Trader In The World Of Pirates!!!

[TL/N: Read my new work - Detective Conan: I'm a Succubus?!] 

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"Jade..."

"Jade!?"

Jackie Chan and Robin exchanged glances before harmonizing in unison. Their eyes then turned curiously to the little girl standing before them.

At that moment, a door on the second floor of the antique shop swung open. Uncle Chan, having heard the commotion, stepped out. Spotting the two dust-covered figures at the entrance, he immediately spoke in his usual raspy, goat-like voice:

"You still wish to stand at the door, hmm? How long do you plan to block my customers?"

"Uh..."

Jackie Chan chuckled awkwardly, momentarily ignoring Jade's sudden appearance. Quickly, he removed the shield slung over his back and approached Uncle.

"Look, Uncle! Miss Robin noticed a strange magical energy coming from this shield, so she asked me to bring it to you."

As he spoke, he held up the shield for Uncle to examine.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Uncle Chan cast a quick glance at Robin, who remained by the door with Jade.

Given their previous two successful encounters, Robin had already convinced Uncle Chan of her special abilities—particularly her sensitivity to magical artifacts.

Narrowing his eyes, Uncle Chan studied the shield intently. But after a long silence, he shook his head.

"Strange… I do not recognize these inscriptions."

Then, he gestured towards the back of the shop.

"Jackie, take it to my laboratory. I need to study it further."

"No problem, Uncle!" Jackie Chan replied enthusiastically and headed toward the lab with the shield in hand.

But just as he was about to leave…

"Oh, one more thing!"

Uncle Chan, who had already turned away, suddenly spun back around, causing Jackie Chan to nearly collide with him.

Pointing toward Jade at the door, he announced,

"This is your niece, Jade. She will be living with you for a year. From now on, you are responsible for taking care of her."

"???"

Jackie Chan blinked in confusion.

"Niece? I have a niece!?"

Uncle Chan responded matter-of-factly, "She is your cousin's daughter. Her school performance is… less than ideal. Your cousin believes she took after you as a child, so she sent her here."

He folded his arms behind his back and added, "Now, get to know each other."

"What!? I was very well-behaved as a child, okay!?" Jackie Chan protested, eyes wide.

But Uncle Chan completely ignored him, hands still clasped behind his back as he walked toward the laboratory.

"Uh…"

Jackie Chan turned to Jade, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Robin, could you help take care of Jade for a bit? I need to bring this shield to Uncle first."

"Leave it to me."

Robin smiled, her violet-like mysterious eyes glinting slightly. Placing a gentle hand on Jade's head, she spoke with a warm smile.

"Jade, right? It must be tough coming to America all by yourself."

Jade's eyes widened.

"Are you… Sister Robin!?"

It was clear that Uncle Chan had already briefed Jade about the people in the antique shop before she arrived.

"Yes, I'm Robin."

As she ruffled Jade's hair, a wave of nostalgia washed over her. She, too, had once lived with relatives as a child.

That shared experience made Robin feel an unexpected sense of kinship with the little girl.

Smiling, she glanced at Jade's luggage and said, "Alright, Jade, I imagine your room isn't set up yet…"

"Uncle Jackie and Uncle Chan are busy right now. How about we go fix up your room first?"

"Set up my room later!" Jade latched onto Robin's arm, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Sister Robin, you and Uncle Jackie went on an adventure before, right? I really want to go on an adventure too! Tell me all about it!"

Robin chuckled, correcting her. "What we did wasn't an adventure—it was archaeological work."

But then, seeing Jade's enthusiasm, she smiled.

"Hmm… So you like adventures? No wonder your parents sent you here."

She spoke as if it were an ordinary fact of life. Then, her golden eyes flickered with amusement as she looked at Jade.

"In that case…"

Robin leaned in slightly, her tone turning playful.

"How about this, Jade? While we tidy up your room, I'll tell you a story about One Piece~"

Her voice took on a dramatic flair.

"It's an incredible tale full of adventure!"

Sure enough, despite not knowing what One Piece was, Jade's face lit up. Anything that sounded adventurous was bound to be exciting.

 Jade immediately leaped with excitement.

"Okay! Okay!"

Without wasting a moment, she and Robin carried her suitcases to an empty room in the antique shop.

