Bonney watched this group of pirates using her like a magical toy without any restraint. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, yet felt a strange warmth inside.
Aren't these guys being way too trusting of me?
You're pirates.
I'm a pirate too.
In the end, it was Luffy—the one who had started all this—who didn't participate.
Just then, little Merry secretly sidled up to Bonney, tugged at her clothes, and with a small, flushed face, asked in a tiny, hesitant voice like a mosquito's:
"U-um, Bonney-neesan, can your ability make me... mm, make this place a little bigger?"
As she spoke, she shyly pointed a finger at her flat chest.
She had been observing carefully. Whether Nami-neesan or Vivi-neesan were made older or younger, that area didn't seem to change much.
And Bonney looked very well-endowed.
Merry was very envious.
Bonney hadn't expected Merry to ask her this. Her face suddenly turned bright red. She was somewhat at a loss. "Huh? That... age change is related to ability development. As for figure... I can't do anything about that."
She stammered.
Obviously a lie.
Merry still stared at her with that expectant look.
Who could resist such a look from a little angel like Merry?
And how had she noticed?
With no choice, Bonney reluctantly tried to concentrate and used her ability on Merry.
A light flashed again.
However, perhaps because she had used too much energy earlier, this time, halfway through using her ability, Bonney suddenly felt a wave of intense weakness. The ability stopped abruptly.
Poof~
After a slight puff of smoke, Bonney herself, due to exhaustion and ability backlash, instantly reverted from her mature form to a little pink-haired girl. She sat down on the deck, blinking her big eyes blankly.
As for Merry, her chest seemed to have bulged slightly?
From nearly flat to barely showing a slight curve?
Merry looked down, then looked at Bonney, who had turned back into a little kid. Her little mouth puckered, and her eyes instantly filled with tears, threatening to spill out.
"Waa... why... why only this little..."
Bonney looked at Merry's expression of grievance, then felt her completely drained stamina. She also wanted to cry but had no tears.
Were these pirates not only ridiculously strong but also so weird in their needs?!
She felt like she had boarded a pirate ship—and a very, very unserious one at that!
When Bonney's crew members heard that Straw Hat was willing to give Bonney a ride, under Bonney's insistence, these fishermen who had left their hometown to become pirates reluctantly began their journey back.
Before they left, Luffy naturally threw a small banquet.
Having learned the usage of Haoshoku Infusion from Zephyr was definitely worth celebrating.
The Straw Hat crew was very skilled at throwing banquets.
Bonney was still saying goodbye to the uncles when she turned around and saw that the ingredients, grills, and drinks were already laid out.
Are you guys serious?
How does a crew pirate with a total bounty exceeding 1.5 billion Berry look like a gourmet pirate crew?
Luffy was already calling for everyone to eat and drink. The food storage on the Thousand Sunny and the Going Merry was quite large—enough for several banquets.
With the Straw Hats plus Bonney's crew, the number of people was still quite large. Sanji had originally thought Luffy's appetite was scary enough, but seeing Bonney eating at the same speed as Luffy, he realized that the nickname "Big Eater" was not for nothing.
With dozens of people at the banquet, Sanji alone couldn't quite keep up with the cooking. But Bonney's ship also had quite a few good chefs. The stove fire never stopped.
"Yohoho! At a time like this, allow me to play a piece for everyone." Brook had somehow taken out his violin.
"Ahem, I'll play a piece too!" Luffy was quite enthusiastic.
Bonney looked skeptical. It wouldn't be the sound of death, would it?
She had already prepared to cover her ears.
Amid the crowd's urging, Luffy sang a song.
What a joke. Who was his teacher?
Gordon!
As the ruler of the island of music, Elegia, Gordon's musical mastery was quite high. The most popular musician today, Uta, was his student.
Let us sail across all the seas of the world
Shout out loud
When you feel your heart lighten
Sound the horn of departure
Break free from the course set by fate, arrive at the boundary between sky and sea
We are about to set sail now
In the dark abyss of the sea, embark on a breathtaking adventure
Isn't it exciting just to imagine it?
...
Share the joy like treasure, laugh out loud
Release them in the carnival wedding banquet, let them drift with the wind...
When the song ended, even Bonney couldn't help but clap excitedly.
This guy's singing was that good?
Why become a pirate then?
Amid the lively noise, the banquet came to an end.
...
"Uncle Tots, Uncle Gyogyo..."
In the cabin, Bonney subconsciously called out their names. Only when she came back to herself did she realize that she had already sent her crewmates—those fishermen—back.
Looking at the unfamiliar room, Bonney murmured to herself, "Father, where are you?"
Bonney had her own reasons.
