Hizumi immediately puffed out her small chest with pride. But then she remembered something and glared at Rhett. "Uncle still hasn't said why you took so long to come!"
The blood mist swirled around Rhett's fingertips and turned into two fluttering butterflies that landed gently on the girls' shoulders.
"Because..." He lowered his voice, acting mysterious. "Uncle went to find the greatest gift in the world for you."
The two little girls' eyes went wide. They even held their breath. "What is it?"
Rhett snapped his fingers. The blood mist suddenly expanded and condensed into a miniature version of the Bruma Jackson in the center of the courtyard. On the deck, a chibi Moria was fighting a tiny Enel. Tesoro sat on a golden throne counting money. It was incredibly detailed.
"Wow!!" Hiyori was completely mesmerized.
But Hizumi frowned. "But... you can't eat it or play with it..."
"Patience." Rhett smiled and poked her forehead. The blood mist ship suddenly burst apart and fell as a shower of candy. Each piece of candy contained a different filling. They were the specialty sweets Rhett had collected from various islands.
It was Rhett's habit to prepare gifts from each island for the little ones. And here it was paying off. Even though he had come in a hurry, he still had gifts.
"You go out to fight and you still buy gifts. But you don't even reply to messages. Stop begging! They don't love you!"
"Strawberries from the New World! Cloud candy from Skypiea! Coral preserves from Fish-Man Island!" Rhett caught a piece of gold candy. "And Tesoro's special gold foil chocolate. But you can only eat one of these a day."
The two little ones cheered and ran to collect the candy. They had completely forgotten about their plan to scold Rhett. Hizumi even generously shared some with a page boy hiding behind a pillar. "Try this! My Uncle Rhett brought it!"
Tesoro leaned in and whispered, "Captain, you looked just like a..."
"Like a what?" Rhett pressed his forehead against Tesoro's and stared at him.
"...Nothing." The Golden Emperor wisely swallowed the words "kindergarten teacher."
---
The sun was setting. The smell of food drifted through the courtyard. Rhett watched the two little girls proudly sharing their candy with everyone. Even the most serious Denjiro played along, making exaggerated expressions of admiration. Hiyori stood on her tiptoes, stuffing candy into his mouth. Hizumi was bugging Enel to show her his lightning.
"Wow—!"
Hiyori and Hizumi gasped at the same time. Both pairs of eyes sparkled. They stared intently at the little one in Stella's arms. Rati blinked her green-and-gold eyes, looking curiously at the two little sisters who had suddenly appeared.
"So small! So cute!" Hiyori stood on her tiptoes and carefully reached out a finger to touch Rati's little hand.
Hizumi leaned in with a serious expression, studying Rati for a long moment. Then she suddenly looked up and asked, "Uncle Rhett, is this your child?"
"Pfft—" Rhett and Tesoro, who had been drinking tea, nearly spit it out.
Rhett raised an eyebrow. "No. This is Tesoro and Stella's daughter. Her name is Rati."
"Oh!" Hizumi nodded in understanding. Then she frowned again. "Then why is Rati's hat the same color as Uncle Rhett's cloak?"
Hiyori also realized this. She tilted her head. "Yeah, yeah!"
Rhett's blood mist wrapped around the two little ones and pulled them into his arms. He made fists and rubbed them hard against their heads.
"What do you think? I'm not even married yet! Is it possible that I gave her that hat as a gift? You two little idiots!"
"Ow, that hurts! Uncle Rhett, we're sorry, we're sorry!"
Stella couldn't help but laugh. "Because Lord Rhett is Rati's uncle."
"Uncle?" Hizumi counted on her fingers. "Then what should Rati call us?"
Hiyori's eyes lit up. "Big sisters! We're big sisters!"
Rati seemed caught up in their excitement. She waved her little hands and made a sound. The two little girls giggled. Hizumi immediately pulled out a prized piece of candy from her pocket and offered it to Rati. "Here! It's super delicious!"
Stella gently reminded her, "Rati is still too small to eat candy."
Hiyori had a sudden idea. "Then we can teach her swordsmanship!"
Hizumi nodded firmly. "Yes! When she grows up a little more, we'll take her to the dojo!"
Perona had also become a "queen" — a queen of children. The same sound, but so different. It was amusing.
Perona floated in the air, spinning her little pink parasol. She looked down at the three little ones. "From today on, you will call me Lady Perona!"
Hiyori looked up, her eyes sparkling. "Sister Perona can fly! That's amazing!"
Hizumi hugged her wooden sword, unwilling to be outdone. "I-I'll fly someday too! With sword energy!"
Rati sat in her stroller, reaching her little hand toward Perona, making sounds. Perona proudly descended and pulled out three miniature ghost plushies. "Here. These are gifts for you~"
"Wow!" All three little ones gasped at once.
Moria crouched under the porch, laughing. "Kishishishi... Little Perona finally has her own followers."
Enel snorted. "Childish."
The next second, one of Perona's Negative Hollows passed through his chest. He collapsed in a corner, drawing circles.
Rhett leaned against a cherry blossom tree. Blood mist held a cup of sake. Tesoro leaned in and whispered, "Captain, is our ship turning into a kindergarten?"
"What?" Rhett took a sip. "You have a problem with that?"
"No, no." Tesoro raised his hands in surrender. "Just reminding you, next time you pick up a child, give the finance department a heads-up so we can adjust the budget."
Just then, Perona floated over to complain. "Lord Rhett! Hizumi says she wants to be my vice captain!"
Hizumi chased after her, shouting, "I will be! My swordsmanship is better than yours!"
Hiyori hugged her ghost plushie and quietly added, "But Sister Perona can fly..."
Rati suddenly made a sound. The BT mech inside her stroller lit up. Its mechanical arm gently lifted her, letting her "float" too.
"Whoa!" The three little girls were instantly mesmerized. They crowded around Rati and BT, chattering excitedly.
Rhett watched the little ones playing together. The corners of his mouth curled up without him realizing it. The blood mist quietly spread and built a simple playground in the courtyard. A swing. A slide. Everything was there.
"Uncle Rhett is the best!" Hiyori cheered and ran to the swing first.
Hizumi ran after her, shouting back, "When I become vice captain, I'll increase your allowance!"
Perona chased after them angrily. "I'm the captain!"
Stella walked up to Rhett with Rati in her arms and smiled. "It seems Rati's future adventures will be very lively."
Rhett raised his cup. "Isn't that a good thing?"