Despite its shabby and old-fashioned appearance, Uncle Chan's shop was a classic three-section building, with several rooms on each floor. In reality, the space inside was much larger than it seemed from the outside.

Half an Hour Later – Jade's New Room

Having finished unpacking, Jade's eyes gleamed with determination. She clenched her fists and declared angrily:

"Damn World Government! They openly allow scum like the Celestial Dragons to exist!"

"If I were Roger, I'd gather my brothers and storm the Holy Land of Mariejois!"

"Even if I lost, I wouldn't just leave my hopes to the future—I'd fight to the very end!"

Her resolve strengthened, she straightened up and proclaimed:

"I've decided! From today onward, I'm going to be a pirate!!!"

"I'll find a Devil Fruit, gain incredible powers, and become the Pirate King who rules the seas!!!"

With impressive agility, Jade jumped onto the table, raised her head high, and shouted at the top of her lungs.

Right at that moment—

The door swung open.

Jackie Chan, who had come to talk to Jade, froze in the doorway. His face twisted in confusion as he took in the sight of his niece passionately vowing allegiance to piracy.

"Uh… this…"

Robin chuckled and offered an explanation.

"I just told Jade a story about pirates."

However, before Jackie Chan could process that information, Jade spun around, her eyes burning with passion.

"That's not just a story!" she declared.

Taking a dramatic leap down from the table, she pointed at Robin and Jackie Chan and shouted:

"ONE PIECE IS REAL!!!"

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Robin looked momentarily stunned, her expression turning slightly awkward.

Of course, she knew that what Jade said was technically true. But…

She hadn't expected this.

She had merely woven together an adventurous tale inspired by Roger and the many pirate legends she had read—yet somehow, she had managed to give Jade a full-blown existential revelation.

Was it because her storytelling was too good?

Or was it Roger's natural charisma at work once again?

After all, that man had an uncanny ability to inspire one middle schooler after another to chase the dream of becoming a pirate.

Well… fortunately, for kids—

A little delusional excitement every now and then was normal.

Jackie Chan, however, didn't give it much thought. Shaking his head, he turned to Robin.

"Robin, Uncle needs your help. Can you go see what he wants?"

"Got it."

Robin nodded, then turned back to Jade with a playful smile.

"Well then, Miss Jade the Pirate King, I must take my leave for now."

As she stepped out, she added with a teasing glint in her eye:

"Next time, I'll tell you about a Sand Crocodile who tried to steal an entire kingdom—only to be stopped by a Pokémon Trainer~"

"Okay! I can't wait, Sister Robin!"

Hooked by Robin's thrilling adventure tales, Jade was successfully pacified, now acting like an obedient child.

Meanwhile, Jackie Chan stood at the door, watching Robin walk away before turning back to Jade. Scratching his head, he muttered in confusion:

"Jade the Pirate King? Wait… isn't my niece's last name supposed to be Chan?"

"Uncle, I heard you were looking for me?"

Robin pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Uncle Chan, deep in thought, stroked his chin before speaking.

"Hmm… your instincts were right. This shield does contain a special magical energy."

He tapped the shield lightly before continuing.

"But what's strange is that no matter what method Uncle uses, the inscriptions won't activate. There's no magic reaction at all."

His eyes narrowed.

"You've been studying a lot about this subject lately. Do you have any insights?"

By now, Robin was practically half an apprentice to Uncle Chan.

While they didn't have the official title of master and student, she had learned a great deal about this world's magic from him over the past few months.

Of course, most of this knowledge wasn't particularly useful to Robin—many spells required specific materials or incantations, making them far less convenient than simply using her own abilities or the power of origin.

Even so, studying had always been her greatest joy.

Even if this knowledge wasn't immediately beneficial, she still wanted to understand it.

After all, who knew?

Maybe one day, she could establish her own version of the Tree of Omniscience—one that belonged to the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce.

A place where knowledge from countless worlds could be preserved, studied, and shared.

…Of course, that idea was so grand and distant that she didn't dare call it a goal or even a dream just yet.

 However, she would continue to study diligently.

Faced with Uncle Chan's question, Robin's eyes gleamed with a hint of mischief.

"Hmmm…" she murmured.

In truth, Robin already knew exactly what was going on with the shield.

Just as Uncle Chan had pointed out, there were no actual magical inscriptions on it. The lines that appeared to resemble magical circles were nothing more than decorative carvings.

