Slap Kaido (1/5)

Charlotte Smoothie's jaw dropped as she stared at Finn in utter disbelief.

"Master Finn is truly... too amazing," she muttered, still dazed by what she'd just witnessed.

Nami chuckled softly. "Don't be so surprised. This is just the beginning, Smoothie."

Before Smoothie could respond, a deafening crash erupted from the sea as Finn burst out of the water, shrinking back to his original size as he landed gracefully on the deck of the super battleship.

"Smelly brother, what happened to the big guy?" Robin asked, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

Finn shrugged nonchalantly. "No idea. I stepped into some mud at the bottom and decided I didn't feel like digging around for it."

He wrinkled his nose. "This sea's full of salt and fish smell... ugh."

Uncomfortable, Finn stripped off his soaked clothes and flung them back into the sea. Before anyone could comment, a mechanical chime echoed in his mind.

"Ding! Please choose."

A panel of options flashed in his thoughts:

"1: Go to Wanokuni, find Kaido, and curse at him! Reward: Third Gate of Dunjia!"

"2: Go to Wanokuni, find Kaido, and join him! Reward: Five and a Half Gates of Dunjia!"

"3: Go to Wanokuni, find Kaido, and slap him! Reward: Eight Inner Gates!"

Finn blinked, momentarily confused by the unexpected prompt. It had been nearly two months since he'd seen a system choice like this.

"Guess that fight with Jack triggered something," he muttered, staring at the still-roiling sea. "Seems like I'll need to stir up trouble to get more choices."

His eyes gleamed as he fixated on the reward—the Eight Inner Gates. Legendary physical arts that could grant unimaginable strength by pushing the body beyond its limits. The thought of wielding such power made his heart race.

But... there was a catch.

Unlocking the Gates damaged the user's body. Opening all eight, especially the final Gate of Death, meant certain death.

Finn smirked. "Sounds like the Seven Wounds Fist... you hurt yourself just to hurt your enemy."

A hint of excitement lit up his face. "But for me, it should be fine."

He grinned, his gaze drifting toward the horizon. "Kaido, I think you're going to have to take one for the team... for my Eight Inner Gates."

Robin noticed his mischievous smile and nudged him playfully. "Smelly brother, are you plotting something again? That grin of yours isn't exactly reassuring."

"Plotting? Me?" Finn shot her a teasing glance. "I'm just figuring out our next destination."

"Where?" asked Robin, curiosity piqued.

Finn put on a mysterious air. "I'll tell you... after I get rid of this sea water and change into dry clothes."

He snapped his fingers. "baby5, Shyarly, get me some clean clothes."

"Yes, young master," baby5 and Shyarly responded in unison, hurrying off to fetch his attire.

It wasn't unusual. Since boarding the ship, baby5, always in maid attire, had taken on the role naturally. Shyarly, on the other hand, had sworn her loyalty, requesting to be his maid after a particular incident. Finn hadn't objected. After all, what kind of young master didn't have maids attending to him?

Nami crossed her arms and pouted. "So lucky! They get to take care of the young master every day!"

Tashigi, overhearing, teased her. "Nami-chan, is it their care you're jealous of, or that they get to help the young master freshen up?"

Nami flushed a deep red. "Sister Tashigi! That's not—" She paused, then looked slyly at Tashigi. "Aren't you jealous?"

Caught off guard, Tashigi blushed as well, stammering, "I... well, of course I am."

As Finn rinsed off under warm water, he activated a special phone bug, pulling information from Jack's device. It didn't take long before he found what he was looking for—the location of Onigashima, Kaido's fortress.

"Quite a distance..." Finn murmured, studying the coordinates. Onigashima was far from their current radar range. He'd need to adjust the ship's course accordingly.

Satisfied with the intel, he stored the phone bug just as baby5 approached, bowing slightly. "Master, your fresh clothes are ready."

"Which soap would you prefer, Master?" Shyarly asked, holding two options in her hands, her fishtail flicking playfully in the water.

Finn waved a hand. "You can decide that."

As he lay back on a water couch, letting his thoughts drift to their impending journey to Wanokuni, time passed quickly.

A month later, the massive battleship glided toward the isolated shores of Wanokuni, moving at a leisurely pace as if they were tourists. But as they neared the famed island, a new obstacle emerged.

The ship came to a sudden halt in front of a towering waterfall. Finn squinted up at the cascade that poured down from the island's high cliffs.

"So... how do we get the ship up that?" Robin asked, frowning.

Finn tapped his chin. "In the manga, foreign ships used those giant carp to climb the waterfall... but this ship is way too big."

Indeed, the super battleship dwarfed the waterfall, making it impossible to ascend in the same way.

Finn sighed. "Looks like we've got no choice."

He turned to the ship's intercom. "Hina, take command of the ship and submerge it. We'll be back once we've handled things."

"Understood!" came Hina's swift reply.

"Alright, Tashigi, Robin—you're coming with me," Finn said, taking their hands and leaping off the deck.

With a single step, they soared into the sky, rising above the crashing waters, ready to face whatever awaited them in Wanokuni.