Chapter 33: Hidden Ability, The Wrath of the Vice Admiral!
"Oh, okay!" Pandora quickly shrank back. Roy knocked on the table. "Get out of here. Why are you hiding behind that?"
"You've had enough already!" Pandora's voice came from behind the door.
"Whatever you say." Roy ignored him completely.
It wasn't that he had some kind of special vision—he could simply guess that the nosy flame was eavesdropping from the hallway.
Standing up, Roy walked toward the bedroom and knocked twice on the door. A soft, clear voice called out from inside, "Come in."
Roy opened the door and stepped inside.
From behind the door, Pandora peeked out again, grinning mischievously as it watched Roy go in.
Ah yes, this was the same Pandora who once burned mountains and devoured beasts—but with a master like Roy, he had learned to play nice when necessary. After all, survival mattered more than pride.
Besides, he truly cared about his little master's happiness.
Inside the cabin, Amatsuki Toki had already changed into fresh clothes. She had cooled herself off with a quick wipe, and now sat by the window, the sea breeze brushing against her long green hair.
She looked back at Roy with a slight tilt of her head, her eyes narrowing for a moment before she turned away again.
She didn't say a word.
Right now, she didn't even know how to face him. When she was suffering from heatstroke earlier, her mind had been spinning with ridiculous, feverish thoughts—thoughts she'd rather die than admit.
It was too embarrassing. Too shameful.
How could she possibly think like that?
Toki pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed quietly.
Charm… it was something everyone described differently. Some called it a quality, others an aura—but whatever it was, Roy had it.
His eyes were bright and confident, his voice calm yet playful, and somehow… he carried a sense of presence that went far beyond his years.
To Toki, Roy was an odd one. Just a child—and yet, it was impossible to dislike him.
Worse still, sometimes she caught herself treating him as an equal… or even forgetting that he was a child at all.
Bah! What was she thinking?
If Roy could have heard her inner thoughts, he would have laughed. His blue-grade skill, [Charm of the Opposite Sex], was clearly working overtime.
[Charm of the Opposite Sex (Blue): Not bad-looking, a little handsome. At least, not disliked.]
It sounded plain, even unimpressive—but the final line was what made it powerful.
"At least not disliked" wasn't just literal. It carried a hidden function: no matter who he dealt with—regardless of their age, power, or status—he would never be treated with hostility or prejudice.
A so-called "blue trash skill"? Not at all. The cost-to-benefit ratio was incredible.
That was exactly why Toki found herself disarmed. She sensed something strange about him, but couldn't put her finger on it.
"Do you want more water, Sister Toki?" Roy asked as he approached.
"Hm…" Toki knelt near the window, her back facing him, and nodded softly.
The sea breeze blew gently, and her pink skirt fluttered slightly at the edges, revealing the graceful curve of her legs.
Roy glanced at her back for a moment before quietly turning away to refill her cup.
Behind him, Toki turned slightly to glance over her shoulder, then looked back out at the endless blue sea.
A sudden flash lit up the sky. Lightning tore through the clouds, followed by a deafening boom that shook the air.
The bright sunlight vanished almost instantly. Thunder rolled, and heavy rain began to pour across the ocean's surface.
Such was the New World—its weather could shift from blazing heat to violent storms in the blink of an eye.
Toki sat by the window, listening to the rhythmic patter of raindrops against the glass. The waves outside churned, breaking the once calm sea into wild motion.
Despite the chaos, the sound of rain always brought a strange peace to her heart.
She smiled faintly, shaking off the lingering confusion in her thoughts.
Still, one problem remained clear.
Compared to Roy, her physical ability was painfully lacking.
The gap between them was enormous—too large to ignore. She couldn't even handle training under the sun without collapsing from heatstroke, while he stood unaffected, his body strong and steady.
Roy had easily pried open a large hole in the iron cage before. Meanwhile, she—Amatsuki Toki—had been the weak woman trapped inside.
To her, holding a samurai sword or not made little difference.
