"Hey, you lot, stop messing around."
In the kitchen, Sanji shouted, "I've finished the sashimi. Come in and eat!"
"Oh!"
As soon as they heard the food was ready, Luffy and the others' eyes immediately lit up. They jumped down from the clouds Nami had created and rushed toward the kitchen.
"Food, food~"
"Delicious sashimi~"
"Deli—"
"Eh?"
Looking at the empty plates, Merry and the others were stunned on the spot.
Sanji, whose back was turned to them, hadn't noticed anything unusual and was still stirring a pot of soup with a ladle.
"Eat that first," Sanji said without turning around. "That sashimi is made from Deep Sea Fish; the flavor is quite good."
"Where is it?" Luffy asked, confused.
"It's right there on the plate. I just put it down."
"We see the plate, but..." Usopp said with a crumpled face, "there's no sashimi like you said."
"That's right, Sanji," Merry added, tilting her head. "I don't see any sashimi."
"How is that possible?"
Putting down the ladle, Sanji frowned and turned around. "I just—"
"?!"
Seeing the empty plates, Sanji froze. Then, he spoke in disbelief, "How did it disappear?"
"Tch..."
"Sanji, you're messing with us, aren't you?"
"No way!" Sanji retorted. "How could I joke about something like this?"
"Oh... I get it. You guys ate it, didn't you!"
"It wasn't us," Usopp said, shaking his head. "We didn't see any sashimi from the moment we walked in."
"If it wasn't you, then who else could it be?" Sanji said, exasperated.
It couldn't be that a ghost appeared and ate the food.
Chopper, as if remembering something, had a change in expression. "Could... could this be another strange phenomenon of the Maubeugemur?"
At those words, everyone's expressions shifted.
Was this sea area really that terrifying?
At that moment, the large pot of soup boiling behind Sanji was suddenly overturned, and the food inside vanished instantly.
"?!"
"How did the food in my pot disappear?!" Sanji was dumbfounded.
Was it really caused by some strange phenomenon?
"It's here! The strange phenomenon has appeared!" Chopper cried out in terror.
"No, there's something in that pot!" Merry's eyes widened as she watched a figure flee from the pot. "Is it a bug?"
"How could a bug eat that much food?"
"Damned bug, how dare you eat my food!" Luffy roared. "Stop right there!"
With that, Luffy lunged forward and slammed his palm onto the stove, nearly shattering it.
"Hey!"
Sanji's hair stood on end. "Luffy, you idiot! Are you trying to smash the stove?"
Grabbing Luffy by the mouth, Sanji bellowed with a Shark Mouth, "If the stove breaks, I won't be able to cook!"
"Sorry... sorry..."
"Sanji, now isn't the time for that," Usopp said. "The priority is—"
Before Usopp could finish, he noticed the basket that had been filled with fruit was now empty.
Usopp: ?
What the hell?
"Where's the fruit?" Merry was stunned.
How did everything disappear the moment they looked away?
"This damned bug!" Luffy said, annoyed.
"Luffy, it went outside!"
"Dammit, don't run!"
Watching Luffy and Chopper dash out, Sanji rubbed his temples. "I have a bad feeling about this..."
"What do you mean?"
Sanji didn't answer Merry. Instead, he turned and opened the refrigerator.
Sanji: !
Looking at the empty fridge, Sanji was completely shocked.
"The fridge is empty too!"
"What?"
"What about my juice?" Merry cried out.
"Gone..." Sanji's lip twitched. "The juice and the alcohol are all gone."
Merry's temper flared instantly. She turned and ran outside, shouting, "Dammit, I won't let it get away!"
She had been looking forward to a nice glass of orange juice with her meal, and now it was all gone... She was furious!
"What is wrong with you guys?" Nami asked, puzzled.
Why were these guys acting so rowdy the moment they came out?
Also, why was Luffy holding a butterfly net?
"A bug monster appeared!" Chopper said. "It ate the food Sanji made for us!"
"Huh?"
Nami looked at Chopper with a face full of question marks. What on earth were they talking about?
What bug monster?
Perona, however, looked frightened. A bug monster? Could it be a cockroach monster...
At the thought, Perona carefully shuffled behind Zoro's back, hiding herself.
"It's not just the food," Merry said. "Even the juice and alcohol are gone."
"What?!"
As soon as he heard the booze was gone, Zoro's temper flared.
"You damned thief!" Luffy shouted. "Give me back my food!"
"Calling me a thief?"
Lily, who was about to flee, heard this and looked up. "I can't let that slide."
