King of the World Ch 16 (One Piece)

Summary: News of Luffy’s exploits turn the world upside down! Mini Intermission!

A/N: A chapter without a lemon?! Gasp. I’ve wanted to have some shots around the world, and with Ch 15 being nearly 30k words and the crew making a longer stop, now’s the perfect time! The Reiju Chapter from the last Poll is still coming! Just need a bit more time to hash it out!

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Chapter Sixteen: Intermission! Around the World!

Deep in the Calm Belt, inside the isle of Amazon Lily, the Pirate King and his newly expanded crew of voluptuous women rested for a while. They enjoyed a well-deserved break from two months at sea, journeying around the world to hunt down the girls that struck Luffy’s fancy.

After departing Amazon Lily with Hancock as his bride, they dropped through the East Blue to pick up Nami and Nojiko at Cocoyashi village, then bumped into Bello Betty and Koala at Logue Town. That began a wild trip up and down the Grandline from Alabasta to Water Seven. Eventually, they passed through New Fishman Island onward toward Dressrosa. Now they’ve come full circle at Amazon Lily once again!

During that time, Luffy’s crew swelled to a shockingly large number. For a man who’d once declared he only wanted ‘about ten’ men on his crew, Luffy’s crew had grown beyond belief. Now, after taking in so many famous names and two dozen Mermaids snatched from New Fishman Island, their number was over forty strong!

So, for a short time, Luffy brought the crew back to Amazon Lily to check on how Hancock’s sisters were doing, knowing they had taken the ‘Cure’ for their scarred backs. That, and enjoy some raucous fun with his crew inside Hancock’s palace!

For the time being, until the King yearned for the sea once again, the Thousand Sunny stayed anchored and docked in the protective inner cove of the Kuja upon Amazon Lily.

But just because Luffy was taking a short break didn’t mean the world had stopped moving.

By now, news had circulated all around the globe, spreading rumors and hearsay of his recent exploits far and wide...

Meanwhile, around the world...

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Across the Calm Belt - East Blue

“Baaa~!”

Crunch~ Crunch~ Crunch~

On the rolling green hills of a peaceful, quiet farm, the bleating of goats and crunching of tin cans filled the air.

It was a tranquil place. An island that enjoyed fair weather and gentle winds that lightly blew the isle’s infamous Windmills. It was a farm.

A goat farm.

Not too far up the rolling hills from the village called Foosha upon Dawn Island in the East Blue, a couple of Old Goats enjoyed a lazy retirement after all the chaos during the war that changed the world.

Outside, among a small herd of goats, were two old men. Despite their advanced age and white hair, they were still both intimidating figures. Each still had bulging muscles and broad chests from their long years of service in the Marines.

Those who knew them from their service would be shocked to see them like this. Both had their broad chests wrapped in overalls, a towel thrown over one shoulder. Gathered all around were dozens of bleating goats and big jugs for milk.

It was the retirement villa of ‘Garp the Hero’ and Sengoku, the former Fleet Admiral. These two legendary names spent their days on a quiet goat farm on Dawn Island’s rolling hillscape.

A bird fluttered overhead, landing on the fencepost carrying a parcel. It was a News Coo, one of ‘Big News’ Morgan’s well-trained news delivery birds.

The tall man with a sizeable white afro passed the bird some coins and pulled open the newspaper, “Hm?! This is...”

A familiar face with a big, dumb grin was slapped on the front cover.

“Garp~! Your damn family again!” Sengoku shouted across the fence.

“Bwahaha, what? Is Dragon making radical changes again?! You know the Reverie will never be the same!” Garp laughed heartily, “Good thing too! It was time those old bastards had a wake-up call!”

“Not your son! Your grandson!” Sengoku yelled, “Even after tearing our world’s system up from the roots..! You damn Monkey D’s just don’t quit..!”

“Hmmm? Luffy, eh?” Garp stroked his chin, “What’s that sniveling brat doing that’s got you so worked up..? I still can’t believe they’re calling him that! Hahah, ‘Pirate King’?! It’s a hundred years too early!”

“Here! Look for yourself.” Sengoku threw a newspaper into Garp’s face.

“Hmm..?” Garp peeled it off his grizzled face and pulled it open, “Let’s see... Hm?”

His eyes slowly grew wider and wider as he worked his way down the page.

