There were plenty of uses for shadow clones — but the most important one was early warning. After all, clones didn't need to sleep. They stayed alert around the clock, which was a lifesaver for someone like me. One body, one boy's soul trapped in the body of a blonde Honkai Valkyrie. Yeah… life was complicated.
Smoker and I walked down the road and soon arrived at the naval station. I'd already been here once, so even without Smoker leading the way, I probably could've found it myself.
The navy soldier guarding the entrance immediately straightened up when he saw Smoker, saluted, and opened the gate. His gaze lingered on me for a moment — they still remembered the bounty hunter who had shown up here not too long ago. Apparently, I left quite the impression.
"I'll take you straight to collect your bounty," Smoker said. "By the way… I heard a rumor that you killed Krieg. Is that true?"
His voice was casual, but I could feel the curiosity beneath it. Yesterday, his navy informant had contacted him about a woman with long black hair — extremely beautiful — who'd struck down the leader of the Krieg Pirates. That description apparently made his alarm bells go off: "Hey, could that be Kiana?"
"How did you know about that?" I asked, a little surprised. I didn't expect Smoker to hear about Krieg's death this fast. Was the Navy's information network really that sharp?
Smoker thought to himself — So it really was her, huh. He'd only been half-sure before asking.
"Our naval informant told me. Since you've got that kind of strength… ever thought of joining the Navy instead of being a bounty hunter?"
"Pass." I shook my head without hesitation. "I hate restrictions. Besides… I've got important things I need to do."
It really was the Age of Great Pirates — rampant criminals, too few soldiers, and the Navy was desperate for manpower. They'd take anyone strong enough to take out a squad on their own. Tina had tried to recruit me. Now Smoker was trying again.
One Kiana Kaslana — two recruitment offers. That said plenty about the Navy's crisis.
"A shame," Smoker sighed. "If you joined the Navy, I was ready to recommend you to Headquarters."
He meant it — his expression was serious. At minimum, I could've gotten the rank of colonel with my current strength.
But that was never going to happen. I had another goal — one that didn't involve becoming a government dog.
"Tch… feels like my brain's already itching just thinking about regulations and paperwork," I thought as we walked.
Smoker continued, "Do you have any proof? The funds I applied for should be enough to pay Krieg's bounty in full — if you can prove it."
Within the Navy, you couldn't just hand over seven hundred million Berries without evidence. Rules were rules.
"I don't have proof," I replied. "Just settle Siegel's bounty. I'm not taking Krieg's."
"No?" Smoker raised an eyebrow. "You took down Krieg and don't want the reward?"
It was odd. Seven hundred million Berries wasn't petty cash. Most people would've been waving Krieg's head around and screaming, "PAY ME!"
But I didn't have his proof of death — and besides, if I really took that much money at once, Rogue Town's Navy might end up skipping meals for weeks.
So I kept quiet and just followed Smoker down toward the training grounds.
He left me standing there while he quickly disappeared around the corner of a building.
I looked around and recognized the area immediately. Last time, Dusty had brought me here, and the naval recruits training at the time had greeted me with… enthusiasm.
Right on cue — the trainees were running laps, and as soon as they spotted me, whistles burst out across the field like machine-gun fire.
"Kianaaa! You're back? You look even more beautiful than last time!"
"You must give me your number!"
They clearly remembered me. A lone beauty dropping by twice in a single week — of course they'd take note.
I ignored them. I stayed silent and pulled out my phone, converting refinery gold into coins and upgrading my equipment from the Home System.
The system had more than just the refinery: there was a command center, a hub port, a kendo training room, a shooting training room, and more.
Upgrading the kendo training room improved stats for the Mei and Yae Sakura armor series. The shooting training room helped the Karen and Kiana series. A little boost here, a small bonus there — it didn't seem like much. But added together? It became terrifyingly strong.
While I was finishing upgrades, Smoker returned — holding a small bag.
"Kiana. This is your remaining bounty. Check the amount to confirm."
I peeked inside, then nodded. I trusted Smoker — he didn't seem like the kind of guy who skimmed off the top.
"I'm good." I tied the bag to my backpack and prepared to head out. Krieg's bounty was off the table anyway. I didn't have proof and Krieg's head was already long gone. If I still had it, though… I'd be richer by now.