"I only ate a little bit of what was left there."
"There really is a strange voice..."
Nami stood up and looked at the deck in disbelief. "Is there really a bug monster?"
Was this another unique existence of this sea area?
"How could there be a bug monster?"
Meiser, who had put down his book, jumped down from the highest point of the Pirate Ship and landed beside Nami. "It's just a member of a special race."
"A special race?"
"Yeah."
Meiser nodded. "A human who looks very small."
"How do you know that?" Luffy asked, surprised.
"Can't you use Observation Haki to 'see'?" Meiser said, speechless.
The other person's presence was very obvious.
At those words, everyone present who knew Haki fell silent.
Right, why didn't they just use Haki to look?
"So, where is the person?" Brook asked, confused.
"They're on you."
Brook: ?
What did he mean, 'on him'?
"I didn't expect to be discovered so quickly." Lily crawled out of Brook's pocket and looked up at Meiser. "You're a pretty impressive guy."
With that, Lily quickly jumped off Brook and ran toward the side of the ship.
"Oh no, she's trying to escape!" Luffy, using Observation Haki to track Lily's movements, shouted, "Stop her!"
"On it!"
Franky, who happened to be in Lily's path, swung a fist at her.
"Like I'd be taken down by you!" Lily shouted.
As she spoke, she threw a punch that collided with Franky's fist, forcefully knocking him back.
Franky: ?
Everyone else: ?
The opponent's strength was actually that great?
"She sent Franky flying with one hit," Luffy said, shocked. "This bug monster is amazing."
"I told you it's not a bug monster..." Meiser's lip twitched.
While he didn't know what race this little one was, they were at least humanoid.
Shaking his head, Meiser instantly vanished from his spot.
When he reappeared, he was already standing in Lily's inevitable escape path.
"Dammit, I can't let you guys trap me here..." Lily said.
She had a father to save, so she absolutely couldn't be caught!
Thinking of this, Lily decisively activated her Devil Fruit Ability.
"Taste this, you guys!"
Hum~
In the next moment, Lily's body underwent a massive transformation under the influence of the Devil Fruit. Within a few breaths, she turned into a Giant over ten meters tall!
"So... so big!"
"Incredible!"
Sanji, meanwhile, suffered a direct nosebleed and shouted, "Fantastic! A Giant lady!"
Meiser: ...
Sprinting to the side to dodge the nosebleed, Meiser's lip twitched. Why was this guy still like this?
"So it really was a human," Nami said, looking at the enlarged Lily in shock. "Then how did she get so small earlier?"
Nico Robin thought for a moment and then said, "She likely ate a Devil Fruit that allows her to change her size."
Otherwise, there was no way to explain how she could grow so large.
"Who cares, as long as it's not a bug monster," Perona said.
With that, Perona floated into the air and flew toward Lily.
"?"
Looking at Perona flying in mid-air, Lily was momentarily stunned.
How could this person fly?
Lily was about to ask, but before she could open her mouth, she saw several Negative Spirits fly out from behind Perona.
Lily: !
"Eek!"
"Gh... Ghosts?!"
Looking at the ghosts that suddenly appeared, Lily's face went pale.
"I don't know what your deal is, but you'd better lie down for me!" Perona shouted. "Negative Spirit!"
Hum~
"Ugh..."
As the Negative Spirit passed through her body, Lily's frame shuddered. She knelt on the ground with a look of utter despair, her body simultaneously shrinking back down to just a few centimeters.
"I actually stole someone else's food... I'm such a piece of trash..."
"Horo-horo-horo~"
Seeing the girl she had taken down with one move, Perona laughed happily.
"Now you know how powerful I am, you brat!"
"Her body is so mysterious."
Looking at Lily, who had suddenly become tiny, Merry leaned in. "When she's big, she's like a Giant, but when she's small, she's only a few centimeters."
"True."
Meiser rubbed his chin and muttered, "She's like a figurine."
He just didn't know if she was a member of the Giant Race who ate a shrinking fruit, or a member of the Dwarf Tribe who ate an enlarging fruit.
A moment later...
"Ah!"
Lily, back to normal, suddenly stood up and looked at Perona with a face full of shame and anger. "You... what did you do to me!"
"Horo-horo-horo~"
"Just giving you a little lesson," Perona said with a laugh.
As pirates, not killing her outright was already being very polite!
Lily grew even angrier. What was that supposed to mean!
"You're really something," Luffy said, leaning in close to Lily. "Changing from big to small and back again~"
"Hahaha."
