South Blue – Sorbet Kingdom – Lawless Zone Church
The setting sun cast a warm golden glow through the broken stained-glass windows, painting vibrant colors on the mottled walls. The wind whispered through the dilapidated roof, carrying the scent of herbs and decaying wood.
In the center of the church, Bartholomew Kuma stood before a simple pew, his palm pressed against the back of a hunched old man. The power of the Paw-Paw Fruit quietly activated, and crimson clumps of "pain" were peeled away, condensing into a slowly forming sphere in his hand.
"Hah... thank you, Mr. Kuma," the old man said gratefully. His long-standing illness seemed to vanish along with the energy sphere, and a new clarity appeared in his eyes.
Kuma nodded gently, his massive frame hiding the softest of hearts. "Go home and rest well."
The old man shakily stood up and slowly left with his cane.
After seeing the last person leave, Kuma was alone. He looked down at the condensed red orb of pain in his palm. It was a dark, almost black, energy, twisting and pulsing as if devouring all the warmth in the air.
Kuma took a deep breath and, without hesitation, pressed the orb into his own chest.
"Ngh—!"
Veins popped on his forehead, and his body trembled as a tide of intense pain washed over him. But he simply stood there, silently enduring it all. After a moment, he slowly exhaled, and the churning pain within him subsided.
"Bonney?" he called out softly. The little girl who should have been playing in a corner of the church didn't answer.
"Bonney?!" Kuma's pupils contracted, and he instantly became alert, his Observation Haki flaring out.
In the next second—
"Hehehe~" A familiar, lighthearted laugh echoed through the church.
Kuma spun around, his guard at its peak—only to see a young man casually leaning back on a pew in the back row. Three-year-old Bonney was sitting on his shoulders, giggling as she playfully pulled at his hair.
Kuma was stunned for a moment, his expression changing. "...Roy?"
The young man with the little girl on his shoulders was indeed Roy, dressed in plain clothes. He smiled, a hint of teasing in his eyes. "Long time no see, Kuma."
Kuma walked over slowly. Though his guard had lowered, it hadn't vanished completely. He gently lifted Bonney off Roy's shoulders.
"Why are you in the South Blue?"
Roy shrugged. "Just passing through. I heard you were here and decided to drop by."
Kuma looked down at Bonney in his arms. The little girl was staring at Roy with wide, curious eyes, showing no fear at all.
"Bonney, go play inside for a while," Kuma said softly. Bonney nodded obediently and skipped into the inner chamber of the church.
After confirming his daughter was gone, Kuma's gaze deepened as he looked back at Roy. "Does Dragon know you're here?"
"This isn't on his orders. I'm here on my own."
Kuma frowned slightly. "You should know that I'm an officer in the Revolutionary Army now. If the World Government discovers your connection to me..."
"Don't worry," Roy said coolly, observing the church's interior. "If I want to come somewhere, no one can track me." He stood up and walked to a stained-glass window, the setting sun stretching his shadow long across the floor. He turned and looked Kuma directly in the eye. "You take on the pain of others every day, saving people with your ability... but you absorb all that pain into your own body. If this continues, something bad is bound to happen sooner or later."
"This is my choice," Kuma replied calmly.
Roy sighed. "Does Dragon know?"
"I haven't told him," Kuma said, looking down slightly. "There's no need."
The setting sun bathed the church in a deep golden light. Outside, an old wind chime tinkled in the breeze like a whispered prayer.
Roy looked towards the inner chamber where little Bonney was playing, his voice steady but heavy. "I came here to ask for your help with something." He turned to face Kuma seriously. "I need you to cooperate with Vegapunk on a 'clone soldier' research project. All you need to do is provide a blood sample."
Kuma's expression shifted, his face instantly becoming grave. He was all too familiar with that name—genius, madman, scientific monster... Vegapunk was not someone to get involved with lightly.
His voice was low. "Vegapunk... his research always goes beyond reason, even crossing ethical boundaries. Why is he making clone soldiers?"
Roy answered calmly and honestly, "In Vegapunk's own words—'To use overwhelming scientific power to suppress evil and save the weak.'"
The short sentence was like a stone tossed into a still lake. He had seen the weak crushed on countless battlefields, and the silent compassion in his heart was stirred by those words. Kuma was, at his core, a gentle man, and because of that, the statement resonated with him.
