[RLOP] Chapter : 09 - Yamato Bitch slapped

"The Davy Back Fight."

A pirate's game from a long-forgotten paradise…

A so-called 'Human Scramble,' where crews battled not for treasure, but for each other's strongest comrades."

…

…

In a warmly lit bedroom, Lucci sat cross-legged on the bed, quietly absorbed in a worn book about the great pirate Davy Jones.

The soft rustle of turning pages filled the silence.

Anyone looking in would have found it hard to associate the boyish reader with the ruthless prodigy whispered about across the seas.

"Those who break their promise shall be cast into Davy Jones's Locker…"

Snap.

Lucci shut the book with a crisp sound and slowly lifted his gaze.

Five figures stood before him, each wearing a different expression.

Hattori fluttered down neatly into his hand, receiving an idle stroke along his feathers.

"Forgive me," Lucci said in an even voice. "I was a little too absorbed and didn't notice you enter."

A lie.

Even if his Observation Haki was still immature, it wasn't so weak that he couldn't sense a presence in his own room. This was a test—an unspoken measure of loyalty.

Jack, the first to respond, practically bounced on his heels. "What're you apologizing for, Lucci-nii? We only just got here!"

Another lie.

He had been standing there for nearly an hour. But Jack, already molded into the role of Lucci's little brother, wouldn't dream of contradicting him.

You pass.

Lucci thought silently.

Beside him, Sasaki shifted uneasily. The tall boy tugged at the brim of his horned cap and forced a stiff nod. "R-Right… Big Brother."

He didn't sound convinced, and Lucci noted the hesitation. Unlike Jack, Sasaki was older than him by four years. Being forced into the role of "younger brother" stung his pride—and it showed. Still, he managed to play along.

Barely passable.

Lucci moved on, his gaze sliding past Yamato—shackled, stubborn, eyes blazing—and to Ulti and Page One, who had already drifted off to sleep.

Finally, he spoke. "Princess Yamato. Since Kaido-san has entrusted you to me, you'll remain at my side. The blades of wicked samurai don't discriminate… it would be unfortunate if you were injured."

"Hah!?" Yamato jerked against her shackles with a metallic clatter, outrage flashing in her eyes. "What did you just say!? Samurai are not wicked—they're a thousand times, ten thousand times better than you pirate scum!"

Her words poured out like bullets from a Gatling gun.

Jack grimaced and took a step forward, clearly intending to shut her up. But before he could—

Flap!

Hattori darted from Lucci's hand, zipped through the air, and under the stunned gazes of Jack and Sasaki…

Smack!

He slapped Yamato across the cheek.

"So noisy, coo! You stinking hag!"

The impact barely left a mark, but for an eleven-year-old girl, it was a crushing blow.

The pigeon… spoke?!

No—worse. I just got slapped by a pigeon!

Yamato froze, bewildered, before her face twisted and tears welled up in her eyes. "You rotten bird! I'll roast you alive!"

Hattori, of course, had already glided back to Lucci's shoulder, blinking innocently as though nothing had happened.

"B-Big Brother…" Jack whispered, eyes wide as he looked from the sobbing Yamato to the calm Lucci beside him. His admiration swelled. As expected of Big Brother… he even dared to strike the boss's daughter!

Sasaki tugged his cap lower to hide his expression. Within the Beasts Pirates, Yamato's rebellious obsession with samurai was infamous. No one dared say it aloud, but plenty had grown resentful. Still, etiquette was clear—only Kaido himself had the right to lay hands on his daughter.

But for Sasaki… that pigeon's slap had been oddly satisfying.

"Hattori, how could you bully Princess Yamato? Go and apologize," Lucci rose slowly, his tone calm but firm as he addressed the pigeon on his shoulder.

Hattori, however, only tilted his head back and forth, cooing innocently.

"Coo, coo, coo?"

[I'm just a pigeon. I don't understand human words~]

That was Hattori's philosophy—act human when it suited him, and hide behind feathers when it didn't.

Lucci exhaled faintly and turned to Yamato. "As you can see, Hattori is only an animal. As his master, I'll apologize in his place. I ask that Princess Yamato not hold a grudge against a mere bird."

He nodded politely and stepped forward.

But though his words sounded courteous, he didn't spare Yamato a single glance.

That, more than anything, stung her pride.

"You think I'm stupid, don't you!?" Yamato thrashed against her shackles, shouting furiously. "That pigeon talked! He slapped me and called me names! Make him do it again!"

Truly… the thought process of people in this world was baffling.

After being struck, most would seek revenge. But Yamato? She was desperate to prove that a pigeon could talk.

Lucci dismissed her tantrum and instead moved to the bedside, where Ulti and Page One were still dozing peacefully.

Among these five, Sasaki and Jack were the ones he'd deliberately chosen to take with him to Wano. Yamato was Kaido's addition, forced into his care. But this pair of siblings… they were an unexpected variable.

Lucci crouched down and pinched their cheeks.

"Mm… is it already mealtime, Page One?" One of them mumbled groggily.

"Ugh! Sis, you drooled on me again!"

As they stirred awake, Lucci asked casually, "Shouldn't you two be heading back? Hanafuda-san must be worried."

Page One rubbed his eyes. "No, Papa said he's going on a dangerous mission. He told us to stay with Big Brother Lucci because it's safer—"

"WHAT did you just call him!?"

Before he could finish, Ulti locked her arms around her little brother's neck and shook him furiously.

"Cough—cough! Big Brother Lucci?" Page One wheezed.

"You idiot!" Ulti barked, tightening her grip. "You only have—"

"One sister!"

"And that's me!"

"Cough—I know, I know! Let go, Sister!"

Watching the siblings bicker, Lucci sifted out the only useful piece of information:

Hanafuda had gone off on a dangerous mission and left his children with him for protection.

Safer with me than with their own father…?

Lucci's gaze swept over the room, and for the first time, his stoic mask cracked ever so slightly.

Sasaki—seventeen. Jack—eleven. Yamato—still shackled. Ulti—five. Page One—three.

A so-called "crew" that looked more like a kindergarten class.

And Hanafuda dares to call this arrangement safe?