“Kidnapping Princesses..!” Sengoku exclaimed with an outraged voice, “The Queen of Dressrosa and the Empress of Amazon Lily! An all-female crew..! There’s even rumors he married one of them! What the hell is your boy DOING?!”

Garp had his mouth hanging open as he turned to the next page... and the next... and the next...

‘The Pirate Empress and the Devil Woman? A steamy affair for the Pirate King’s heart?!’

‘First Alabasta and then New Fishman Island! Princesses spotted on the Pirate King’s ship?!’

‘Marines defeated! Soldiers were left alive tied in the hold, but claim the women were taken above deck from some unknown reason?! Victims unwilling to comment!’

Garp couldn’t believe these headlines were about his thick-headed grandson...

“BWUAHAHAHAHAH~!” He burst into uproarious laughter, slapping a fencepost with tears in his eyes.

“Garp..!” Sengoku chastised him for taking it too lightly.

“That’s rich..! So that little squirt finally grew some balls, eh?!” Garp roared with a great belly laugh, “There’s no way that little punk became some kind of ladies man! I’ll have to see it for myself!”

Sengoku let out a deep sigh, “At least I’m retired now... someone else can deal with this family of mad Monkeys...”

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Elsewhere on the Isle - Party’s Bar

“Waaa~ Waaa~!”

“There, there..!” A green-haired barmaid softly soothed the young child in her arms.

“Makino! Makino!” The crotchety mayor came hobbling in through the bat-wing doors.

“Mayor Woopslap! I’m sorry, we’re not open today...”

“Not here for damn booze..! Look at this! The damn Pirate brat went and did it again!” Woop Slap raged, swinging his cane. Ever since Luffy made a victorious return to Dawn Island and hung his flag over their little village, it’d caused the Mayor endless grief.

“They still haven’t ripped down that darn flag! What kind of respectable town is proud of a Pirate?!”

Makino softly giggled. Despite Woop Slap’s moaning and groaning... he’d be sure to tell half the village what new incredible thing ‘that darn pirate boy’ was doing.

Makino held a hand to her lips to mask a teasing smile, “Oh my... What’s he done this time..? Let’s see...”

Makino took the paper from the Mayor and opened it up. She giggled at the picture of Luffy’s sunny grin.

Then she read the headline “Pirate King or... King of a Harem?!” Makino nearly dropped the paper in shock.

Her eyes couldn’t possibly get any bigger as she read the page, “...more of the King’s new crew suspected... Belo Betty, the missing Revolutionary Army Commander..?”

“Bah, that’s old news..!” Woop Slap said gruffly, “It seems that mocked-up drama piece about Alabasta was true..! Kid’s been collectin’ an all-female crew for who-knows-what..! Boy, we raised you better than that!”

“L-Luffy is..?” Makino looked doubtfully, “No way. Our Luffy? I mean, I saw the print of the Alabasta piece, but there’s no way that was completely true..? I mean, right? The news is always painting Luffy in a bad light...”

“Keep readin’ then! Tell me it’s fake then!”

Makino brought up the paper then. Along with snippets of photographs taken with Luffy surrounded by women in thick black cloaks, she saw incredibly famous women. Not just Boa Hancock and Bello Betty, but Vivi and Viola, Princesses famous for their beauty.

“Luffy...” Makino quietly said, a look of worry growing on her face, “I didn’t know you were like that...”

She remembered the rambunctious, sweet little ‘Anchor’ who always promised to pay back his ‘treasure tab’ when he became a great pirate. She found it hard to imagine that sweet boy growing up to be some kind of... womanizer! 

But the paper showed so many beautiful women surrounding Luffy and his flagship... she even saw Nami and Robin there too...

Was it fake..? Or..?

Makino held a hand to her cheek in worry.

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Somewhere in the Grand Line - Aboard the Red Force

“Chief! Chief!”

“Huh..?”

A tall, broad-shouldered man came rushing down the steps of the Red Force, waving a paper in his hand. He lifted his hand to his mouth.

“All of you lugs, gather ‘round! You’ll want to get a load of this! Gahahahah!”

“What’s got you so riled up, Hongo? Bad news?” The infamous Red-Hair Shanks lifted his arm to catch the rolled-up newspaper.

He turned his eyes to the front page and read the headline.

His mouth fell open.

