Baratie, somewhere on the outskirts.
"Sanji, have you been well all these years?"
Reiju looked at her younger brother, her beautiful eyes filled with concern, her tone gentle and warm.
Sanji took a drag from his cigarette, staring at the horizon ahead, and replied coldly, "Thanks to you, I'm not dead yet."
Reiju was well aware of her brother's tone. She knew he still harbored hatred for the Vinsmoke family.
And why wouldn't he? As a child, Sanji had been bullied and beaten by his older brothers.
Judge had despised him, treating him with nothing but contempt.
The only memories Germa left him were deep wounds—pain he'd rather forget.
"Sanji, do you remember how I treated you back then?" Reiju rubbed her fair forehead, smiling bitterly. "I can't say much about the family's affairs."
"But you know very well how I've always felt about you. Please don't speak to me in that tone."
Hearing Reiju's words, Sanji fell silent, recalling her parting words to him.
"The sea is so vast. One day, you'll meet kind people."
As memories of the past resurfaced, Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke and turned to Reiju, his expression softening with remorse.
"Seeing you brings back bad memories. Forgive me, Reiju… I'm sorry."
Seeing him like this, Reiju's heart swelled with joy, and her stunning face broke into a tender smile.
"I'm just glad you don't blame me. I'm truly happy, Sanji. So, so happy."
After a moment, Sanji took another drag and asked the question weighing on his mind. "Reiju, why are you here in the East Blue instead of the North?"
"Father—" She caught herself, realizing it wasn't the best topic, and tucked a strand of her pink hair behind her ear with a light chuckle. "That young man leading the group earlier, the one in black clothes—his name is Chris."
"Our family is currently collaborating with him. I was sent to oversee the partnership and handle affairs between both parties."
"It's such a fortunate coincidence. If I hadn't followed him to the East Blue, I wouldn't have known you were here."
Sanji frowned, disbelief flashing across his face. "That cold-blooded man is working with Chris? There must be something else going on. What's the real reason?"
Reiju knew exactly who Sanji was referring to.
She waved it off, blinking her beautiful eyes gently. "It's simply because Chris is incredibly strong. The family considered it beneficial to collaborate with him. That's all."
"Speaking of which, Sanji… why don't you come with me? Let's leave this place and sail to the Grand Line together."
Reiju smiled warmly. "Chris is a very reasonable man. If you joined his crew, I'm sure he'd—"
Before she could finish, Sanji cut her off.
"Enough. I'm not leaving."
Flicking his cigarette butt into the sea, Sanji turned to Reiju with firm resolve. "That old man you saw earlier—his name is Zeff."
"If it weren't for him, I would've died at sea long ago."
"So no matter what, I'm staying here with him. I won't leave."
Reiju's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She wanted to persuade him further, but seeing Sanji's resolute expression, she could only sigh and let it go.
...
Dorry and Brogy's ship, the Dorry and Brogy No. 1.
"Now that I think about it, compared to our ship, this one is just… pathetic."
Carina glanced around the main vessel and shook her head, her face full of disdain.
Perona, floating in the air, giggled. "Obviously! Ours is the flagship of the North Sea's strongest pirate crew."
"How could some random ship from the East Blue ever compare?"
Just then, Carina's eyes lit up, her pretty face breaking into an excited grin. "Found it! Finally, the storage room~ Hehehe!"
Perona's interest was instantly piqued. "Then let's hurry over! Hahahahaha~"
With that, the two quickly made their way forward, practically bouncing with anticipation as they stepped inside.
Inside, they saw a girl busily packing up gold and jewels.
Hearing the noise, Nami turned toward the entrance—and locked eyes with them.
The air seemed to freeze.
"Huh? Why is there someone here?"
Perona floated mid-air, tilting her head curiously. "A survivor from this ship? That can't be right…"
Carina studied Nami, her cunning eyes gleaming with amusement. "Well, well. Looks like we've run into a fellow enthusiast."
"She's just like me—a little thief. I can tell at a glance."
Nami grinned at Carina. "So you're here to steal too? What a coincidence!"
"There's plenty of treasure here—more than I can carry. Help yourselves!"
"I've got urgent business, so I'll leave you to it. See ya!"
After tying up her bundle, she made to leave.
Carina waved a hand, chuckling. "Sorry, but while we are kindred spirits, we're not here to steal."
"Everything on this ship belongs to the Chris Pirates as spoils of war. You're stealing our treasure."
"But since I like your style, I'll let you off this time~"
Perona's eyes sparkled as she eyed the bulging sack. "With all this treasure, I can buy so many snacks! Hahahahaha~"
Nami's mind raced as she quickly reassessed the situation, forcing a laugh. "Ohhh, so this stuff is yours?"
"In that case, I shouldn't take it. I'll return it to its rightful owners."
"Hey, how about we team up? Let's pull off something big. What do you say?"
Nami had taken an instant liking to the woman before her. Their personalities were so similar—both loved money, both were sharp-witted, and both were masters of deception.
It'd be a shame not to work together…
----------
T/N:
Access 55 chapters in advance on my Patreon: [email protected]//OnePieceChronicles
+5 Advance chapters available to all free members !