In the forest blanketed in silver.
The petite Ayala was bundled in a thick cotton coat as she carefully trudged through the deep snow, her curious gaze sweeping over her surroundings.
Behind her were the Kuro Brothers, transformed into three-meter-tall Agumon-like dinosaur forms.
"Second Sis, climb onto my shoulders!"
Kurota, Ayala's junior and the Noko Noko no Mi ability user, his entire body a gleaming gold, spoke with concern to his Second Sis.
The snow on the island was simply too deep. Every step Ayala took sank her halfway in, making it exhausting to move forward.
Ayala shook her head. Her face was flushed from exertion, but her expression was firm.
"Captain said that only by exercising more can the body grow stronger."
Although nearly three months had passed since her blood transfusion and her body had largely recovered, Ayala was still just a twelve-year-old girl. Years of illness had left her physically weak.
Moreover, unlike Baby-5, who was even younger than her, Ayala was not a Devil Fruit user.
Because of that, whether it was overly intense training or Devil Fruit development, both were things Ayala simply couldn't do at her current stage.
But she didn't want to waste her time.
So she took the initiative and asked to explore the island.
While accompanying Flare in identifying ingredients on the island, she had discovered many rare medicinal herbs and fungi, some of which were even listed as extinct in books.
As the ship's doctor, there was no way she could let such resources slip by, especially their seeds. She was already considering setting aside a plot on the Twin Goddesses to create her own small plantation dedicated to growing medicinal herbs.
At the same time, understanding these fungi was also crucial for helping Kurota develop his Devil Fruit abilities.
Yemu naturally agreed to her request. For her safety, he sent all four of the Kuro brothers to protect her.
That way, no matter how ferocious the island's beasts were, there would be no need to worry about her safety.
Just then, Ayala noticed a purple fungus growing like a mushroom on the trunk of a towering tree.
"This is…"
She recognized it instantly, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she turned to Kuromu.
"Kuromu, could you help me pick that one?"
"Oh!!!"
Kuromu lightly clapped his hand against the air. An air door appeared, and he stepped inside. Moments later, another air door opened in midair, from which a golden arm extended and plucked the purple mushroom.
"Got it, Second Sis!"
Kuromu emerged from the air door and proudly presented the purple mushroom in his palm in front of Ayala.
At that moment, in the quiet air where only snowflakes drifted down, an elderly woman's voice rang out.
"Be careful. That mushroom is poisonous. You can't eat it."
Ayala turned around in surprise.
She had been wondering if there were other humans on the island. But when she saw Rayleigh, along with the familiar Kuja warriors beside him, she immediately understood. With a mix of delight and nervousness, she greeted him.
"Rayleigh-san!"
Rayleigh had always liked children, or rather, he was fond of both of the Sky Pirates' little ones.
If Baby-5's personality was lively and energetic but prone to relying on others, then Ayala's was shy and polite, yet inwardly strong and independent.
They were two little girls with completely contrasting personalities.
"Oh, it's Ayala. What is it? Did you find something interesting?"
"Mhm."
Ayala glanced at the Kuja group behind Rayleigh and the elderly woman who had warned her, then explained.
"This is a Sleep Mushroom. They say that if you eat it, you'll fall asleep right away."
"Is that so? That sounds pretty useful," Rayleigh said, as if something had just occurred to him.
It was Gloriosa at his side who spoke up instead.
"That's nothing good at all. Eat too much of it, and you'll never wake up."
After saying that, she looked at Ayala and praised her.
"I didn't expect you to recognize this kind of mushroom. You're quite an impressive little girl. This is an extremely rare species that only grows in the Calm Belt."
Ayala smiled shyly, a little embarrassed by the compliment.
"I read about it in a book too."
But as soon as she said it, something felt off. She turned her head and noticed that among the female warriors was a little girl about the same age as Baby-5, cute-looking, staring at her with a clearly defiant expression.
Ayala was a bit confused and looked to Rayleigh.
"Rayleigh-san, who are they?"
"Oh, they've come to see your captain. I'm taking them over there. What about you? Are you heading back? This place is quite far from the safe area."
With Rayleigh around, Ayala wasn't worried about Yemu's safety. Still, faced with so many unfamiliar faces, she nodded.
This group looked dangerous no matter how she looked at them, especially the woman in the center. Her ruby-like pupils and ghostly cold gaze gave off an overwhelming sense of danger.
As if sensing Ayala's eyes on her, a mysterious smile appeared on Galahad Anne's delicate, refined face.
Under that oppressive gaze from someone nearly two and a half meters tall, Ayala felt even more uneasy.
If anything happened, she wouldn't be able to help much, but with the four Kuro brothers around, at least it would still be relatively safe.
"Yes, Rayleigh-san. I was just about to head back and analyze this Sleep Mushroom."
"Then let's go back together."
To keep up with everyone, Ayala had no choice but to sit on Kurota's shoulder.
The group set off once more. As they walked, Ayala suddenly felt several gazes fixed on her.
She looked down and realized that the little girl who had been glaring at her earlier was now staring at the Kuro brothers with an envious expression, her eyes practically sparkling.
Ayala understood immediately. After a moment's thought, she quietly asked the girl,
"Um… would you like to come up too?"
The girl's expression instantly shifted from defiance to delight.
"Really?"
Ayala nodded.
"Of course…"
The girl grew even happier and pulled two younger girls out from behind the group.
"My name is Hancock, Boa Hancock. These are my two sisters, Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold. Could they also…?"
"Of course they can…"
"Oh, that's great…"
The three girls jumped happily in place, eyes shining, and were then each lifted onto the shoulders of the Kuro brothers.
"Wow…"
"They're such cute dinosaurs…"
"It's so high up…"
The four girls quickly became friends, chatting and laughing nonstop.
Nearby, watching this scene, Rayleigh and the Kuja warriors all showed smiles for the first time.
"Children's friendships really are much simpler than those of adults," Rayleigh said with a sigh.
Gloriosa nodded as well, finally letting out a long breath of relief.
She naturally recognized Ayala.
After all, she had carefully gone through every single bounty poster of the Sky Pirates and memorized them all.
She had been worried that the upcoming discussion wouldn't go smoothly.
After all, a bounty approaching 2.5 billion Belly, the Sky Pirates' past exploits, and all the intelligence gathered from their contact with the Kuja had made her think the Sky Pirates would be difficult to deal with.
But now, it seemed that at least, they might be easier to approach than she had imagined…