While Shanks gaped ridiculously at the paper, the rest of the crew gathered around.

“What’s the fuss about?”

“Somethin’ in the post?”

“Eh, probably just the Revolutionaries making a scene again!”

“No, no!” Hongo laughed with both hands on his hips, “You won’t believe it..! It’s about Luffy!”

Finally, Shanks couldn’t hold in his reaction.

“Eeeeeeh?!”

The crew went silent at Shanks’ loud exclamation. The Red-Haired Yonko stared at the paper with eyes nearly popping out of his skull.

“What’s the news, Chief?”

“Did Luffy cause a ruckus again!?”

“Pffft..!” Shanks stifled a laugh, crunching the paper in his hand.

“..Captain..?”

“BWAHAHAHAHAHA~!” Shanks threw his head back and let out a loud belly laugh. He fell backward off the barrel he was perched on and spilled booze over himself.

“Eh? Chief?”

Shanks was rolling around on the floor, laughing, “Luffy~ Luffy~!” And slapping the deck. Ben Beckman bent down and grabbed the paper off the floor.

“Huh...” He blinked at what he saw, “Imagine that.”

“W-what is it, boss?!”

“What’s so funny.?”

Beckman let out a chuckle of disbelief and struck a match. He lit a cigarette and passed the paper around.

“Eeeeh?!”

“No way!”

“That skinny kid did WHAT?!”

The reaction around the ship was the same: first utter shock, then exclamations of denial, followed by rolling on the deck laughter.

Soon, kegs were broken open, and the ship was filled with raucous laughter and banging ale mugs.

“To Luffy~!” Shanks cried, holding up his own frothing mug, “That little anchor finally became a real man!”

“To Luffy! The King of the Pirates!”

“Eeh, there’s no way he’s doing- hic~! T-This and that... with all those beautiful women! R-right Chief?”

Shanks let out another loud laugh, “Who knows! No one who knew that man could’ve predicted this! But who cares?! Whether he’s playing with them or not..? It doesn’t matter..!”

The crew of drunken pirates all watched their Captain climb up on a barrel, hoisting his mug in the air.

“Don’t you lads, get it? He’s got a whole crew of beautiful babes! Any one of’em enough to be jealous of! As men, we’ve gotta pay our respects! He’s achieved the dream that's hidden inside all of our hearts as men! He’s built himself a HAREM!” The Red-haired Captain exclaimed passionately.

“S-shit, you’re right, Chief..!”

“Damn! I’m kinda jealous now!”

“W-when’s the next port..?”

Shanks took a big, long swing, “Hahahaha!” Shanks let out a boisterous laugh, “What the hell have you been up to, Luffy?! I never would’ve imagined you with ONE woman, and now I hear you’ve got how many..?”

The Red-Hair Pirates gladly used the opportunity to get drunk and party hard.

Not too long later, the crew were many barrels deep into booze...

“To Luffy~! The Pirate King~!” Shanks shouted drunkenly from atop a barrel, hoisting his mug in the air.

“And his harem!” The rest of the crew shouted back with a slurred cheer, “Cheers!”

The crew got rowdy, passing around the newspaper as they tried to name all the incredible babes that made up Luffy’s crew.

“That’s Boa Hancock~! What the hell?! How did Luffy land the PIRATE EMPRESS?! That’s the most beautiful woman on the sea, you devil!” One of Shanks’ men yelled with tears streaming down his face.

“T-that means he’s got access to Amazon Lily?! The forbidden paradise?!”

“Luffy, you bastard!”

Some of the crew shouted with jealous tears streaming down their faces.

“I see some unbelievable names among those women too... If I’m not mistaken... isn’t that the Mermaid Princess?”

“Mermaids too?! That’s just not fair!”

“Luffy, you brat! Share some with the rest of us! It’s not fair to hog them all!”

While some of the Red-Haired Pirates were laughing their asses off at Luffy’s exploits, some of the drunken men were green with envy.

Ben Beckman softly chuckled as his Captain flopped down beside him. He puffed on his cigarette, “What a surprise, eh, Captain?”

“Heheh~” Shanks laughed with red cheeks, “Yeah, I never imagined our little Anchor had it in him!”

Shanks softly smiled down at the big, dumb grin on Luffy’s face in the newspaper. He couldn’t help but grin back, “It seems like he’s found happiness... That’s good...”

