Onigashima, western castle tower.
Dinosaur Amusement Park.
This was the private turf of the Ulti-Peji siblings.
Rogan returned to the amusement park and quickly found Ulti slumped over on a carousel horse, looking completely deflated.
"Ulti-sama, I'm back."
"Rogan?!"
The moment Ulti saw him, she pounced—latching onto his neck like a pendant, arms wrapped tightly.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Rogaaaan~! I missed you sooo much!"
"…Oh."
Rogan looked entirely fed up.
Missing him was fine and all, but could she not hang on him like that?
Whenever this girl got clingy, it was never for anything good.
Sensing the lack of affection, Ulti was instantly enraged and tried to strangle Rogan—but her fingers weren't long enough.
Even more furious now!
"You bastard! What kind of attitude is that?! I'm a cute girl, you know?!"
"Yes, yes, Ulti-sama, you're as lovely as a sunken lotus."
Rogan replied perfunctorily.
Now that he had a new big name to ride on, why should he keep coaxing this brat?
Heh heh heh heh… Just wait, soon I'll be the one covering for you, not the other way around!
"Fine, I forgive you."
Although she could feel how half-hearted Rogan was being, Ulti decided to let him off the hook—for now. She had something more important for him to do.
"Rogan!"
She tugged on his sleeve, her big eyes brimming with tears, as if she could cry at any moment.
"Peji's gone!"
"…Oh."
"Boohoo, I haven't seen Peji in five whole days!"
"…Oh."
"Masaka! What if Peji ran into some bad guy?! What if he's already dead?!"
"…"
Please stop jinxing your little brother.
The girl collapsed to the floor like a soulless doll.
"Peji! Uwaah! What's the point of living without Peji?!"
"…"
Rogan's face darkened.
You're supposed to be Leg Queen, not Drama Queen.
Ulti stayed despondent for a while, but kept glancing at Rogan from the corner of her eye. When she realized he wasn't going to comfort her, her temper flared again.
She jumped to her feet and kicked him hard in the shin.
"You bastard! Say something already!"
"Hsss—!"
Rogan's lips twitched.
Damn, that hurt!
Not only were her legs long, they packed a hell of a punch.
With hands on her hips and a furious glare, Ulti demanded, "Stupid Rogan, I want you to go find Peji right this second!"
"Ulti-sama."
Rogan sighed, bracing himself.
"I actually came to ask for leave."
"HUH?!"
Ulti stood there, stunned for three full seconds.
Leave?
Was this guy seriously trying to ditch her?!
"What for?!"
"Kaidou-sama has ordered Yamato to suppress the Kozuki rebels. I've been selected to assist her."
Rogan stated matter-of-factly.
A perfectly legitimate excuse to take some time off.
And it gave him the chance to stay in Wano a bit longer, scout out land, and rent out his hot spring inn for profit.
"Assist Yamato?!"
Ulti's voice shot up an octave.
This bastard's changing sides!
Unacceptable!
Rogan might have a mountain of flaws, but he was annoyingly competent. He took care of everything for her so she could focus on spoiling her brother.
With Peji gone, she was just bored. But without Rogan, she was doomed. She couldn't even manage her daily life!
This past half-month… Do people know what she went through?!
At night she kicked the blanket off—and there was no one to cover her back up!
"UWAAAAH~!"
Ulti burst into tears, wiping her face.
"Rogaaaaan~! You're abandoning me?!"
"…"
Rogan opened his mouth.
Girl, if you're gonna fake cry, at least don't peek through your fingers to watch my reaction!
"It's Kaidou-sama's orders."
"Kaidou-sama?"
Ulti's face instantly twisted in rage.
"That bastard Kaidou! Who gave him the right to command my people?!"
"…"
Rogan was silent again.
He could no longer keep up with her chaotic train of thought.
Forget it. Time for the secret weapon.
He pulled out a piece of paper.
"Ulti-sama, I brought this for you."
"What's this?"
Ulti glanced at it. It was a crude map of Onigashima with lots of Xs marked along the coastlines.
Rogan smiled mischievously.
"The marked spots are places your brother often hangs out."
"Really?!"
Ulti's eyes lit up.
Rogan kept his mouth shut, grinning.
Sorry, Peji.
As the saying goes—better you than me.
For the sake of your sibling bond, I'm gonna sacrifice you just a little.
Next time, your big bro will buy you skewers, okay?
"Ulti-sama, I've got things to do."
"Go, go!"
She shooed him away like a fly, all her attention focused on the map.
"Hehehe… hehehehehehe~"
–––––––––––––––
Meanwhile, Onigashima's west coast.
Pejiwan squatted quietly among the windless rocks, patiently watching the sea.
Suddenly, his fishing rod began to jerk violently.
Hooked one!
The line strained and bent with tension—this was a big one.
Pejiwan didn't panic. He skillfully began playing the fish.
Maybe it was his Spinosaurus instincts—he really liked fishing. But since he was a Devil Fruit user, swimming was off-limits, so fishing was the next best thing.
He could spend whole days doing it.
About ten minutes later—
Crack!
The rod snapped in half.
"If only Rogan were here…"
Pejiwan frowned.
If Rogan were around, he could use the net to scoop the fish. That guy was trash at fishing, but pretty damn good at scooping.
"He should be back by now."
He found himself missing Rogan a little.
By his calculations, Rogan should be done with dungeon duty.
Because of his sister, Pejiwan and Rogan crossed paths often. Over time, they became good friends.
Rogan would often pretend to look for him, but it was just an excuse to fish and slack off. He always brought booze and cooking gear too—they'd grill and chill while fishing.
Way better than fishing alone.
"That bastard didn't come rescue me… and I called him brother!"
Remembering what happened half a month ago, Pejiwan was filled with frustration. He swore to beat the crap out of Rogan the next time they met.
Although, without using his powers, he might actually lose.
Rogan had gotten a lot stronger lately, and using powers would just feel like bullying.
He had his pride, okay?!
"Achoo!"
Pejiwan rubbed his nose, then suddenly stood up with sharp vigilance.
"Something's wrong!"
Years of dodging trouble had sharpened his instincts to a terrifying level—better than Kenbunshoku (Observation Haki).
Haki could falter, but instincts never lied.
Danger incoming!
"Time to move."
He quickly packed his fishing gear and prepared to relocate.
Just to avoid his sister's tracking, he'd gone through a lot of trouble.
And he had successfully enjoyed five days of peace.
It was quieter without Rogan around, and something felt off… but peaceful fishing was worth it.
After all, his sister was terrifying.
As he grabbed his bucket and turned to leave—
A slender figure dropped from the sky!
"Peji~! Found you at last!"
"Sister?!"
Pejiwan's pupils shrank to pinholes.
How did she find me?!
Masaka…!!
"ROGAN!!! YOU MOTHERF—AAARGH!!!"
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]