Seagulls soared high above while the scorching sun beat down on the open sea. I—Kiana Kaslana, Domain Outfit: White Comet—was stretched out on a beach chair in an extremely "summer-casual" outfit. A small table sat beside me, a large umbrella cast shade overhead, and a pair of sunglasses rested across my face.
I took a slow sip of the frozen juice specially prepared by the navy's chef. The moment my soft, red lips touched the cold glass, a chorus of breathless sounds came from somewhere nearby—several navy men were hiding in the shadows, watching like hyenas. Their breathing tightened. Their faces went red. Their fantasies… were way too obvious.
Right now, I was lying on the bow of the warship. My long white legs were crossed and layered slightly over each other—apparently an arrangement that inspired "endless beautiful imagination."
"I really… really want to be stepped on by Lady Kiana!"
"Same!!"
Two marines hiding not far away muttered their… perverted prayers.
Unfortunately, the sea breeze decided I should hear it. Their words drifted straight into my ears.
These men… seriously?My eyebrow twitched with pure irritation.
At the moment, I was still using Kiana's Crimson Armor form. For the past half month since boarding this warship, I hadn't switched to any other battlesuits. First reason—no battles, so there was no need. Second reason—switching forms is a total disaster when people are watching. Every battlesuit comes with a drastic change of appearance. A black-haired woman changes into a silver-haired girl—or a little loli? Even I admit… that's a bit too suspicious.
Back during the Siegel Pirates incident, I hadn't paid attention to this problem. That was my very first real fight against humans. Before that, I'd only ever fought beasts. I was too focused on surviving to care about appearance changes. Luckily, after that fight, all the pirates died—so aside from Eliza and a few close allies, no one really knew my identity or that I could transform.
Of course, I could just lie to Tina and say it's all due to the Fruit's ability. But I'm not stupid. In this world, showing your cards is basically signing your death warrant. This isn't my peaceful past life—revealing key abilities just because someone asks nicely is what idiots do.
So for the past two weeks, I've stayed strictly in Crimson Armor form.
And I've been seriously drilling this rule into my head:When fighting in front of others, I can only switch battlesuits that belong to Kiana's CHARACTER MODEL specifically—otherwise, my appearance will change. Never repeat the low-level mistake of switching from Kiana's Moonlight Armor to Mei's Shadow-Dance Armor. NEVER AGAIN.
So, safe battlesuit options are limited to Kiana-only models—the Saintess Armor, the Bailian Armor, or the Ranger Armor (which I still don't have yet). Switching between those is safe—my appearance won't change in other people's eyes. I must keep absolute awareness of this rule in future battles.
Half a month had passed—our warship had followed the route faithfully. In just a few more hours, we would reach Upside Down Mountain. Even now, I could see the legendary Red Line towering faintly in the distance.
Back in my past life, seeing the Red Line in the anime didn't hit me much. It was just something on the screen—two-dimensional. But now… experiencing it for real—these endless, towering peaks piercing the clouds… the sheer scale crushed me with awe. I felt like an ant before nature's majesty.
Before I realized it, my glass was empty. I lazily set it back down on the table.
That was when the marines lurking in the shadows made their move.
"Back off! The cup Lady Kiana drank from is MINE!"
"Like hell! I saw it first!"
"Lady Kiana, allow me to pour you another drink!"
"Fair competition! First come, first served!"
"OW—! Who punched me!?"
A violent struggle erupted. After a fierce and slightly pathetic battle, a single victorious marine—bloody and limping—finally made it back, clutching the glass high above his head like a war trophy. He hobbled to the kitchen, refilled it, then limped all the way back and gently set the drink beside me.
"Much appreciated," I said with a smile.
My sweet smile exploded in their hearts like a bomb. Especially for the winner—his pupils turned into giant hearts.
"For Lady Kiana… I am willing to do anything!"
He collapsed immediately after declaring that—his battered body hitting the deck with a loud thud.
"…These idiots…" Tina muttered from nearby, her mouth twitching.
Ever since I boarded the ship, this spectacle occurred multiple times per day. Even something as trivial as refilling juice caused an all-out war.
But rather than stopping it… Tina had allowed it. No—she secretly encouraged it. Because—shockingly—the combat strength of the marines had skyrocketed due to this "training." Even the ship's chefs were becoming increasingly capable fighters.
So as long as things didn't go too far… Tina let them continue. Sometimes… I even suspected she staged a few incidents herself.