Ben Beckman gave a sideways smirk, “Want to meet up with him again?”

“No way.” Came an immediate response. Beckman raised an eyebrow.

Shanks dragged his hand down his face, “Knowing Luffy, he’ll want to ‘show off’ his new crew... There’s no way I’d be able to keep these rowdy boys in check around those beauties!”

Shanks looked at Beckman as he chugged his booze, “Remember the last time someone tried to take one of his women? Luffy burned down Enies Lobby and declared war on the world government... These idiots will start a disaster if I let’em anywhere near that ship!” He said with a dry face, jerking his thumb to the grown men crying and pounding their fists on the deck.

“Damn you, Luffy!”

Then Shanks snorted, “Besides... If he started bragging about his harem to me... I might just smack him!”

Beckman softly chuckled.

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New Marineford - New World

The Headquarters of the Marines in the New World was constantly abuzz with motion. Marines rushed across the yard day and night, which gave it the appearance of a swarming anthill.

After the collapse of the World Government, it was on the shoulders of the Marines to keep as much peace as they could in these turbulent times.

Thankfully, it was a burden shared by the Revolutionary Army. As the Government crumbled down and the smoke began to clear, the Marines and the Revolutionaries became tenuous allies. With the removal of the ‘Celestial Dragons’ the Marines and the Revolutionaries shared a primary goal. World Peace.

While the Marines were busy smacking down Pirates that tried to seize power, the Revolutionaries were ‘stabilizing’ many countries. Whether that was by overthrowing tyrants or ending civil wars by force... the Marines turned a blind eye for the moment, putting enough faith in Dragon for this shaky alliance to last for the time being.

This was a cease-fire that never could’ve existed with ‘Red Dog’ Akainu still in power. But along with the collapse of the world, the Marines had also experienced their own restructuring. The doctrine ‘Absolute Justice’ went down with the Red Dog, and the new faces of the Marines highest officers were working hard to expunge those ideals from the Marine Code.

No longer would the Marines view islands as mere drawings on a map. Atrocities such as the ‘Buster Call’ would never again be so emotionlessly initialized by the mere press of a button. That wasn’t to say the Marines had stripped their weapons away; No, they were still a military force. Nonetheless, with their new leadership, it was clear they had once again seen ‘People’ rather than ‘Numbers’.

And who were these new faces?

The Marines' three Admirals were all new appointments.

First was a man who, despite many failures, stood out among the rest in the war. He held true to ‘Justice’ and led his men down the right path. It was former Vice Admiral Smoker. After standing out due to his actions in the war, he was promoted to fill one of the gaps left after the dust settled.

Secondly, another former Vice Admiral and the first female Admiral in many years. She earned the epithet Momousagi or ‘Pink Rabbit’, though her true name was Gion.

And finally... the youngest by far. Despite a short career in the Marines and a remarkably young age, he earned his spot among the top. His pure heart won the admiration of all the Marines who knew him. His dedication to ‘Honest Justice’ inspired them all.

Under the training of ‘The Hero’ Monkey D. Garp, he went from a spindly little weakling to a broad-shouldered young man who could hold his head up high. He trained himself to death, fighting through bloody hands with an unshakable will.

Eventually, he earned his own status as a ‘Hero’ through the flames of the Rocky Port Incident and entered the limelight as the face of the Marines.

Now, he’d achieved his own dream and served as the third Admiral of the Marines, Koby.

As for their Fleet Admiral... That was still a contentious subject.

Currently fulfilling the role of Fleet Admiral was Issho. A man more commonly known around the world as ‘Fujitora’ or ‘Purple Tiger’. However, this appeared to be a temporary appointment while the world was still stabilizing. Issho himself denied the position, but due to his active acts of good and his mantra of ‘Humane Justice’ he was pushed into the position.

Out of all the previous Admirals the world knew him best to be on the side of ‘Good’. With an active role in dissolving the corrupt ‘Seven Warlords of the Sea’ system, the world knew his virtues well, despite his short career in the Marines. As for the Marines themselves, every man who served under ‘Fujitora’ were left with deep admiration for his virtues.

Due to the hearts and virtues of these new leaders, the Marines held strong after the world was shaken to its core by the King of the Pirates and the Revolutionary Army.

