"I'll keep an eye out for Devil Fruits in the black market for you later," Shakky said. "If there's a suitable ability, I'll buy it for you."
It would be even better if it were a Logia type, since this kind of Devil Fruit allows the user to perform Elemental Transformation, making their survival ability much stronger!
"No problem," Meiser nodded. "It would be even better if there were a Devil Fruit suitable for Merry."
Shakky was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, then said with some surprise, "So this Cloud-Cloud Fruit isn't for her to eat?"
She had thought this Logia type ability was meant for Merry, but it turned out not to be the case?
"No, this Devil Fruit is prepared for Nami," Meiser explained. "Her combat strength is equally weak, but she has higher compatibility with the Cloud-Cloud Fruit."
"Why do you say that?" Shakky raised an eyebrow.
"Because her usual attack method involves using the Clima-Tact to create thunderstorm weather to strike enemies," Meiser explained. "But if the Clima-Tact gets destroyed, she becomes a lamb waiting for slaughter. So this ability suits her better."
"I see..."
Recalling the information she knew about the Cat Burglar, Shakky nodded. "It does seem that way."
That young girl does seem more suitable for this Devil Fruit than Merry.
Then Shakky said, "In that case... I'll keep a closer watch in the black market."
"If I come across something suitable, I'll buy it for Merry."
This time Meiser didn't stand on ceremony with Shakky, nodding as he accepted her proposal.
"If possible, it would be best if it were also a Logia type," Meiser said.
Although Haki can counter the Elemental Transformation of Logia types... not everyone knows Haki, right?
"Logia types aren't that easy to come across," Shakky shook her head.
She also knew that Logia types had better survival abilities, but the problem was... there aren't many of these Devil Fruits!
Meiser understood this issue too, so he didn't insist.
"Then we'll just have to depend on luck," Meiser said.
"Mm."
Shakky nodded, then said, "I'll help you clear all these items within six months, then notify you to come collect the money."
"If there are any White Transponder Snails by then, I'll give them to you as well."
"Just proceed at your own pace, I'm not in a hurry," Meiser said.
Meiser knew that handling these items wasn't an easy task, so naturally he wouldn't rush Shakky.
Besides... they wouldn't set sail again until two years later, so there was no particular urgency.
Shakky nodded upon hearing this, indicating she understood.
After lighting a cigarette for herself, Shakky took a satisfying drag and said, "By the way... how did you manage to shake off the World Government?"
"So they actually believed you were dead..."
"I faked my death to escape," Meiser said.
"Faked death?"
"Yes, faked death."
Meiser nodded. "Using this method, I successfully made Kizaru and the others believe I had died."
"That explains why the World Government published those newspapers."
"I see..."
Seeing that Meiser didn't intend to elaborate further, Shakky didn't press the matter.
After all... that was his secret!
As his friend, she naturally wouldn't pry too deeply.
"By the way, does Uncle Rayleigh know how to deal with the God's Knights?" Meiser asked. "I fought them for nearly a full day and night, but couldn't kill them."
"That ability that seems like an Undying Body?"
"Exactly."
"Ask Rayleigh when you see him," Shakky said, tapping her cigarette ash. "He might know something."
The Roger Pirates had clashed directly with the God's Knights before, so... he might know how to deal with them.
"Uncle Rayleigh..."
Recalling the old man's face, Meiser nodded. "Alright, I understand."
"I'll look for him after I return."
"Do you want to learn Haki from him?" Shakky raised an eyebrow.
"Yes."
Meiser nodded. "Uncle Rayleigh is an expert in this field after all. It wouldn't hurt to learn more from him."
"Well... that's true," Shakky agreed.
Although this kid's talent was indeed monstrous, comprehending advanced Haki wasn't an easy task.
So... learning from Rayleigh wouldn't be a bad idea.
As for whether he could teach Meiser properly...
Rayleigh was, after all, one of the most renowned figures on the seas. Teaching Meiser some Haki techniques shouldn't be a problem.
Then Shakky said with some emotion, "If only you had Conqueror's Haki, then you could..."
"I do have it."
Shakky: ???
The interrupted Shakky was stunned for a moment, then looked at Meiser in shock. "You kid have Conqueror's Haki?"
"I do."
Shakky fell silent for a moment before saying, "Don't tell me you awakened your Conqueror's Haki at Mary Geoise."
"Exactly," Meiser laughed.
Looking at the smile on Meiser's face, Shakky was rendered speechless.
Not only had he robbed so many Celestial Dragon treasuries, he'd also gained a reputation that shocked the world.
And then... he awakened Conqueror's Haki too?
This kid hit the jackpot!
