Merry slowed her movement for only a brief moment before snapping back into battle mode.
Those usually wide, innocent, and adorable eyes suddenly turned sharp and merciless, like an entirely different person!
Her small, pale hands slowly reached back, pulling the hood of her cloak over her head.
The loose hood completely obscured Merry's cute face, leaving only a shadow in the sunlight, making it impossible to discern her expression.
Then, with a swift flick of her hands, an invisible, mysterious energy suddenly began to rise from the Going Merry ship itself, converging toward her in midair!
If Luffy were to open Merry's status panel right now, he would see…
Merry's physical body was rapidly increasing in all three of her attributes!
Her physical power stemmed entirely from the spiritual energy of her soul-body form.
And that spiritual energy came from the residual love and admiration that the entire Starry Sky crew held for the Going Merry ship!
This energy had been accumulating since Merry's birth and had continued to gather within the ship itself.
Originally, Merry intended to store this power as a backup for the ship, ready to unleash in times of extreme danger to protect the crew.
But today… she had changed her mind!
Since gaining consciousness, she had never seen the Starry Sky crew show a trace of weakness, let alone injury.
And she had already noticed their expressions from below.
I can't let Luffy lose face… I can't let everyone worry…
Even something as simple as capturing a pet shouldn't feel like life or death!
I want to be like Luffy! Like Zoro!
I will make the name Starry Sky shine in everyone's hearts!
Starry Sky is invincible!
…
Soon, Merry absorbed all the remaining energy from the ship.
Her body healed rapidly, and each of her attributes increased by over a hundred points compared to before, effectively adding an entire tier of strength!
A single tier might seem small, but at Merry's combat level…
Every point of attribute growth exponentially increases combat power!
In just a few days, her total attributes had surged by over three hundred points!
This terrifying rate of growth alone would shame even the greatest geniuses at sea.
Of course, such rapid growth had reasons.
First, Merry was still relatively weak at this moment, so absorbed energy boosted her power more efficiently.
Second, the sheer magnitude of the crew's spiritual energy was overwhelming.
After all, nearly half of the crew onboard exceeded the strength of Shichibukai-class fighters!
…
Sensing that Merry was performing something extraordinary, Brogy refrained from attacking.
Instead, he watched her silently, waiting for her to finish.
An Elbaph warrior's honor would never allow him to strike an opponent at a disadvantage!
Merry did not keep him waiting long.
In a short while, she brought her hands together, producing a crisp clap as she focused forward.
Her face lifted slightly, as if observing Brogy, yet her expression remained hidden under the hood.
"Seems… she's stronger now!"
Brogy felt her aura and muttered in disbelief.
Once one reaches a high level of power, growing stronger becomes extremely difficult.
Even he and Don Krieg fought every day, yet over a century, their improvement was minimal!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have fallen so easily into Mr. 3's trap after defeating a wounded Don Krieg in the original timeline.
Acknowledging Merry's talent in his mind, Brogy's attitude shifted instantly.
Now… the real fight would begin.
Gripping his battle axe tightly, Brogy swung it high, aiming at the hovering little loli, then brought it down with sudden force.
Ssshhh!!!
The axe sliced through the air, a massive diagonal slash producing a terrifying screech.
This time, Merry would not be caught off guard.
Her small figure remained calm and composed, far from her usual cheerful demeanor.
As Brogy's deadly slash reached her, the powerful thrust beneath her feet abruptly ceased.
Gravity pulled her down with lightning speed, narrowly avoiding the axe without touching it.
Boom!!!
Landing, Merry stomped with both feet, generating a deep thud and swirling dust.
The soft, wet ground caved deeply beneath her impact, yet her figure was already gone!
A shooting star-like form rose from the ground, aiming straight at Brogy's enormous head.
Like a pillar of light, Merry instantly appeared before him.
Her body arched gracefully midair, head tilted back, executing a 180-degree rotation to redirect her attack.
Boom!!!
Her remaining momentum delivered a devastating kick to Brogy's massive face.
The thick flesh crumpled under her force in wave after wave of impact.
"Pft…!!!"
Brogy's distorted face was sent staggering backward, one mountain-sized yellow tooth flying off into the distance.
…
"Ah!!! Something strange is flying at us!!! Ahhh!!!"
On the other side of the island, Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek, who had just arrived, watched in shock as the battle unfolded.
From the fight's center, a mountain-sized object flew toward their position!
Panicked, Mr. 3 extended his hands, unleashing a torrent of white, viscous fluid from his body.
"Candle Wall!!!"
At his command, the white wax instantly solidified, forming a massive barrier between them and Miss Goldenweek.
Pfft!!!
The giant tooth embedded in the soft wax, held firmly in place, just five centimeters from Mr. 3's head.
"Uh~ ah! Uh~ ah!"
Gasping, Mr. 3 turned to Miss Goldenweek, fear in his voice:
"Quick… quick…!"
"We… we need to get out of here!!!"
Miss Goldenweek, initially hesitant, nodded in agreement.
But thinking of their mission, she hesitated:
"B… but our task…"
Failure at Baroque Works carried consequences no one could bear.
"We can't worry about that!"
The usually cunning Mr. 3 acted decisively, recognizing the situation.
Their small eyes deepened with focus, calculating the best course:
"At this point, we just run! Head to another route, another island!"
"The Grand Line is huge, Baroque Works' reach won't follow us everywhere.
We hide on another island!"
Quickly assessing, Mr. 3 mapped out their escape.
Thus, within an hour of landing, these two elite agents had already betrayed their organization, beginning a new journey…