God Does Not Play Dice  

The man with long blonde hair and hakama attire – Shiki, the "Golden Lion" – was dozing off on the throne placed on the ship's deck.

He wasn't smoking his usual cigar, and the subordinate pirates he had brought along at his whim seemed confused by his unusual demeanor.

He had suddenly declared, "We're heading to 'Paradise'," and while they had followed him, they hadn't been told what they were going to do and were waiting for instructions.

A clown-like man – Dr. Indigo – appeared, making silly noises and desperately trying to convey something with gestures.

Everyone focused on him, trying to understand what he was trying to say –

"Boss Shiki! We've arrived at Water Seven!"

"You can talk!?"

Everyone except Shiki, who was still dozing off, retorted in unison.

His loud voice startled Shiki, who turned his gaze towards Indigo.

"Hm? Oh... eh? Jaya?"

"I said Water Seven!! ... Anyway, Boss Shiki, wouldn't you like to rest in your room if you're tired?"

"Yeah... I haven't been able to sleep at night thinking about meeting that woman's brat."

"You're like a child who can't sleep because they're too excited about a trip!!"

"Jihahahaha!" Shiki laughed cheerfully and looked at the wanted poster of the girl – Kanata – which he had been looking at repeatedly.

Indigo sighed and told the subordinate pirates that he would give them instructions later, urging them to return to their prepared rooms. He had decided that Shiki's current state wasn't appropriate for the admiral of a pirate fleet.

"You seem quite obsessed with that girl."

"Well, yeah. The woman who was probably her mother made me suffer a lot back when we were on Rocks' ship... we killed each other many times... many, times... that damn woman!!"

Indigo calmed Shiki down as his anger suddenly exploded and had tea prepared for him to take a break.

This was something only Indigo and the other executive-level members could do. Ordinary crew members wouldn't have the guts to stand in front of this man when he was angry.

Shiki drank his tea and continued speaking as he stifled a yawn.

"That woman, Octavia. Her personality was the worst, but her strength was genuine. Linlin was often used as her punching bag, you know."

"Linlin... you mean that 'Big Mom'?"

"She was tough, so she could take being a punching bag over and over again, but most guys would die after one hit. She was a difficult woman to handle, but that strength was truly captivating. I'd want her as a subordinate... no, I wouldn't want that woman as a subordinate after all."

In other words, Shiki's aim was quite simple.

"If it's her daughter, we can expect her to grow even stronger in the future. It's like buying unpolished gems, jihahahaha!!"

Shiki lit a cigar, stood up from his throne, and stretched his body.

He had heard that she had fought the Marines in Alabasta the other day. They didn't know which island she had headed to from there, and it seemed she hadn't clashed with the Marines since then either.

From here on, they would need to use a human wave tactic to search for her.

"For now, I've brought eighteen ships and eight subordinate pirate groups... what do you think, Dr. Indigo? Do you think we can find her?"

"It's hard to say... the Grand Line is vast, after all."

"Jihahahaha! No doubt about it!"

It was a question of whose luck was better, Kanata's or Shiki's.

If they couldn't find her with this, he wanted to increase the number of ships and men even further, but... if he focused too much on this, the New World side would become vulnerable.

Whitebeard and Roger had no ambitions, so they wouldn't attack him, but Big Mom and the other pirates were constantly competing with each other. If he spread his forces too thin, there was a risk of his territory being ravaged.

Even so, Shiki had decided it was worth making a move.

"I've heard her name many times, but I've never seen a wanted poster of this Octavia."

"Hm? You haven't seen it? 'Reverberation' Octavia."

"I'm afraid I don't know her."

"I see..." Shiki stroked his chin.

It seemed that information about the Rocks Pirates was being controlled. It might be accurate to say that it wasn't information that was widely known to the public. It was nostalgic to think about how much they had rampaged, but it was also true that they were a pirate crew with such bad relationships that they would even kill each other.

But even so, it seemed like they were being forgotten too quickly... Indigo wasn't a researcher who was particularly enthusiastic about gathering information, so maybe he just didn't know.

"That's the way of the world... I'll tell you about her later. For now, I'm going to sleep."

"Understood. Please rest well."

"Yeah. Have them search around, and if we can't find her, then so be it. We'll think of another way."

