"Gulp... It smells so good..."
Perona's throat bobbed as she stared intently at the food on the plate, unable to stop herself from swallowing hard.
How many days had it been since she last had a decent meal since arriving here? Looking at the mouth-watering food in front of her, she blurted out involuntarily,
"I really want a bite... Wait, no!"
Perona snapped back to her senses and glared at Allen.
"You despicable bastard! Hurry up and give me the food... No, wait! Hurry up and take these handcuffs off me! Hey, are you listening, you bastard?!"
"It's early in the morning, can you keep it down? Don't you know you're supposed to be quiet while eating?"
Allen said in a flat tone. He casually grabbed a large piece of bread stuffed with meat and lettuce, shoved it into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed it in one big gulp.
Perona watched, practically drooling with craving.
Allen took a large gulp of his grain juice. After setting down his cup, he finally glanced at the other breakfast portion on the table and said to Perona,
"Your portion is right here. Unlock your handcuffs and come get it yourself."
With that, Allen casually tossed a key over. It clinked and bounced twice on the floor before sliding right in front of Perona.
Perona glanced at the handcuff key, then looked up, eyeing Allen with suspicion.
"You're letting me go that easily? And you even kindly prepared food for me. This has to be some kind of scheme."
"Eat it or don't. You should be thanking my chef, who can't stand seeing anyone go hungry. As for a scheme, if you don't eat it, I wouldn't mind having seconds."
Allen scoffed dismissively, picking up a sandwich from her breakfast portion and bringing it toward his mouth.
"Wait a minute! Didn't you say that was mine, you bastard?!"
Perona yelled angrily. She hurriedly grabbed the key, unlocked herself, and scrambled over to snatch the sandwich right out of Allen's hand, stuffing it into her mouth.
Before she could even chew twice, the corners of Allen's mouth curled up into a cold smirk.
"You finally fell for it. I poisoned it earlier. Just a tiny drop is enough to make you lose your mind, and in just a little while..."
Her face turned green at his words, and she immediately choked on the food in her mouth. Staring in horror, she watched Allen flash an evil smile as he continued,
"Soon, you'll be reduced to a..."
*Bang.*
The door suddenly opened. Allen looked up to see Robin walking in, her expression deadpan as she spoke.
"Please do not frighten girls with that kind of joke, Allen."
"Yeah, yeah. Man, I have to say, why have you been acting so much like Nami lately?"
Allen sighed helplessly, throwing his hands up in the air.
Robin ignored him and walked straight over to the sofa. As she passed by Perona, she said in an indifferent tone,
"Don't worry, he's just lying to you. What he actually put in there is a highly acidic poison that will melt your internal organs."
Allen: "..."
Perona: "..."
"That's just not funny, Robin."
"Is that so? It seems my sense of humor still needs some improvement."
A faint smile graced Robin's face as she sat down on the sofa. She then turned to Perona.
"Eat with peace of mind. Our chef respects food immensely; there is no way he would ever tamper with it."
Perona: "..."
*How am I supposed to eat after all that?*
A short while later.
...
"Your chef is absolutely amazing! I've never had food this delicious in my entire life!"
Sitting in front of a plate licked cleaner than a mirror, Perona cupped her face in her hands, her expression filled with pure bliss and satisfaction.
"It seems you guys aren't such bad people after all. I guess I'll apologize for attacking you earlier."
"Heh, well thanks a lot. Do you need me to order a few more servings to thank you for your apology?"
Allen mocked her sarcastically.
Perona looked embarrassed. She poked her index fingers together and muttered guiltily,
"Ahem, sorry about that. I just wanted to steal your ship, that's all."
"I see. You want to leave this place?"
Robin nodded in understanding, then asked,
"However, you are Moria's subordinate, aren't you? Yesterday's newspaper just published the news of his defeat by Kid. Why are you here?"
"Hmph! It's all because of that despicable Kuma! He said something about a defeated Warlord of the Sea having no deterrent power, and that the World Government doesn't need them!"
*Smack!*
At the mention of this, Perona instantly grew furious. She slammed her small hands on the table and said indignantly,
"Lord Moria was just careless! If they fought again, he would definitely beat the crap out of that red-haired hedgehog!"
