Wealth, fame, power.

Gold Roger, the king of the pirates, obtained this and everything else the world has to offer, and his dying words drove countless souls to the seas.

"You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place. Now you just have to find it!"

These words-

"Blah BLAH blah blah blah blah," she said, blowing a cloud of smoke.

A large set of purple tentacles dangled over the edge of an ornate tub, attached to an equally large woman. Standing ten feet tall and looking to be in her late forties (though looking REALLY good for that age) with alabaster skin, she reclined in the tub and adjusted her tie, all while puffing on her expensive cigar. She wore a dark purple pinstripe suit jacket and miniskirt that allowed her tentacles to move freely, and her shoulder-length black hair was tied back in a loose ponytail.

Around her, carrying the tub like a palanquin, were four men around six feet tall with buzzcuts and their own expensive cigars. They were decked out in black vests with gray shirts, red ties, and black pants. At their right hips, a cutlass. At their left, a flintlock pistol.

They sat on the deck of a rather large ship bearing the likeness of the large woman as its figurehead, all the while people dressed and equipped similarly to the tub-bearers milled about, going about their own business.

The large woman rested a tentacle on her subordinate's shoulder and asked "why are you telling me this, uh…?"

She blew smoke, and continued with "what's your name again…?"

"Nisuke," said the subordinate, puffing on his own cigar. "I'm telling you this because I thought it'd be entertaining on our-"

"Shush," she interjected, raising a tentacle to his lips.

"First, if I wanted entertainment, I'd have asked for the band. Second, Roger's been dead for ten years. If nobody's found his so-called 'treasure' yet, it doesn't exist. He was just trying to get in one last swipe at the World Government before they put him down for good. Nothing more."

She flicked ash off her cigar into the tub's conveniently located gold ashtray.

"Furthermore, we're not pirates. The business world has no use for such tall tales. There's berries to be made elsewhere, and real treasures to find on other adventures without having to resort to the lies of a dead man. Do I make myself clear… uh…?"

"Nisuke."

"Sasuke. Be a good tub bearer and keep your mouth shut unless it's for something important. I don't pay you for story time. Capisce?"

"Capisce," Nisuke replied glumly.

The huge ship rocked back and forth on the waves. Flying the banner of Kemurchant Enterprises (a giant gray "K.E." with crossed cigars behind it), this flagship, the Humo Robinson sailed with intent through the Grand Line, looking for an island to pick up supplies, or better, a location for a new Kemuri Mart. Or even better, a new adventure with new money making opportunities.

Kemurchant Enterprises, which owns the Kemuri Mart brand, was founded on Fishman Island by its CEO, Shaska, known as Shaska "the Squeeze" or Shaska "the Greedy". Kemuri Marts are sea and land based mega marts with over a hundred worldwide locations across the four Blues and the Grand Line, selling everything from clothes, to food, to weapons.

The Kemuri Marts' employees, the Kemurchants, are known for their dry attitudes and fighting prowess, only natural when everyone's money is good at Kemuri Mart, including deadly, superpowered pirates. Each one is decked out with a cutlass and a flintlock pistol, trained in the basics of Fishman Karate, and can lift several tons with ease.

The Kemurchant in the ship's crow's nest looked through his telescope.

"Oh. Land," he said with the company's trademark but oft inappropriate air of sarcasm. He then puffed on his cigar.

"Hey, you!" he called to a Kemurchant down below. "Go tell the boss there's an island not too far from here!"

"Oh. An order," the other man replied dryly before heading to the front of the ship.

The grunt made his way to the bow of the ship where his boss was lounging.

"Miss Shaska! There's land dead ahead!"

"'Bout time," Shaska said, blowing smoke. "I can finally give the old tentis a stretch."

"But boss, we always carr-" began one of the other tub bearers.

"Shshshsh…" Shaska interrupted with a tentacle on the man's lips. "Important matters only, uh…"

"Ichiro."

"Strawberry, any further outbursts like that, and your pay will be docked for the day, capisce?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Despite being carried around in a giant tub of seawater, it's not like Shaska had trouble walking. As a mermaid over thirty years of age, she was capable of walking on land by fusing her tentacles together into long, muscular legs with tentacle feet on the end. Now, how an octopus mermaid's boneless tentacles become bony legs after she turns thirty is still a scientific mystery, especially the ability to transition back and forth, but Shaska chose not to worry about it too much.