But when he looked towards the inner chamber, his gaze falling upon the innocent little face, his expression became firm. She was his reason for living.
"I'm sorry, Roy," Kuma's voice was gentle but firm. "Bonney is still so young... my only duty right now is to protect her."
Just as he finished, Roy's voice dropped, like a cold blade pressed against his heart. "Bonney... has Sapphire Scale disease. The same as Ginny."
Boom—! Kuma's whole body shook as if struck by lightning.
"What did you say?!!" He lunged forward, his hands gripping Roy's shoulders, his Haki instinctively flaring out. The air in the church became heavy and oppressive, and even the wind chimes in the corner fell silent.
"What did you say!! Are you telling the truth?!!" In his normally gentle eyes, there was now only terror, rage, and unbearable pain.
Roy didn't move an inch, letting the other man grip his shoulders, his tone remaining calm. "Calm down, Kuma."
"How can you ask me to be calm!! She's only three! She's just a child!!" His anguished roar was like that of a wild beast, shaking the pews and startling little Bonney in the other room.
Bonney peeked her head out and ran over timidly. "Daddy...?" She rubbed her eyes, her small figure standing in the doorway, her face filled with unease.
Kuma froze, as if yanked back to reality from a hell of rage. In the next instant, Roy teleported away, appearing in front of Bonney. He knelt down and gently picked her up.
"It's okay, little one," he said, patting her back soothingly. "Your daddy is just very worried about you."
Bonney blinked and nodded, clutching Roy's shirt. "Can he not be so loud then?" she whispered.
Kuma walked over slowly, his eyes full of guilt. He gently stroked Bonney's hair. "I'm sorry, Bonney... Daddy scared you."
Bonney nodded obediently, then yawned in Roy's arms before heading back to the inner room.
Once her figure had disappeared, Kuma straightened up and let out a long breath. After a moment of silence, clarity returned to his eyes.
He looked at Roy, his voice low but filled with a mix of struggle and hope. "Since you came to me... it means you have a way, right?"
Roy nodded, his gaze as sharp and determined as a blade. "Yes. Vegapunk can cure Sapphire Scale."
"But the treatment is complex. The resources and technology required are almost equivalent to building a complete cyborg."
Kuma's brow furrowed. He understood what that meant. After a long silence, he finally asked in a low voice, "And... the cost of the treatment?"
"I'll cover it," Roy answered decisively, without a hint of hesitation. "From the medical facilities and experimental supplies to you and Bonney's living arrangements, I'll take care of everything."
Kuma looked up sharply, stunned. In that moment, he saw a side of Roy he had never seen before. He had personally witnessed the World Government spend tens of billions of Berries on a cyborg project that was still full of flaws. He knew what an astronomical expense it was. And yet, Roy was willing to pay it all for his daughter—
"Are... are you serious?" Kuma murmured, his voice trembling.
That decisiveness made the Revolutionary officer clench his fists. As someone who had used nearly all his savings to help others, he never had the luxury of considering his own problems. And now, someone was offering to bear the full cost for his daughter, simply asking for a few blood samples and his cooperation in Vegapunk's experiment.
Roy seemed to see through Kuma's thoughts. "You don't have to feel burdened. I have a separate deal with Vegapunk, but it won't affect you or Bonney."
Kuma was silent for a long, long time. The wind chimes hummed in the night breeze, as if the world was listening in on this silent decision.
He slowly lowered his head. After a long while, he finally managed to speak. "For me, this is a deal with all benefits and no drawbacks."
"As long as you don't make me a tool to oppress the weak," he said, looking up, his voice gentle but unshakably firm, "I'll agree."
Roy smiled slightly, walked over, and extended his right hand.
"That's all I needed to hear."
Kuma looked at the outstretched hand and saw a path different from revolution and sacrifice—a path that could truly secure a future for Bonney.
He grasped Roy's hand firmly. It was a hand that had shattered enemies, and a hand that had endured countless pains yet was still willing to offer salvation.
At this moment, Kuma had not yet been consumed by war and lies; he had not yet been slandered and forced to become a pirate bearing the name "Tyrant"; he had not yet been converted into a mindless, selfless humanoid weapon. He was just a gentle father, willing to do anything for his daughter.
In this lawless land forgotten by the world, under the fading light of the church, a deal that would shake the future was quietly made.
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