After a moment of silence, Shakky said, "You really never cease to surprise me, kid."
Truly the young man she had high hopes for!
"Actually, I didn't expect to awaken Conqueror's Haki either," Meiser said. "It was a pleasant surprise."
"Then learn well from that old man Rayleigh," Shakky said. "Try to master all of his Haki techniques!"
Since this kid possessed Conqueror's Haki... he now qualified to learn Conqueror's Haki Infusion!
As for whether he could master it, that would depend on Meiser's own talent and Rayleigh's teaching skills.
"Of course." Meiser nodded. If he could learn Conqueror's Haki Infusion, he would likely reach the level of the Four Emperors.
Naturally, he couldn't neglect the development of his Ninjutsu either.
After all... he really wanted to master Wood Release!
If he could learn Wood Release, he would have a chance to advance his Mangekyō Sharingan further, so this was something he couldn't afford to overlook either.
As for whether he could handle it all...
Don't be ridiculous. With his special Pupil Technique and the Shadow Clone Technique, why would he worry about training?
He could exploit these advantages without a shred of guilt!
Thinking this, Meiser chuckled to himself.
"What are you laughing at?" Shakky asked curiously, looking at him.
It felt like this kid wasn't thinking about anything good.
"Nothing."
Meiser shook his head and then said, "By the way, Shakky, is it really okay to leave all those things piled up downstairs?"
"Do you need me to help you sort them out with a Scroll?"
"Can I even use this Scroll?" Shakky raised an eyebrow.
"Uh... no." Meiser shook his head.
At least for now, he hadn't developed a Sealing Scroll that ordinary people could use, so it wouldn't work.
"Then that settles it." Shakky rolled her eyes at him. "If I can't use it, what's the point of having a Scroll?"
"But I'm here, aren't I?"
"Aren't you going back?" Shakky said. "I can't keep you here for half a year just for this."
Wouldn't that waste Meiser's training time?
So Shakky had no intention of doing that.
Seeing Meiser about to say something else, Shakky cut him off. "Alright, don't worry about this, kid. Leave it to me. Like I said before, if I can't handle something like this, I might as well quit."
"Alright then." Meiser nodded.
Then, he picked up the nearby snakeskin bag and said, "Since there's nothing else for me to do here, I'll head back now."
Over ten days had passed, and Hancock was probably getting impatient, so it was better to return sooner rather than later.
"Then go back early." Shakky said. "Otherwise, it won't be good if Hancock sees the latest newspaper."
She had confirmed that Meiser was alive, but Hancock hadn't!
So... it was better to return to Kuja Island as soon as possible.
Hearing Shakky's words, Meiser's expression changed slightly. "The latest newspaper..."
Indeed, if Hancock saw the latest newspaper, she would definitely come charging over.
Thinking this, Meiser immediately stood up, grabbed the bag, and headed for the door.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
"Wait a minute!"
"What is it?"
Meiser paused at the door and turned back to look at Shakky in confusion. "Is there something else?"
Shakky didn't answer right away. Instead, she bent down and pulled out a large jug of wine.
Placing the jug on the table, she patted it and said, "Take this jug with you."
Looking at what was inside the jug, Meiser fell silent.
Then he said, "Is this for Rayleigh?"
"Why would I bring him anything?" Shakky said, exasperated. "This is for you."
"What's the point of giving this wine to Rayleigh now? He won't be back anytime soon, so she never intended for Meiser to bring this wine to him in the first place."
"For me?"
Meiser raised an eyebrow. "Sis Shakky, you..."
Shakky didn't let him finish, cutting him off directly. "Enough, stop the nonsense. Would your sister ever harm you?"
This was premium stuff worth a hundred million Berries per pot - not something she'd give to just anyone.
"Well... alright then."
Seeing Shakky's insistence, Meiser stopped being coy and walked back to store the wine pot in his Sealing Scroll.
"That's more like it~" Shakky said with a beaming smile. "You'll thank me sooner or later."
"I really don't need it," Meiser muttered.
Shakky rolled her eyes at his words. "Enough chatter, hurry up and go."
"See you later then, Sis Shakky."
"Mhm."
As if remembering something, Shakky added, "Oh right, take your Den Den Mushi with you."
"Ah, coming!"
After casually tucking the Den Den Mushi into his clothes, Meiser activated his Transformation Technique to change his appearance before darting out with a swoosh.
Watching Meiser's 'hasty retreat', Shakky pouted. "Young people these days are so thin-skinned."
Then, with a smile playing on her lips, she picked up the cigarette she'd placed on the table earlier and took a drag before remarking:
"I hope these two youngsters will like the wedding gift I prepared for them~"
After a light chuckle, Shakky picked up the Den Den Mushi from the table and dialed one of her subordinates.
