I think I've already mentioned that my daughters and I usually live at the estate on Merveille.
Naturally, we have subordinates and servants who take care of us there... and broadly speaking, they fall into two categories.
First are the ordinary servants Papa arranged for us.
They've been properly trained in manners, etiquette, housekeeping, and all sorts of other skills—quiet pillars of support who let us live comfortably while they keep everything running behind the scenes.
Most of the staff are in this group. And their work isn't limited to "maid" or "housekeeper" roles, either. They handle the cleaning, the upkeep and management of the equipment, and the organization of every supply the household needs.
That said, they aren't especially suited for combat. They're servants, after all.
Some of them can manage basic self-defense, but that's about it.
And then there's the other group... the ones we call the Maid Squad.
The two who came with us to Skypiea—Lupus and Shizu—belong to this group. Including them, there are six "sisters" in total. For now, at least.
Unlike ordinary servants, they possess high combat power. Every one of them is a Haki user, and if they had bounties, they'd be guaranteed to break 100 million.
Because of that, their duties go beyond looking after our daily needs. When necessary, they also accompany us outside as escorts.
...Or rather, escort duty is included in their role, but for a certain reason, not all of them are authorized to do it yet.
Like I said when I lectured Shizu on Sky Island, they're forbidden from going outside without proper Outing Permits.
At present, only three members of the Maid Squad have that Outing Permit.
Lupus—who came to Sky Island with us—was one of them. And now we'd been told that two more maids had passed the qualifying examination.
"Ah, so from now on, Nabe and Solyushan can come on outings with us too, right?"
"Yes. Please entrust us with everything, from your personal care to your protection on those occasions."
"We will follow you anywhere, my Ladies."
It was afternoon snack time. The four of us were enjoying juice, tea, and an assortment of sweets, while two women stood nearby with warm smiles—the newly approved maids, Narberal and Solyushan.
Narberal wore her black hair in a ponytail, her sharp eyes giving her a cool, strong-willed presence—an elegant beauty with a blade-like edge.
Solyushan, with her fragile, refined air and her golden hair arranged in neat, vertical curls like a noblewoman's, was also breathtaking.
Beside them stood Lupus, who had just brought more sweets, and Yuri—their "elder sister," and the leader of the Maid Squad.
With black hair swept into a formal updo and glasses that lent intelligence to her composed, refined features, Yuri bowed with graceful precision.
"As their elder sister, I admit it stings a little that my younger sisters have beaten me to it... but I'm proud as well. Knowing this will allow us to serve our Ladies even more effectively. Please don't hesitate to ask any of us for anything you need."
"Thanks, Yuri. I hope you pass soon too."
"We honestly thought you'd be the first, Yuri," Lupus said. "Out of all of us, you've mastered the outside world's customs and knowledge at the highest level, haven't you?"
Suzu, spreading jam thickly over a scone, frowned in genuine puzzlement as she ate.
"I still find it strange," she said, "that Yuri hasn't passed yet."
Yuri gave a wry smile—pleased by the praise, but visibly awkward about it.
"I'm honored, Lady Suzu. But in my case... that's exactly the problem. No matter what I do... this is what holds me back."
"Neck," Lupus chimed in from the side with a smug grin. "Literally."
Yuri sighed at the teasing, but the moment she turned to scold Lupus, Leona—who had been sitting calmly—sprang up and slipped behind Yuri.
"Hup."
Pop.
With a light little sound and an even lighter motion, Leona simply lifted Yuri's head off her body.
"Ah."
"Lady Leona?! P-please, you're only playing around... A-ah, give my head back!"
"Hmm... so the fixing didn't work after all," Leona murmured, staring down at Yuri's head now cradled in her hands.
The head—suddenly separated—flustered and panicked in a way that was almost adorable. Seeing someone usually so calm and intelligent reduced to that helpless confusion... it was charming.
And the headless body, too, was moving frantically, clearly distressed.
Equally charming.
...And then a new shadow fell over what remained of Yuri.
"Lady Leona! It's dangerous to move without proper vision—eek?! Wh-what is this?! Someone's doing something to my body! Lupus, it wasn't you, was it?!"
"That's so mean, Yuri-nee... It wasn't me!"
"Ehehehe... Yuri, you've still got such a great body~♪ Did you get even bigger again?"
"That voice... Lady Alice?! S-stop it! W-where are you touching—ah...!"
"Hey, you idiot sister. Stop sexually harassing Yuri just because she can't resist!"
Under Suzu's exasperated stare, Yuri was in full panic—her head held hostage by Leona while Alice relentlessly groped her body... or rather, her chest. It looked like something straight out of a gag manga.
Pathetic.
And yet, somehow, still endearing.
'A detached head.' If you only read the words, it sounds horrifying... but it doesn't feel scary at all.
After Alice finished her "inspection" and finally let Yuri go, Leona returned the head at the same time.
