memories, the women of Amazon Lily were each named after a flower.

For example, Kikyo, Daisy, Sweet Pea, Orchid, and so on were all names... Could Shakky's "Peony" really be a coincidence?

In his memories, Elder Nyon had also said... "That child Peony is still the same as ever, isn't she?"

Elder Nyon had also told Pirate Empress Hancock... that the emperor from two generations ago had died because of "love sickness."

She herself had fallen in love with a man from outside the island... and had been forced to abandon her throne and her people, fleeing Amazon Lily in order to survive.

Then what about Hancock's predecessor?

What if Shakky had been the previous emperor of Amazon Lily?

Or perhaps she was that "dead" emperor from two generations ago?

At the very least, she had to have been an important figure on Amazon Lily... otherwise, how could she have joined the Kuja Pirates and met people from the outside world?

Amazon Lily was full of women. It couldn't possibly be... like Journey to the West, where drinking from a river got you pregnant.

The forty years ago Shakky spoke of would have been a little over a decade ago by now... Garp had long since become a vice admiral, and up to this point, he had turned down promotion to admiral four times.

There were not many people Garp had hunted across the world... who had neither been killed nor captured, and none of them were simple.

Back on Tower Forest Island, old Joey had said that the Kuja Pirates' captain was called "King Protea"... This pirate crew, once infamous far and wide, had suddenly vanished without a trace several years ago.

The Marines were happy to let it be and had not sent powerful officers to hunt them down... After all, Amazon Lily was located in the Calm Belt. Whenever they encountered danger, they only had to plunge into the Calm Belt, which was filled with Sea King nests.

At this point, before the genius scientist Vegapunk had joined them, Marine warships still could not safely cross the Calm Belt.

Yet the Kuja Pirates had two Sea Kings called "serpent swimmers" towing their pirate ship. Because the creatures themselves were highly venomous, the Sea Kings of the Calm Belt did not dare attack them.

The Kuja Pirates operated over a vast area, so it was perfectly normal for them to have encountered the Roger Pirates over a decade ago... What if Shakky had met Rayleigh during that time and fallen in love with him?

On Amazon Lily, where not a single man lived, there was such a "rule": if a woman fell in love with a man from the outside world and could not see him for a long time... she would lose her appetite, be unable to sleep at night, waste away day by day, and die of longing.

No men were allowed on Amazon Lily... Even Luffy would have been killed if he had not been strong enough—and the protagonist.

"Are they her daughters...?"

Back on the bed, Reg sat cross-legged, then shook his head... It was not impossible that Hancock and her sisters were Shakky and Rayleigh's daughters, but it did not make sense.

If they were... with Rayleigh's strength, he would not have waited four years to intervene. He probably would have taken up his sword and stormed Mary Geoise long ago.

Fisher Tiger had been able to wreak havoc in Mary Geoise... There was no reason Rayleigh, who was even stronger, could not.

Shakky, Rayleigh, and Elder Nyon... perhaps they had also secretly lent a hand when Fisher freed the slaves, playing a role that was not particularly "glorious."

"At the very least, they were important officers... That makes sense."

Reg slowly closed his eyes... Judging from Shakky's willingness to take the risk of helping Hancock and her sisters, there was clearly some connection between them. Perhaps the three sisters were descendants of some great figure.

After all, once the slaves of the Celestial Dragons were discovered... they would be captured and taken back no matter where they were.

Anyone who hid a Celestial Dragon's slaves would also face severe punishment... death, or being captured and made a slave alongside them.

This was no joke... The Celestial Dragons' authority was truly unchecked.

"Forget it... I don't have the ability to deal with that for now."

Casting those thoughts from his mind, Reg entered a meditative state... Although Shakky did not fully trust him yet, she had still shown him a great deal of care.

If he had the ability in the future, he could help out with Hancock's situation... Even if he could not, he could at least give a warning.

As Reg entered deep meditation, his breathing gradually became faint... He still could not incorporate the Breath-Following Method into his daily life.

The reason Reg had persisted in practicing it was not merely because the Breath-Following Method could replace several hours of sleep... It also regulated and restored the body.

Over the past six years, relying on his powerful soul... Reg had trained his body almost without rest, day and night.

He was only eight years old, yet after five years... he had surpassed the physical limits of ordinary humans.

There was a reason the Ninth Tower required one's Doriki to reach 400 by age eleven... Setting Devil Fruits aside and speaking purely of ordinary humans, a child's body at that age would have developed enough to withstand the powerful backlash brought by the Six Powers.

The humans of this world truly had bodies far stronger than those of humans in his previous life... Every person even possessed a mysterious power known as "Haki."

But that did not mean Reg had paid no price... As his study of meditation deepened, he discovered a serious problem: he had overdrawn his body's potential.

As he continued to grow, train, and get injured, this hidden danger would eventually erupt... When that time came, his body would inevitably age prematurely.

Perhaps Colin had noticed this long ago... That was why he had gone to ask Mountain Hag for help. Though Mountain Hag herself had not agreed, she still had Kumadori teach him a method of meditation.

Reg was not overly worried about this hidden danger... Through meditation, he could tap into his body's potential and use the energy replenished by food... to gradually restore his overdrawn body.

Throughout this process, he could also continuously deepen his control over his body... Though progress was slow and required persistent effort over time.

Once he fully mastered the Breath-Following Method, he could integrate it into his daily life... meditating every minute, every second.

That would be incredible... At the very least, he would no longer need to worry about exhausting his body again through excessive physical training.

If he kept this up, he could also expand the range and strengthen the intensity of his Observation Haki.

One day, Reg would also awaken another ability within his body... Armament Haki.

Even if he failed to find the Rumble-Rumble Fruit on the Sky Island of Birka... he would not lose his direction.

There was a powerhouse like Garp, who had reached the pinnacle of the world through physical arts alone... His existence represented a possibility.

As long as he put in enough effort, he too could become a powerful physical arts user like Garp... It might take 0 years, or perhaps 0 years—far too long.