The Marines were also pursuing her, so if they took too much time, there was a chance they might clash with each other, but Shiki didn't care about that in the slightest.

If they interfered, he would crush them. It was a natural course of action as an absolute powerhouse.

"Even among those who were on Rocks' ship, there aren't many who know Octavia's face, but if they did and saw this girl's face, they would go and kill her. We have to find her before that happens."

Even if he had to suffer some disadvantages, Shiki laughed again, thinking that it would be a bargain if he could get this girl on his side.

──However, if she had the same strength as her mother and there was no chance of her becoming an ally, he also believed that it would be better to eliminate her so she wouldn't become a threat later on.

***

Zephyr and Sengoku were having headaches.

They had deployed their forces to pursue Kanata, but they hadn't been able to track her down, and three months had already passed. They had been repeatedly ordered by headquarters to return when the "Golden Lion" attacked.

They received orders from the Fleet Admiral to remain on patrol instead of returning to headquarters and had been strengthening their vigilance as they moved from island to island near Water Seven.

As they were discussing their next move, Berg knocked on the door and entered with a report.

"Vice Admiral Lonz and Vice Admiral Saul have both reported that they couldn't find her. Also, the 'Golden Lion' is currently staying in Water Seven. His subordinate pirates are scattered and on the move."

"I see... that 'Golden Lion,' what the hell is he doing at such a busy time?"

"He's a cunning man. We should assume he's acting with some objective in mind... but it's worrying that there were no signs this time."

The man who always planned his moves was acting impulsively this time. Or maybe the Marines just didn't notice the signs... either way, the fact was that they were a step behind.

"It's concerning that his subordinate pirates are scattered and on the move. Are they looking for something?"

"... Could it be that he's trying to recruit the 'Witch'?"

If that were the case, it would be a very worrying situation for the Marines. It would also mean an increase in the Golden Lion's power, and considering Kanata's potential for growth, it could significantly disrupt the power balance in the New World.

Shiki, the "Golden Lion," possessed immense power and a large force.

Charlotte Linlin, the "Big Mom," possessed incredible individual strength.

Edward Newgate, the "Whitebeard," had the power to destroy the world.

And Gol D. Roger, with his unmatched combat skills, led a small but powerful crew.

They didn't want to think about the possibility of the current balance of power, where they were competing yet maintaining equilibrium, being disrupted at this point.

"She doesn't seem like the type to become someone's subordinate... but more importantly, a rookie who hasn't even entered the New World as a subordinate? That's quite strange for the 'Golden Lion'..."

"... That man never acts without reason. There must be some meaning behind it."

He was also a man who was far from peaceful. He couldn't have come here just for fun, so it was certain that they needed to allocate some forces to deal with him.

Garp seemed to be chasing Roger as usual, but they would have to call him back to Marine Headquarters. He had the strength comparable to an Admiral, yet he was always running around freely.

It might also be difficult for Zephyr and Sengoku to continue pursuing Kanata as things stood.

"I wanted to prioritize the 'Witch'... but if the opponent is the 'Golden Lion,' we can't do that."

"About that..."

Just as Zephyr was racking his brains, Berg placed a document on the desk. It seemed to be information gathered from a nearby branch.

"The possibility is low, but... it seems that a suspicious ship has been anchoring near Drum Kingdom once a month. It doesn't anchor at the port even though there is one, and it stays for about a day before leaving. Considering that they weren't on the next island on the Log Pose route from Alabasta Kingdom and there have been no sightings of them on nearby islands... I decided the possibility wasn't zero."

"I see... we have no leads anyway. If we search here and don't find anything, we'll focus on dealing with the 'Golden Lion.' What do you think, Sengoku?"

"Yeah, let's do that."

They didn't have high expectations. Suspicious ships were a common occurrence, and pirate ships often disguised themselves to hide from the Marines.

Kanata and her crew didn't have a pirate flag or any markings on their sails, so at first glance, they wouldn't look like a pirate ship. It was quite possible that they would be reported as a suspicious vessel if they didn't openly anchor at a port as a merchant ship.

"Inform Lonz and Saul as well. If we don't find them here, we'll focus on suppressing the 'Golden Lion' as Fleet Admiral Kong requested. If we do find them, we'll capture the 'Witch.'"

***

Drum Kingdom.