A little out of breath, Yuri docked her head back onto her body with a clunk, then released it and rotated her neck forward, back, and side to side, confirming it was properly attached.
"Whew... alright. It's fixed..."
"Hmm... but if you pull a little, your head still comes off, right? So it didn't really get fixed? Is that why you can't get an Outing Permit, Yuri? Even though you're way more responsible than Lupus?"
"Well... having a detachable head is beyond human, you know. If that happened outside, people would panic."
"It'd be more than panic," Suzu said flatly. "It'd be absolute chaos. We're used to it, but imagine seeing someone's head fall off right in front of you. People would faint or scream until their throats gave out. ...And Yuri isn't the only one. Shizu and Entoma—those two, with appearances and movements that aren't human-like—are difficult too. The rest of their skills are already perfect, but that alone is enough to keep the Outing Permit from being approved."
As Suzu spoke, Lupus beside her went, "Mmm..." as if thinking something over.
"Honestly... in a way, that's unavoidable. Maybe even expected. Because it isn't just Yuri-nee and the others. It's all of us too—me, Nar-chan, everyone..."
Then Lupus said it casually, like it was nothing.
"There isn't a single human among us."
It wasn't a joke. It was simply a fact.
The Maid Squad—Yuri, Lupus, Nabe, Solyushan... and Entoma and Shizu, who weren't here right now.
Not one of them was human to begin with.
You'd never guess it from their appearance, but it's the truth.
---
Let me change the subject for a moment... do you remember TABOO, the Artificial Devil Fruit Dr. Indigo developed a while back?
It's different from SMILE—his own original Artificial Devil Fruit. Unlike SMILE, he never intended to distribute it for profit. It was strictly for internal use, meant to strengthen our fighting power.
Honestly, it's so niche I doubt anyone could ever sell it in the first place.
Because it's artificial, TABOO has a major trait that neither ordinary Devil Fruits nor SMILEs possess. It's also the very reason I can't imagine it ever becoming popular, even if it did circulate widely.
Humans get absolutely nothing from eating it.
In other words, it's an Artificial Human-Human Fruit designed exclusively for animals.
If a human eats TABOO, they gain no ability at all. Not a one-in-ten chance—literally a 0% probability.
It doesn't even grant the enhanced physical abilities that are normally a standard feature of Zoan-type Devil Fruits.
And yet it's still a Devil Fruit, so the person who eats it becomes unable to swim.
All downside. Zero benefit.
It doesn't come with something as extreme as SMILE—like losing all emotional expression except forced smiles... but even so, it's utterly worthless to eat, and utterly worthless to feed to a person.
But things change the moment you give it to animals.
When an animal eats TABOO, it gains the ability to transform into a human form. More importantly, its intelligence skyrockets. It can understand human speech, and it can communicate as fluently as any normal person.
And the enhanced physical capabilities effect works properly too.
Unlike SMILE, there's no uncertainty. If an animal eats it, those abilities are guaranteed.
The one unavoidable drawback is the same as any Devil Fruit: the user becomes unable to swim. But that's just how it is. You can't expect a Devil Fruit to be all upsides.
And if I had to name more drawbacks... there are two.
First, the animal's humanoid form is random. Or rather... completely unpredictable.
You don't know what kind of human appearance it will end up with until it actually eats the Fruit. There's no clear pattern, no consistent rule. It's impossible to predict.
In past experiments, a huge bear became a loli-like girl, while a tiny insect turned into a glamorous beauty. Seriously, there's no discernible logic at all. I'm not even sure a pattern exists.
If anything, it feels like they often end up looking "cute." Even if the original animal was male, the result tends to be an androgynous pretty boy or a shota-like look.
The other major drawback... is that TABOO establishes a firm, independent ego in the user. Or rather, it forces one into place.
Say you fed TABOO to some random stray dog.
It would gain human form, intelligence, and even the ability to speak.
But that doesn't mean it would become loyal to the person who fed it, or start following commands. It would still live according to its own instincts and desires—just like before.
If this were Pokémon, Dragon Quest Monsters, or Yo-kai Watch, the monster you caught would automatically obey you.
That's simply how those games are built.
But TABOO doesn't work like that.
After eating it, the creature might bolt the moment it can. Worse, it might attack you.
If you want to use an Ability User (animal) as your fighting force after feeding them TABOO, then you have to build a real relationship of trust. They have to choose to become your ally.
In fact, when the lab fed TABOO to experimental animals, the researchers got attacked in retaliation all the time.
After being treated like lab rats, injected with strange drugs like S.I.Q and all sorts of other things... there was no reason those animals would feel affection.
Even with higher intelligence, there was no reason they'd obey. In the end, every one of them escaped the facility.
But after that, they met Leona... and somehow she became friends with all of them at once.
Seriously. Ability User or not, our Lion Girl is irresistibly loved by animals. It's not something you can hand-wave away as "talent" anymore.
It's almost like Nami's gift for weather—a natural ability that feels unfair.
Back then, Leona already had so many animal friends it felt like she was running her own little animal kingdom. So the lab shifted direction: they recruited volunteers from that group, fed them TABOO, and used them as subjects for observation and experiments.
Of course, everything was done voluntarily, or with proper permission. Otherwise the animals would fight back... and Leona would lose her temper.
As a result... since TABOO itself was rare, we didn't end up creating some massive Human-Human Fruit animal army. But the number of TABOO Ability Users did increase dramatically.
And better yet, every single one of them was favorably disposed toward us—especially toward Leona, her two sisters, and me.
On top of that, Dr. Indigo was conducting separate experiments feeding TABOO to objects, the same way you can feed a normal Devil Fruit to an item. Those experiments were successful as well.
And among the many TABOO Ability Users born from animals or objects, there were a handful who stood out—rated top-tier in intelligence, combat ability, refinement, and overall competence.
Those elites became the current Maid Squad: six extraordinary members.
For example, Lupus possessed the TABOO of the Kill-Rabi, a giant wolf native to Merveille with rabbit-like ears sprouting from its head.
Narberal wielded the TABOO of the Sickle-Weasel, another Merveille native. Its tail hair hardens into razor-sharp scythe-like blades, which it swings to carve enemies apart.
Solyushan controlled the TABOO of the Mimic Slime Amoeba, a species with a gelatinous body capable of shifting into countless forms, and with strongly acidic body fluids that dissolve prey before consumption.
And Yuri... Yuri wasn't originally an animal at all.
Long ago, a civilization existed on Merveille—but they lost the struggle for survival against animals, and went extinct. Yuri was born when we fed TABOO to a Valkyrie-like stone statue we found in their ruins.
Apparently, the statue's neck already had a crack and looked like it was about to come off, and that got reflected in her transformation. After becoming humanoid, she ended up like a Dullahan—complete with a detachable head. That's what I've heard, anyway.
As for the two who aren't here—Entoma and Shizu—they're TABOO as well. But I'll save their details for another time.
So yes. Every member of the Maid Squad is TABOO.
And beyond them, Merveille is full of other TABOO Ability Users.
And every single one of them—without one exception—is Leona's friend.
Isn't that incredible?
Based on that fact, Papa is seriously considering putting Leona into an overall command position for the TABOO Army.
A massive promotion is on the verge of being decided... completely without the people involved knowing a thing about it.
Though even if that happens...
"Hyaang♪ Oh, Lady Alice... you little rascal!"
"Ehehehe... what's wrong with a little fun~♪"
"That's exactly why I keep telling you! Don't do such indecent things in broad daylight, especially while we're having snacks!"
"? Hmm... So it's okay if we do it in bed at night?"
"I never said that! Solyushan, you can say no if you don't like it, you know?"
"Oh no, it's an honor... I'd be delighted. Whenever you want, Lady Alice—however much you want. Should I make your breasts a bit bigger? I'm an amoeba, after all. I can change my shape freely."
"Really?! Ehehehe... that does sound fun. But Suzu's kind of scary, so let's stop here for today. Maybe another time!"
"Honestly... hm, it's gone. Nabe, are there any dorayaki left?"
"My apologies, Suzu-sama. Lady Leona just ate the last one..."
"Ah... I see. Then bring something else. Anything is fine. And another cup of green tea."
"Understood. If you'd like something that pairs well with green tea, we have senbei and okaki rice crackers."
"I'll take them."
"Ah, that was delicious... Lupus, I'm going to take a nap. Wanna join me?"
"Got it! So... where are we napping today?"
"It's such a nice day—let's go outside. Then you can turn into your wolf form, and we can bask in the sun while snuggling into your fluffy fur. It'll be the best."
"Roger that! I'll invite some other fluffy critters too—ones about our size!"
...Judging by appearances, their friendship is... well, it doesn't quite feel like a typical friendship, but whatever.
Either way, that warm closeness probably wouldn't change anytime soon... so I guess it's fine.
If things ever start heading in a weird direction, I can always step in and offer proper advice as needed.
As I watched the girls chatting amiably—the Wolf Girl, Weasel Girl, and Amoeba Girl laughing together—I was thinking exactly that when the last of them, the Statue Girl, smoothly refilled my tea from the side.
"Would you care for more sweets, Lady Sue? We still have cheesecake made with the Cloud Cheese you brought into the kitchen earlier."
"Sure, I'll take some. And bring some fruit-based ones too—whatever you've got."
"As you wish, my Lady. Please wait a moment."
I watched Yuri walk away after an elegant bow.
'Yeah... whether it's friendship, or master and servant... it's just easier when you don't overthink it. Not so formal that it feels distant, but close enough to be comfortable.'
'I don't mind basic manners, but none of us really likes anything too stuffy. Not me... and not any of us.'
To be continued...