Sensing that Luffy didn't have any ill intent, Lily put down the fork she had just raised. "It's because I'm a Giant who ate the Mini-Mini Fruit, which is why I can change my size."
"Giant Race?" Usopp looked at Lily in shock. "You're actually a Giant?"
He hadn't expected to encounter the Giant Race again.
"Yes."
Lily nodded. "This current state is my normal size after eating the fruit. I also have a five-millimeter form and my original Giant form."
"I can transform into these three states."
As she spoke, Lily demonstrated her Devil Fruit Ability to everyone.
"Normal size..." Meiser rubbed his chin. "Being a Giant, shouldn't your normal size be your Giant form?"
Why was it the few-centimeter form?
"I don't know," Lily said, shaking her head. "Ever since I ate this Devil Fruit, my normal state became like this."
"To grow big, I have to consume stamina to restore my size."
She didn't know why, but that was her current reality.
"Then her ability is probably similar to Luffy's," Usopp said. "Luffy's body is always in a Rubber state."
So, her situation wasn't particularly surprising.
This time, Meiser only nodded and didn't say anything more.
After all, Devil Fruit powers were bizarre by nature, so no ability was truly surprising.
"You're so interesting~" Luffy grinned. "And really strong. Even though you're so small, you sent Franky flying with one punch."
"Because I'm a Giant," Lily laughed. "Even though I've shrunk, my strength is still that of the Giant Race."
Saying this, Lily walked up to Luffy and lifted him up with one hand. "See? I'm really strong~"
"How fun, hahaha~"
Watching the group's interaction, Nico Robin smiled and said, "It seems they've completely forgotten about the food being eaten."
Nami felt a bit helpless, but since Luffy and the others didn't care anymore, what could she say?
"Can you do anything else?" Franky asked curiously.
"Of course!"
Lily put Luffy down and gave a thumbs-up. "I have a very impressive special move!"
"What special move?"
"After turning mini, I sneak into an enemy's body and then grow large again to burst them from the inside!" Lily said.
"?!"
"!!"
As if imagining a certain scene, Usopp and Chopper immediately clung to each other, their expressions filled with horror.
No way!
They didn't want to be burst!
Lily looked at Chopper and Usopp in confusion. What was wrong with these two?
"You can actually do something like that?" Luffy grinned. "Then maybe I can turn into a giant too."
Speaking of which... Meiser had turned into a giant back at Moria's place.
He had been so envious at the time!
He wondered if he would have a chance to experience it himself this time.
Upon hearing Luffy's words, Lily looked puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"
What did he mean, he had a chance to become a giant too?
"Luffy is a Rubber Man," Nami said, pulling on Luffy's cheek. "So he won't burst; he'll just grow larger along with you."
"There's such a thing?"
Lily looked astonished. She walked over to Luffy and tugged at his skin, then cried out, "It's true! How interesting!"
She really hadn't expected there to be such an interesting Devil Fruit Ability in this world.
"Beautiful lady~" Sanji, lying on the ground with hearts in his eyes, looked at Lily. "What's your name?"
"Ah~"
"I forgot to introduce myself," Lily laughed. "My name is Lily Enstomach~"
"Alias: Lily the Glutton!"
"I'm a very big eater, you know~"
"Lily, huh~"
Hearing Lily's introduction, Sanji's smile widened.
"What a lovely name~"
"Thank you!"
"Big sister Lily," Merry asked curiously, "why did you appear on our ship?"
"Because of you guys, obviously," Lily said helplessly. "I was originally floating on the sea in a bottle waiting for someone, but then you guys came bursting out of the water and carried me away."
"Waiting for someone?"
Nami and Nico Robin exchanged a look, then Nami asked, "Who would you be waiting for in a place like this?"
Could it be an important comrade or family member?
Otherwise, she wouldn't have risked waiting in the Unhappy Sea.
"Who else could it be," Lily laughed. "Of course, I was waiting for my Pops..." She stopped mid-sentence, then looked dumbfounded. "That's right, my Pops!"
"Dammit, now isn't the time for this!"
"Hey, calm down," Chopper said, staring as Lily's head grew larger in her distress. "Your head and body are out of proportion."
"Lily, what's wrong?"
"My bottle is shattered, how can I be calm?!" Lily said, clutching her head in frustration. "I struggled so much to get here by jumping between Warships, and now I can't get to my Pops..."
As she spoke, Lily began to cry. What was she going to do?
