Luna the Lunarian

Naito had only slept for a little while on the ship.

Even in that short time, he had found an opportunity to create a dream space for each of the new hubs.

He had also drawn the ordinary escapees into the dream world and granted them a lower level of access. They couldn't possess anyone, had no dream spaces of their own, and could enter the dream world only after falling asleep. But they cost much less, so he could make many of them at once.

They still had the basic benefits, though. Naito had created a city for the escapees to live in, where they could find almost every kind of entertainment available on the seas, along with an inexhaustible supply of fine wine, delicious food, and beautiful women.

The prisoners, at least, were completely absorbed in it.

"No, watching from outside might not do any good, no matter how long we keep it up."

Ain suddenly spoke up. "If the escapees really came to the Sabaody Archipelago, they should be taking extra care to hide. Even if they wanted a ship coated, they probably wouldn't come in person."

Naito yawned and slowly sat up straight. At last, his vacant gaze shifted a little. "Oh? What do you mean?"

Ain looked at Naito. "Come on, let's sneak into that shipyard and take a look. Naito, use your ability to make us invisible."

Naito looked at Ain with interest. "Oh, so you can say something useful once in a while."

Sitting around here doing nothing was boring anyway.

"If you can't say anything nice, shut up."

Ain smiled without a trace of warmth.

It bore repeating: if only Naito had been born without a mouth.

"You're getting pretty cocky for a mere Ain."

As Naito spoke, he snapped his fingers softly.

Their figures vanished at once.

Naito got to his feet unhurriedly and headed toward the nearby shipyard. "Come on. Don't make a sound."

He could only project new sounds; he couldn't erase the original ones.

"Wait, Naito!"

Ain's voice held a hint of bewilderment. "Where are you?"

"Hm?"

Naito looked back and saw straight through the illusion. Ain was looking around in obvious embarrassment.

She didn't know Observation Haki and couldn't see through the illusion, so she had no way of telling where he was.

Naito couldn't help laughing. "And you were talking about sneaking in?"

"C-cut the crap."

Ain's face reddened slightly. "Do something!"

"What is there to do?"

Naito grabbed Ain's hand and pulled her forward. "Come on."

"Naito, you-" Ain was startled.

But before she could finish, Naito cut her off with a single sentence.

"I told you, don't make a sound."

Ain fell silent at once.

She bit her lip. How could that rude Naito just grab her hand like that?

Damn it. If it weren't for the mission-

Still, his hand was so big and warm. The heat seemed to travel straight up her arm to her face.

Naito looked back thoughtfully, his gaze passing through the illusion to see Ain's slightly flushed face.

Tsk, Xiao Chunü, are you lusting after your big brother Naito's gorgeous body again?

The two made it into the shipyard without trouble.

The interior was enormous. Several seagoing ships were being coated, two of them flying pirate flags. One pirate ship had even been fully coated already.

Naito felt Ain squeeze his hand.

He understood what she meant. Besides watching the various possible locations on the island, the recruits were also keeping an eye on every ship that had been coated but had yet to descend into the deep sea.

After all, the escapees could simply steal a ship like that.

This ship was a potential target too.

Teacher Zephyr had indeed thought things through, because one of the ships that had already been coated really had been prepared for the escapees.

The escapees themselves, however, were still some distance from the Sabaody Archipelago.

As for this ship-

Naito swaggered up beside it, pulling Ain along, and casually ran a finger across the coating pressed against its hull.

Shigan.

A sizable gash was torn through the tough coating in an instant. Then, with a pop, the entire coating burst like a bubble.

"What?"

The coating craftsmen were dumbfounded.

"Hey! What happened here?!"

The shipyard owner strode over, his face ashen. "Who was responsible for this ship? Damn it, the client will be here to inspect it any minute! He's a pirate with a bounty of over fifty million. If we make him angry, we're all finished!"

The craftsmen were at a loss for words.

"What are you standing around for?! Everyone, stop what you're doing and coat this ship again first!"

Ain couldn't help chuckling at the sight.

Naito really was bad.

They looked pitiful, but when she remembered they were coating ships for pirates, she felt nothing but satisfaction.

If it weren't for the mission, she would have arrested everyone in the shipyard already!

The two looked around the shipyard some more, leaving only after they had confirmed that nothing was amiss.

Once they were well away from the shipyard, Naito deactivated his ability. "Anyway, let's eat first. Ain, I'll give you the chance to buy me dinner."

Ain couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Why should I?"

Naito said lazily, "Because you've been taking advantage of me for so long."

Ain was speechless. "Who's been taking advantage of you?"

Naito said nothing, merely gesturing downward with his chin.

Ain looked down instinctively. The next instant, her face flushed crimson.

Her hand was still holding Naito's.

Naito gave his hand a shake and said with interest, "I let go ages ago, you know."

As if she had been shocked, Ain flung Naito's hand away and instinctively staggered back several steps. "I-I-I-I..."

"No need to be nervous."

Naito shrugged. "The fact that you can't bear to let go of me shows you're a woman of excellent taste. But don't think you can have me all to yourself. I'm a treasure for the whole world."

"Naito! Shut up!!"

Ain's face turned bright red, and she practically screamed.

Naito sighed. "Tsk, taking advantage of me and still playing innocent. Woman, thy name is greed."

"Naito!!"

Can I kill him?

How can someone as obnoxious as Naito exist in this world?!

The girl wailed inwardly.

The corners of Naito's mouth rose.

Ain was pretty fun to tease.

Still, Luna should be meeting up with the escapees about now, shouldn't she?

In that case, the great deep-sea dive operation was about to begin too.

Sorry in advance, Teacher Zephyr.

Chapter 14: Luna the Lunarian (Please keep reading!)

On a stretch of sea a short distance from the Sabaody Archipelago, a small warship cut through the waves.

Escapees still dressed in prison uniforms lay sprawled across the deck and inside the cabin. Without exception, every one of them wore a strange, satisfied smile.

Only the few escapees needed to operate the ship remained awake. Rather than feeling the slightest fear at the strange sight, they were full of envy.

"Damn it, why are we the only ones stuck sailing the ship while everyone else is enjoying themselves in that world?!"

"Yeah, I want to go back to the City of Dreams right now too. I want a drink so badly!!"

"Stop complaining. Our lord saved us and even let us enter the City of Dreams. If we hold him up, we couldn't repay him even if we were crushed to pieces!"

"That's right! I'd go through fire and water for our lord!"

The escapees chatted among themselves.

But apart from them, not everyone had entered the other world.

In the cabin, Buckingham Stussy had finished tending to her foolish son's arm. It had never fully healed, and his fight with the Chief Warden of Impel Down the previous night had made the injury worse.

"Oh! I'm back! Thanks, Mom!"

Weevil foolishly raised his arm and flexed it hard, making his muscles bulge.

Seeing him act so foolishly, Buckingham couldn't help smiling.

But her smile was tinged with bewilderment.

What exactly does that mysterious lord want to do?

He's gathered such a powerful force. Is he planning to go to the New World and challenge those monsters?

Buckingham didn't know. She was simply deeply worried.

She was certain that the brat on Zephyr's ship, the one who had captured her, was also one of that lord's people, barring any surprises.

The proof was that when the brat defeated her, he had used the same move their lord had used while possessing World the previous night: an invisible attack.

And immediately after her defeat, she had been drawn into the mental space.

If it wasn't that brat, who else could it be?

Given the brat's age and Zephyr's attitude toward him, there was no doubt he would be a future star of the Navy.