The setting sun gradually sank below the horizon, and the sky full of fiery clouds slowly drifted away with it. The Freewill, carrying the last gleam of the evening sun scattered across the sea, slowly sailed away from the island.
"Ugh... I'm really exhausted today. *Burp*."
Buchi lay down on the deck with an exhausted face, clutching his stomach and letting out a loud burp.
Sanji walked by, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and glanced at his round belly.
"I can tell you've been through a hearty battle. Of course, I'm talking about your stomach."
"Hee hee hee." Buchi grinned and patted his belly.
Up on the ship's balcony.
Gin walked out of the infirmary. He had suffered some superficial wounds in today's battle, but after being disinfected, treated with medicine, and simply bandaged, he was basically fine.
As soon as he came out, he ran into Allen walking upstairs.
"Captain."
"Yeah. How's your body holding up?"
"I'm fine, just a few scratches," Gin nodded in response. He then saw black mist releasing from Allen's palm. The black mist looked like a miniature whirlwind, spinning before slowly dissipating.
And in Allen's hand, a Devil Fruit appeared out of thin air.
"This is?"
Gin paused, looking at Allen with a bit of confusion.
"Paramecia-type More-More Fruit, the ability World used earlier."
Allen explained, casually tossing it to Gin with a light chuckle. "I told you before that I'd compensate you with a better fruit. It's yours."
"For me? This..."
Gin caught the fruit, somewhat flattered, and quickly said, "Wait a minute, Captain. This fruit is very precious, isn't it? Isn't it too much to just give it to me..."
Gin hesitated to speak. He looked down at the fruit in his hand, fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Allen. Pursing his lips, he said in a low voice,
"Sorry, Captain. I don't think I deserve to take up so many resources. These should go to Mr. Sanji."
"You know he deserves these more than I do. It was the same with the Lineage Factor serum before. I've already taken advantage of that once; I shouldn't take this fruit too."
Saying that, Gin held out his hand to return the Devil Fruit.
He was able to get the Lineage Factor serum because Sanji rejected genetic modification, so Gin believed he had already benefited unfairly.
Now that the More-More Fruit was being given to him, he couldn't justify it no matter how he looked at it.
In fact, Sanji's contribution to this pirate crew was massive. In places where everyone couldn't see, and in areas Allen couldn't attend to, it was Sanji who silently connected everyone.
Allen set the rules for the ship, guided where the ship should sail, and gave everyone a goal. This was a captain's most important responsibility.
But for this massive ship carrying hundreds of people to be united like a solid block of iron, half the credit actually belonged to Sanji.
Only Sanji would privately chat with the crew members, talking about their past lives and the lives they wanted in the future, discussing the family and friends they had lost, and the comrades they had now.
Sanji infected many people with his own gentleness, allowing this group of villains who lived by burning, killing, and looting to rediscover a semblance of their former lives, even if it was as pirates.
Allen never did these things, not even for his top officers.
Allen gave everyone dreams and goals, while Sanji gave them a life.
In this cruel world where the strong preyed on the weak, a life that belonged uniquely to them.
On this ship, aside from Allen, the person Gin respected the most was Sanji, and all the crew members deeply respected Sanji as well.
In places unseen by the rest, that man had always been silently doing the things no one else would do.
Therefore.
"Sorry, Captain. Please give it to Mr. Sanji."
Gin said again, his gaze so firm it was as if he was saying he wouldn't eat this fruit even if it killed him.
Allen stroked his chin, looking Gin up and down with an intrigued expression.
"It seems Sanji's influence is outshining mine. Even you dare to disobey my orders. To nip this little rebellion in the bud, I'm going to go kill him right now."
"Eh??"
Gin's eyes widened, a giant question mark popping up over his head.
Seeing Allen turn to leave, Gin quickly called out, "Eh! No, wait, Captain, you're joking with me, right?"
"Nonsense, stop flattering yourself, idiot."
Allen waved his hand, scoffing without looking back. "Do you really need to worry about Sanji? I have something better for him. Eat the fruit and get out of my sight."
Gin: "..."
The autumn wind rustled as Gin stood there blankly, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
"The Captain's insults are as sharp as ever... sigh..."
Gin shook his head with a helpless smile, looking down at the fruit covered in strange spiral patterns in his hand.
He roughly knew the abilities of the More-More Fruit; World and Allen's previous battle had already demonstrated them.
It wasn't complicated; it just multiplied the size and speed of objects.
Thinking carefully, the person whose combat style best suited this fruit was actually his former boss, Krieg—powerful physical techniques combined with an endless array of attack methods.
