Stussy laughed as she watched the man pretending to be tough. With a sly glint in her eyes, she teased:
"I was only joking! Don't tell me you actually believed me? Whatever you do, don't go sneaking off to wish upon a Celestial Dragon—people will only see it as proof you're unfit."
Peter, whose bluff had been exposed, nearly flushed red with both shame and anger. He pointed at Stussy, who looked perfectly fine on the outside, but in truth still needed his help even to stand and put on her makeup. His tone turned sharp:
"Whether I'm fit or not… you should know best. Next time, try not to surrender so quickly."
Stussy replied with a playful smile:
"Then I'll make a request… Next time, I want to hold hands with Kalifa and Alpha."
Peter chuckled darkly:
"Request denied! Get ready to taste some torment!"
Their bickering continued until, in the end, Stussy was the first to surrender and apologize, promising not to run her mouth so recklessly again. Only then did Peter let her go.
After finishing her makeup, Peter brought her clothes and even helped her get dressed, not without some mischievous touches along the way. Since he didn't cross any lines, she let him do as he pleased.
Half an hour later, Stussy finally emerged, dressed in an off-shoulder pink blouse paired with short white denim shorts.
Peter studied her thoughtfully, then walked to the wardrobe and pulled something out, muttering:
"I knew something was missing…"
He held up two items—black stockings in one hand, white in the other—and pointed at her.
"Choose. Which one do you want to wear?"
Stussy stared for a moment before smirking:
"Do you have skin-colored ones?"
Peter's smile widened in satisfaction.
"Of course. I've got sheer, opaque, and even semi-transparent."
And so, thanks to his insistence, Stussy ended up walking out in glossy, skin-colored stockings.
But the moment they entered the dining hall, a barrage of scolding came from Nami, Carina, and the other girls:
"Do you two even realize what time it is? Did you forget we're setting sail today?!"
Peter answered nonchalantly as Nojiko handed him a massive bucket of rice.
"It's only eleven o'clock. Thanks, Nojiko."
He sat down and dug in greedily, while Stussy tried to hide herself from the crossfire of anger.
Nami, however, couldn't hold back and exploded:
"Only eleven?! Do you know we woke up at seven?! We've been waiting for you for four whole hours!"
Robin calmly interjected:
"For accuracy's sake… I arrived at ten forty."
Hina added:
"Same here."
Mikita and Vivi also spoke up just as indifferently. Their composed tone revealed the experience of "senior members."
Meanwhile, Carina, who had been scolding Peter alongside Nami, suddenly found herself cornered when Kalifa dragged her aside by the hand.
"Wait a minute—weren't you the one who told us yesterday to wake up early like the 'seniors'?"
Carina struggled, shouting:
"Let me go! Just because your name sounds like mine doesn't make you my sister!"
Her protests were useless. Soon, the place echoed with her laughter as she begged for mercy.
"Hahaha! Stop it! I'm sorry! Don't tickle me!"
Robin and the others watched silently before making a collective decision: Carina was officially expelled from the "senior members" club.
As for Peter, he kept eating until he was completely stuffed, then wiped his stomach and declared loudly:
"Let's go. Back to Llama Pier!"
Ten minutes later, Vivi sat in the carriage, sulking as she gazed out at the desert.
"Why are we riding a carriage? Why don't we just fly like last time?"
Peter sat between Mikita and Nojiko, playing a game where each girl fed him grapes. He smiled as he chewed.
"I already taught you how to fly. If you haven't mastered it, that's your problem, not mine."
Mikita leaned shyly against his shoulder, shooting Vivi a provocative glance.
"He's right. Instead of blaming others, why don't you put in some effort yourself? Or are you just one of those little girls who can only whine, 'But I'm just a girl'?"
Vivi flared up in outrage.
"You cheat with your powers! How dare you talk like that?!"
Mikita stuck her tongue out mockingly.
"Hehe~ I can fly and you can't. Cry all you want."
Then she feigned sadness and clung to Peter, pouting:
"Darling, look at her! She's bullying me!"
Vivi's anger boiled over and she nearly lunged at her, but Nami and Kaya held her back.
"Calm down, Vivi. She's provoking you on purpose."
"Exactly. She's stronger than you right now. If you fight her, you'll just lose."
Vivi shouted:
"What kind of friends are you?!"
Kaya answered softly:
"We're just stopping you from ending up with a swollen face."
Nami nodded quickly.
"Exactly."
Vivi stammered in fury, slipping into her native Alabastan accent, which sent Peter into uncontrollable laughter.