From just those two sentences, Robin pretty much understood the whole story. She asked again,
"What do you plan to do next? We are getting ready to set sail. If you want to leave..."
Saying this, Robin turned to look at Allen with a smile.
"You shouldn't mind bringing one more person on board, right?"
Hearing this, Perona also looked over, clearly wanting to leave this place with them.
"If Nami were the one asking, I'd understand, but why are you suddenly acting so kind-hearted?"
Allen glanced at her, finding it a bit strange.
Robin wasn't the type to meddle in other people's business. Why was she acting so out of character when it came to Perona?
*Wait a minute.*
*Gothic style, plays with ghosts, eccentric hobbies...*
Looking Perona up and down, Allen couldn't help but feel speechless as he suddenly understood the reason.
*Birds of a feather flock together, I guess.*
"One extra mouth won't eat that much rice. Do whatever you want."
"Really?! That's wonderful! Not only can I leave this place to go find Lord Moria, but I can also eat delicious meals like that again! Horo horo horo!"
Perona happily stood on her tiptoes, spun around a few times, and then stopped. Facing Allen, she pressed her small hands on the table and said,
"Don't worry, I won't overstay my welcome. I'll get off the ship as soon as we reach the next stop. By the way, where are you guys heading?"
"To Marine Headquarters, Marineford."
Allen replied casually.
"..."
Perona's expression froze, and she stood there completely dumbfounded.
"You, a pirate, are going to Marine Headquarters?"
"Me, a Warlord of the Sea, mandatory summons."
Allen nodded expressionlessly.
"A Warlord of the Sea... Don't tell me...!"
After staring blankly for a moment, Perona finally reacted. Her jaw dropped to the floor in shock as she screamed,
"So you're Blackbeard!!"
"Who the hell is Blackbeard?!"
*Whack!!*
Allen slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and roared with bared teeth, delivering a vicious chop right to the top of Perona's little head.
Afterward, following some explanation from Robin, Perona finally understood Allen's true identity.
Over the next few days, Perona stayed on the *Freewill*, settling into a temporary room arranged for her on the fourth floor.
She spent all day hanging out with the Nyaban Brothers, either eating or pestering Sanji for more food.
...
Three days after leaving Kuraigana Island, having weathered numerous violent storms, heavy snow, hail, and treacherous serpentine currents, the *Freewill* finally entered waters with stable weather.
The sky was clear, the sunlight bright and warm, and a gentle breeze carrying the faint, salty scent of the sea swept across the deck.
A green forest floated on the surface of the sea—the Sabaody Archipelago, formed by the exposed roots of the Yarukiman Mangroves.
"Hey, look over there."
"That's Basil Hawkins the Magician from the North Blue, right? A Super Rookie with a bounty of 249 million Berries."
"Another pirate crew with a bounty over a hundred million. There really are a lot of Supernovas this year."
Bubbles formed from natural resin continuously rose from the grass, floating up into the sky and shimmering with vibrant colors as the sunlight pierced through them.
Pedestrians stopped on both sides of the street, whispering and discussing the pirate crew that had just made landfall.
At the same time.
In the Grove 1 to 29 area, a lawless zone teeming with slave auction houses, criminals, and bounty hunters.
Inside a shabby, cheap tavern, the chaotic hall echoed with the clinking of glasses and boisterous laughter.
"Ahahaha! There are already seven Supernovas gathered on the island now, right? If we could just slaughter one of them, we wouldn't have to worry about money for the rest of our lives."
"That many? Hey, who has the highest bounty on the island right now?"
"The highest? That should be Captain Kid. That guy just defeated Moria, and his new bounty has already reached 450 million Berries."
"That's insane, hahaha! He must be the Supernova with the highest bounty since Fire Fist Ace three years ago."
"Yeah. I heard that not too long ago, he even lost to the Warlord of the Sea, Demon Lion Allen."
In the tavern hall, the mottled walls on both sides were pinned with nails and daggers, covered in all sorts of wanted posters.
Bounty hunters and slave traders gulped down their booze, laughing loudly as they discussed the various pirate crews gathering on the island.
Meanwhile.
On the distant sea, a sailing ship with a fierce and ferocious lion head figurehead slowly appeared.
The *Freewill* rode the wind, cutting through the water as it steadily sailed toward that dreamlike maritime forest where prosperity and darkness coexisted.