One Piece: Rinnegan Is My Golden Finger.

Six Paths of Samsara

On the Six Paths of Samsara, Chiga stared blankly at a long list.

Behind him, Kalifa and Ain were stifling laughter, covering their mouths as they recalled what had happened earlier that day.

It was the same afternoon Chiga had visited Mihawk in the hospital.

He had been planning to take Kalifa and Ain out for a meal when Mihawk suddenly appeared at the building's entrance, waiting for him.

Naturally, Chiga was confused. Why was this guy blocking his way? Had he been so affected by their earlier fight that he'd become some kind of fanboy?

Mihawk, face as unreadable as ever, spoke in his usual stiff tone:

"I'm leaving tomorrow. Should I still eat dinner at your Marine mess hall today?"

"Oh? So what do you want to do?"

"The injury on my chest came from you. Since I'm leaving, shouldn't you treat me to dinner?"

Chiga raised an eyebrow. What, did this guy want a farewell feast?

It seemed Mihawk held grudges. Maybe that earlier "weak dog" comment had really gotten to him.

Fine then. With Mihawk's twig-like build, he could eat as much as he wanted. Chiga had mountains of gold stashed away in his Door-Door Space.

Thinking of this, Chiga gave him a condescending smile, waved his hand, and said generously,

"Alright, it's on me. Let's go. I'll take you to the best restaurant at Headquarters. Don't say I'm stingy."

He called Kalifa and Ain to follow him, swaggering ahead. Mihawk smiled faintly and followed behind.

At the restaurant, Mihawk didn't hold back. He grabbed the menu and promptly ordered several hearty dishes. Chiga peeked at the selections—all Sea King meat.

Chiga nodded in approval. Good taste. Sea King meat was both delicious and nutritious. The only drawback was the price.

But when everything had a set price, calling it "expensive" was more about the customer than the food.

Plus, Sea King portions were massive—even Chiga couldn't eat more than a few plates in one sitting.

Glancing at the lengthy order, Chiga sneered inwardly. Let's see how much of that you can actually eat.

But to his shock, Mihawk finished every last dish with ease. Then he looked calmly at Chiga and said,

"That was barely enough. Your Headquarters restaurant is kind of stingy. This doesn't cut it."

Chiga was immediately annoyed. This was his turf. Headquarters was basically his home. Criticizing the food was like slapping him in the face.

"Here's the menu again. Order whatever you want. I want to see how much more you can put away!"

And just like that, Mihawk continued eating for several more hours.

After finishing the last plate, Mihawk elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin and said nonchalantly,

"Not bad, but the portions are still small. I'm about eighty percent full."

Chiga stared, dumbfounded. He glanced at Mihawk's still-flat stomach and couldn't help but mutter,

"Are you a Saiyan?"

"Saiyan? What's that? I don't need a toothpick."

"…"

Chiga remembered Mihawk living in that castle with Perona, where meals were always small. Could he be a master of Life Return?

In the end, Chiga footed the bill and even kept the receipt—to remind himself that Mihawk was an absolute bottomless pit.

---

Arrival at the Red Line

A Marine soldier approached the deck, saluted, and reported,

"Vice Admiral Kirin, the warship has arrived at the Red Line!"

"Alright. I see it."

Chiga folded the long receipt and stored it in his Door-Door Space, then turned to gaze at the towering Red Line.

The elevation was immense. Ordinary people usually needed an elevator to reach the top. Back during the Reverie arc, Vivi and her group had taken an elevator up here too.

Waiting by the elevator now were several agents in black suits.

Chiga didn't let anyone else come along. It wasn't the time to openly clash with the World Government.

This time, none of the agents displayed the arrogance typical of those serving the Celestial Dragons. Every one of them treated Chiga with extreme respect.

Chiga gave them a nod. One of the agents activated the lift, and it began its slow ascent.

When he stepped off the elevator at the top, he was greeted by the sight of Nerona, dressed lavishly in noble attire.

Chiga barely gave her a glance before surveying the area.

Nerona's face lit up at the sight of him, but she quickly scowled at his indifference. She walked over with a scolding tone:

"It's really hard to get a hold of you. Did you forget what you promised me?"

Chiga paused, confused. What did I promise her?

Seeing his puzzled expression, Nerona immediately realized he hadn't taken her words seriously.

Her irritation flared.

"You promised to be my bodyguard, didn't you?"

"Huh? When did I say that?"

"That night at Sabaody!"

"That night? What about it?"

"You said… you—"

She stopped herself mid-sentence, suddenly aware of the nearby attendants. Her expression turned cold.

The attendants froze, dread rising from their feet to their heads.

When she brought up "that night," they'd already started mentally cursing. Whatever happened that night was clearly something they shouldn't hear.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Nerona's gaze was now full of disdain—as if looking at corpses. Their fate was all but sealed.

Chiga frowned. He reached out and pressed her bubble headgear, turning her face toward him with just enough force to make her look at him.

The attendants nearly fainted on the spot.

How dare this Marine touch a Celestial Dragon like that!?

Yet Nerona blushed. She didn't seem to mind at all.

Chiga ignored her reaction and scolded her like a misbehaving child.

"What were you thinking just now? You're not scheming something again, are you?"

"No… definitely not!"

"Good. While I'm here, try not to cause trouble. Now, why are you the one picking me up?"

"They think our relationship is… unusual, so they sent me."

"Who has an 'unusual' relationship with you?"

Nerona looked aggrieved and defiant. Even with his hand still on her bubble, she protested,

"It is unusual!"

"Ugh…"

Staring at this stubborn girl, Chiga's fingers twitched involuntarily.

It was baffling. He considered himself a peace-loving Uchiha, always against unnecessary violence.

But something about this girl made him want to smack some sense into her every time.

---

(A/N:Someone said her name's supposed to be "Shalria" , Truthfully when I drafted and edited this chapter I looked up who this celestial dragon was but couldn't find it as the name was in Chinese.

So I went with Nerona, unfortunately I won't be able to change it anymore as that might cause confusions down the line when I give her two names.

Just think of "Nerona" as her second name)

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