"Warships?" Meiser said, surprised. "Is your Pops a pirate?"
"Why couldn't he be a Marine?"
Hearing Merry's question, Meiser looked at her helplessly. "If her father were a Marine, would she need to be so secretive?"
"So her father is most likely a captured pirate or someone like that."
"Oh~"
Merry had a look of realization. "So that's it!"
No wonder she had to search for her father like this; so he was a pirate.
"I didn't expect your Pops to be a pirate too," Franky said. "What kind of person is he?"
At those words, it was as if a keyword had been triggered, and Lily calmed down instantly.
Then, with a face full of pride, she said, "My Pops is the number one pirate chef in the New World!"
"A pirate chef?"
Sanji's eyes lit up as if he remembered something. "Lily, what's your Pops' name?"
"Panz Fry!"
"Why? Do you know him?" Usopp asked curiously.
"Yeah, I've heard the name," Sanji nodded.
As a chef, how could he not know Panz Fry?
"Ooh~"
"Your Pops is that famous?" Luffy asked.
"Of course!"
Lily tilted her head back proudly. "My Pops is a legend of Volcano Cuisine~"
"Volcano Cuisine?"
"What's that? Is it tasty?"
"Need you even ask!" Lily said, drooling. "Just thinking about it..."
"Is it that good..."
Luffy subconsciously swallowed his saliva. "What kind of dishes are they?"
"You use Dream Spice Crystallized Salt, which only forms near volcanoes, to marinate Sea Beast Meat!" Lily explained. "Then, you just place the marinated Sea Beast Meat into a Volcanic Pool."
"That flavor... that flavor is incredible!"
"Is just the Crystallized Salt enough?" Sanji asked.
"Ordinary crystallized salt definitely wouldn't work," Lily said, shaking her head. "The salt I'm talking about takes thousands of years to form in rock crevices. Its effect is far better than ordinary salt."
"I see."
No wonder just using some crystallized salt would make her find it so delicious; so the salt had such a significant origin.
He had never tried that method of cooking.
"It sounds so good!" Luffy's eyes were shining.
"That's not even the best part!" Lily said, drooling. "The tastiest thing is the Thousand-Person Portion Paella! You put all sorts of rare ingredients into a massive frying pan filled with rice and roast it right over a volcanic crater!"
"With just one bite... it feels like you've been transported into a dream!"
"It feels like running through a field of flowers in heaven!"
"That sounds so delicious!" Luffy said. "I really want to try it, the Heavenly Cuisine!"
The taste must be amazing~
"Is it really that good?" Meiser asked, skeptical.
Wasn't being transported into a dream a bit of an exaggeration?
"Of course it is," Lily said. "Once you actually eat my Pops' cooking, you'll—"
Lily stopped mid-sentence and looked stunned. "Wait, now isn't the time to talk about this!"
"What am I going to do? My Pops!"
Meiser: ...
Looking at Lily, whose head had once again grown out of proportion, Meiser's lip twitched. "Didn't you start talking about it yourself?"
Was this girl an idiot?
"I've heard rumors about Panz Fry," Nico Robin said. "They say he's a pirate who often steals food from the World Government, the Marines, and other pirates."
"But he doesn't steal food for himself; he does it to make delicious food for those who are hungry."
"And... he finds joy in doing so."
Luffy and the others were momentarily stunned upon hearing this.
"This... this is... a hero!"
"Hehe, a hero or whatever..." Lily said somewhat bashfully, "it's embarrassing~"
"My pops..."
"?"
"Wait, no!"
"Now isn't the time to be embarrassed!" Lily grabbed her enlarged head and cried, "My pops!"
Looking at the frantic Lily, Meiser was rendered speechless.
This girl really is an idiot, isn't she?
"Alright, alright," Nami said. "I know you're anxious, but being anxious won't help right now."
"So, tell us what happened first."
The frantic Lily fell silent for a moment before letting out a helpless sigh.
"Just two weeks ago, my pops suddenly disappeared," Lily said. "To find him, I went to many islands to gather information. Finally, I found news in the newspaper that he was being escorted to the Undersea Great Prison."
"That's when I found out he had been captured by the Marines."
"The Undersea Great Prison..."
Luffy frowned at the mention; that was no good place.
Chopper asked in confusion, "Isn't your father a hero? Why would he be taken there?"
He had heard Meiser say that was a place for pirates. Why would a hero be taken there?
"To ordinary people, he is indeed a hero, but not to the World Government," Meiser said. "After all... he's a pirate."
"How can that be..."