The Marines were reforming, better and stronger than they were before. This time, without the tyranny of ‘Absolute Justice’.

...

At the top of Marine HQ...

In one of the highest offices, a man was looking out to the hustle and bustle of Marines swarming Marineford’s yards below. The oversized white coat on his shoulders was stamped at the back with, ‘Honest Justice’. His pink hair was unmistakable.

He smiled down, crossing his arms as he saw three great battleships anchored in the port, “That’s nice... It’s been so crazy lately that all of our ships were deployed day and night... It’d be better if all our battleships were anchored. That’d mean we finally achieved peace.” He muttered to himself.

“Sir!”

The Marines' newest Admiral, Koby, jerked his head as a towering, intimidating man at least twice his size and age saluted him with complete respect. Despite the Marine’s gruff appearance, there was an almost sparkling admiration shining through his eyes as he stood in front of Koby’s desk.

“Y-yes?” Koby cleared his throat.

“Today’s print of news...” The Marine slapped a thick newspaper down on Koby’s desk. With another formal salute, the man left the office.

Koby sighed, grabbing his chest, “I still can’t get used to that... Let’s see... Huh? Luffy?”

As Koby saw Luffy’s big smile stretched across the front page, he grew a modest smile. He grabbed the paper and sat up on the windowsill.

“Luffy again..? Heheh~ I wonder what kind of wild adventure he’s been on recently...” Koby slid his big round glasses over his eyes and pulled open the paper, completely unprepared for its contents, “Let’s see...”

“H-huh?” As his eyes trailed down the headline and paragraphs, he blinked in confusion, eyes skipping back to the top to read it again, “T-that can’t be right... Let’s see...” He reread it, blinking.

“Eeeeeeeh!?!” As his brain finally registered all that he was reading, Koby exclaimed loudly.

“Admiral?!” A pair of Marines busted through the door, “What’s wrong?! An enemy attack?!”

Koby froze with a stiff smile, the paper clutched behind his back like it was something to hide, “E-eeh..! N-nothing’s wrong. Ahem. Excuse me, I just read some shocking news... Please go back to your watch...”

The Marines blinked at him, loosening their grips on their sabers, “Y-yes sir...” They closed the door behind them.

“Phew.” Koby relaxed and pulled the paper out from behind his back, “I hid it without thinking... But it’s not something I really need to disguise right..? But even so...”

Even as an Admiral, one of the highest-ranked Marines in the system, Koby still hunched over the paper and shifted his body to hide it from the door.

With a rapidly reddening face Koby rubbed his glasses, pushing them up on his nose as he peered down at the paper again, “What a shock! I never expected articles like THIS about Luffy..! What in the world..?”

His face flamed redder by the minute as he read articles and theory threads about what exactly was going on aboard the Pirate King’s ship.

“E-eeh..? I-Isn’t that, Rebecca?!” Koby’s eyes bulged as he saw a vague, blurry shot of a pink-haired woman wearing a black ‘Straw Hat Crew’ cloak. Despite being so ambiguous, Koby noticed how the picture showed a side-braid, exactly how Rebecca wore her hair when they had briefly met before.

Koby’s face was so red that steam puffed from his ears, “I’m surprised... The Dressrosa Princess... Luffy...”

Koby shook his head rapidly, “No, no, no... What are you thinking? Hahah, this is Luffy you’re talking about! Would he really... With Rebecca and Vivi..? There’s... no way...”

Koby stared intensely at the paper, “Right..?”

His first instinct was to deny these articles as lies or defamation of Luffy’s character... but the images of Luffy surrounded by women in ‘Straw Hat’ cloaks gave the articles surprising credibility.

‘Revolutionary Retires? Commander Betty absconds to the Pirate King’s Ship?!’

Koby read the article with a slack jaw, which turned speculation of a clandestine meeting with the Pirate King into a full-on drama piece claiming that ‘Bello Betty’, the East Blue Commander, had been spotted on the Thousand Sunny several times at several different islands.

“Eeeeeh?!” Koby shouted, in a whisper, trying not to alert his guards again, “...’Betty’s affair with the Pirate King’..?”

He turned from the front page to the second and third. Every story was a dramatized article or column speculating or confirming the women aboard the Pirate King’s ship. Some were dedicated to theorizing what kind of relationship they had with the Pirate King.