And me? The "star attraction"? I couldn't exactly refuse their efforts—not after how much help Tina had given me. The least I could do was smile, endure it, and occasionally act cute.
…But as a man on the inside, it was excruciating.Forcing myself to wink at these marines…?Holding back nausea every time I smiled?This was pure psychological torture.
Can someone just kill me already?
"…Oh right. Time to withdraw the gold coins."
Suddenly I remembered—the refinery had probably hit storage limit already. If I didn't collect the coins now, they'd stop accumulating.
So—I reached into the deep valley of my chest and pulled out my phone.
"PFFT!! I—NOSEBLEED—!!"
"WHAT A GLORIOUS MAP RECORDING DEVICE! IT'S CALLED… A PHONE, RIGHT?"
"…I'M INFERIOR TO A PHONE!? I'M A FAILURE AS A MAN!"
Multiple marines immediately suffered nosebleeds upon witnessing the action. Seriously??
I sighed heavily, withdrew my coins, and tucked the phone back into my chest again.
More nosebleeds followed. Several men collapsed.
Tina covered her face. "Is… this really the army I raised…?"
"Cook! Prepare iron-rich food tonight."
"Yes, Colonel Tina!"
"It's finally here," I exhaled softly, standing below the lighthouse, gazing at the powerful water surging upwards.
"Kiana," Tina called as she approached from behind. "I've already confirmed—it just so happens that these few days are the East Tide. You're lucky."
"East tide?" I turned to her, puzzled. "What does that mean?"
Tina widened her eyes. "Kiana… don't tell me you've never heard of it?"
I shook my head. "Can you explain it?"
"It's simple," Tina began. "The four great seas—East, West, North, and South—all connect into the Grand Line via the Reverse Mountain. The flow direction of the sea changes every few days in the order of East → West → North → South. Each period has a name—the eastward flow is called East Tide, and when it flows toward the West, we call it West Tide."
Once explained, it made total sense. Back in my past life, I'd wondered how people from the West Blue reached the East Blue. Turns out, it was simply the periodic shift of the Reverse Mountain's current. I had thought the water always flowed toward the Grand Line… but reality was different.
"Kiana," Tina said eventually, "I can only escort you up to this point. From here onward… you'll have to continue alone. I must return and escort the captured pirates back."
"That's already more than enough," I said sincerely. "If it weren't for you, I'd still be stuck on Graff Island. Thank you, Tina."
Tina handed me a stamped document. "This proves that you defeated Captain Siegel of the Black Horn Pirates. Present it at the Navy Branch in Rogue Town—you can collect your bounty there."
I nodded and accepted it. It bore the Navy's official seal.
"By the way," Tina added, "I've confirmed that a merchant ship will arrive later today, bound for the East Blue. You can board that ship."
Relief washed over me. So I wouldn't have to go up Reverse Mountain on a tiny dinghy? Good—because dying before the adventure started would've been way too pathetic.
"Then Kiana," Tina said, smiling as she stepped away, "I hope we meet again someday."
"Yeah," I replied.
She walked back toward the warship they had docked for over a month—and around her, dozens of marines stood at attention, waving handkerchiefs and sobbing loudly.
"LADY KIANA—WE'LL NEVER FORGET YOU!"
"LADY KIANA—PLEASE JOIN THE NAVY IN THE FUTURE!"
"LADY KIANAAAAA—!!"
Like heck I'm joining YOUR army… I muttered internally. A whole division of idiots? No thanks.
The warship slowly set off toward the Calm Belt, disappearing over the horizon—but their cries continued to echo long after it was gone.
"Little girl, come sit here," the lighthouse keeper—a slightly plump middle-aged woman—called to me. "The merchant ship should arrive soon."
I nodded and sat down beside her.
"So," she began after a moment, "how old are you? Do you have a boyfriend?"
"…Seventeen," I answered dryly, "if we count my past life."
"Past life?"
"Nope. You heard wrong."
"Ohh~ so no boyfriend, then?" she asked with a sly smile.
For a split second, the image of a man pinning me down and kissing me flashed across my mind.
Instant panic.COLD SWEAT. FULL ALERT.
"THERE'S DEFINITELY NO SUCH THING!!" I declared loudly.
"Wonderful!" The woman perked up. "Here—take a look at my nephew! I promise he'll make an excellent husband!"
"…Ha?"
Was this… a matchmaking attempt?!
She handed me a photo. A crooked, awkward face stared back at me.
I forced a smile and pushed it back carefully. "Hehe… I'm not considering a boyfriend right now…"