The true source of the shield's power lay in the talisman embedded at its center.

Based on her observations, that little talisman alone was worth several thousand points!

It far surpassed any of the previous magical artifacts she had encountered.

Feigning contemplation, Robin eventually spoke up, subtly guiding Uncle Chan's attention.

"To me, the shield itself feels fairly ordinary..." she mused.

"But the stone with the special symbol in the center—it gives me a different kind of sensation."

"Stone?"

Uncle Chan's expression shifted at her remark. Without hesitation, he grabbed a magnifying glass and examined the talisman at the center of the shield.

A rooster emblem was etched into its surface.

His eyes widened in realization.

"I've seen this symbol before!"

A solemn expression settled on Uncle's face.

"Robin, try removing this talisman from the shield."

Despite Robin being a woman, Uncle Chan had no qualms about assigning her physical tasks—after all, her demonstrated strength far exceeded Jackie Chan's.

"Alright, Uncle."

Stepping forward, Robin extended her hand and lightly tapped the talisman at the shield's center.

Instantly, the charm detached and landed in her palm.

Along with it came a surge of power.

"Huh…?"

Robin let out a soft hum as a peculiar energy coursed through her. Under Uncle Chan's inquisitive gaze, she explained,

"It feels like a strange new force has suddenly awakened in me."

As she spoke, she waved a hand toward the shield.

The heavy object, previously resting on the table, suddenly lifted into the air—floating gently toward her.

At the same time, Robin herself began to rise.

With her immense power, Robin instantly grasped the essence of the spell's ability.

"Uncle, it seems like I can now float freely and make objects within my sight levitate as well."

She spoke thoughtfully, recognizing the striking similarity to the ability of a legendary pirate she once read about.

Golden Lion Shiki.

One of the great pirate legends.

Having consumed the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi (Float-Float Fruit), he could make himself and anything he touched hover in the air.

But…

There was a key difference between his Devil Fruit ability and the magic she had just acquired.

A Devil Fruit's power evolved with its user—growing stronger as they honed their abilities.

Golden Lion Shiki could keep multiple islands afloat and manipulate the terrain itself as a weapon.

In contrast, this spell felt… constant.

A fixed magical force.

It wouldn't grow stronger, nor would it weaken.

For an ordinary person, this spell would be an incredible advantage—turning them into an instant threat.

But for someone like Robin, who already wielded formidable powers, it was underwhelming at best.

Still…

Before she could dwell on it, Uncle Chan suddenly clapped his hands together and shouted:

"I remember now!!!"

Without another word, he bolted toward his collection room, rummaging frantically through shelves and cabinets.

Robin, meanwhile, retracted the spell's power, returning to the ground.

She watched Uncle Chan with an amused expression.

"Hmph… Not even fazed by a floating human?" she mused.

"Guess Uncle isn't bluffing after all."

"When he was younger, he really must've seen his fair share of powerful forces."

A smile played on her lips.

"Looks like landing in Uncle's shop was a stroke of luck after all."

Just then—

A loud noise erupted from the lower floor of the antique shop.

Robin's eyes narrowed as she turned toward the source.

Stepping out of the laboratory, she approached the second-floor railing and peered down.

Her gaze instantly locked onto several uninvited guests in the shop.

"Let Uncle Jackie go! Or else you'll face the wrath of the future Pirate King!"

Jade, her face determined, mustered all her strength and kicked a muscular man in the leg.

But…

She was just a 12-year-old girl, with no prior combat training.

The moment her foot struck, she found herself rebounding off the solid mass of muscle—stumbling backward and landing unceremoniously on the floor.

The man barely even flinched.

"Little girl, go back to your room and do your homework."

A new voice chimed in.

A man in a pristine white suit—radiating an unmistakable air of arrogance—stepped forward.

With an almost lazy motion, he reached down, grabbed Jade by the collar, and effortlessly lifted her off the ground, as if she were no more than a kitten.

"I have business with your Uncle Jackie."

"Jade!"

Jackie Chan, pinned down by another thug, struggled in vain.

But before the man in white could toss Jade aside—

A voice, icy and sharp as a blade, cut through the air.

"If you so much as lay a finger on her—"

The room grew eerily still.

The temperature seemed to drop.

A chilling presence washed over everyone.

"You won't live to regret it."