Inside the Tavern
"Yo-ho-ho~"
"Yo-ho~ Yo-ho~"
"Yo-ho-ho~"
"Yo-ho~ Yo-ho~"
A crowd of pirates sang "Binks' Sake" while laughing, dancing, and carousing.
As for Roscio, who had been knocked out by Natsu earlier, he was now completely wrapped in bandages. With a guilty face, he turned to Eden and the others and said, "I'm really sorry. If I had known earlier that you were companions of our Queen, I would never have dared to disturb you."
Yes, Roscio was the one who got beaten up, yet he was the one apologizing.
Such is the first law of the pirate world: the strong decide everything.
"So, Miss Mirajane, how did you become the queen of these fearsome pirates?" Nami asked curiously.
"Hmm~ That's simple~"
"I just took out everyone on this island who dared to oppose me. Naturally, I became the queen of the island."
"Nami-chan, you can do it too, eventually."
Mirajane finished with a bit of encouragement.
"No, I don't think I could ever do that..." Nami said, twitching slightly at the corner of her mouth.
"But seriously, it's hard to imagine that such a sweet, gentle, and beautiful woman like Mirajane—like a literal goddess—could defeat all these savage-looking pirates."
Nami still couldn't picture Mirajane, who looked so delicate, knocking out pirates like Natsu did.
"That's because you don't know her well enough, Nami," Happy chimed in. "Don't be fooled by Mirajane's looks. She's one of Fairy Tail's strongest candidates, one of the five active S-Class Mages."
"She's known as the 'Demon Mirajane.'"
Happy then took on the role of guide, explaining the guild's power structure: "Excluding Master Makarov, Fairy Tail's S-Class Mages are ranked from strongest to weakest as: Gildarts at the top, followed by the four strongest candidates—Laxus, Eden, Erza, and Mirajane."
(Mystogan has been removed from the active S-Class list since he stayed behind in Edolas.)
"Eh?! So Mirajane is on the same level as monsters like Eden and Erza?! That means she's even stronger than Natsu?" Nami said, shocked.
You really can't judge a book by its cover—she truly didn't expect Mirajane to be that terrifying.
"Yep~ Natsu challenged Mirajane over a hundred times and never won once," Happy nodded.
"That was when I was a kid..." Natsu mumbled quietly.
"True, that was a long time ago," Mirajane smiled humbly. "Now, I'm no match for Laxus, Eden, or Erza. I may not even beat Natsu."
"Alright, enough with the pleasantries. Let's move on to more serious matters," Eden said, cutting off the idle chatter. "We still have many comrades missing out there—we should be worried."
"That's true," Nami agreed. "I wonder if Elfman and Lisanna are safe... Lisanna especially—she's the one I worry about the most."
Mirajane's eyes filled with concern as she spoke of her brother and sister. She had sworn never to be separated from Lisanna again.
"No... While it may sound inappropriate right now... I think the one we should be least worried about is Lisanna," Natsu said after thinking for a moment.
"Huh?! That's a messed-up joke, even by Fairy Tail standards!" Eden was stunned. He didn't expect Natsu to be so blunt!
Drip... drip... drip...
As soon as Natsu finished speaking... Mirajane was already in tears, recalling the mistakes she had made in the past.
"Natsu, how could you make Mirajane cry?! You're evil!"
"Execution! Immediate execution!"
"Too much, Natsu!"
Everyone turned on Natsu.
"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to!" Natsu quickly apologized.
"It's fine. I don't mind. Those were my mistakes," Mirajane replied with a forced smile. But her clenched fists told a different story.
"Natsu, good luck. You'll need it," Eden said, patting Natsu on the shoulder. He couldn't believe Natsu dared to provoke the one woman everyone in Fairy Tail agreed should never be messed with.
"Ugh..." Natsu broke into a cold sweat. She's definitely mad at me. She totally is!
"Anyway, we have three options ahead of us:
Go to the South Sea and rescue Gray.
Go back to Alabasta, defeat Crocodile, take his place as a Shichibukai, and increase Fairy Tail's influence in this world to find our missing comrades.
Head to the legendary Sky Island full of gold and gather the startup funds for Fairy Tail's expansion here."
"Besides the first, I think all three are necessary," Eden said.
Gray: "Wait, so me being imprisoned means nothing to you, Eden?!"
Eden: "Can't you escape on your own?"
Cough cough...
"Everyone, what do you think? Which path should we choose first?"
After laying out the three options, Eden asked the group.
"First of all, no one's proven that Sky Island actually exists. It's just a legend. We shouldn't waste time chasing myths—save it for later."
"Second, I believe we can rescue Gray and take out the Shichibukai at the same time."
"If Mirajane's strength is really on par with Eden's, our combat power should be enough."
Nami concluded her analysis.
"Huh?!"
Eden and Natsu looked equally stunned. "Nami... you're actually this smart?!"
"What kind of nonsense are you two saying?! Am I really that dumb in your eyes?!" Nami shouted back in frustration.
~# Every 30 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter