One Piece: After Being Exiled by Sengoku, I Began Building Fortresses

At first glance, Luo Lan found her familiar.

At second glance, she looked even more familiar.

Wait a second… wasn't this woman the one known for her top-tier singing voice, unmatched thieving skills, and exceptional intelligence-gathering abilities—Karina?

But why was she here?

Well, thinking about it more carefully, it kind of made sense. After all, it'd still be quite some time before she made her way to Tesoro.

And conveniently…

That little troublemaker Nami had been far too much of a handful lately.

What if he roped Karina into taking over the Treasury Department instead? Then Nami could focus solely on being the ship's navigator.

Now that was a plan worth pursuing.

"Ian, take her to my quarters. I'll be there in a bit," Luo Lan said casually.

Ian, without asking any questions, gave a loud affirmative shout and escorted Karina away.

Karina, however, had her eyes wide open in disbelief.

Wait… what exactly are these people planning?!

---

After giving Ian his orders, Luo Lan made his way to the Monkey Mountain Alliance' camp (Saruyama Alliance).

A thought had just struck him—something about the special weather pattern that occurred before the Knock-Up Stream appeared.

Ah, right—Imperial Cumulus.

When these specific clouds formed south of Jaya Island, there was about a 90% chance the Knock-Up Stream would erupt the following day.

The problem was… Luo Lan didn't actually know what these clouds looked like.

So, he decided to consult Mont Blanc Cricket. The man had been here long enough to recognize such patterns.

Thanks to yesterday's events, Luo Lan was able to head straight in without obstruction and find Cricket immediately.

"You know what a Imperial Cumulus is?" Luo Lan asked.

"Of course. Isn't that one right there?" Cricket replied, pointing to the southern sky with a puzzled expression.

Following the direction he pointed in…

Ah.

So that's what the famed cloud looked like.

It was as thick as a solid object, with a strange and imposing presence.

That confirmed it—the Knock-Up Stream would erupt tomorrow.

Luo Lan turned on his heel and hurried back. Time was of the essence, and there was still much to be done.

But just as he returned to the Danaan and reached the door of his private quarters, something felt off.

Sweeping the room with Observation Haki—

Empty.

Not a single soul inside.

Damn, should've known better than to rely on Ian to watch her…

Still, she probably hadn't made it off the Danaan yet.

With a focused sweep of Observation Haki across the entire ship, he quickly pinpointed Karina's location.

The spot she was in…

Luo Lan's lips curled into a small smirk.

Well, well—what an interesting reunion this will be…

---

Inside the ship's bridge...

Hina sat comfortably in the captain's chair.

Next to her, Nami stood as acting first mate.

Suddenly, a strange device was tossed into the room. It bounced a few times before rolling to a stop at Hina and Nami's feet.

The next second, it erupted—flooding the bridge with thick smoke.

Outside the bridge…

Someone pumped their fist in triumph.

Got it!

This ship should be worth at least a few hundred million Berries. Maybe more.

I'm gonna be rich!

(Karina, of course, had no idea Luo Lan was thinking: 100 million? You insult the Danaan. Try 10 billion—or better yet, 100 billion. Even that might not be enough.)

Mask securely in place, Karina charged into the smoke-filled bridge.

Her plan was simple: subdue the crew while they were unconscious, and take control of the ship.

That was the dream. Reality, however…

...was often much more brutal.

The moment she stepped in, a hand landed firmly on her shoulder.

Startled, she spun around—

And immediately froze.

So did the woman who'd grabbed her.

"Foxy vixen?!"

"Thieving cat?!"

"You—why are you here?" they shouted simultaneously.

Soon after, the ship's ventilation system began humming as it expelled the gas.

That's when Karina realized—none of the two dozen or so crew members on the bridge had gone down. Not even one.

What kind of nightmare ship is this?!

Actually, the explanation was simple.

Every field-deployed member of Jun Lin was rigorously trained for emergencies. Their first reaction to the smoke was to hold their breath.

Even if some had accidentally inhaled a bit, their current physiques were more than enough to resist the effects.

There was no way something as basic as sleeping gas could take them all down.

"Karina, you actually tried to hijack this ship? Are you insane?" Nami asked.

"Oh, don't act like you're better than me! Why did you join this Jun Lin group, huh?"

"I can join whatever I want—it's none of your business!"

"Hmph! And I can rob whatever ship I want—you don't get to lecture me!"

"Oh yeah? Then don't come crying to me later! Handle it yourself!"

Nami huffed and turned her head.

Ungrateful fox! I'm done!

"Well, you two seem to be getting along nicely," said a new voice.

Luo Lan strolled onto the bridge with a smile.

"You!!" Karina exclaimed.

She hadn't seen his face before, but that mask—oh, she knew that mask.

In Jun Lin, the few people who wore masks had distinct designs. And Luo Lan's was unmistakable.

"Didn't I ask Ian to bring you to my room and wait for me?" he asked.

"Hah! A single pair of handcuffs? You really thought that could hold me? Don't be ridiculous!"

"Oh, is that so…"

Luo Lan snapped his fingers.

Two Jun Lin soldiers marched in, each carrying an assortment of restraints—handcuffs, ankle shackles, ropes, binding straps, and more.

After a brief flurry of activity, Karina was wrapped up in over a dozen restraints.

"Perfect. Take her to my room. I'll handle the interrogation after I finish up here."

"Yes, Captain!"

And just like that, the two soldiers hoisted the bound Karina and carried her off.

Well, she couldn't walk like that anymore, so being carried was the only option.

"L-Luo Lan… What are you planning to do with Karina?"

"Nothing shady. Just a little chat—and I'll try to persuade her to join Rhodes Island."

"That's all?"

"That's all. Oh, and by the way—I'm planning to set up a new Navigation Department. It'll handle navigator training, sea chart management, and so on. I want you to lead it."

"Navigation Department?" Nami's eyes sparkled.

That sounded like it was tailor-made just for her!

But…

"What about the finances for Rhodes Island?"

"That's why I need to convince Karina. She'd be perfect for taking over. Don't you think?"

"True… She's as good with money as I am. But why do I feel like you're up to something?"

"Absolutely not. You're overthinking it. Anyway, it's settled—we'll implement this once we're back."

With that, Luo Lan turned and left the bridge.

He returned to his private quarters.

The moment he stepped inside, he saw a certain woman bound and writhing on his bed.

Wow, seriously…

It hadn't even been that long, and Karina had already undone three of the restraints?

Looking at the open cuffs and ropes scattered around the bed, Luo Lan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Now this was impressive.

---

Currently at chapter 420 on Ko-Fi

https:// ko-fi.com/sami27