I Request to Withdraw from This Operation!
"Hello? Anyone there? It's me, your ally."
Bege's puzzled voice came from the other end of the line.
Kidnapping a prince was a major operation. Even if it earned him no praise, surely it shouldn't have been met with total silence.
"You said you kidnapped a prince?"
Dill snapped out of his petrified state, gripped the receiver tightly, and said through gritted teeth:
"This is what you've been busy with these past few days?!"
"That's right!"
The voice on the other end sounded immensely pleased:
"It may not compare to your grand feat of assassinating a king, but if we play our cards right, this crown prince will be the next king."
"Hurry over, or this guy's uncle will have secured the throne before long."
Dill really wanted to refuse, but he couldn't find a reason to.
After all, they were allies, and their ultimate goal was to overthrow the World Government.
Bege was clearly working toward their shared objective.
He could only sigh and say, sounding utterly lifeless:
"What's the scenery like there?"
"Huh? Scenery? What scenery could there be in a creepy place like this?"
The voice on the other end suddenly grew hurried:
"Someone's coming after us. I'll give you the address first. Gunpowder and Boren will be waiting for you there."
To allow Dill to leave using Bege's body in the future, the two sides had been minimizing contact.
This time was no exception. Bege planned to leave the crown prince somewhere in Gunpowder and Boren's care.
Dill casually tossed the Den Den Mushi to Robin, collapsed onto his lounge chair, and covered his face.
His precious free time!
"Hina, make me some black spears."
"You want more?"
Holding a black spear, Hina frowned in puzzlement:
"Are these things really that tasty?"
"As far as taste goes, they're just average."
Dill took the black spear and crunched away at it:
"There isn't much food aboard, so I'll have to snack on these."
Most of the game they had caught had been left with the Morisou Tribe, and the two ships had set sail with limited supplies.
The apple ship would return directly to Cologne Island, while the ship carrying the three of them had no particular destination yet.
The original plan had been to find any island to restock, then have Dill and the other two disembark and either switch ships to travel or stay on the island to sightsee.
"And now we have to get involved in some prince-kidnapping case!"
"If you don't want to go, you don't have to."
"No, we still need to go. The leader of a nation is important too."
Dill lay back, pillowed his head on his hands, and gazed at the clear blue sky.
He had a clear understanding of his own development path.
In layman's terms, he was a late-game hero.
Over the last two months, all he had gained was a useless ability that made his body glow.
Ultimately, it was because he had too few people under him.
The thirty-odd people on Cologne Island, the twenty-odd aboard this ship, the twenty-five Morisou Tribe warriors, and the female captain from when he left Dill Island;
The total didn't even reach a hundred, so slow ability acquisition was inevitable.
But once the various plans on Cologne Island were running smoothly, his rate of acquiring abilities would rise dramatically.
His own strength would grow faster as well.
Once stronger, he could create more places like Cologne Island more quickly, snowballing faster and faster.
So the sooner he got through the early foundation-building stage, the sooner he could enter his growth phase.
Travel was travel wherever he went, anyway. Taking control of a country was just something he could do along the way.
"Let's head to the North Blue once this is over."
"What for?" Hina asked in confusion.
"I remember someone there could build submarines, I think. It's about time we had a pirate ship of our own."
Their combined bounties were nearly a hundred million, yet they still had to travel on cargo ships or passenger ships.
Dill rubbed his chin thoughtfully. What he wanted was Trafalgar Law's submarine.
He couldn't remember exactly how Law had obtained it, but it should have come from the North Blue, right?
Of course, simply being able to dive wasn't enough. In his vision, this ship would be a battleship capable of traveling by sea, land, and air.
The Heart Pirates' diving capability, the Thousand Sunny's power system, the flight system of Enel's ark, and the caterpillar track system of Bege's future ship.
Anything that could fit would go in.
"All right, I have the location now."
Robin hung up and turned to the lounging pair:
"Our next destination is a small island near Thriller Bark. It'll take about five days."
"Th-Th-Thriller?" An inexplicable chill swept over Hina. She hugged her shoulders, her voice trembling slightly:
"Are there ghosts on that island?"
"Hina is scared."
"Yes, and not just ghosts."
Robin opened her book again and said with feigned nonchalance:
"They say there are vampires too. Vampires love young girls' blood most of all."
"Dill, I request to withdraw from this operation!"
Hina quickly made several black spears as a bribe:
"Take these to eat. Please, you absolutely have to let me provide support from outside the island!"
"Robin's pulling your leg. Thriller Bark is famous. Haven't you heard of it?"
Dill took the black spears and explained:
"There aren't any ghosts or anything on the island. The people there are just especially enthusiastic about that kind of culture;
They dress up as all sorts of monsters to scare visiting tourists;
A lot of people go there looking for thrills because of its reputation."
Thriller Bark was indeed very famous. Even many horror stories had originated there.
Their route was now clear: first find a nearby island to replenish supplies, then Dill and the other two would disembark and take a passenger ship to the small island where Gunpowder and Boren were waiting.
If they stayed any longer, this ship would become associated with Dill and his companions, and the World Government might pick up on the trail.
Narcissa and the others would then risk arrest too. Besides, there were no other outsiders left aboard.
Rather than stay, they might as well leave and set off again on another ship.
Narcissa and the others would continue transporting cargo, and one day in the future, they would join Cologne Island through a chance turn of events.
Three days later, the ship reached an island.
Dill and the other two officially parted ways with Narcissa's cargo ship.
Robin activated her Devil Fruit ability and altered all three of their faces.
Since Gunpowder and Boren were still waiting, the three didn't linger on the island.
Instead, they found a passenger ship and set off immediately.
Dill made a point of checking it over, only boarding with peace of mind after confirming that the ship wasn't red.
The structure on this passenger ship's deck had five floors in total.
The first floor was a banquet hall where guests could dine and amuse themselves.
The second floor held ordinary guest rooms, with narrow corridors and no private bathrooms or toilets in the rooms.
The third floor was somewhat more luxurious, with private bathrooms and toilets.
"Esteemed guests, here is the luxury suite you requested!"
A sailor bowed and ushered the three into the room:
"There are only two suites on the entire fourth floor. The fifth floor houses the captain's quarters, and lookouts and navigators also monitor the surroundings from there to ensure your safety;
Please rest assured that we use only the best soundproofing materials. Noise from upstairs will never disturb your rest. In an emergency, the alarm in your room will notify you as well."
As he looked at the luxurious furnishings, a hint of envy involuntarily rose in the sailor's eyes.
A low-ranking sailor like him didn't even have a room to himself, let alone a suite.
Every night, he had to squeeze into a cramped dormitory with three others.
"Thanks for showing us around. We're going to rest now. We'll call you if we need anything."
"Of course. Have a pleasant voyage."
Once the sailor left, Dill flopped onto the soft sofa and narrowed his eyes in comfort.
"Passenger ships really are more comfortable."
"It's a two-day voyage to Mist Island. Let's get some proper rest over the next two days."