As soon as Lott answered the Den Den Mushi, a soft, sweet voice came through. "My lord Husband, are you back?"
He naturally recognized Shirahoshi's voice.
Lott answered with a hint of affection in his voice. "Yes, we're back."
Inside a room filled with blooming flowers.
A dark figure stood there.
On the table before the figure lay an enormous map.
A closer look would reveal that it was a map encompassing the entire Pirate World.
Several photographs lay stacked at the map's upper left.
Every one of those photographs had been cut into several pieces, their severed edges remarkably smooth.
A dagger gleaming with cold light pinned the photographs to the table.
The top photograph showed a handsome young man with jet-black hair and a faint smile on his lips.
It was Lott!
Beneath Lott's photograph lay another that had been cut into three pieces.
It showed an exceptionally beautiful mermaid with pink hair. Naturally, it was Shirahoshi!
Beneath that was a beautiful woman with blue hair-none other than Vivi!
Only one corner of the last photograph was exposed, but Robin's outline could still be faintly made out.
On the floor to the right of the table lay an enormous straw hat.
The straw hat was actually larger than the dark figure's body!
A thick coating of dust, damaged edges, and decaying strands of straw.
Every detail attested to the long years this straw hat had endured.
At the same time, the ancient aura it gave off carried the weight of nearly nine hundred years.
It was hard to imagine just who could have worn this ancient, enormous straw hat.
Just then, a butterfly fluttered its wings and slowly settled on the dark figure's shoulder.
Its antennae twitched as it extended its curled proboscis, lightly pecking at the