I went aside and created some modern diving gears for everyone present to breathe under the lily pad.
Sabo: Dia, are you sure you want to remain a pirate, we could need your skills by us?
Dia: I have my freedom and you have your freedom, Sabo. I have sworn that I will be the strongest woman on all the seas.
Sabo: I thought I wouldn't be able to convince you, but it was worth a try.
Dia: Okay, now put on your diving gear.
Sabo: Right, I should focus on our goal.
We put on our diving gear and jumped into the slime layer. It was difficult for us to move in the slime and I often had to be careful that Oliver and Terra didn't stray too far off from the group, because their bodies couldn't keep up with the rest of us yet. Madam Biburo swam ahead and when we got to the stem she was looking for the old hole that she left there 10 years ago. We only had an old oil lamp with us and it took Biburo at least 2 minutes to find the hole in the dark. We entered the hole and it led into a cavity in the stem that went down hundreds of meters and was about 50m wide.
Biburo: Hold on to the notches in the stem, but be careful not to slip through the slime on your hands and feet.
Terra, I and Oliver were the last ones to enter the stem and I made sure that the two of them didn't slip down.
Oliver: I think I can transform here to climb better.
Terra: Now I'm really jealous of your chameleon form, Oliver.
Wallace: How high do we have to climb, it's too dark here to see the end?
Biburo: It's not far, at most 20 m.
We climbed up Madam Biburo's climbing path and after 20 m we arrived at a small opening.
We climbed through the opening and ended up in the middle of the city center, which was on the stigma of the water lily flower.
Oliver: Wow, the inner Rose City looks completely different than the outer Rose City.
Biburo: Yes, the houses here are built in the stamens of the rose, but our target is on the upper petals, which is where the water lily palace is located.
Terra: And why does everything glow here and what is this orange liquid that also glows?
Vegadon: The pollen is responsible for the light, the steel rose collects the energy of the sun's rays throughout the day and then passes the energy on to the stamens inside the flower, so the inner Rose City is brightly lit at night and during the day it is dark as at night. The residents sleep when it gets dark here and right now it feels like it's early morning for them.
Terra: And what is this liquid?
Vegadon: This is the light blossom honey, it is a delicacy and one of the country's largest sources of income. It is mined by slaves in this city, most of the slaves were once pirates who glued themselves to the water lily and were captured by bounty hunters.
But there are also hundreds who could no longer pay their costs for the drug and ended up here.
There are around 2000 slaves in the inner rose city who mine the honey for the nobles and around 500 more who work in the Steel Rose Factory.
Sabo: And from where can I open the gate?
Vegadon: All you have to do is go to the Steel Rose Gate, it has a simple locking mechanism that anyone can use.
Sabo: Then I'll try my luck there and create some distraction for you.
Dia: Don't get caught.
Sabo left our group and made his way to the Steel Rose Gate.
Dia: And how do we get into the palace?
Biburo: We have to go to the honey vein, there a river of honey that flows up and takes us to the crown petals. It works somewhat like an elevator.
Wallace: Let's not attract too much attention, after all we still have slime all over us.
I spread my wings and blew the slime off our bodies.
Oliver: Captain Dia is so cool.
Dia: You're cool too, you're the most important one out of all of us.
Oliver: I am, why?
Dia: You make yourself invisible and look around to see if we can move on safely.
Oliver saluted and disappeared before our eyes.
Terra: Oliver is really cute, at least sometimes.
Dafne: Why has Oliver only been allowed to sleep with Dia so far?
Dia: With you, if he would sleep in your room, he would experiencing childhood trauma because you don't have your sexuall urges under control and he's also far too young for you.
Dafne: I would never do something like that with him!
Terra: Who let him massage her breasts in the bar? Exactly, that was you.
Dafne: I was drunk and Dia later let him massage her breasts too!
Dia: No, I told him he should massage Coni's breasts instead.
Wallace: You said what to him?
Dia: The two then kissed each other on their cheeks and Coni fell asleep in his arms, so don't worry about it, Wallace.
Terra: So cute!
Wallace: I haven't enlightened them yet, perhaps I should do so before it's too late.
Dia: Just leave them both alone, they haven't even kissed properly yet and you think they're about to sleep with each other.
Terra: If they love each other, I'm fine with it. Me and Bibi had to learn everything the hard way.
Oliver: The way is clear, the guards are all gone, what did you all talk about, before i came back?
Terra: Just about you being too cute.
Oliver turned completely red all over and we moved on to the honey vein.
After 10 minutes we arrived and saw that two guards were guarding the entrance to the vein.
Vegadon: And what do we do now, the two of them will definitely notice us and trigger the alarm.
Dia: Leave it to me!
I used the transformation jutsu and took on the form of Rosedon.
Vegadon: Why do you look just like my brother?
Dia: Because I'm a ninja and it's just an illusion.
Wallace: Is there anything you can't do, Dia?
Dia: Are you jealous of your captain?
Oliver: Can you teach me that too?
Dia: Yes, but it requires a lot of training and you have to train your physical strength first. After all, you ate a Zoan devil fruit.
Oliver: So can you teach me when I get stronger?
Dia: I think it shouldn't be a big problem, after all it's one of the 3 standard jutsu's.
Oliver: So I will also learn two other jutsu's?
Dia: Yes, and now everyone follow me and let me talk to the guards.
I went with the others to the guards and stood in front of them.
Dia: You there!
Guard: Minister Rosedon, what can we do for you?
Dia: You're taking me to the prison, I don't feel like thinking about where the prison is today!
Guard: (I hate this guy, I wish he would just let us do our work in peace, but maybe I'll get a bonus. Mmmh.) But of course we'll take the honored minister to the prison, just follow us.
Dia: It's about time you answered me and now move your asses or do I have to inform Hyasinth about your disobedience first.
Guard: No, we'll bring you straight to the prison. (And hopefully you'll stay there forever.)
The guards entered with us a calyx flower in the vein, which was then transported upwards by the honey. Everything worked like a ship's lock, the only difference was that steel roses closed half of the honey vein and the honey could then collect under the calyx flower.
Once at the top we left the calyx flower and were taken to the prison by the two guards. The priso was on the sides of the Steel Rose, it was cut into its walls and sealed with real steel bars.
Guard: I hope we were able to meet your demands?
Dia: Yes, you two can go back to your posts. I'm going to give you a raise in money next month, because I like your work ethic.
Guard: It was an honor for us to serve the Minister of the Rose.
The two guards left and I transformed back.
Dia: That was easier than I thought.
Oliver: The guards didn't even ask who we are.
Vegadon: The guards were probably afraid to lose their jobs, but now let's look for Madam Biburo's son.
We walked along the cages and discovered that even naked children were trapped in them and Terra became more and more angry about it.
Terra: Captain, I can't take this anymore, can we please free all the slaves?
I looked at Terra with a smile.
Dia: I thought you never ask me? But let's wait a little longer until Sabo and his people infiltrate the city.
Terra wiped her tears from her eyes and gave me a look of confidence and strength.
Terra: Thanks, Dia.
Oliver looked at Terra and hugged her.
Oliver: Stop being sad, I don't like it when any of us is sad.
Dafne also ran to Terra and hugged her and then gave Oliver a jealous look.
Dafne: Why don't you ever hug me like that, Oliver? Now I have to cry too.
Oliver: Dia said, I shouldn't massage you anymore and Coni forbade me to do that too.
Dafne: A conspiracy has been made against me.
We walked further and discovered a special prison cell, it was made entirely of iron and had no openings through which we could see.
Biburo: My Vivre Card points to this cell, my son must be behind this door.
Dia: Then go back a little, I'll open it.
I opened the door with a few blows of my fist, which ripped the cell door from its anchorage and threw it to the other end of the cell and we then entered the cell and saw the 3m tall frog with half of its body anchored in the steel rose floor.
Biburo: Peter, finally.
Peter: Mom, I've been waiting for you for years.
Biburo hugged the frog's upper body and tears streamed down her face.
Biburo: I missed you so much, my little Strubbel Peter.
Peter: Mom, I didn't let anyone else file my nails, only you can file them.
Biburo: That doesn't matter for now, how can I free you from the ground?
Peter: A woman has to kiss me, so that I can transform back into my human form.
Biburo directly kissed her son, but nothing happened.
Biburo: Why doesn't it work?
Peter: It always worked with the other women, I don't know why it doesn't work with you.
Dia: Seems like your own mother doesn't count.
Biburo got a twinkle in her eyes and looked pleadingly at me, Dafne and Terra.
I understood what she wanted from us and turned my head to Terra and Dafne.
After a few seconds both of them also realized why we were looking at them.
Dafne: No, never, look for someone else to kiss him.
Biburo: Please kiss him, I just want to hold my son in my arms.
Terra gave up and said, "Okay, but you both owe me one for that."
Biburo: Yes, we will do everything you want from us!
Terra swallowed and slowly walked up to the three meter tall frog's head and looked into his eyes and suddenly she heard a scratching noise.
Terra: Madam Biburo! Stop filing his fingernails, I need to concentrate.
Biburo: You're right, I'm sorry.
Terra turned her face back to the frog and tentatively pursed her lips forward and pressed them against the frog's mouth. The frog began to shrink and turned into a well-built young man about 14 years old who still pressed his mouth against Terra's lips.
When Terra opened her eyes again her face turned red and then she looked down and saw that the boy had no clothes on and jumped away from him and looked at the floor on the other side of the room.
Peter noticed why Terra was turning away from him and put his hands in front of his crown jewels and climbed out of the hole. He was hugged by Bibul and I gave him a coat to wear.
Dafne: Damn, I should have kissed him!
Dia: Well, so could Terra give her first kiss to a cute boy.
Terra: I only did that to free him.
Oliver: Of course that was the only reason you kissed him, smooch, smooch.
Dia: Where is your smooch, smooch with Coni, Oliver?
Oliver turned red and didn't say another word after that.
Peter walked over to Terra and bowed to her.
Terra: What are you doing, get up again!
Peter: You saved me and you are now my queen.
The next moment Madam Biburo hit him on his head.
Biburo: Sorry, my son has always been a womanizer.
Peter: No mother, I'm serious now, I've never seen a more beautiful woman than her and I want this girl to be my wife.
Terra blushed completely and looked away from Peter shyly.
Biburo: You really haven't changed, you used to say that to every girl.
Peter: But she is the most beautiful of all of them. Mother, I have decided that I will travel the world alone with her and we will make countless babies together.
He received another blow straight away, but this time from me.
Dia: Terra is a member of my pirate crew, if you want to sail with her, then only with my permission.
Peter: Then I'll join your crew, so that I can be with her.
Terra: And I have no say in this, I don't know who you think you are, but I decide who I love.
Peter: I didn't mean it like that! I just thought you found me attractive too and that you fell in love with me too?
Terra: You may be a good looking boy, but it takes more than just good looks for me to trust you.
Oliver: Can't we finally go, I've had enough of your relationship arguments.
Biburo: The two of them have no relationship, my son is far too young for something like that!
Dia: I don't care, now let's get out of here.
The next moment, alarm sirens rang throughout the city and guards appeared all around us.