Starting from One Piece with the Rinnegan

Shalria didn't take Kaito directly to see the Five Elders. Instead, she dragged him off to her palace.

Since it was getting late anyway, she figured they might as well rest at her place for the night, have dinner or something.

Of course, she had no plans to invite her brother or her father to this dinner.

Kaito didn't know that this was all Shalria acting on her own. He assumed it was part of the Five Elders' arrangements, so he simply followed her.

As they stepped into the grand hall of Shalria's palace, Kaito immediately noticed a doll placed on the central sofa—and his expression darkened on the spot.

The doll's design was a bit... abstract, but based on the pair of "Rinnegan" eyes on its face, Kaito instantly recognized that it was modeled after him.

What made it worse was that the doll still had visible water stains on its face—it was obvious Shalria had been hugging it to sleep often.

Just what was going on with this woman?

After getting threatened and slapped by him a few times, she didn't end up hating him—instead, she developed some strange feelings toward him.

Seeing Kaito standing there with a strange look on his face, Shalria curiously poked her head out from behind him.

Then she saw the doll too.

Her eyes widened dramatically. Forgetting all about the heavy "spacesuit" she wore, she immediately lunged forward to grab the doll.

But just as she moved, Kaito grabbed the collar of her outfit from behind. Luckily, the fabric was sturdy—otherwise that pull would've exposed her completely.

Shalria, caught by the collar, didn't dare look back at Kaito. For the first time ever, she felt the overwhelming urge to crawl into a hole and disappear.

Yep, this was total social death in front of Kaito.

Kaito placed his hand on her bubble helmet again. This time, he didn't twist it—he just pressed down and lifted.

With a soft pop, the bubble detached from her suit and ended up in Kaito's hand.

Even after it was removed, Shalria didn't react much.

Celestial Dragons liked wearing those bubble helmets because they didn't want to breathe the same air as commoners.

But now, it was just the two of them in the whole hall—she'd already dismissed the guards. With Kaito around, who needed guards anyway?

Breathing the same air as Kaito actually felt kind of nice.

So not only did she not get mad, she even took a few deep breaths. Maybe she'd been stifled under that helmet for too long.

Kaito looked at the absurdly vertical hairstyle on her head, frowned, and said,

"What the hell is that hairstyle? It looks awful."

"Nani?! This is the signature hairstyle of the Celestial Dragons! It's a symbol of status, you—"

"Hm?"

"...If you don't like it, I'll let it down!"

She wriggled free from Kaito's grip, then turned around and gave him a playful glare.

She reached up to smooth her hair down, but who knows how much product had been sprayed into it—it wouldn't come down no matter how she tried.

The more she fussed with it, the messier it got. Before long, tears welled up in her eyes. She looked like she was about to cry.

Kaito was speechless. How could messing with her hair drive her to tears?

He sighed and shook his head. Then he formed a few hand seals with one hand, and a wall of water appeared next to Shalria.

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall."

Shalria looked at the sudden wall of water, then turned her eyes expectantly to Kaito.

Kaito said irritably, "Just use water, seriously. Do you not have a shred of common sense?"

"Oh…"

Shalria dipped her hands into the water, scooped some up, and applied it to her hair.

Sure enough, the water smoothed it right out. After a few strokes, her hair fell naturally to her shoulders.

Her now-loose orange hair framed her face as she shook her head slightly to flick off the excess water. Kaito almost felt the urge to hit her with a Fireball Jutsu just to dry it for her.

After flicking her hair, Shalria looked at Kaito with some embarrassment. She was convinced this new "commoner" hairstyle must look horrible.

But to Kaito, she looked surprisingly good like this.

She was already very pretty—especially compared to the inbred-looking features common among Celestial Dragons, her beauty could be described as goddess-level.

Now with her shoulder-length hair, her whole vibe had changed. She still looked like a Celestial Dragon, but with an unexpectedly gentle air about her.

Of course, only when she wasn't talking.

Seeing Kaito lost in thought with no response, Shalria assumed she was right—this hairstyle must be hideous.

Irritated, she said, "I knew it! This kind of peasant hairstyle doesn't suit me!"

"Says who? I think you look kinda cute right now."

"Hmph, as if you'd—eh?"

This was the first time Shalria had ever heard Kaito compliment her. She froze on the spot, completely at a loss for words.

Kaito saw her spacing out again and ignored her, stepping past her to explore the lavish palace.

Shalria snapped out of it with visible delight. She was about to say something, only to realize Kaito had already disappeared from view.

She hurried after him, calling out as she ran, "This is my room! What do you think—doesn't it match my beauty perfectly?"

...

Dinner time.

Kaito and Shalria sat across from each other at the far ends of a long banquet table.

Kaito was fully focused on eating. He had to admit, Celestial Dragon chefs were top-notch—the dishes were rich in color, aroma, and flavor.

Shalria, on the other hand, picked at her food without much interest. She'd been eating like this her whole life and was long since bored of it. Her attention was entirely fixed on Kaito.

Watching him eat so intently, a soft smile appeared on her face.

She had been born practically at the top of the world, never having to lift a finger. Everyone around her had coddled her—she had never experienced even the slightest hardship.

Until that night in Sabaody.

She'd been utterly humbled by Kaito, nearly losing her life in the process. He was the first man she'd ever met who didn't fear her at all.

Even when she tried to show goodwill toward him, he gave her nothing in return. All she could do was gather scraps of information about him through servants and newspapers.

She had watched him rise in less than two years from a mere Marine Captain stationed in Sabaody to the Navy's sole Admiral candidate.

Even many Celestial Dragons had begun to take notice of him.

After all, Admirals were the top combat force in the Navy. Whenever a Celestial Dragon was in danger, it was often Admirals who came to their aid.

Many pirates weren't necessarily afraid of the Celestial Dragons themselves—but they feared the Admiral that might come after them.

And Kaito wasn't just strong—he was young and incredibly handsome.

Shalria had heard whispers that some female Celestial Dragons had already set their sights on him.

Thinking of that, Shalria scoffed in disdain.

"Do they even know what they look like? Most of them are like that pirate hag, Big Mom!"

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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