Smoker watched me leave the training ground. Then he turned and walked back toward his office. As fate would have it, Dusty was heading his way with a stack of documents in hand.
"Colonel Smoker," she said, "was that Kiana you were speaking with just now?"
"Yeah."
"Eh? So it was her? I didn't even get to say hi…" She sounded slightly disappointed — then suddenly perked back up. "By the way, sir! I heard that you fought Dracule 'Hawkeye' Mihawk — one of the Seven Warlords — in town! Is that true?!"
"…Yeah," Smoker sighed. "We broke a few buildings. Later, assign some men to buy supplies so I can repair them."
"You should let someone else handle that. You still have a pile of paperwork to get through."
"Put the documents on my desk first," Smoker said, walking past her. "I'll fix those houses myself. I caused the damage. I'm not forcing others to clean up my mess."
Dusty stared after him. "…Right. Understood."
Once I left the naval station, I focused on the next mission — food. A lot of it. Sea navigation was full of unpredictable variables, and starving to death while adrift sounded like a terrible way to go.
I currently had about five million Berries. Not enough to draw ten times in gacha, but more than enough to buy provisions — and maybe a ship — if I was lucky.
Following the noise of the crowd, I arrived at the bustling marketplace. Vendors shouted on every side, stalls overflowing with fresh seafood, vegetables, and fruits.
"Welcome, beautiful young lady! What are you looking for?"
"I'll take those — and those."
"Thank you for shopping! That'll be seven hundred sixty-two Berries! Come again!"
One by one, I bought the finest ingredients and stored them in the Material Space. Some people nearby noticed my purchases disappearing without a trace… and realized I was a Devil Fruit user.
But here in Rogue Town — close to the entrance of the Grand Line — Devil Fruit powers weren't as shocking as in small villages. Most people just accepted it and moved on.
The ingredients were stocked. I ran through a checklist in my head. There was nothing else I needed.
Time to head to the port. Either I'd find someone selling a ship — or hitch a ride with someone heading into the Grand Line.
Either way… I had to leave Rogue Town today. And I had to leave before Mihawk noticed Raiden Mei was gone.
Going by the timer in my head — I still had seven or eight hours before the weapon expired. Plenty of time to disappear from this island.
I walked through the streets in a great mood, humming to myself. People turned their heads to look — I guess even I had to admit: beautiful women attracted attention.
Especially when they were singing…
"A cup of sake~ chokes me to tears…~"
One line in particular, I sang with extra passion — for Mihawk's sake. I mentally offered him an expensive cup and whispered: That's for the fifty crystals you robbed from me. Your day of reckoning is coming, jerk.
Oh yeah — one more thing.
"I need to change my appearance," I thought, suddenly realizing the danger. "I can't use Mei's identity anymore."
If Mihawk believed Mei was gone… and I reappeared as someone completely different… he'd never find me.
A flawless plan. Absolute genius. I could practically hear heavenly applause.
So I walked into a shadowed alley and checked my surroundings. No one nearby.
Time to swap from Scarlet Knight Armor to Saintess Armor.
My hair shifted from black to silver. My face refined subtly. One breath — one transformation.
If Mihawk were standing in front of me right now — he'd walk right by without a second glance.
I avoided switching to Moonlight Armor. Too flashy. Those luminous wings would make me stand out like a festival lantern. The Saintess outfit looked far more normal — at least from a quick glance.
I was about to walk out of the alley… when the exit was suddenly blocked by a handful of shifty-looking men — clearly up to no good.
They froze when they saw me.
"Eh? Boss, where'd that black-haired beauty go?"
"Did she run off? Tch."
"Doesn't matter — this silver-haired one's just as good. If the other one escaped, we'll take this one instead."
Their gazes crawled over me — dripping with lust. One guy even drooled.
"…Really?" I thought, sighing internally. "I get attacked by Mihawk… and this is what I run into next? Hooligans?"
They looked like textbook scum — ready to pounce at first sight of a pretty face.
"Hey, miss," one of them sneered. "Don't run now. We'll make you real happy. Keh-heh."
"I'm sorry," I said calmly. "But if that's what you're planning… then you've picked the wrong person."
The alley fell silent.
For a brief second — every thug froze in confusion.