Mostly, she's just content with the luxury her massive fortune provided her, meaning she could have her employees (Ichiro, Nisuke, Santaro, and Bob) carry her around in a tub despite her ability to walk and swim just fine.

Waves crashed against the shore as from the ocean crawled a turtle. Not just any turtle though, a blue turtle, with the most brilliant sapphire for a shell. Just as the turtle finished laying her eggs though, it was snatched up by a burly man covered in tattoos.

"Oi, mates! I got one!" he called out to his buddies.

This is the story of how the greedy and self-centered Shaska liberated Blue Turtle Island from a band of pirates.

The Kemurchant flagship, the Humo Robinson, dropped anchor at midday. Climates on islands in the Grand Line come in four varieties: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, with each type having its own seasons. Blue Turtle Island was a Spring island, with bright green foliage and a gentle breeze blowing over the rolling hills.

Of about a hundred crew members, only ten disembarked from the Robinson. Shaska herself sat back on the deck, sipping on a glass of wine and smoking her premium cigar, letting her underlings do some exploring for any sign of the island being inhabited.

One Kemurchant said to another: "oh. A nice day. Why is it we go from horrific storms to blistering heat to frosty blizzards to-"

"Is this your first day on the Grand Line?" the other interrupted. "The climate's unpredictable here. They call it a pirate's graveyard for a reason."

"But we're not pirates…" replied the first, prompting the second to blow smoke in his face.

"Will you two knuckleheads stop it?" chimed in a third Kemurchant. "Boss told us to look for a village or town or something. Better not let her down or else we get our pay docked."

The ten Kemurchants set off to explore the island.

Three hours passed, but the party didn't return.

Shaska puffed on her cigar. "What's taking them so long? I'm starving and we're basically out of food. And I really don't feel like going hunting for sea monsters to eat." she whined.

She sat up, annoyed. "Look alive, bozos." she said to her tub bearers. "We're gonna check this out ourselves."

"But why?" said Santaro. "Don't you wanna send a few more of us out there to die?"

Santaro got smacked by a tentacle.

"I don't take that kind of back talk from my kids, and I certainly won't take it from one of my employees." Shaska growled. "We're gonna see what's on that island. Hopefully there's a restaurant.

"And besides," she continued. "My least favorite part of being an adventure capitalist is calling the families of dead employees. Grieving families aren't my strong point. Let's go, boys!"

The four Kemurchants hoisted her tub onto their shoulders and disembarked from the ship.

Sure enough, beyond a grove, there was a decently sized town. The buildings were rather plain in their architecture, and it seemed like certain decorations were missing, like they had been stolen. However, despite the town's size, there was next to no one walking the streets. It felt like an utter ghost town.

As the Kemurchants and Shaska made their way through, they overheard a couple of the townsfolk left talking.

"Hey, they look like those guys from before… except…"

"Is that a real mermaid? She's so pretty."

"Why are they carrying her like that?"

"Must be their leader."

"But why would they be led by one of those fish freaks?"

"Got something to say, you should say it to my face, you bastards," Shaska muttered, resting her head on her fist. She wasn't that bothered by it; she was quite used to anti-fish person racism at this point.

"Hey, jerks," she piped up. "Where's the nearest restaurant? We're starving."

"Well, there's a bar and steakhouse a little ways down the street, but…"

"Perfect. Let's go, I could go for a steak and some booze."

The Kemurchants hurried down the street.

"Oooh… I hate to see a beautiful woman run in with a bunch of pirates…"

"Who cares? She's just a fish."

"Sigh, you're right."

The party made it to the bar. Unfortunately, the door wasn't big enough for the Kemurchants to carry Shaska through.

"Ugh, whatever." she said. "Put me down. Guess I really am going to give the old tentis a stretch."

The men obliged. Shaska climbed out of the tub and used her octopus flexibility to fit her otherwise large frame through the door, followed by her employees.

The restaurant was packed with burly men covered in tattoos, making a ruckus. They seemed completely oblivious to Shaska. Behind the bar was a rather dejected looking woman in her mid-twenties with long, sherry brown hair nursing a beer. She seemed to be chained to the bar and was wearing a bikini. She looked up to see Shaska and company, and her face brightened a little bit.

"Oi, bar wench! Anotha round!" called one of the men, and her expression soured again.

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled, pouring several more pints of beer.

Shaska and her men made it to the bar, puffing on their cigars. The bartender sighed and said "this is a non-smoking establish… oh, who cares anymore? What can I get for you?"

