Daisy

In the afternoon, the setting sun nearing dusk hung at the horizon, dyeing the sky with a campfire-like glow.

Jaba had finally returned from his trip. Beside him stood a little girl about one and a half meters tall, dressed in a tattered white lotus skirt. The pink koala bag at her waist swayed from side to side as she walked. Her long black hair fluttered in the wind, and her violet eyes were so moist and bright that they seemed able to speak.

When the townspeople saw the little girl, they all looked at her fondly. Yet there was a trace of pride in the way she looked back at them. Though she restrained it well, Mark still noticed.

"Old man, Daisy! Welcome home!" Mark handed the newly carved little wooden mouse to the girl. He knew Daisy loved the little trinkets he carved most.

Sure enough, when Daisy saw the wooden mouse in Mark's hand, her face lit up. Her cherry-red lips curved slightly upward, revealing neat, pearly-white teeth.

"Thank you, Mark!"

The faint arrogance in her eyes vanished completely whenever she faced Mark, leaving only those clear, captivating eyes.

"You should call me big brother!" Mark lightly flicked Daisy's delicate nose and smiled.

Daisy wrinkled her little nose. Her violet eyes curved into crescents as she bared two tiny fangs and pretended to be fierce. "No!"

There was something unusual in those crescent-shaped eyes as she looked at Mark.

For some reason, the sight of Mark's dark eyes brought a faint blush to Daisy's little face.

Just as Mark was about to say something, Jaba suddenly spoke.

"You brat, this old man hasn't eaten yet. Are you going to leave your grandfather and granddaughter standing at the door, drinking the northwest wind?"

His tone was far from friendly, but the moment he finished speaking, Daisy viciously kicked him in the shin. She glared at Jaba with raised brows, her cheeks puffed up in anger, looking especially adorable.

Jaba curled his lips in disdain, utterly unconcerned. The bearing of an old pirate showed through without restraint.

Only then did Mark remember that it was dinner time...

After dinner, Mark said goodbye to Jaba and left the Oak Craft Shop with Daisy.

It was already night in town, and the streets were brightly lit. Children and adults alike enjoyed the rare, pleasant night.

"Daisy, are you still investigating that matter?" Walking along the country path, Mark felt the soft, warm moss beneath his feet and asked.

Mark's question made Daisy fall silent for a moment. After a long while, she softly hummed in acknowledgment.

"That Donquixote Doflamingo..."

"He's my uncle," Daisy said, pouting.

Mark opened his mouth, but swallowed the words that had reached his lips.

Only Jaba and he knew about Daisy's background.

She... was a Celestial Dragon.

No, more accurately, she had once been a Celestial Dragon.

Her father was Figarland Saint, and her mother was Donquixote Neria.

Their marriage had been quite good, but the arrival of another woman shattered their peaceful life.

The direct daughter of a Celestial Dragon family personally backed by Imu... Morita Lia!

Figarland Saint was one of the rare handsome men among the Celestial Dragons. Even out on the seas, he would have stood out.

Someone like him was highly sought after among the Celestial Dragons.

After all, Celestial Dragons would not intermarry with ordinary people. They believed doing so would taint their bloodlines and make them impure.

Thus, intermarriage within the Twenty Royal Families had become commonplace, continuing all the way to the present day, eight hundred years later.

At a banquet, Morita Lia saw Figarland Saint and fell for him at first sight.

And Morita Lia, with her outstanding appearance, naturally left an impression on Figarland Saint as well.

And so, one was interested and the other willing, and the two became involved.

Although Figarland Saint had a good relationship with Neria, it was only good.

His character was far from upright. Otherwise, he would never have gotten involved with Morita Lia.

After they got together, Morita Lia quickly discovered Neria's existence and demanded that Figarland Saint divorce her and marry herself instead.

This put Figarland Saint in a difficult position. Neria was equally beautiful, treated him well, and had borne him a daughter. If he simply abandoned the mother and daughter, it would sound terrible if word got out. Even among the Celestial Dragons, there were masters of gossip.

Seeing Figarland Saint hesitate, Morita Lia left on the spot.

But that did not mean she had given up. After leaving, Morita Lia used her family's connections to investigate Neria's origins.

She was one of the remnants of Donquixote Doflamingo's branch, the Sea Ruffian's younger sister.

Though this information had long been covered up, Morita Lia dug it out and brought it into the open.

If neither you nor I mentioned such a matter, then everyone could live happily. But someone had seized upon it and refused to let go, and there were people above her as well...

Neria's fate was obvious.

And that was indeed what happened. Because Morita Lia's family had ties to Imu, she brought the Five Elders before them in person.

Neria was sentenced to death.

This left the usually arrogant and domineering Celestial Dragons silent as cicadas. Even Donquixote Mjosgard Saint had no chance to plead for mercy.

Ordinary Celestial Dragons did not know Imu existed, but the heads of the Twenty Royal Families and a select few did. Imu was an old monster who had lived for eight hundred years, the true core of the Celestial Dragons and the master of this world.

When Imu spoke, who would dare interfere?

From that day on, Daisy lost her mother.

Later, Mjosgard Saint told her that all of it had been authorized by Imu.

On the very day her mother died, Daisy's father, Figarland Saint, chose to marry Morita Lia.

The pure white wedding dress, the cherry blossom petals carpeting the ground, and the hall lined with crimson dragon-silkworm silk were all so deeply ironic.

She hated her father, hated Morita Lia, hated the Five Elders, and hated the person said to sit upon the Empty Throne.

With hatred in her heart, Daisy chose to leave that place. That home... without her mother, it had already fallen apart...

Not long after arriving on the seas, unfamiliar with everything, she was captured by slave traders.

If Jaba and Mark had not appeared, the first Celestial Dragon in history to be sold as a slave would have been born.

After being rescued...

Mark still remembered the days when he had first lived with Daisy. The little girl had been haughty all day long, placing herself in the position of master.

But Jaba and Mark, grandfather and grandson, were not known for their good tempers. Only after they disciplined Daisy several times did her personality improve considerably.

Still, the temperament of a Celestial Dragon ran deep in her bones. Though she usually restrained herself, that air of arrogance toward others would surface from time to time.

She was a good person, and the villagers all liked her.

Her temper was not very good, but the villagers indulged her anyway.

Children having a little temper was perfectly normal. The villagers did not take it to heart. Instead, they grew even fonder of Daisy.

Of course, the reason was a principle people in every world followed: looks were justice...

Until a year ago, when Daisy was twelve. She said she wanted to go out and search for traces of some family members.

After saying goodbye to Jaba and Mark, she left Moss Town and headed for the vast, boundless sea.