As her consciousness gradually returned, Miss Valentine, who had been in a deep sleep, slowly opened her eyes. What came into view was an extremely unfamiliar ceiling.
(Where... where am I?)
The former Baroque Works agent frowned. Still in a daze, she struggled to sit up from the hospital bed and tried to recall what had happened before.
With the help of Miss Goldenweek's color blending, the three Baroque Works remnants had successfully controlled a pterodactyl and flown away from Little Garden. The little painter girl's ability was truly convenient, but unfortunately, the effect of her blended paint was time-limited...
(Thank goodness we were rescued by the people on this ship. Otherwise, if Devil Fruit users like Mr. 5 and me fell into the ocean, we would definitely be done for!)
Miss Valentine smiled faintly, feeling extremely lucky. However, just as she was sighing with relief over her narrow escape from death, the room's door was suddenly pushed open.
"Oh, you're awake! That's wonderful."
President Anna looked at the dazed blonde woman and gracefully pushed up her glasses. The transparent lenses immediately reflected two striking glints of white light. But this simple action of Anna pushing up her glasses was nothing short of a bolt from the blue to a certain someone!
(What on earth is this hair-raising sense of déjà vu?!)
As if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her from head to toe, Miss Valentine, who had just woken up and was still a bit dazed, instantly snapped awake. She stared at the glinting lenses of the unfamiliar woman before her, her pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks as her entire body began to tremble involuntarily.
(Why does she give me the exact same feeling as that glasses-wearing bastard?!)
At that moment, Miss Valentine finally recalled the terror of once being dominated by a certain glasses-wearer.
"Oh? It looks like you really have met Sherlock."
Seeing the agent's reaction, the clever Anna immediately wore a look of understanding. After all, under her deliberate imitation over the years, this third-generation leader of The Goldglint Trading Company had become a spitting image of the second-generation leader in both temperament and the way she pushed up her glasses.
"I won't waste any words. I came here because I want to ask you for some information about the Sorcerer and the Straw Hat Pirates."
"Of course, you can choose to answer or not." Having said that, a graceful arc curled at the corner of Anna's mouth.
Hearing these familiar words, poor Miss Valentine trembled even more violently. She suddenly felt that not drowning in the sea might not be something to feel lucky about after all!
A good while later.
Creak— The cabin door opened.
"Oh? Did you get any useful information, President?" Xitong, who had been waiting at the door, turned around and looked at the serious-faced third-generation leader.
"No. Although she knows quite a bit more than the other two, she only stayed on that ship for a few days."
"And..." Recalling Miss Valentine's reaction just now—like a mouse seeing a cat—President Anna couldn't help but sigh. "That guy's sense of humor is as twisted as ever."
"A twisted sense of humor? Did your former boss do something... 'lewd' to this girl?"
A glint flashed in Xitong's captivating peach-blossom eyes. This somewhat impure-minded, erotic nun had clearly let her imagination run wild. "Aw, come on. Though she has grown quite 'delicious' herself, there's still quite a gap between her and you, Anna. Could it be that the Sorcerer has a thing for fruit flavors?"
(I really wonder how someone like you managed to become a nun...) Anna cast a glance at Xitong's highly suggestive outfit and silently complained to herself.
"But President Anna, how are we going to deal with these three? Hand them over to the Marines at the next island? Our next stop is Kyuka Island, and there are bound to be plenty of Marines there."
The suggestive nun had no idea what was going on in Anna's mind. She looked off into the distance and sighed with emotion, "Should I say they really live up to being Crocodile's subordinates? Two of the three are Devil Fruit users, though it's a shame their strength is a bit lacking."
Hearing this, a trace of confusion flashed across President Anna's face. "By the way, Xitong, I'm really curious—how exactly can you tell if someone has eaten a Devil Fruit? They haven't even used their abilities."
"It's Haki." A gentle sea breeze blew by. Xitong's pure white wimple fluttered in the wind, and the hem of her nun's habit rose slightly, revealing a large expanse of skin as white as ivory.
"Haki?" Anna grew even more confused.
"That's right. And it's an [Advanced] Observation Haki with a special function."
Xitong stretched gently. The already form-fitting nun's habit tightened with the suggestive nun's movements, making the fullness of her chest appear even more perky and erect.
"Ordinary Observation Haki simply enhances the five senses and perceptive abilities, but some higher levels of Observation Haki allow one to sense things that ordinary people can't perceive."
Speaking up to this point, the nun lifted her rounded chin quite proudly. "For instance, my Observation Haki can vaguely sense the wavelengths of other people's Devil Fruits and roughly determine what type of ability it is. It's precisely because of this that the Leader specifically had me come along to protect you, President Anna."
(Sense things that ordinary people can't perceive?)
Anna's expression tightened. Xitong's introduction seemed to have inadvertently opened the floodgates of her memory. Countless long-buried scenes kept flashing through Anna's mind. She looked up at the sky thoughtfully, her gaze gradually becoming hazy.
"Father, who were you just talking to?" the little blonde girl asked her father with great confusion.
"Oh, it's Anna," the middle-aged man sitting on the throne replied with a chuckle. "I was communicating with our kingdom's [Guardian Deity]."
The little girl pursed her lips suspiciously. "Liar. What Guardian Deity? I only heard you talking to yourself."
"Hahaha, how could your father lie to you?"
The middle-aged man lovingly picked up his youngest daughter, placed her on his lap, and reached out to scratch her cute little nose. "You're still young, so naturally you can't hear it."
"But as my daughter, Anna, once you grow up, you will naturally be able to hear it."
"After all, being able to communicate with the [Guardian Deity] is a talent unique to our [Mortalit] family..."
(Father...)
Perhaps to avoid opening up the pain in her heart, Anna had stopped recalling her past ever since she joined The Goldglint Trading Company. But even though ten years had passed, whenever Anna occasionally thought of it, her father's appearance and voice were still so clear and nostalgic, causing a heartfelt smile to involuntarily curl at the corners of her mouth.
Countless scenes flashed through her mind like a movie playing out—her parents, her two older sisters, the scenery of her hometown... but in the end, the images finally froze on a country being consumed by raging fire.
Buster Call!!! The World Government's strongest military measure! It was this that had completely wiped Anna's homeland off the map!
Explosions! Wails! Flames! Blood! Death! A living hell!
Dragged back into those nightmare-like memories, Anna's face instantly turned as pale as a sheet. Her eyes glazed over, and her breathing gradually grew heavy, making her look like a completely different person from her usual cold and calm self.
"President Anna? President Anna? What's wrong?"
Seeing this, a strange light flashed in Xitong's eyes. She blinked and then gently pushed Anna's shoulder.
"Ah? What is it, Xitong? Is something the matter?" Coming back to her senses, Anna wiped the sweat from her forehead. Her expression was now quite listless, as if she had just suffered a major illness.
"Nothing, I just thought the state you were in was a bit scary."
This was the first time the erotic nun had seen Anna like this. Then, a flash of inspiration hit her mind. Seeming to suddenly think of something, her gaze also turned mischievous. "Ohhh~ I get it. Could it be that it's that time of the month for you?"
Anna was too tired to even deadpan at this point. She rolled her eyes at the incredibly bizarre nun and walked away without looking back.
"Come to think of it, I've always had a doubt as well."
Gazing at President Anna's retreating back, Xitong muttered to herself in a voice only she could hear, "Even if The Goldglint Trading Company holds extraordinary significance for us, the Leader is still overly concerned about President Anna's safety, isn't he..."
"And while he calls it protection, isn't this also a disguised form of [surveillance]?"
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