Toki sighed in frustration. The gap between her and Roy wasn't about swordsmanship at all—it was about natural talent and physique. Only someone born with such incredible potential could display that kind of strength at such a young age.
"Sister, have something to drink."
Roy appeared beside her before she noticed, climbing up onto the bed with a glass of water in hand. He gently placed it in her palm.
Toki nodded slightly, brought the cup to her lips, and took a slow sip.
"Sister, are you worried about your sword training?" Roy sat cross-legged beside her, his crimson hair glinting faintly under the dim light.
"Yeah," Toki admitted, looking at him with mild surprise. How did he guess that so easily?
"How did you tell?" she asked curiously.
"It's written all over your face."
"Eh…"
When Roy looked at her, it was obvious—Toki's expression gave her away completely. It wasn't that her face wasn't beautiful—it was that she was far too honest and unguarded.
Roy could easily read her emotions, connect them to recent events, and guess her thoughts in an instant.
"Is it that obvious?" Toki asked, resting her chin in her delicate hand, elbow against the window frame as she looked out at the rain. Her voice carried a faint trace of embarrassment.
"Very obvious," Roy said with a small grin. "But it suits you."
"Oh, really." Toki turned her face away, staring out the window again, pretending to ignore his teasing tone.
Such a sweet tongue… she thought to herself.
Outside, heavy rain lashed against the glass. Streams of water ran down the windowpane, distorting the view. The entire world seemed wrapped in a curtain of gray mist and rainfall.
Raindrops struck the turbulent sea below, where powerful waves erased every ripple before it could spread.
Roy and Toki sat side by side by the window, one small, one tall, quietly watching the storm.
The giant pirate ship continued to push forward through the roaring winds and pounding rain.
And somewhere in the midst of it, the naïve Toki—still a little flustered by Roy's words—had completely forgotten her earlier worries.
…
Meanwhile, deep in the New World, at a Marine branch headquarters—
Inside the base commander's office, a Vice Admiral stood fuming. His heavy cloak draped behind him, a cigarette hung from his mouth, and his voice thundered like a cannon.
"You idiots! You found that kid, and this is what you give me?!"
He slammed his hand on the desk, scattering papers everywhere.
"Pathetic! Worse than those useless reporters!"
His glare swept across the trembling officers standing before him. None dared to lift their heads as the cigarette ash dropped to the floor.
"You saw him—one of the higher-ups' most important cases and you lost him to a bunch of pirates!?"
His voice rose to a roar. "Do you know what kind of talent that child has!? Even if you all died right now, it wouldn't make up for that loss!"
He slammed his fist again. "Just resign and go home to farm!"
The entire room fell silent except for his echoing curses.
Finally, one brave young major spoke hesitantly, "But, sir… that photo was provided by a reporter—"
"Huh? You actually believed them!?"
The Vice Admiral's voice boomed like a cannon shot. "Those bottom-feeding parasites? Why don't you use your brain for once, you fool!"
He smashed his hand down on the table again, the wood creaking under the impact.
The young officer instantly shut his mouth. He had learned the hard way that reasoning with an angry superior was suicide.
After several more moments of heavy breathing, the Vice Admiral finally sank into his chair, glaring at the two photographs on his desk.
The photos showed two children—the ones that the World Government had bought from a human trafficker named Carmel. They were meant to be "special recruits," but something had gone terribly wrong.
Carmel had vanished without a trace.
And the Marine unit sent to retrieve the children had been completely crushed—by Linlin, no less—after one of them accidentally destroyed a flower Homie she had created using her soul.
That single act had enraged the young monster, earning her an immediate place on the Marine wanted list.
And the boy—the one with the extraordinary potential—what was he doing now?
The Navy still hadn't placed a bounty on him. They wanted to investigate further before acting, believing that, unlike Linlin, this child could still be redeemed.
There was hope… at least, that's what they told themselves.
But they had no idea—
At this very moment, that same "promising child" was out at sea, completely preoccupied with something else.
Not justice.
Not redemption.
He was busy charming women.
<><><><><>
[Check Out My Patreon For +40 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]