Sending the uncles back was partly because she worried about their safety.
Being a pirate was too dangerous. They were just ordinary fishermen.
But the deeper reason was that she wanted to act alone, to search for her father Bartholomew Kuma.
The Straw Hat crew was someone her father had entrusted to look after her. Luffy had also admitted to having a deal with her father. But that didn't mean they were obligated to help her find Kuma.
She didn't want to—and wasn't willing to—to be completely dependent on others.
She glanced to the side. Merry was already sound asleep, her small nostrils gently fluttering with each breath, hugging a soft pillow.
In another corner of the room, the white tanuki named Nika was curled up in a ball, her sake jug rolled off to the side.
She had been settled in Merry's room, while Nami, Robin, and Vivi—the three older sisters—shared another room.
It was quiet outside now. A perfect time for action.
She quietly slipped out of bed, carrying the small bundle she had prepared earlier. To avoid making noise, she didn't even put on her slightly heeled little shoes. Instead, she carried them in her hand, barefoot, tiptoeing out like a cat.
"This ship is really big."
Bonney marveled again. The Straw Hat crew actually had two ships of this size sailing in parallel.
And there was a large golden stone tablet on the deck. Its purity was clearly quite high. Straw Hat's crew was obviously very wealthy.
She carefully maneuvered around obstacles, heading toward the ship's railing, planning to leave without saying goodbye.
"Bonney, why aren't you asleep? What are you doing out so late?" Luffy's voice came abruptly from above, startingling Bonney so much that her whole body stiffened. The shoes in her hand nearly dropped.
She stiffly turned her head. Luffy was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the main mast's lookout platform, one leg dangling as he watched her.
Moonlight fell on him, outlining his clear silhouette.
"Why are you here?!"
Bonney's heart pounded. She forced herself to stay calm.
Didn't he need to sleep at night?
Was this guy a monster?
"Training, of course. I'm also on night watch duty. I just mastered a new power and I'm testing it out." Luffy said. He held out his palm. Pitch-black Busoshoku Haki instantly covered it.
He dispersed the power and asked curiously, "What about you?"
"I couldn't sleep. Just taking a walk."
Bonney stammered an explanation, her heart racing.
He had seen it, hadn't he?
Seen me carrying a bundle.
This excuse of mine is so clumsy!
Who goes for a walk carrying luggage in the middle of the night?
She had calculated the time carefully. It was around three or four in the morning—when people were in their deepest sleep. Why did he have to be here of all places?
Luffy didn't immediately call her out. He just let his gaze linger on the conspicuous little bundle behind her for a moment. "Is that so?"
"O-of course it is!" Bonney forced a smile, feeling the muscles in her cheeks twitch.
She also realized the bundle was too conspicuous. But it contained all the things that Uncle Tots and the others had repeatedly told her to bring. She couldn't leave it behind.
Luffy stared at her for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "Since you can't sleep, how about training with me?"
Bonney was a bit frustrated. "Who trains in the middle of the night?!"
What was wrong with this guy's thought process?
Luffy spread his hands, looking perfectly natural. "I train every night like this. At the very latest, I wake up at six in the morning."
Don't you have any other time for rest?
Bonney wanted to say something but stopped.
She looked at Luffy's energetic face, completely free of fatigue, and suddenly seemed to understand why he was so strong.
Even if his talent were completely ordinary, having several extra hours of high-intensity training every day than others—accumulated over time—turning into a monster capable of arm-wrestling with a former Admiral didn't seem so impossible anymore.
Seeing that Bonney's face was full of refusal, Luffy didn't force it. He just said:
"Or you could just take a walk and then go back inside? It's windy on the deck at night."
"No, no need! I'll just stay here for a while!" Bonney immediately said.
She was determined to go through with it tonight. How could she give up so easily?
During the day, Luffy had proudly promised the fisherman uncles that he would protect her. If she asked to leave the ship now, he definitely wouldn't agree.
She didn't believe that Luffy could stay up all night training without sleeping. As long as he got tired, as long as he let his guard down, that would be her chance!
Luffy didn't seem to mind. He nodded and stopped paying attention to her, going to the center of the deck in front of the large golden stone tablet. He took a deep breath, covered his fist in dense Busoshoku Haki, and began pounding on it.
"THUD! THUD! THUD!"
The dull, rhythmic percussion was especially clear in the silent night.
His so-called training really was just solid, honest training.
Bonney found a corner, hugged her knees, and sat down. Her eyes were fixed on Luffy's figure. In her mind, she calculated when he would get tired.
An hour passed. Luffy's movements showed no sign of slowing. On the contrary, because he was so focused, the aura around him grew more condensed.
***
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