Chapter 158: Joint Operation With Momotaro
Cliffside.
Gion sheathed her sword, then stomped down hard. The explosive kick of Moonwalk launched her straight into the air.
She climbed fast, chaining Moonwalk after Moonwalk, shooting upward like a pink streak.
Midair, she caught the falling Galette, then immediately flung the pirate woman toward the nearby cliff edge.
"Ah! You wretched Navy woman, you're vicious!" Galette shrieked as she tumbled and landed on the very edge, half a step from dropping into the sea. "Trying to get rid of me, aren't you!"
"Snort."
Gion gave a cold snort and ignored the drama completely. She rose again, then caught Roy with both hands as he fell.
"How is it?" she asked while descending with Moonwalk, looking down at the man in her arms.
His eyes were closed. Blood still trickled from the corner of his mouth.
To be honest, Gion felt that even she might not have been able to tank a direct hit from a lion shaped out of a mountain. Even if you did not die, you would be injured.
Roy did not answer. He kept playing dead.
As for the blood at the corner of his mouth?
His defense was honestly too ridiculous.
The instant he was struck, Roy had bitten his own lip to draw blood, subtle enough that no one noticed.
Observation Haki sensed presence and intent. Nobody had time to check the inside of his mouth.
And the perception itself was not all seeing. It read aura, it did not pinpoint the exact corner of someone's flesh like a surgeon's scalpel.
"Let me check. Don't move," Gion said.
She landed on the cliff edge and reached out, feeling along Roy's bones, worried he might have taken a hidden internal injury.
After all, this was someone Tsuru cared about. It was one thing for her to cause trouble earlier, but if something really happened to him, she would not know how to explain it.
Roy went stiff.
Then, as subtly as he could, he reached out and traced a few words on her lower abdomen.
Don't touch me. It's itchy.
I'm pretending to be dead. Stop poking me.
"…"
Gion almost burst out laughing. She forced it down, coughed twice, and said with perfect seriousness, "It's fine. I'm fine."
Roy: "…"
How was this woman so skilled at talking nonsense with a straight face?
"Hey, little girl!" Shiki hovered in the air, looking down at them. "What's his name!"
Out of everyone present, Shiki was the least hurried.
In his eyes, it did not matter whether it was the red haired boy, the chained female pirate, or the female Marine.
None of them were a match for the Golden Lion.
"His name is Gaji," Gion said with a light chuckle, smiling up at Shiki.
Bullshit. His name is Harold Roy.
Gion already knew Roy's current appearance from Nami. There was no way she could get him wrong.
But that did not stop her from teaming up with Roy to fool the old pirate whose mind was clearly slipping.
"Really?" Shiki scratched his head.
Gion kept smiling.
Roy kept playing dead.
Both of them were trying very hard not to laugh. They were professionals. They did not laugh easily.
Unless a pirate like Shiki dropped dead in front of them.
Meanwhile, Galette sat there in shackles, completely dejected.
Even if she did not have the strength to laugh, she could not believe it.
Did the old man seriously buy that?
Absurd.
"Oh, that must be Charlotte Linlin's adopted daughter!" Indigo shouted from the ship, face twisted with anger.
He hurriedly thrust a bounty poster toward Shiki. Shiki took a look, then stared at the chained pirate woman on the cliff with sudden realization.
So it was not a total loss.
He failed to catch the person Linlin cared about, but Linlin's adopted daughter was right here.
"Pfft pfft. Bubu." Indigo gestured wildly, cheeks puffing, arms flailing as if he was conducting a storm.
Shiki stared at him blankly.
"Circus?" Shiki muttered, then frowned. "My head was injured, my brain isn't working right."
What circus?
Indigo nearly exploded.
He was a PhD, damn it.
"Look carefully!" Indigo shouted, furious. "That girl is Big Mom's adopted daughter. And based on why she's here, that redhead is extremely suspicious!"
"Oh!!!" Shiki slammed his right fist into his left palm, eyes widening. "So you can talk!"
That was not the point.
On the ship, a bunch of pirates were moved to tears.
Captain, please. We are ruthless pirates. Stop acting like this.
"Ah!" Shiki suddenly slapped his own forehead.
Indigo's heart stopped. He threw himself into frantic gestures, waving his arms and legs like his life depended on it.
He was terrified the wheel stuck in Shiki's head would shift again.
That would only make Shiki's condition worse.
"You brat!" Shiki snarled down at Roy. "If he hadn't reminded me, I would've really been fooled by you!"
Roy: "…"
Gion: "…"
Galette: "…"
Handsome guy, beautiful women, all three fell into the same speechless silence.
Was Shiki's brain really damaged to this extent?
With a ship's rudder jammed into his forehead, it was a miracle he was still alive.
It was not that Shiki was weak, or that it was embarrassing when Luffy beat him later.
The problem was that rudder was too cruel.
Observation Haki needed calm.
Top level Observation Haki like Katakuri's demanded even more calm and talent.
Shiki's mind was constantly tortured by that wheel. It would be a miracle if he could stay calm.
Being pushed into occasional dementia was not surprising. Who knew if the Golden Lion who sometimes called gorillas "Mommy" even remembered to use Haki anymore?
Still, for someone to endure it for over a decade, and keep enduring it for decades more, Shiki's stubbornness was terrifying.
In that sense, he was like Whitebeard, a monster who could keep standing even with a hole in his chest.
While Gion held Roy on the surface, she quietly freed one hand and wrote words across his body.
Can we fight?
Roy went silent for a moment.
He wanted to run.
He wanted to grab Luffy and Sanji, take Makino and the others, and get out of here.
But then…
Above them, Shiki suddenly turned his head toward the edge of his floating island. A chimpanzee was sitting there, legs dangling, admiring the scenery below.
"Hey?" Shiki squinted. "Grandma?"
"Grandma's in danger!" Shiki bellowed immediately.
"That's not Grandma, you idiot!" Indigo screamed, nearly choking.
Since taking a break, the frequency of Shiki's episodes seemed to be increasing.
Roy's lips twitched. He suppressed a laugh and wrote again, this time tracing the words on Gion's forehead.
And you?
Gion glanced behind her. She took a deep breath, then wrote back, her movements quick and controlled.
We can't retreat. If we do, the Golden Lion will destroy the island behind us. I can try too.
Roy fell silent again.
Then, out of nowhere, a line floated through his mind, something Jun had said in the Ultraman Nexus theater.
I cannot fall, because behind me are the lights of thousands of homes.
Roy never wanted to be a hero.
But during his time in Foosha Village, Makino had fed him more meals than he could count.
He had chatted with the village chief. He had met villagers who cared for Luffy.
That was the problem with emotions. They were messy. They clung.
Roy did not care if the Goa Kingdom burned. He did not care if nobles died.
But behind him was a small village.
He could not drag it into ruin.
"Jihahahaha… so that's it," Shiki growled, eyes sharpening as if his mind had suddenly snapped into place. He leaned forward, staring down. "You were lying to me. Tell me, are you Harold Roy!"
Roy's heart sank.
Why was he involved again?
Shiki was in a terrible mood now, and Roy had no choice but to fight.
Then Roy wrote one last line on Gion's body, the decision sharp as a blade.
Then let's try to kill this sick lion.
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