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"Captain, I have a suitable companion in mind. I think she's a better fit for the maid role."
After a grueling day of cleaning a third of the Pluton, Monet found Shin and made her proposal. If she had to clean every day, she'd be worked to death. She couldn't take it anymore.
"Oh? And who might that be?" Shin asked Monet calmly.
"Baby 5. She's a member of the Donquixote Family," Monet said, a faint trace of guilt in her heart.
Was she setting Baby 5 up? Yeah, she definitely was. But she was sure Baby 5 would love it. Monet knew her personality inside and out. If she got these tasks, not only would she not complain, she'd throw herself into it completely.
Shin gave Monet a deep look, then nodded. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NovᴇlFire(.)nᴇt
"Alright, I'll ask Doflamingo for her. From now on, you two will be the maids on the Pluton, handling all the cleaning."
"..." A wave of despair washed over Monet. She hadn't expected that even after dragging Baby 5 into this, she still couldn't escape her fate.
"You contact Doflamingo. Tell him Shin Uzumaki wants her."
Just as Shin was about to contact Doflamingo, his gaze shifted to Monet. It was best to have her do it.
Honestly, his ship was full of spies...
Momousagi was a Marine spy, Kalifa was a spy for the Five Elders, and even Doflamingo had the nerve to plant a mole.
Kalifa had been completely won over by Shin. Momousagi hadn't. As for Monet, she'd serve as a useful asset for now.
He hadn't expected this asset to recommend another one—Baby 5, the Arms-Arms Fruit user. And the easiest person to manipulate, at that. Shin was quite pleased. He figured the Pluton would be spotless from now on.
Monet sighed quietly. She didn't know if Doflamingo would be angry if she told him.
Whatever, Monet didn't want to overthink it anymore. Even if Doflamingo flew into a rage, there wasn't much he could do to her now. As for threatening her with her sister's safety, Monet wasn't worried.
Worst case scenario, they'd become enemies. She'd just ask Captain Shin to handle it. Given Doflamingo's cowardly streak, he'd probably cave and hand Sugar over without a fight.
In such a short time, Monet had developed serious contempt for her young master. This shift was Shin's doing, of course. Just a subtle mental suggestion.
She'd been influenced without even knowing it—completely unaware that Shin had manipulated her thoughts.
A few days later, Baby 5 was sent over.
At first, she was quite sad. Had Doflamingo just abandoned her? Of course—she was unwanted, like always.
Baby 5's eyes went blank with despair...
But then Shin told her he needed her to clean the entire Pluton, and she instantly perked up. She didn't care how exhausting it would be. As long as someone needed her, Baby 5 was ready to give everything.
"See? I knew she wouldn't hate me." Monet couldn't help but say. She really knew Baby 5 well.
"Good job. Much better than her." Shin said, looking over Baby 5's cleaning with clear approval. Her efficiency was nearly ten times better than Monet's. It was hard to imagine.
This time, Shin stayed put in the New World instead of roaming around, keeping to his own territory.
Meanwhile, the Seven Warlords of the Sea had been officially announced, and the entire ocean was buzzing with the news.
Doflamingo had secured one of the positions by leveraging Heavenly Tribute. Sengoku was against it, but the Celestial Dragons put pressure on him, leaving him no choice but to follow their orders.
The other Warlords were Mihawk, Bartholomew Kuma, Crocodile, Gecko Moria, Jinbe, and Edward Weevil.
Edward Weevil—also called Whitebeard Jr—had taken Hancock's spot from the original story.
"Shin, do you think that Whitebeard Jr. is really Whitebeard's son?" Hancock asked Shin curiously.
"I didn't know you were such a gossip, Hancock," Shin said, looking at her curious expression with an amused smile.
Whitebeard Jr. only showed up in the original story after Whitebeard had already died. Kizaru claimed the guy had the same monstrous strength as young Whitebeard, but that didn't prove he was actually his son.
If he really was Whitebeard's kid, would someone who obsessed over family the way Whitebeard did just let his own son wander around alone? Absolutely not.
So Shin figured it was all bullshit.
"It has nothing to do with us. Let's not dwell on it,"
Shin said to Hancock. Whether Whitebeard Jr. was really Whitebeard's son didn't matter to them either way.
While they were talking about this, other pirates were having very different conversations. They'd lost all respect for the Seven Warlords, seeing them as nothing but government lapdogs.
Working with the Marines was a betrayal of everything pirates stood for. For a while, pirates across the seas were openly hostile toward any Warlord they encountered.
It was exactly what Sengoku expected.
This was his plan all along—to turn the pirates against the Seven Warlords. As for what happened to the Warlords themselves? Sengoku couldn't care less.
Using the Warlords as bait to keep other pirates busy fighting each other instead of the Marines. Sure, it damaged the Marines' reputation somewhat, but from a strategic standpoint, the benefits were worth it.
If the costs had outweighed the gains, he never would have pushed for the Seven Warlords system in the first place.
"Pops, what's the deal with that Edward Weevil?"
The commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates' various divisions were all curiously asking about Whitebeard Jr.
"Gurararara! Interesting."
Whitebeard laughed and drank a cup of wine, then didn't tell Marco and the others whether this was his son or not.
"Looks like Pops doesn't want to talk about it. What do you guys think, is that Edward Weevil Pops's son?"
Diamond Jozu asked the others.
"Probably not. Given Pops's protective nature, he'd never allow his son to drift around unprotected. I've been with Pops since I was little, and I've never heard him mention having a son."
Marco shook his head. Either way, he didn't buy it.
The guy was probably just using their old man's name for clout. Honestly, if it turned out to be true, Marco would be thrilled—having a real blood relative would be amazing for Pops. But if it was all fake? He'd be pissed.
Their father's name wasn't something you could just throw around. Anyone who tried would pay for it.
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