By the end of it, Koby was even starting to believe it himself.

“Wow...” He blushed to himself as he set down the paper, “I never expected Luffy to be so popular with women..!”

He lightly tugged on the collar of his uniform, chuckling to himself, “I’m amazed, Luffy... You’ve certainly been busy!”

He glanced down at the paper, spotting a far-off shot of dozens of black cloaks, “I guess you always were gluttonous, huh? If you’re really doing... those things... with your new crew... I’m really impressed. I’m still not ready for ONE woman, and you’ve already got so many...”

Koby’s face flamed red again as he imagined himself in Luffy’s shoes. He blushed and clutched his head, shaking the idea away, “No, no, no~! There’s no way! That would be completely impossible. Even two women would be too much!”

He calmed himself down and chuckled, “Hahah... I guess you’ve still got me beat, Luffy... as a man...” He scratched his cheek and looked away, “Not that I want to follow in your footsteps... That would be too much...”

Knock~! Knock~! Knock~!

“Gah!” Koby dove for his desk, burying the newspaper in a drawer and slamming it closed right as the door opened.

...

“Uhm..! Koby..! Err, I mean, Admiral..! S-sir..!”

A slender young blonde woman flustered slightly in front of the desk of one of Marine HQ’s newly promoted Admirals.

She was a remarkably cute young woman for a Marine. Instead of the standard uniform, she was dressed in her own modified white top and baggy pants decorated with clouds. Her right leg was ripped at the top, revealing a striped set of leggings underneath.

Across her large breasts was slung a rifle bandolier decorated with pink heart-shaped pins. Upon her back was a small backpack over her custom-made sniper rifle. She was wearing pink headphones and had her long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail.

She didn’t seem to notice Koby’s flustered state as he smoothed out his uniform and took off his glasses.

That allowed him to calm down. He gave her a friendly smile, “You don’t need to be so stiff, Hibari. Even if I got promoted again, we still served as comrades in Sword, right? Acting so impersonal would just make me embarrassed.”

“Uhm..! Yes... Sorry Koby...” The easily embarrassed blonde straightened her back and gave a salute, “Admiral..! I’m requesting a temporary transfer to another unit..!”

“Huh?” Koby blinked, “What’s this about?”

“I’m sure you’ve heard the reports from Vice-Admiral Hina, sir... about her latest failure to capture the Pirate King...”

“Hahahah, yeah!” Koby laughed, “As if a man like Luffy would be taken in by a simple blockade!”

“Well... She hasn’t given up yet... She’s been recruiting many others for her next raid... including Vice Admirals Doll and Kujaku...” Hibari said and then ducked her eyes. She fiddled with the rifle strap around her chest, “A-and... even myself..! As unqualified as I may be... I would like to join the strike force she’s building under Admiral Momousagi...”

Koby was surprised, “They’re building a strike force to try and bring in Luffy? Why? I thought we had an agreement to take it easy, so long as Luffy’s crew left our men alive...”

“Yes but...” Hibari slowly said, “It sounded like Hina... m-maybe took this latest defeat a little personally...”

“Hahah!” Koby lightly laughed, “Well, it is Luffy, after all! There’s no shame in losing to the Pirate King! Even I...” He rubbed the back of his head, blushing slightly, “Well, if you really want to go, then go! There’s no better opponent in the world than Luffy to measure yourself against..! Just don’t take it too hard if you get beaten, okay?”

“Yes, Admiral!” Hibari saluted.

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Somewhere in the Grandline - World Economy News HQ

“Kuwahahahah!” A tall, towering half-bird hybrid let out a loud laugh.

All around him were the busy workers of the World Economic Journal. The journalists and printers worked overtime to piece together the world’s latest ‘Big News’.

“I’ve never had a time so busy!” The head honcho, ‘Big News’ Morgans, said dramatically as he commanded his workers for the next week’s print, “Our papers are selling like hotcakes!”

“I can’t believe how successful these articles are!” One of the journalists cried out, “We’re selling more than we did with our War Reports!”

“Of course, you fool!” Morgans shouted with a reproachful tone, “The world has read enough about casualties and losses. Everyone is desperate for something fun and exciting to take their minds off the war!”

