Taro didn't know what the Marine Soldiers behind him were imagining, nor did he look at Monet's angry face.
He let go of Monet after she gave up struggling,
"Doflamingo should have told you—you belong to me now! Let's go, follow me!"
Taro stood up, tilted his head to signal her, and then took the lead in walking out.
Monet lay on the ground, staring blankly at the sky as clear tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.
"Don't dawdle. I'm in a hurry, and my patience is limited. Keep up!"
Hearing Taro's urging, a gust of wind and snow blew past. The teardrops at the corners of Monet's eyes condensed into snow and slowly drifted down.
She gritted her teeth, rolled over to stand up, and followed him.
From Grove 66 to Grove 40, Taro just observed the civilians along the way, showing no intention of talking to Monet.
Monet followed him full of resentment at first, but gradually she couldn't take it anymore and quickened her pace to catch up.
"Taro, what exactly do you want?"
Taro stopped and stared at the images playing on the large screen in the amusement park area, watching with great interest.
"Don't talk while watching a movie!"
The residents of the Sabaody Archipelago clearly didn't care much for movie etiquette; they erupted into gasps when a giant sea beast flashed across the screen.
Perhaps because these people had seen it many times, Taro could feel that the gasps were clearly more about surprise and curiosity than fear!
Monet frowned as she watched the footage, not understanding what was so special about this story or these sea beasts.
In her eleven years with the Donquixote Family, the things she had experienced were far beyond any "adventure story" shown in this video.
The film wasn't long, less than an hour in total. Taro only saw the second half, just a few dozen minutes.
He clapped a few times along with the cheering crowd as the film ended before saying,
"Let's go!"
Monet's breath hitched, her expression angry and her voice low. "You brought me here just to watch this nonsense?"
Taro waved his hand dismissively.
"The kids are laughing so happily! Why are you angry? To be honest, I should be the one who's angry—my first time watching a movie in this world, and it's with an ice-face like you!"
With that, Taro continued walking forward.
"Well, you've always done secretarial work, right? I happen to have a job that's perfect for you..."
"I've partnered with some local nobles to run a travel agency, and we're short a professional manager..."
Taro led Monet toward the Film City, rambling on about the travel agency as they went.
"Here we are. You'll work here from now on, nine to five, eight hours a day, five days a week. As for the salary... well, I'll have George set it for you later. I'm not familiar with the current pay scales!"
"As for the job description, it's what I just mentioned. The most important part is to vet and select people who meet the travel criteria! You must be strict!"
At Grove 25, Taro pointed at a small detached building next to the Film City with an excited smile.
On the small building stood a billboard for "Haicheng Travel," with a logo featuring a pair of footprints on an island.
"Uh... didn't catch that?"
Taro looked sideways at the bewildered Monet. "Want me to repeat it?"
Monet took a deep breath, her Falcon-like pupils constricting as her chest heaved. She let out a roar, her spit turning into ice and snow as it flew out.
"Taro, are you insane?!"
The smile on Taro's face froze instantly, and he frowned.
What's going on? Why did she suddenly snap?
After her outburst, Monet's anger subsided slightly, and her voice became low again.
"What do you really want me to do?"
"Didn't I already say professional manager?" Taro said, tapping his temple with some frustration.
"So you didn't listen to a single word I said the whole way here?"
Monet's breathing quickened again. "I am an elite spy and combatant, and you..."
Taro frowned and looked Monet up and down. "Did Doflamingo send you to gather intelligence?"
Monet stiffened her neck and glared at Taro. "The Young Lord never gave such an order! You're making baseless accusations!"
Taro glanced at her and nodded. "Yeah, I thought so. That guy isn't that stupid."
Seeing Monet baring her teeth again, Taro waved his hand.
"Put your spy and combatant traits aside for now. Right now, I just need you to fulfill the roles of secretary and professional manager!"
Then, he frowned slightly. "Also, change the 'Harpy' on your clothes to 'Happy'!"
"In our line of work, brand image is very important. You need to have a service mindset and establish it as soon as possible..."
Taro started rambling again, his mind wandering all over the place.
Monet suppressed her anger, her scalp tingling from listening to him.
"Hey~ Lord Taro!"
Taro was in the middle of his speech when he heard someone shouting his name in surprise from a distance.
Turning around, he saw the mermaid Camie waving at him. Taro waved back.
"Oh, it's you guys! How have you been lately?"
The bar owner Shakky walked over with Camie the mermaid, Hatchan the Fishman, and Pa Pagu the starfish.
Taro smiled and greeted them one by one, then stepped aside.
"This is Monet, my personal assistant. She'll be in charge of the 'Haicheng Travel' business from now on!"
"By the way, Pa Pagu, your trendy clothes are very comfortable. Make a few sets for Monet too!"
Having his designs praised by Taro, Pa Pagu's eyes—and even his sunglasses—turned into stars. He stood with his hands on his hips, looking proud.
"No problem, leave it to me!"
Pa Pagu and Camie, both naturally friendly, crowded around Monet and started chatting about clothes.
Hatchan remembered how, after Taro saved Fish-Man Island, he had immediately swum back to the Sabaody Archipelago to tell Shakky what happened. For a moment, he felt guilty, his eyes darting around.
Taro was momentarily stunned, not understanding what Hatchan was afraid of. He had no interest in arresting pirates who had turned over a new leaf.
Shakky noticed Hatchan's guilt and gently exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Taro, what exactly are you trying to do?"
Crap, why does everyone love asking that question?
"Just running a small business to supplement my income!"
Taro shrugged, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Shakky frowned at him, her eyebrows arching.
"Let's find a place to sit and talk!"
Taro's heart skipped a beat as he remembered the last time she had ripped him off, charging him 100,000 Berries for a single drink.
"Uh... let's skip the sitting. Let's just walk around here. I actually have something I want to ask you about!"
Shakky nodded to Hatchan, took a light puff of her cigarette, and followed Taro.
After walking a short distance, she asked, "What do you want to find out?"
Taro turned around, his expression serious, and whispered:
"I want to know about the pirate crew you were in back then!"
Shakky's lips curled into a smile. "You really do know my identity!"
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.