"Five pints of beer and some steak," Shaska replied. "The sign says this place is a pub AND steakhouse, yeah?"

The bartender winced. "Well… I can get you the beer…" she said, pouring the glasses. "But the steak… the steak…" Her eyes began to well up with tears, but she managed to hold it back.

"Our chef is indisposed right now," said the bartender.

"Let me guess," said Bob the Kemurchant. "Your husband is the chef and these pirates have something to do with him not being here."

Both Shaska and the bartender's eyes shot open. "How did you…" they said in unison.

"You have tan lines where a pendant and a wedding ring would be," Bob surmised. "If I had to guess, these pirates killed your husband and stole your jewelry, forced you to wear that swimsuit, and maybe had their w-"

"That's enough!" said Shaska. "Don't say anything stupid."

The bartender couldn't hold it back anymore and burst into tears. "ANDY! Andy, why?" she cried, sobbing into her hands. Shaska put a tentacle on the bartender's shoulder and shot a glare at Bob. She cried her husband's name for a few minutes before finally regaining her composure.

"*sniff* My name… my name is Roxanne. My husband's name is Andy. Two months ago these pirates showed up and stole all our valuables. They made themselves right to home. Our police were overwhelmed. We tried to call the Marines, but they confiscated all our transponder snails. And then, over time… citizens of the town just started disappearing without a trace.

I have no idea where they went… but Andy has to be one of them. Despite my warnings about how it was just a ring and a pendant, Andy went out searching for the pirates' treasure stash anyway… *sniff* And he never came back. That was two weeks ago."

"Real pirate treasure, you say?" asked Shaska. Her eyes turned into berry signs (a B with a line through it).

"Miss Shaska? What are you thinking?" asked Ichiro.

"I'm thinking we've got some pirate butt to kick," she replied.

"You're going to save my Andy?" Roxanne asked, eyes beaming with hope.

"Oh, I'm sure he's long dead," Shaska answered bluntly. Roxanne started tearing up again. "But I can at least get your jewelry back."

Roxanne had tears streaming down her face. "Look, I am not good at the whole 'grieving family' thing," said Shaska.

"It's not that." Roxanne replied. "I'm *sniff* just so touched a complete stranger would risk her life just for me."

"Riiiiiiiiight…" said Shaska, looking at her subordinates. The Kemurchants nonchalantly turned away. Nisuke took out his cigar and started whistling.

"Look, I'm trying to find some lost employees as well. I think they might be at the same place as your husband. Assuming that place isn't six feet under," she said. "Do you happen to know where the captain is?"

"He holed himself up in the mayor's office," Roxanne replied. "Be careful. I've heard the pirates talking about Captain Varney. He has a Devil Fruit."

"A Devil Fruit?" Santaro asked.

"You know, those fruits of legend that grant you superhuman abilities but make the sea hate you?" she answered. "I don't know what his power is though. You need to be prepared for anything."

"Thanks for the advice," said Shaska.

"Here. This round's on the house," said Roxanne. "And I'll even mix you a drink to help you out. My cocktails will make you feel like you can do anything!"

"Isn't that just being drunk?" asked Shaska.

"Oh, I'm sure the alcohol has something to do with it, but flair bartending is my specialty!" Roxanne beamed.

"After we get back, I'd love to watch you bartend for real," said Shaska. She was lying though. She didn't really care; anything to end the conversation so she could get her tentacles on that sweet, sweet pirate treasure. Though she made a mental note about Roxanne's bartending abilities; maybe she could join the crew as a bartender and serve a bunch of rowdy businessmen instead of rowdy pirates.

"Oi, mate! Is dat a mermaid?!" called one of the pirates. They all turned to the bar.

"A fit bird like her could go fer millions at auction!" exclaimed another pirate.

"Crap. I forgot to put my human legs on," Shaska muttered. "Alright, boys. Earn your keep. Take out this trash."

"Right!" the Kemurchants said in unison, drawing their swords.

"Please don't fight in my bar," Roxanne peeped to no avail. The pirates swarmed the bar, brandishing all kinds of weapons. But this was nothing new to the Kemurchants; pirates tried to get their wares for free all the time.

The pirates didn't stand a chance, really. After only a few minutes, they were all incapacitated, some likely dead.

"Good job, men. You four are getting bonuses this pay period," said Shaska. Roxanne stood in disbelief; she was the one who would have to clean up the mess, after all.