Chopper's expression soured. Just because he's a pirate?
"Yes, my pops is a pirate," Lily said. "And a great pirate with a bounty of 320 million Berries!"
"Over 300 million Berries?!" Usopp exclaimed in shock. "Are you for real?"
That could indeed be called a great pirate.
"It's true," Lily nodded. "Maybe it's because of the things he's done; it just turned out that way before we knew it."
"Then how did you get here?" Perona asked curiously. "I remember you saying you were in a bottle?"
"I wasn't in a bottle before," Lily said helplessly. "But because of a storm, my ship was destroyed, so I could only wait in a bottle."
Although the risk of death was high, she couldn't back down. After all... that was her pops!
"Wah!"
Franky wailed, "What a filial child! Truly a good person!"
He loved this kind of thing! Thinking of this, Franky cried even harder.
"It must have been hard on you," Nami said.
"It's nothing," Lily shook her head. "To save my pops, this is nothing."
"But being sent to the Undersea Great Prison..." Zoro frowned. "That place is no joke."
"Yeah," Luffy agreed, nodding. "That place is very dangerous. I almost died there myself."
Having personally experienced those events, Luffy knew exactly how dangerous the Undersea Great Prison was.
"The Undersea Great Prison, huh..."
Recalling the scenes from two years ago, a hint of sentimentality appeared on Meiser's face. He wondered if that guy Magellan was dead or not.
"I'm not going there," Lily shook her head.
"Then what about your pops?" Franky asked, dumbfounded.
Had he misjudged this girl?
"Of course I'm going to save him," Lily said. "But my pops hasn't reached the Undersea Great Prison yet, so I don't need to go to that place to save him."
"What do you mean?"
"When I snuck onto a warship earlier, I heard the Marines' transport route for my father," Lily explained. "They will pass through the Mobius Sea shortly, so I can just wait for them here."
"In other words... the Marines are sailing this way?!" Brook said.
"Yes."
Lily clenched her fists and said, "So I must save my pops!"
She wanted to rescue him before he was taken to the Undersea Great Prison!
"Lily..."
Looking at the determined Lily, the expressions of the Straw Hat Pirates became a bit complex.
"Sorry, everyone, I've caused you trouble," Lily said.
After a pause, she continued, "Right, you guys are pirates too, so you should leave quickly. It won't be good if you run into the Marines."
"What about you?" Merry instinctively asked.
"I can't trouble you all to wait here with me," Lily smiled. "Just give me an empty bottle. I can wait for them inside."
Even though she might die here, for her pops... she would risk it!
"Big Sister Lily..."
Merry pursed her lips and then looked up at Luffy. Others also looked toward Luffy to see what he thought.
"Lily," Luffy spoke up. "Let me help you."
"?"
"Why?"
"Because I want to eat that!" Luffy's eyes sparkled. "I want to eat the Heavenly Cuisine that only Lily's father can make!"
"Besides, your father is a hero~" Usopp laughed. "So we're more than happy to help."
"That's right!"
Merry and Chopper shouted with smiles, "We want to meet a hero too!"
"But... but wouldn't this be..."
"Don't worry about it, Miss Lily," Sanji smiled.
Nami also smiled and said, "After all, Luffy said so, hahaha~"
"If I didn't help here, I'd be a disgrace to my title as a pervert!" Franky shouted. "SUPER!"
As he spoke, Franky struck his signature pose.
"Yohohohoho~"
"Then let's go together!" Brook added cheerfully.
"I didn't expect to clash with the Marines right after reaching the New World." Zoro grinned. "I hope there's a decent Sword Master."
"Horohorohoro~"
Hearing Zoro's words, Perona also laughed. "I can't wait either~"
"Then let's see," Meiser grinned. "Let's see what the caliber of the Marines in the New World is like."
"It seems everyone is on the same page," Nico Robin smiled.
"Are you guys serious?"
Looking at everyone's smiles, Lily's eyes grew red.
"Yeah, leave it to us!"
"Everyone..."
Looking at the tearful Lily, Luffy grinned. "But after we save Lily's pops, you have to let me eat my fill of Volcano Cuisine!"
"Rest assured!"
Lily wiped her tears and laughed loudly. "I'll definitely let you eat your fill!"
"Yoshi~"
After getting a definite confirmation, Luffy's smile widened. Then, with a grand wave of his hand, he shouted, "Guys... let's go save the Heavenly Cuisine!"
"YEAH!!"
"It's Lily's father, you idiot!"
"Hahahahaha~"
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