"Buro buro buro~"
"Buro buro buro~"
"Buro buro buro~"
"Kacha~"
"Hello, is this the BOSS?"
"Yes, it's me."
Shakky spoke in a calm tone. "There are black fish to deal with. Bring some people to my location."
"Yes, BOSS!"
"Kacha~"
After hanging up, Shakky glanced out the window, narrowing her eyes as she began to ponder.
To safely move this batch of goods out, she needed to be extremely cautious!
Meanwhile, in the New World.
On an island named Rikovicia, Katakuri had just led his forces in a fierce clash with remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates. Ultimately... Katakuri achieved victory with absolute superiority, defeating the enemy captain and securing this island abundant with sweets!
"Phew..."
After letting out a long breath, Galette glanced at her subordinate and asked, "Have all the injured been treated?"
"They've been taken care of."
"That's good." Galette nodded.
After this expedition, her subordinates should have grown stronger.
This was beneficial for their Totto Land.
Then Galette asked, "Hey, do you have the latest newspaper?"
"The latest newspaper?"
"Yes." Galette nodded. "If you have it, bring me a copy."
With no news from Meiser for so many days, she wondered how he was doing now.
"Well..."
The subordinate showed a hesitant expression, clearly reluctant to fetch it for Galette.
"Hmm?"
Noticing this, Galette's brows immediately furrowed. "What's the meaning of this?"
"Is my word no longer good enough?"
"Not at all, it's just that Lord Katakuri specifically instructed us not to bring you newspapers, so..."
Hearing this, Galette immediately sensed something was wrong.
"Why wouldn't Brother Katakuri let me read the newspaper?" Galette murmured to herself.
Could it be... could something have happened to Meiser?
At this thought, Galette immediately demanded, "Bring me the newspaper right now, hurry!"
"But..."
"Bang!"
Without giving the subordinate a chance to argue, Galette slammed the pistol from her waist onto the table.
Her expression clearly warned: If you dare say another word, I'll shoot you dead!
The subordinate fell silent for a moment, then reluctantly went to fetch a newspaper for Galette.
As for whether Lord Katakuri would punish him later... that was a problem for future him. At least it was better than being killed on the spot.
"Lady Galette, the newspaper you asked for..."
Snatching the newspaper, Galette unfolded it and glanced at the contents before her legs gave way, collapsing onto a chair.
The glaring headline told her that the man she had chosen... was already dead...
A tear slid down her cheek as Galette whispered in anguish, "Meiser..."
In that moment, all her illusions shattered.
"Sigh..."
Katakuri, who had approached Galette, let out a helpless sigh. "Why put yourself through this?"
He had kept the news from her precisely to spare his sister this pain, yet things had turned out like this... Ah.
Hearing her brother's voice, Galette immediately looked up. "Brother Katakuri, is Meiser really dead?"
Seeing the tears in Galette's eyes, Katakuri paused before responding, "To be honest, I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"Mm." Katakuri nodded. "Normally, a photo like this would confirm his death."
"But... that guy has an Undying Body, so I can't be sure if this is just misinformation spread by the World Government."
While his latter statement might sound like consolation, it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
After all... Meiser possessed an Undying Body!
"As long as there's a possibility he's alive, that's enough." Galette breathed a sigh of relief.
Watching hope rekindle in Galette's eyes, Katakuri seemed to hesitate, wanting to say more.
"Brother Katakuri, I know what you want to say, but please don't." Galette interjected.
Katakuri fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Alright."
Having hope was better than having none, wasn't it?
Just then, a subordinate rushed in, exclaiming, "Lady Galette..."
"Oh, Lord Katakuri is here too."
"What happened?" Galette asked.
"The Pale Wolf Pirate Crew has arrived on this island," the subordinate reported. "It looks like they're here to cause trouble for us."
Katakuri frowned upon hearing this. For a pirate crew to actively seek them out—were they particularly powerful?
But soon, as if realizing something, he showed a look of exasperation.
The next moment, Galette asked, "Is that pirate crew very strong?"
"No, the captain only has a bounty of 150 million."
"150 million..."
Galette fell silent after speaking, then turned to look at Katakuri and said, "Brother Katakuri, let me handle them."
She happened to be in a very bad mood right now, so... these guys are just unlucky!
"Alright."
Understanding Galette's intention, Katakuri didn't refuse and agreed directly.
Then, he turned and walked outside while saying, "Let's go. I'll watch your back."
Although the opponent's bounty was less than 200 million Berries, they were still pirates who had fought their way up, so he needed to keep an eye on things.
"Yes, Brother Katakuri!!"