Although the methods were a bit underhanded, he had to admit that this fighting style would be incredibly powerful with the More-More Fruit's enhancement.
Gin looked down at the twin tonfas at his waist.
These weapons were a bit too light for him now, especially after his body had grown larger. Perhaps he could forge a new pair of iron tonfas.
Incorporating Boss Krieg's explosive battle spear collision technique, and then using the More-More Fruit to amplify the explosion's power, the effect should be excellent.
Gin thought to himself.
"Oh, right, Gin."
Allen, who had just left, suddenly turned back and asked, "Does activating the Buccaneer Tribe bloodline and growing larger make your combat movements sluggish?"
"Uh... it does have a little impact, but it's manageable."
Gin thought for a moment and nodded in reply.
"There's a technique in the Six Powers called [Paper Art: Martial Body] that can solve this problem. I'll teach it to you later."
Allen mentioned casually, turning to leave again after speaking.
"Captain..."
Gin suddenly called out to him, pursing his lips. After a moment of hesitation, he said slowly, "I'm sorry about earlier, and..."
"Thank you for everything you've done for everyone, like the Devil Fruits, the serums, and all that..."
"You guys are my strength too, Gin. You getting stronger means I get stronger, so..."
Allen shrugged, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he said,
"Don't mention it."
"I look forward to the day when everyone can hold their own. When that time comes, nothing in this world will be able to stop us."
"Keep up the good work, Gin."
"Yes, Captain."
Gin responded with a faint smile.
...
In the fourth-floor corridor, Robin leaned her arms against the balcony railing, smiling faintly as she watched Allen walk up the nearby stairs.
"What a touching scene, my dear Captain."
"Yeah, yeah, could you not tease me like that? It's super cheesy, Robin."
Allen shook his head with a wry smile, stopping beside her. He leaned both hands on the railing, gazing out at the distant sea.
"The Marines caught us a bit off guard. My Warlord of the Sea title has definitely been revoked, and the remaining three trades with Vegapunk are ruined."
Robin turned to look at him, chuckling softly. "You had a choice back then. Are you starting to regret it now?"
Allen spoke with a look of deep remorse. "Ah, I regret it endlessly. I'm already planning to tie you up tonight and send you to the Marine base."
Robin reached out, scratching Allen's chin with her fingertips, and laughed softly.
"Really? Are you sure you aren't planning to tie me up and send me to your bed?"
"Speaking of which..."
Allen's lips curled up. He leaned down, moving close to Robin's ear, and whispered, "How did you know I just named my bed the Marine base?"
The gentle breeze blew through Robin's hair, bringing a hint of coolness and carrying a mesmerizing, fragrant scent.
Robin didn't shy away in the slightest. Still wearing a faint smile, she reached out to wrap her arms around the back of Allen's neck, smoothly pressing her body against his.
"As compensation for losing your Warlord title, I'll agree to go on a date with you."
Robin said with a beaming smile, standing on her tiptoes to bring her cheek close to Allen's ear. Her voice carried a trace of warmth as she whispered,
"Let's go play in your secret base..."
As her words fell, Allen immediately blushed.
"Oh my, you can't even handle this much?"
Robin smiled triumphantly, reaching out to cup Allen's face. "I thought you would at least hold out until the kissing stage. You're cuter than I imagined."
"It's because you're too powerful, Robin. Don't casually toy with my innocent heart."
Allen sighed, gently brushing Robin's hands away. He leaned against the balcony railing, his gaze once again looking out over the sea.
"Were you scared back then, when I answered the call?"
"Yes."
Robin replied softly, resting her hands on the railing as well and slowly leaning her head on Allen's shoulder.
"I knew you wouldn't hand me over, just like last time. So, I was worried that everyone would eventually end up in a desperate situation because of me."
"That won't happen. We're strong, and we'll only get stronger in the future."
Allen turned his head, looking at Robin with a serious expression before chuckling softly. "No one can stop a heart that yearns for freedom."
"If it were in the past, I probably would have dismissed those words as the daydreams of an idealist, but now..."
Robin looked up at Allen and smiled. "I choose to be one of those chasing their dreams, together with everyone."
Seeing the gentle smile on Robin's face and her dark eyes shimmering with a faint light, Allen couldn't help but reach out to stroke her cheek, asking softly,
"Robin, what's the secret technique for the kissing stage?"
Robin didn't speak. She simply reached out, her hands trailing slowly up Allen's chest, wrapping around his shoulders to embrace the back of his neck.
"It's passion."
Robin smiled faintly, standing on her tiptoes to bring her face closer—so close that Allen could clearly feel her breath. Closing her eyes, she pressed her lips against his.
Allen felt her passion.
It was very hot, and very... passionate.
After a moment, the two slowly parted. Allen didn't know how much time had passed, but this damn woman had nearly made him pass out.
Thud!
Allen fell backward onto the floor, his face flushed red, lying stiff as a board.
'To think I've visited countless pleasure districts in my life and considered myself an unrivaled master of romance, only to end up looking like a complete rookie in front of this woman.'
Robin raised a hand to gently wipe the corner of her mouth. "It seems the effect was quite good. I'll go back and take a bath first. We can slowly savor this tonight, my dear Captain."
With that, Robin smiled faintly and left the area.
It wasn't until she returned to her room that Allen sprang up from the floor. He touched his lips; they tasted sweet.
'A true hunter always appears in the guise of prey. Time to go prepare some rope, handcuffs, and candles.'
Allen clapped his hands and stood up from the floor, a grin spreading across his face. "The hunter is going to tame a wild horse tonight."
...
At the dinner banquet.
The second-floor dining hall was packed, and at the main table deep within the hall...
"This is our upcoming route. The destination is Punk Hazard. Since we couldn't find an Eternal Pose, we'll have to transit through two islands first."
"If the weather is good, it should take about a week. Alternatively, we can check the town on the next island to see if we can buy an Eternal Pose. That might save us another three days."
Nami spread a nautical chart on the table, pointing at it as she introduced the planned route.
Allen never interfered with Nami's work. Everyone had their own area of expertise, and they just needed to perform their respective duties.
After the route was introduced, Buchi and Sham brought up another matter.
"Boss, Fish-Man Island just called. There's a bit of trouble over there. Two pirate crews caused a ruckus and did some damage to the Fish-Man District, which is still under construction."
"Neptune led the army to suppress the pirates, but one of the crews escaped into the New World and even kidnapped a few mermaids. They're called the Flying Blade Pirates, and their captain has a bounty of 66 million Berries."
"Understood. Contact the people in the Pleasure District later and put a bounty on their whereabouts. Once we have news, we'll go take care of them,"
Allen said in a deep voice, forking a piece of steak and putting it into his mouth.
Although it was just a small pirate crew, they had caused trouble on his turf, so it had to be dealt with. Otherwise, the prestige of his flag would be lost.
"Speaking of which, why haven't Big Mom and the Whitebeard Pirates made a move? Are they really not planning to do anything about the Fish-Man Island situation?"
Nami suddenly brought it up, unable to help her curiosity.
Allen replied dismissively, "The Whitebeard Pirates have had quite a few of their territories in the New World attacked. They probably don't have the time to worry about us right now."
Fish-Man Island hadn't suffered any major incidents under his control. The Whitebeard Pirates didn't have the energy to come after them; if anything, Allen had actually saved them a lot of trouble.
"As for the Big Mom Pirates..."
"They'll come knocking sooner or later. If the Marines hadn't suddenly shown up, Katakuri probably would have made his move today."
"Anyway, mentally prepare yourselves to go to war with them at any moment."
"The Marines don't have much spare capacity right now either. In the short term, Big Mom is our biggest enemy."
Allen paused his movements, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "And she will definitely be the first of the Four Emperors to be defeated by me."
...
After dinner, everyone went their separate ways.
Allen experimented with the Dark-Dark Fruit's abilities on the aft deck for a while before returning to his bedroom to take a shower.
Just as he put on his bathrobe and walked out of the bathroom, he saw a graceful silhouette standing by the window, facing the moonlight. The purple sheer nightgown looked hazy and enchanting under the moon's glow.
"The vixen has arrived as promised to eat the little white rabbit."
Allen stepped up behind Robin, his thick arms wrapping around her waist to pull her into his embrace.
Robin gently rested her head against his firm chest. She reached up to stroke Allen's cheek, her bright, dark eyes gazing into his as she chuckled softly,
"Are you sure it isn't the little fox being tricked into walking right into a trap?"
"The little fox is so smart. Even if she was tricked, she must have been a willing participant, right? Or perhaps she has ulterior motives?"
Allen leaned in close, whispering softly into Robin's ear.
His warm breath slowly dyed the tips of her ears red. A smile surfaced in Robin's deep eyes as she replied softly,
"I guess it must be willingly."
Allen caressed her face and slowly pressed his lips against hers, letting Robin feel a dose of his passion.
Then, he drew the curtains, picked her up, and tossed her onto the bed.
"Since it's willingly, you'll just have to swallow any grievances you might suffer later."
The little white rabbit finally tore off his disguise, transforming into a hunter as he brought out the reins and began to gallop.
As the night deepened, the moon cast an enchanting silver glow beside the bed, rippling across the rumpled sheets.