“Kuwahahaha! And that means DRAMA!” Morgans declared, throwing his feathered wings up, “Romance and intrigue! Steamy affairs and salacious rumors! And who else better than the Pirate King?! Monkey D. Luffy has been our greatest cash cow throughout this chaos, and even after seizing the One Piece, he hasn’t disappointed me yet!”

Morgans grinned victoriously, “His story writes itself! I hardly even need to embellish it! The world wants to know, ‘What’s the Pirate King doing now..?!’ and it’s our duty as journalists to report it! Kuwahahaha!”

Morgans brought his feathered limbs together with a gleam in his eye, “And this new crew of his being all-female..? Of course, it’ll be an endless source of hits! Our viewers are salivating over our stories! They want to know all the dirty details! Is the Pirate King really married to the Empress? Is he two-timing the Cat Burglar? Just what kind of activities are going on aboard that ship?! They look to us for answers!”

The tall Albatross Zoan User turned toward his informants, “Don’t disappoint me now! What have we learned over these last two weeks?! Where’s the Pirate King headed?! We need to get there first and get the first scoop!”

“Morgans, sir..! We lost sight of the Thousand Sunny on his second pass through New Fishman Island! We believe he’s headed toward the Calm Belt but..!”

“Calm Belt eh..?” Morgans raised his feathers to stroke his beak, “...Perhaps Amazon Lily..? Tsk. What a troublesome place. We won’t be able to follow them there... What else have you got?!”

“Sir, we’ve had contact with some eye-witnesses in Dressrosa and heard about a group of the Pirate King’s crew allegedly claiming to be Mermaids! Furthermore, regarding the Mermaid Princess Shirahoshi..! They’ve claimed she was with them... but human-sized..! And with human legs..!”

“What?!” Morgans squawked, his eyes gleaming, “If it were anyone else, I’d say impossible..! But we’re dealing with the Pirate King! This warrants investigation! A Mermaid with human legs would be BIG NEWS! We need PICTURES!”

“B-but sir..!” One of the informants protested, “Any attempt to get real pictures provokes the Kuja Warriors! Our photographers have been attacked by poisonous snakes and arrows..! A-and the ones who managed to sneak close enough for long-range shots mysteriously fall unconscious when they point their cameras at the crew!”

“Argh! Enough!” Morgans cut him off with a squawk, “This is really beginning to ruffle my feathers! With so many famous beauties on the Pirate King’s ship, we can’t settle for far-off shots of those damned body cloaks! We need something spicier! Revealing shots!”

“Hmm..?” Morgans jerked his head back around, “Tell me this... All of our people on the ground... were they all men?”

“H-huh..? Errr... Y-yes, I believe so!”

“Aha! Then next time, send our best WOMEN to get some real evidence!” Morgans declared, “I don’t care how they do it, but we need an inside scoop on the Pirate King’s ship!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Kuwahahaha! Regardless of what the Pirate King is up to with his crew of women, we’ll keep spinning the most interesting story! Title the next one, ‘Raid on the Island of Women!’ No, how about, ‘New Emperor of Amazon Lily?!’ Write up a dozen ideas! We need the best hooker for the front page!”

“Yes, boss!” The fiery reporters of the World Economic HQ shouted back.

_________________________________

Germa Kingdom

Elsewhere in the Grand Line, the ever-moving Kingdom of Science, the Germa Kingdom, had also received the latest ‘Big News’.

At the top of one of Germa Castle’s highest towers, there was a large exposed balcony that offered an amazing view of the Kingdom below while being high enough to provide privacy.

Atop that high balcony was a private resting place for the Kingdom’s only Princess.

A comfortable deck chair was set out to enjoy the afternoon’s light in this particularly calm summer slice of the Grand Line.

The Germa Kingdom’s Princess, Sanji’s only sister, Vinsmoke Reiju, was relaxing in this sunchair. She was taking a moment to get away from her Family’s constant power plays and political maneuvering and enjoy the nearby Summer Island’s warm daylight before they moved onward.

She, like her brothers, was still busier than ever. The ‘Germa 66’ were hired worldwide to ‘clean up’ the messes left in the aftermath of the war. They were selling themselves as mercenaries, quelling rebellions, and overthrowing tyrants. Whatever paid the right price and didn’t invoke unwanted attention from the Revolutionary Army.