Kanata and her crew, who had visited the country once again, were checking the cargo they had unloaded, ignoring George and the others who were making various faces at the sight of Ivankov.

"... Hey... what is this...?"

"What a rude way to speak, chable! Vatashee's name is Emporio Ivankov! The queen of Kamabakka Kingdom!!"

"A rare beast...? We already have enough of those with Zen and Samuel."

"Am I considered a rare beast!?" He was a jaguar human, so he was a rare beast in that sense... but if they said that, then all Zoan-type Devil Fruit users would become rare beasts.

Zen might be considered a rare beast since he was extremely rare even among the Mink tribe.

"It's until Sukura finishes his studies. We've heard it will take at least half a year, so please bear with us for a few more months just in case."

"Nn~fufufu!! I'll be in your care!! Hyah-ha!!"

"Yeah, please take care of us..." George, looking exhausted, seemed to have lost the energy to even retort. It appeared that Kureha had been working him hard.

The other day, he had gone into the mountains in search of medicinal herbs and mushrooms and almost got lost, and on top of that, he was attacked by Lapahns – carnivorous rabbits with bear-like physiques.

Both Zen and Samuel seemed to have gotten used to fighting in the snow, as they were uninjured.

"I didn't expect our crew to grow so much in just one month."

"We met Dragon in this country last month... let's see, we recruited him after we parted ways with you, so you haven't met him yet."

They had talked in front of Kureha's house, but George didn't seem to remember.

After everyone had been introduced, Ivankov also came along to Kureha's house because he was curious.

They carried the luggage together and headed towards the large tree on the outskirts of town, where Ivankov met Kureha and Sukura. It was only natural, but Ivankov was interested in medicine itself since he was technically the substitute ship's doctor. Although, his focus was more on things like maintaining health and physique.

"Injecting hormones to make only the face grow...? There's no such hormone...?"

"Calm down, Sukura. Common sense doesn't apply to Devil Fruit users." George was desperately trying to calm down Sukura, who was fuming with a vein popping on his forehead.

Devil Fruit users were beyond the realm of common sense. It was pointless to argue about it, but he just couldn't accept it.

"Nfufu. Vanata, you seem to be quite skilled as a doctor, but not so much when it comes to Devil Fruits, nashinable."

"I'm a doctor, but I also research Devil Fruits. Even I have things I can't understand."

"That's no good. Don't think that common sense applies to Devil Fruits, nashhible!"

"I see. Let me dissect you."

"That's completely out of context!?"

It had become quite lively. Kureha also looked exasperated and said, "You've brought another bunch of weirdos."

For the time being, they had no urgent business, so they would likely spend time on Kamabakka Kingdom while observing the Marines' movements.

They might also train the cooks in an attempt to learn the "99 Vital Recipes."

However, there was one problem. It was an event that was reported in the newspaper right after they left Kamabakka Kingdom.

"... This is what's on my mind."

"We saw this article too, but is the 'Golden Lion' really on this side of the sea? Why would such a big name..."

"Who knows. I don't know what he's here for, and I can't think of anything that would be a nuisance enough to attract him. We can only hope we don't encounter him."

Feiyun and Zen had apparently crushed a pirate group under the Golden Lion's command before escaping to the West Blue, but it was unlikely that he had noticed.

It wouldn't make sense for him to act now, so it was probably something else... but at least Kanata had no idea.

The Golden Lion, who boasted a massive force in the New World, shouldn't be on this side of the sea. All they could do now was quietly pray that they wouldn't encounter him.

"Eventually, we'll have to defeat them and sail the seas of the New World. They're not opponents we can keep running from forever, but it's too early to face them now."

"Are we really going to make them our enemies...? I'm so anxious."

"We need to become stronger ourselves, but more importantly, we need to consider expanding our forces. With our current state of just over thirty people, all we can do is run away from large organizations."

Just like the Golden Lion had subordinate pirates, Kanata needed to increase the number of subordinates under her command.

They had no leads for now, and even if they managed to recruit subordinates, betrayal was commonplace among pirates.

For the time being, all they could do was do what they could.

"Speaking of which, Lapahns are rabbits, right? Are they tasty?"

"They're carnivores, after all. The meat is tough and smelly, so it's not something you can eat."

"... You ate it?"

Samuel apparently ate it.