As they walked out of the restaurant, they saw a crowd gathered around a bulletin board, whispering and murmuring.
"Hey, isn't that you?" Shirakawa pointed to a wanted poster on the board. It was Catherine, with a bounty of 10 million berries.
"So it is you. And quite the important figure, too," Shirakawa said when Catherine didn't respond.
"Princess of the Mole Kingdom... To have such a high bounty, you must be a high-ranking enemy of this country," he mused, looking at her with a knowing smile.
"Hey, why are you looking at me like that? You're not going to turn me in, are you?" Catherine asked, shielding herself defensively.
"How did you know what I was thinking? Are you a mind reader?"
"You can't do that! You promised to take me to see the outside world!"
"Did I?" Shirakawa teased.
"You did! You just said it!" Catherine was genuinely scared. If Shirakawa betrayed her, she'd be captured for sure.
"I regret it now. I missed out on 10 million berries because of you."
"So you're not going to turn me in?"
"Haha, I was just kidding."
"You jerk!" Catherine smacked the back of Shirakawa's head.
"Ow!" she yelped. "Is your head made of iron?"
"I suggest you pay attention to your surroundings," Shirakawa said.
Catherine looked up to see that she had become the center of attention.
"Isn't that the woman on the wanted poster?" someone whispered.
"Yeah, it is!"
"Get her!" A group of people charged towards them.
"Run!" Catherine shouted, grabbing Shirakawa's hand and trying to break through the crowd.
Shirakawa grabbed Shanks, Shanks grabbed Buggy, and Buggy grabbed Rayleigh. Only Catherine was actually doing any work.
This spectacle attracted even more attention, with more people joining the chase and the crowd of onlookers growing.
"Isn't that the First Mate and Shirakawa?" one of the Roger Pirates asked his companion.
"It is. But what did they do to get the whole town chasing them?"
"Who knows? Should we help?"
"Nah. The others aren't doing anything. They're no threat to the First Mate."
"True. Let's go back to our game then."
The two pirates went back to their fun, leaving their crewmates to fend for themselves.
"Those disloyal jerks!" Buggy cursed as they ran past other Roger Pirates. "Shanks, let go! This has nothing to do with me!"
"Sorry, but Shirakawa's dragging me along too. Besides, isn't this fun?" Shanks laughed.
"Fun? This is dangerous! Let go! The First Mate and I can still escape if you two create a distraction."
"If that's the case, we can't let go, right, Shirakawa?" Shanks said.
"Exactly. And you told Buggy to hold onto the First Mate. As long as he's with us, we're safe."
"Don't worry, I'll..." Buggy started to say, then realized Rayleigh was no longer holding his hand.
"Uh oh. I think we lost the First Mate," Buggy said sheepishly.
"What?" Shirakawa stopped abruptly, pulling Catherine back.
"Rayleigh abandoned us! That's so uncool!" Shirakawa complained.
"What do we do now, Shirakawa? We can't let them catch us!" Catherine said, panicked.
"Don't worry. Just watch me," Shirakawa said confidently. It was time to unleash his Conqueror's Haki.
He stood in front of the others and released a powerful burst of Haki, not holding back this time.
Everyone in their path, including some of the Roger Pirates, collapsed instantly.
'What was that?' was the last thought on the minds of the unconscious pirates.
"That kid is certainly not one for subtlety," Rayleigh said with a wry smile, sensing the Haki from afar. He knew Shirakawa could have escaped without using it.
"Hey, what happened?" Catherine asked, bewildered. One moment everyone was chasing them, the next they were all on the ground. She had only felt a slight pressure in the air.
"They just fainted. Now let's run before reinforcements arrive," Shirakawa said.
The four of them ducked into a clothing store, changed their clothes, and applied some disguises.
"What now?" Buggy asked.
"We'll figure it out as we go," Shirakawa said.
"Can you take me home?" Catherine pleaded.
"Take you home? After all the trouble you've caused us?" Buggy said angrily.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault. But you're the only ones I can trust now," Catherine said, her voice trembling.
"No. We need to stay until the Log Pose sets for the next island," Shirakawa said.
"That's no problem. It'll take three years for it to set," Catherine replied casually.
"Three years?!" the three boys exclaimed in unison. Shanks and Buggy had never encountered an island that took that long to record.
"Yes, three years. It's no secret on this island. Ask anyone, and they'll tell you."