The only Princess of the Germa Kingdom was a stunning beauty. Her own ‘Raid Suit’ was revealing in design, hugging her voluptuous figure tightly. The tight suit split down the middle, exposing the full, eye-catching shape of her large breasts and the full scope of her cleavage, down her tight abdomen to her belly button.

At the bottom, her suit ended abruptly in a frilly, dangerously short skirt. It ended high enough to proudly show the ‘66’ displayed on her upper thighs.

Reiju had the beauty to compare to this world’s many other gorgeous princesses. Her hot pink hair fell down to her shoulders, covering one of her deep blue eyes with hanging bangs.

Her soft, pink lips softly opened as she sipped on a fruity drink and enjoyed the peaceful summer air.

Coo~ Coo~

She raised her eye as a white pelican fluttered down to land on the banister of her balcony. Her long, slender legs slipped off the side as she rose to strut over.

“Hmm..?” She paid the fee of the News Coo and took the paper in her hands.

As a daughter of Germa ‘66’, it was important to be up-to-date on the latest news, but the past few papers had truly drawn her eye. They were focused on the latest exploits of Monkey D. Luffy, the Pirate King.

And while anything THAT man did was enough to draw her intrigue... these last few papers had been particularly interesting to Reiju.

She slid back in her chair as the News Coo fluttered off and pulled open the paper.

“Mmmm...” Her calm, calculating blue eyes read the latest juicy gossip and rumors published about the Pirate King’s exploits. Her analytical mind was able to pick apart precisely how much was embellishment or dramatization and extract the truth hidden between the lies.

Her lips slowly curled into the faintest smile of interest. She knew the man in question personally. And while they hadn’t interacted for long, she had surmised ‘Monkey D. Luffy’ to be relatively simple to understand. Yet here he was, taking action that completely surprised her.

She softly tapped one finger against the crystal glass of her drink. Her first interaction with Luffy was rather intimate, but even after she pressed her lips against his and sucked the poison from his body... Luffy didn’t seem even remotely interested in her sexually.

Raised as a ‘weapon’ of the Germa without emotions, Reiju wasn’t the kind of woman to be slighted or offended by this realization. It simply made her wonder. If the Pirate King was truly a lascivious individual, then why had he reacted so dismissively to their interaction?

From a logical perspective, it seemed she lacked a certain charm. She looked down at her voluptuous chest. She was confident her breasts wouldn’t lose out in size or shape to Nami or Robin, and she knew her outfit to be extremely effective against men... and yet... no reaction?

So, there must be something else she was missing.

But then again, in the circumstances of their meeting, Luffy had only been concerned with Sanji, his missing crewmate at the time.

‘Even so...’ Reiju narrowed her eyes. She didn’t believe a lecherous man could have such an impassive reaction to her sex appeal. Sexual desire didn’t simply ‘switch off’ like that. She would’ve expected at least the slightest reaction to slip through, even if his mind was dedicated to rescuing a crewmate.

But as she reviewed his body language at that moment, she couldn’t remember even the slightest tells. He didn’t show any indication of lust for her in his eyes. Nor had she caught him glance at her risqué Raid Suit design.

‘How intriguing...’ Reiju wondered. She held a finger to her plush, pink lips, softly wetting them as she recalled the taste of the Pirate King.

Reiju set aside the newspaper and rose to her feet.

She had a passing thought of seeking on the Pirate King to satiate her intellectual curiosity. She wondered how he would react to her now and if he truly had become a man of desire.

“Hmph.” Reiju huffed, softly blowing her hot pink bangs out of her right eye. While tracking down the Pirate King seemed like a delightful break from Germa Missions, it didn’t seem likely. She doubted Judge would let her go on a little pleasure cruise of her own to satisfy her passing whim.

Then, an idea sparked in her mind.

A subtle smile curled across her pink lips.

She wondered, had Judge seen the news himself? It didn’t seem likely the man paid the sensationalist drama any attention at all... but information on the Pirate King... or perhaps a way onto the Pirate King’s ship...

Reiju held the newspaper in her hands and softly chuckled. She turned on her heel and left the balcony.

“I think I deserve a break from these boring war missions...” Reiju mused to herself.

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End of Chapter - Thanks for Reading!

A/N: As I said before, the Reiju Chapter is still coming! It was high-time we had a reaction piece and this was a little too long to squeeze into Reiju's chapter! Hope you enjoyed the teaser!