Shaska grabbed one of the still living pirates with one of her tentacles. "Yohoho, you're coming with us."

The Kemurchants stood outside the city hall and set down Shaska's tub again. The captured pirate knocked on the door.

"Oi, wot's da password?" came a voice from the other side.

"P-potatoes…" muttered the pirate.

The door opened, and the pirate on the other side was greeted by a mighty punch to the face from Shaska, sending him flying through the building, landing in the mayor's office. Shaska dropped the pirate she was holding and made her way through. Her tentacles, through what looked like magic, fused into a pair of human legs.

"Let's remember to stay off the boss's bad side," said Bob. The other three Kemurchants nodded.

Shaska ducked through the holes she made in the walls and found the mayor's office. Sure enough, there was a big pile of treasure, including numerous sapphire turtle shells. The walls were lined with what appeared to be birthday presents. Her eyes turned to berry signs and a massive grin plastered itself on her face as she walked toward the treasure.

Sitting behind the desk was Captain Varney, a large man in a pirate hat and coat with a scar running down his face and a long, blond beard. He was sitting dumbfounded with a transponder snail in his hand. The snail also looked somewhat shocked, but continued speaking.

"Hello? Hello?" said the voice on the other line.

"I'll call you back, Disco. I 'ave a guest."

He hung up the receiver, causing the snail to go back to sleep. He drew a flintlock pistol and focused it on Shaska. "Oi, bird, 'u are you an' wot are you doin' goin' for me 'ard earned treasure?"

Shaska turned to him and puffed on her cigar. Her eyes turned back to normal. Soon after, her subordinates filed into the room with flintlocks drawn. "Oh. A pirate captain," said Ichiro sarcastically.

"I'll ask again. 'U are you an' wot are you doin' eyin' me treasure?"

"We're businesspeople, doing business," said Shaska, calmly adjusting her tie. "And right now, I'm looking for my employees. They're dressed like these guys right here."

The other four raised their guns at Varney. "No lying," said Shaska.

Varney just scoffed and held out his other hand. "You tink you can scare me? I'm da great Captain Varney! Ova tirty five million berries for my 'ead!"

"Ovalap!" he called out. Wrapping paper shot from his hand at the four Kemurchants. And before they could even pull the triggers, the wrapping paper enveloped them, turning them into presents like the ones lining the walls.

"Das the powa of me Wrap Wrap Fruit! I can turn people into presents! An' I'm selling dis 'ole town to slavery afta we're done pillaging!

"An' a fit bird like you'd make a fine wife fer a World Noble!" he said smugly as more wrapping paper gathered in his hand.

"Ugh. Slavery," Shaska thought aloud. "I'm not a big fan of slavers. How much did you say your bounty was again?"

"Tirty six million berries!"

"Chump change. I'll make this quick, then," she replied, touching two fingers to her forehead. Water vapor from the air and water from her tub flew toward her and began swirling around her fingers.

"Oi, 'u are you callin' chump change?" said Varney. He shot at Shaska, but she effortlessly grabbed the bullet out of the air with her free hand before it could hit her, all while the water around her fingers swirled faster and faster.

"Wot da?!"

"CERULEAN CANNON!" Shaska called out as she quickly thrust out her arm. Water shot from her fingers like a super powered hose, two streams wrapping around each other like a drill. And also like a drill, the stream bored completely through Varney's chest and the wall behind him, causing him to collapse while he bled out. Shaska really didn't regret learning Fishman Island's various martial arts.

"Okay… what first?" Shaska said to herself. Much as she wanted to haul the treasure back to the ship, her (admittedly weak) conscience chimed in telling her to free the townsfolk and her employees first. "Sigh… fine."

She opened up the presents containing her four tub bearers, and they together opened up all the other presents. The townsfolk, despite being trapped for weeks or months on end, came out relatively fine, and fled back to their families.

A few stayed behind, though. Two men were digging through the treasure. One more stayed behind to thank Shaska. The elderly gentleman asked her, "excuse me, young lady, would you be our savior?"

"I suppose you could call me that," Shaska replied.

"I'm the mayor of Blue Turtle Island. I cannot thank you enough for your bravery in defeating this pirate menace for us when we were completely helpless."

"No thanks are necessary. Well, they are, actually. Thanks are very necessary. I don't work for free. I'll take your thanks in the form of a new franchi-"

"Got 'em!" called out one of the men digging through the treasure. He held up a sapphire pendant and a ring with a sapphire in it. He was a modestly attractive man with shaggy black hair wearing a chef's apron. The man headed for the hole in the wall before noticing Shaska.

