"Candy."
A single word, accompanied by a small, outstretched hand.
After parting ways with the Whitebeard Pirates, the Charlotte Angel had made steady progress, brushing off a few opportunistic pirate crews before finally dropping anchor at Fausse Island.
We disembarked at the Navy port, hauling a mountain of supplies toward the Flevance refugee camp and medical facility—a site kept strictly separate from the main military base.
Standing at the entrance was a small reception committee. At the front stood a young girl, barely ten years old, with striking shoulder-length green hair and her arms crossed defiantly.
The moment she confirmed my identity, she bolted forward. She leaped into the air, legs tucked, and unleashed a textbook flying dropkick.
Of course, she was as light as a feather. The impact did exactly zero damage. Before she could hit the ground, I reached out and snagged her by the back of her collar, leaving her dangling in mid-air.
"Sugar... I've told you to stop greeting people with dropkicks," I sighed.
The girl, Sugar, simply huffed and turned her head away. She was the younger of the two sisters I'd taken in back in the Lubneel Kingdom in exchange for settling their family's massive debts.
For some reason, she still viewed me as the enemy—or at least a very sturdy punching bag.
"Candy," she repeated, hand still out.
Bribery it is. I reached into my belt pouch, pulled out a fruit-flavored candy, and dropped it into her tiny palm. Once I set her down, she scampered back into the building without a word.
This cycle—attack, capture, candy—had become a routine, yet she showed no signs of actually warming up to me.
"That brat... acting like that toward the Boss..." Gin muttered, looking offended on my behalf.
"She's not a brat, sa! Though she is quite a handful," Olga remarked.
"You're basically the same age," Gin retorted.
"Hmph! I'm two-hund—I mean, I'm ten years old, sa!"
"See? Same age," Gin grinned triumphantly while Olga gnashed her teeth in frustration.
We reached the main doors and set down the heavy crates.
"Krieg-san, welcome back. I'm so sorry... I keep telling her to behave, but..."
The voice belonged to Monet, Sugar's older sister. She was in her late teens with long, light green hair cascading down to her waist. Unlike her sister, she was polite and diligent.
"Don't worry about it, Monet. Being selfish is a child's privilege. How are your medical studies coming along?"
"There's so much to memorize," she admitted, shrugging with a weary smile. "It's a challenge, but I'm managing."
"Monet! It's been too long!" Robin called out, stepping forward. The two had become fast friends, perhaps because they were close in age or because Robin was the one who first introduced the sisters to our group.
"Robin! Welcome home!" Monet laughed, and the two shared a brief, warm hug.
Seeing Robin with a genuine friend warmed my heart. After years of being a fugitive and the tragedy at Ohara, seeing her live a somewhat normal life made all the risks worth it.
I should introduce Gin to the other kids, too, I thought. And Olga... well, I put her down as ten years old on the paperwork to match her appearance, even if she's technically two centuries older than everyone here.
I spent the next few hours making the rounds. I gave a massive slab of Sea Beast Ham to Sigma, the guard I'd left in charge of the island's security; checked in on the maintenance of the Kafu units; and visited the most critical Amber Lead patients.
Finally, after giving Olga and Gin a tour of the facility, I headed to the research wing.
On the way, I felt a familiar thud against my back—another kick from Sugar.
"Omelet rice," she demanded.
Fine, omelet rice for dinner it is.
Accompanied by Dr. Acier and carrying the container of Pure Gold, I entered the primary research lab.
"Dr. Trafalgar, how is the progress?"
I addressed Trafalgar Luc, a survivor from Flevance and the lead physician for the Amber Lead victims. He looked worse than when I'd last seen him; the white patches on his skin had spread, and the dark circles under his eyes told of many sleepless nights.
"Ah, Rear Admiral Krieg. We're close to finalizing a palliative drug based on the I.Q. plant research Dr. Indigo provided. It should slow the symptoms, but... I don't know if we have enough time to find a true cure before the next generation reaches the limit."
"Luc, have you been sleeping at all?" I asked.
"Hmph! I tell him to rest, but the man is stubborn!" Dr. Indigo chimed in, hopping into view with his signature squeaky footsteps.
The former scientist for Shiki was now our resident expert on botanical mutations. "With a genius like me here, he could afford a nap, but nooo..."
"I have someone I'd like you both to meet," I said, gesturing to the man beside me. "This is Dr. Myskina Acier, an expert in mineralogy. Doctor, this is Dr. Luc and the... colorful Dr. Indigo."
"A pleasure," Acier bowed. "I specialize in ores and metallurgy. I've come at Krieg-kun's request to see if my knowledge of minerals can assist in neutralizing the Amber Lead."
"A mineralogist? That could be a vital perspective," Luc said, his eyes lighting up with professional curiosity.
"Hoh! Tackling the lead itself? Not bad, Krieg. You actually brought someone useful for once," Indigo teased.
"I aim to please. But here's the real prize."
I pulled the golden container from the bag and placed it on the table. Inside, the "Pure Gold" shimmered with an otherworldly light. "Behold: Pure Gold. A metal so valuable it could buy the world, and so rare it was thought to be a myth."
"I'm sorry, metals aren't my specialty," Luc said, tilting his head.
"Pure Gold... wait, I've heard that name in the old texts..." Indigo muttered, tapping his head.
Dr. Acier stepped forward and explained the metal's unique property: its ability to emit a specific light that slows the aging and biological processes of living organisms.
"What?! Truly?!" Luc gasped. "If that's true, it buys us the one thing we were running out of—time!"
"Uwaah... that's a dangerous substance," Indigo noted, suddenly serious. "We'll have to be extremely careful with the dosage and exposure."
"The plan is to install small fragments of Pure Gold into the lighting fixtures throughout this facility," I explained. "Dr. Acier will oversee the installation.
Once the patients are stabilized by the light, he'll join your team to find a way to remove or transmute the Amber Lead in their systems. Any questions?"
We spent the rest of the evening hammering out the logistics. The hope in that room was palpable for the first time in years.
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