Sabaody Archipelago.
Yake did not linger. After spending a tender night with Hancock, he returned to Sabaody the following morning. If he stayed away any longer, people would practically think he was dead.
"Mom, where are Robin and the others?" Yake asked Shakky, who was tidying up the bar.
"Oh, Yake, did you go see Hancock? Robin and the others went shopping again. They bought a whole pile of things yesterday."
"Alright, I'll go look for them. Sabaody isn't exactly safe." Yake was somewhat worried. After all, the Celestial Dragons often appeared in Sabaody, and with Robin and the others' looks...
"You don't need to worry about that. Ever since you killed a Celestial Dragon, any Celestial Dragons who want to come here have to be accompanied by an admiral. I haven't received any news about an admiral coming, so relax." Shakky smiled as she exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"Heh, at least they learned to behave. I'm off, Mom!"
As Yake walked out of the bar, he saw an unexpected acquaintance—though they did not actually know each other.
Portgas D. Ace had set sail in the same year as Yake. Calculating the time, Ace might have risen to fame a little later than Yake, but it made sense for him to have only arrived at Sabaody today. Once Ace reached the New World, he would probably become Whitebeard's son.
"Hey, buddy over there, have you seen four women together? One of them is a young girl from the Mink Tribe." Yake took the initiative to speak to Ace.
Ace had just led the members of his Spade Pirates ashore on the Sabaody Archipelago. Knowing nothing about the place, they were wandering around sightseeing.
"Huh? Sorry, I haven't seen them. Why don't you ask someone else?" Ace answered politely, one hand pressing down on his hat. The familiar freckles and the familiar smile were still there.
"Is that so? Thanks, buddy." Yake smiled and turned to leave. This was merely his first encounter with Ace; there was no need to rush.
"Captain, who was that guy? Do you know him?" one of Ace's crew members asked.
Ace shook his head. He truly could not recall anyone like Yake.
"I don't know him, but I can tell he's very strong."
"Captain, your instincts are right. He... he's God Yake, the man with a bounty of two billion Beli." A pirate pulled out Yake's wanted poster with cold sweat covering his body and showed it to the surrounding crew members.
"Ah, my instincts are that accurate? He really is strong. But whatever, let's go eat. I'm hungry anyway." Ace did not care much. Eating was more important than that.
Yake wandered through several islands dedicated to selling goods before finally finding Robin and the others. They were trying on clothes in a clothing store.
"Nice, Anna looks adorable in that outfit. We're buying it." Robin said with a grin, radiating the air of a wealthy spender.
"I finally found you all. Whoa, Anna, that outfit looks great. We're buying it."
When Yake entered and saw Anna in her new clothes, his eyes immediately lit up. Anna wore a blue short skirt, with glittering satin tied into a bow. The pink sash around her waist flowed like a red stream. Paired with Anna's innocent and adorable face, Yake could not help giving her a thumbs-up.
"Captain, pay up." Robin grabbed Yake's hand and said in a slightly ingratiating tone.
"Didn't I give you one hundred million Beli? You already spent it all?" Yake's eyes widened in disbelief.
"We bought lots of bikinis. Do you want to see them?" Reiju took Yake's other hand, leaned close to his ear, and gently blew on it. She gave Robin a provocative look.
Robin clenched her pearly teeth tightly and refused to back down, pressing Yake's arm into her formidable will of "D."
Yake sucked in a breath, feeling the smooth softness against his arm as he said tremblingly:
"Boss, wrap them up. I'll take everything!"
The four of them left the emptied-out store. With Yake around, they no longer had to worry about carrying everything. Yake stuffed it all into his storage inventory in one go.
Robin was on his left, Reiju on his right, while little Perona and Anna held hands in front of them as they skipped along.
Yake was known among his crew as the man who carried hundreds of millions of Beli with him at all times; the man who carried a warehouse with him.
Robin no longer had any reservations when shopping. She nearly cleared out an entire island, yet had only spent several tens of millions of Beli. Yake suffered and enjoyed himself at the same time. Though he did not know why Robin and Reiju had started competing with each other, he could not offend either side—and besides, he got to enjoy the benefits.
By the time the sky was nearly dark, Yake and the others finally returned fully loaded. Yake's storage inventory was nearly full, and in the end, he had no choice but to carry some things by hand.
"Dad, how's the ship's coating coming along?"
Yake put the items down in a corner and asked Rayleigh, who was reading the newspaper.
"Your ship has already been coated. Get a good rest tonight. You can set off tomorrow." Rayleigh took off his glasses and looked at Yake's face.
Ten years. Yake had grown from an immature and bewildered boy into God Yake, someone the World Government feared deeply. Rayleigh could not have been prouder of his accomplishments. He had taught Yake everything he knew, and Yake had not disappointed his expectations.
"Yake, do you want to become the Pirate King?" Rayleigh stared at Yake's face.
"No, Dad. I only want to be myself and do the things I like." Yake said with a smile.
The two exchanged smiles, and their hearty laughter filled the entire bar.
The next morning.
"Uncle Rayleigh, Madam Shakky, we're leaving, meow!" Anna called out happily, though tears still lingered in her eyes. They had spent several months together day and night, so their bond had naturally grown deep.
"Goodbye, Dad, Mom! The next time we meet, my name will resound throughout the New World!"
Robin, Reiju, and the others waved their farewells as well, while the Eternal Truth gradually sank beneath the water.
"They've already left? Oh well, this must be Fate's arrangement. We'll meet again someday."
A tall man watched Yake's group slowly disappear through his scope. He lowered his gun and spoke regretfully.
"We're getting farther and farther from the sea surface!" Robin looked up at the enormous tree roots.
"So many fish! Anna wants to eat them all, meow!" Anna drooled as she watched the fish swimming through the sea, and Perona nodded in agreement.
Everyone could not help marveling at the wonders of the sea. Yake coughed a few times.
"Everyone, our pirate crew now has five members. It's time to officially assign our roles!
Captain: Yake
Chief of Staff: Robin
Combatant: Reiju
Cook: Anna
Lookout: Perona"
"Does anyone have any objections?" Yake looked around.
"No objections. Let's go with that, Captain!"
"Awesome!!!"
"Okay, meow!"
"Bila bila, no objections!"
Yake laughed happily and held out his hand. "Alright, then the Ark Pirates are officially established. From now on, we will make our name on the seas under the banner of Ark!"
Everyone placed their hands over Yake's in turn, each of them brimming with excitement.
"Stand at the Pinnacle of the Sea—Series Two completed. Reward: ten lottery draws." "Follow-up mission issued: Stand at the Pinnacle of the Sea—Series Three, All Members Are Villains (all pirate crew members receive bounties). Reward: random Devil Fruit x1, lottery draws x10"