The two shook hands.
As Charlotte grasped the mayor's hand, she immediately sensed something strange through her mind-reading ability. "This guy is supposed to be the new hero of Kamei Island? He's so young. I just hope he doesn't get in the way of my plan," came the inner voice of the man across from her.
There it was—a hidden agenda.
Charlotte narrowed her eyes. Her instincts were right.
"Hello, Mr. Chamberlain. What happened to the former mayor?" Charlotte asked politely, still holding onto his hand.
Chamberlain tried to pull his hand back but found Charlotte's grip too firm. He forced a smile, trying not to let his irritation show. "Is this kid... gay?" he muttered internally.
Charlotte instantly caught that thought and nearly twitched from the insult. Damn it. Calling me that?
"The previous mayor retired due to old age. Not sure where he went... I heard something about a trip," Chamberlain replied, pretending to search his memory.
"Damn brat, why so many questions? How would I know where that old geezer is? That bastard conned me out of 50 million Berries and vanished. I haven't even caught him yet," he cursed inwardly.
Charlotte quietly exhaled in relief. At least the former mayor wasn't murdered. As a child, she'd benefited from the old man's kindness. If he had been killed, she would have avenged him.
"Then what can I help you with today, Mr. Mayor?" she asked, keeping her voice polite.
"Oh, nothing serious," Chamberlain chuckled. "I just wanted to meet the hero of Kamei Island. Now that I'm newly appointed, I figured I should start building connections."
Chamberlain gave her a warm smile, trying to mimic someone meeting their idol. If Charlotte hadn't been reading his thoughts, she might have fallen for the act.
"Hmph. I'm a subordinate of Umis, the Sea King," Chamberlain thought. "I'm here to establish a foothold on the second half of the Grand Line. This island will be our checkpoint."
Charlotte's heart tensed. The name Umis—the Sea King. One of the six infamous underground emperors of the dark world. If they were interested in this place, that spelled serious trouble.
Chamberlain noticed her frown.
"Is something wrong, Mr. Charlotte?" he asked.
"No, no," Charlotte replied quickly, relaxing her expression. "Just a passing thought."
She finally released his hand.
"Oh! Are you busy?" Chamberlain asked, retrieving his hand and taking a seat.
Charlotte sat across from him. "Just dealing with some minor matters."
"Well then, if you ever need anything, just come to me. I'll take care of it personally," Chamberlain boasted, patting his ring-covered chest.
"I appreciate that, Mr. Mayor," Charlotte said with a small smile.
Chamberlain beamed at the title.
"I'm hosting a banquet in two days. I would be honored to have the hero of Kamei Island attend," he added.
"No problem, just let me know when," Charlotte replied, having already figured out the mayor's true intentions.
Chamberlain wanted to turn the island into a logistics hub for the Sea King's transport network. And to do that, he needed Charlotte's help as the local powerhouse.
After a drink and some small talk, they parted ways.
Charlotte exited the coffee shop, still slightly buzzed. Who serves wine in a coffee shop, anyway? She chuckled to herself. Four years since she'd transmigrated to this world, and her first drink of alcohol was here. What a world.
"Master!" "Boss!"
The five maids and Ivan immediately rushed to support her upon seeing her unsteady walk. Their concern quickly sobered her up.
As two maids helped her up, Charlotte felt her face flush.
"Are we home already?" she asked, looking at the villa with pink cheeks. Without accepting Ivan's help, she leaned into the two maids and walked into the house.
The three remaining maids blushed, while Ivan looked away, awkward and silent.
"You three, stay outside the door," he instructed, turning to leave. As the only man present, he knew his place.
The three maids stood silently at the door, holding toiletries, their cheeks glowing red.
...
Late the next morning, Charlotte slowly woke.
"Ugh..." she groaned, sitting up and holding her throbbing head. "Drank too much yesterday."
Just then, she noticed two delicate hands resting on her chest.
"What the—?" Charlotte gasped, grabbing the arms and turning her head.
It was Martha and Jenny.
Both maids lay beside her, hair messy, clothes torn to shreds.
"What... what did I do?" Charlotte panicked.
She threw back the blanket and was greeted with a shocking sight.
"No no no!" She yanked the blanket back up.
Her sudden movements woke the two girls.
"Master!" they both exclaimed, sitting up quickly, completely bare.
Charlotte blushed fiercely, and so did the maids as realization hit.
"U-Um, get up! Please!" Charlotte stammered. She scrambled to get dressed and bolted out of the room.
Outside, the three other maids stood ready with toiletries.
"Take these in. Help them wash up," Charlotte said quickly, then hurried off, leaving the maids behind.
The three girls exchanged stunned looks, then glanced back at the room with envy.
Charlotte walked alone through the villa, sword at her hip.
He needed to clear his head.
What happened last night? It was still hard to believe. A former 30-year-old virgin in his past life, suddenly waking up next to two women?
He found a quiet beach and drew his sword.
With a heavy heart, he let his blade loose.
Sword energy slashed through the sand, carving deep trenches into the shoreline. The sea, unconcerned, rolled in and washed them away.
Charlotte breathed heavily, but the catharsis helped. He began to feel more at peace.
Then, his body trembled.
A surge of pressure radiated from him, centered like a shockwave.
It was Conqueror's Haki.
He hadn't used it since the last incident, and even then, it had gone out of control. Now, it had emerged unintentionally again.
He quickly calmed himself, focusing inward to feel the Haki flowing within.
This time, he would learn to master it—to control this overwhelming force that surged inside him.