"Oh, thanks, big lady!"

"Really? Big lady?" she thought.

He held out his hand.

"My name's Andy! You really helped me out of a jam right there. You should come by my wife and I's restaurant sometime! See ya!"

He dashed off before Shaska even had a chance to ask for the treasure back. Or shake his hand.

"So as I was saying, Mr. Mayor, I wanted to talk about opening a new Kemurchant Enterprises shop on this island. We're a one stop shop that sells everything from clothes to weapons."

The other man found what he was looking for: a sword. He was a very handsome young blond man dressed in ninja garb. He turned to Shaska and bowed. "I am forever in your debt, ma'am."

"If I'm gonna be interrupted, it might as well be like that."

"My name is Johann Schwarz. You could say I'm a roninja. I'm the lone survivor from the noble Johann family in the South Blue that was slaughtered by a mysterious assailant-"

"I don't need your life story right now," she interrupted. "You saying you'll work for free?"

"Indeed. All I'm asking for is food and a place to stay."

"Free muscle, eh? Interesting."

"I'm quite adept at fighting. I'm the master of the Hole Hole Fruit."

Shaska tried to not let her mind go there.

Schwarz spawned a perfectly circular black void under his feet, similar to what one would find in a cartoon, then its companion behind Shaska. He fell through the portal and instantaneously appeared behind Shaska.

"This is my power."

"You're hired," she said. "You just made transporting this loot a lot easier."

She turned to the Kemurchants. "Alright, men. We got a shitload of steak to eat. Just let me finish here."

"Oh. Steak." they all replied in unison.

"You should be more excited!" called out an exasperated Schwarz.

"Now, Mr. Mayor, let's talk business," Shaska said, puffing her cigar and turning her legs back to normal.

"Is that some kind of Devil Fruit ability?" asked Schwarz.

"No."

The mayor and Schwarz winced a bit.

"Oh… I didn't know you were one of those… FISH… people…" said the mayor.

"Oh. A racist," Shaska and her subordinates said in unison.

"I've just… I didn't think mermaids were even real! I thought fish freaks was all it'd be and now-"

Shaska raised a tentacle to the mayor's lips.

"Clearly, you're not keen on doing business with me because of things beyond my control, so here's what's gonna happen: I'm gonna take the treasure, I'm gonna take this guy's bounty, my crew and I are gonna have a nice steak dinner, and then we're gonna take our business elsewhere."

"Well, it's not really your race that makes me not want to open up here. Something like that would put the shops here out of business! We're just a little town in the middle of nowhere. I barely had the foggiest idea a chain like yours even existed!"

"Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiist!" said Shaska, plugging her ears childishly.

The entire crew of the Humo Robinson was invited to Andy and Roxanne's bar and grill. Shaska, her tub bearers, and Schwarz were seated at the bar.

"This is the best thing I've ever tasted!" exclaimed Schwarz, munching on one of Andy's steaks.

"Oh. It's delicious," said the tub bearers in unison as they ate theirs.

"Show some enthusiasm!" Schwarz called out again.

Shaska chugged a beer while Roxanne continued a conversation with her.

"So, you guys are a business AND a paramilitary organization? That's pretty neat," Roxanne said, having changed into a sleeveless light blue top and knee-length dark blue skirt.

"Yup. We sell to anyone, including pirates. Most pirates know what's good for them, but some try to take over our ships and stores anyway. Those who get uppity get sold to the Marines. We're all trained bounty hunters here."

"That's so cool!" Andy chimed in. "So you guys go on lots of adventures, huh?"

Shaska took another swig of her beer.

"Why? You interested in coming?"

"Maybe… I've always wanted to see what the world was like. Blue Turtle Island is great and all, but it's kind of boring and bland here. I want to travel! Roxie and I have talked about it a lot!"

"But seeing how strong those pirates were, and how effortlessly you beat them… Andy and I are just normal people, not fighters like you. We wouldn't last a day in a sea full of pirates."

"Here's the deal. I can get you a restaurant on every island in the Grand Line. This could be a massive berry maker for me. I'm willing to hire you as my personal chef. Come see the world with me, you two," Shaska said with a smile.

They both stood there, dumbfounded.

"A-are you serious?" said Andy.

"Why are you offer-" asked Roxanne before being interrupted with a tentacle on the lips.

"Shshshshsh… Because I will die if I don't have these steak and potatoes ever again. Our chefs are alright cooks, but not as good as you. There's serious potential here… you CAN cook other things besides steak right?"

"Of course!"

"Excellent. In exchange for protection and business opportunities, I will make you two my personal chefs. I'll have the lawyer draw up a contract."

"So, wait, how does this all work?" Roxanne asked.

"I suppose the business side of this world hasn't captured the imagination as much as the pirates or the Marines have. I'll explain later. I don't like mixing business and alcohol.

"You know, you guys seem awfully cool with me being a mermaid."

"You saved our town!" said Roxanne.

"Doesn't matter if you're human or not, you're really cool, big lady!" said Andy.

"Okay, I'm putting a moratorium on that 'big lady' thing. My name is Shaska, okay?"

The doors to the bar opened. The mayor came through and made his way to where Shaska was sitting.

"Oh. The racist mayor," said the tub bearers.

"I've come to apologize," said the old man. "After some time to reflect, I realize that it was wrong to judge you for something you can't control. And having big strong guys like your workers here would do wonders for us not being attacked by pirates again. It would be an honor to host one of your Kemurchant stores here on this island."

"Good to hear you finally come around, Mr. Mayor. I'll have the lawyer draw up a contract with you too. But right now, it's drinking time," she said, puffing her cigar and taking another swig.

The party lasted through the night. The next morning, Shaska woke up at the bar with a blinding headache.

"Oh. A hangover," she said, sarcastically as she pulled out a new cigar.

She looked around and found her crew (including Schwarz, Roxanne, and Andy) standing around her.

"Oh. My crew. You guys ready to go?"

"Well…" said Ichiro. He pulled out the day's newspaper and handed it to Shaska. Her cigar fell out of her mouth. The front page read "KEMURCHANT BUSINESS OWNER SHASKA FOUND EVADING HEAVENLY TRIBUTE; BUSINESS LICENSE REVOKED."

She turned the page, and found a wanted poster with her name and face.

Seventy five million berries for her head.

"So. Who squealed?"

"Nobody on this crew squealed. Corporate's a different question though," said Nisuke. "The World Government takes their taxes very seriously."

"How much do you owe them anyway?" asked Bob

"Just twenty."

"Twenty?"

"Billion."

"YOU CHEATED THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF TWENTY BILLION BERRIES?" they all cried.

"So, let me guess. You clowns want the seventy five million that's on my head, right? You really think you can take me?"

"No, we know how strong you are," said Santaro. "But it'd look weird for a bunch of bounty hunters to associate with a known criminal. All hundred of us are leaving the Robinson behind and waiting for another corporate ship to pick us up. Vice president… or… I guess she's the president now… President Miwagyo said she'll let you keep the Robinson."

"I'm still sticking with you, boss," said Schwarz. Andy and Roxanne nodded.

"You three are insane," said Ichiro. "She really isn't a good-"

Shaska raised a tentacle to silence him, but he smacked it away.

"You're an awful boss, Shaska. I'm sure you still don't know my name," Ichiro growled.

"But! B-but…!"

"Goodbye, Shaska."

The Kemurchants stormed off.

"My business empire was just snatched out from under me. Nearly thirty years of my life. Down the drain. All in the blink of an eye."

"Well, you did defraud the Worl-'' Schwarz began.

"Oh, please, everyone knows 'heavenly tribute' is just a protection racket. The Marines are just a pirate crew with good publicity," Shaska said, lighting up her new cigar.

"Well, we're still here," said Andy.

"Why?"

"Because you're strong and will help protect us when we sail the world," he said with a smile.

"You're willing to drop everything to go on an adventure with a criminal you just met yesterday? I can't even ensure I'll make your business worldwide without my business license."

"But you can help. The point is, we want to see the world, but we're too weak to do it alone. We'll be your crew for you," said Roxanne.

Shaska couldn't help but get a little misty-eyed at that, but she straightened up before she could cry.

"Hey, pretty boy, you know how to read a log pose?" she asked Schwarz.

"Those things you need to sail the Grand Line with? Of course I do! I'm not really an experienced navigator or helmsman, but I can make do."

"Perfect, then let's get out of here. I'm gonna give the suits at corporate on Fishman Island a piece of my mind."

"Let's go, men and Walking on the Moon. We've got treasure to find and some palms to grease," Shaska said decisively.

TO BE CONTINUED