"Hahaha! Perfect! With such strong bonds between you, I feel reassured!"
Vivi snapped:
"What eyes are you using to see that?!"
But then Peter suddenly grew serious.
"Anyway, Kaya's right. At your current level, you can't keep up with Mikita… so I'll grant you some extra strength. Come on, give me your hand."
Vivi blinked in surprise, but slowly extended her small hand, her nails painted blue.
Peter smiled as he took it.
"Don't say a word… you'll understand soon."
He closed his eyes, gently running his thumb across the back of her hand. Vivi grew tense, while all the other girls fixed their eyes on him in anticipation.
Suddenly, Peter opened his eyes and said coolly:
"Your skin's a little dry. If you don't take care of it, playing with your hands won't be as fun next time."
Vivi exploded.
"You bastard! I'll kill you!"
But before she could pull her hand away, a sudden surge of energy welled up from deep inside her, making her gasp in shock.
"What… what is this?! It feels like something inside me is overflowing!"
The girls watching could see it more clearly than Vivi herself. White energy flared around her body. Hina in particular widened her eyes in disbelief, covering her mouth.
"This… this is Ki! Impossible… its amount is nearly equal to mine!"
The room froze in shock. Ever since their stay in Alabasta, most of them had been too busy enjoying themselves to train seriously. In fact, only Hina had successfully awakened Ki.
As for the newer members like Stussy, Kalifa, and Alpha, they had only heard about Ki in passing. So seeing Vivi, who spent most of her time playing around, suddenly radiating such power left them utterly stunned.
They had no explanation other than Peter being behind it. Every gaze turned toward him.
Peter finally opened his eyes after taking a deep breath and released Vivi's hand. The white energy gradually dissipated until it vanished completely.
He smiled and asked:
"How do you feel? I used a special method to draw out a small part of your latent potential. You won't suddenly become overpowered, but now you have the ability to use Ki. Believe me… taking on a pirate with an eight or nine million bounty won't be too hard for you anymore."
Vivi stared at her hands in awe, feeling the energy coursing within her. Overcome with emotion, she suddenly kissed Peter hard on the cheek, leaving a bright lipstick mark.
"You're amazing, Peter! No—darling! That's my reward for you!"
Then she spun toward Mikita, brimming with newfound confidence, her chin tilted proudly.
"Well? What do you think now? Do you dare challenge me?"
Mikita froze, shaking her head rapidly like a doll before hiding half her body behind Peter, feeling wronged.
"Why?! I've been serving him loyally all this time, and yet he gave that annoying girl power before me!"
Peter chuckled, patting her head reassuringly.
"No need to be jealous. I didn't help Vivi just so she could show off."
He hugged her gently while Vivi eagerly showed off her new power to Nami, Kaya, Nojiko, and Carina, who gathered around her in excitement. Robin, Hina, Stussy, Kalifa, and Alpha watched with curious eyes.
Peter sat with Mikita on his lap, stroking her short blonde hair, and explained:
"Do you all remember my second wish from the dragon?"
Robin immediately interjected:
"You mean the ability related to that Grand Elder Namek?"
Peter nodded.
"Exactly. That ability lets me awaken the latent potential within a human body. What I just did for Vivi was only the beginning—I didn't want to force her growth too far, only enough so she can wield Ki."
Hina gazed at Vivi in astonishment as she formed tiny sparks of light in her palm to show the others.
"I can't believe such an ability exists in this world…" she murmured in admiration. Then, more seriously:
"But even if her Ki is equal to mine in quantity, she still won't be my match."
Vivi bristled, ready to argue, but Peter nodded in agreement.
"That's true. Not just because she hasn't mastered Ki yet… but because fighting depends on skill and experience too. Two people with the same amount of Ki—one could easily surpass the other with deeper understanding and sharper technique. In fact, even someone with less Ki could defeat a stronger opponent if they're more experienced."
Vivi's excitement dimmed a little at his words, but she quickly regained her determination. Even if she wasn't at Hina's level yet, she was no longer who she used to be—she had stepped onto a new stage entirely.
She lifted her chin with resolve.
"From today, I'll start training seriously. One day, Hina, I'll defeat you!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
To answer some of your questions:
No, Peter won't kill innocent people only the foolish busybodies who die by accident.
No, Luffy won't be killed. Leave the poor guy alone; he's barely made it to the Grand Line.
Peter won't turn into some Machiavellian Sigma Alpha Male. He'll stay, Peter just a guy who loves butts, like me and you.
Love you all ❤️