Chapter 18: Departure
Half a day later, just enough time for Sanju to pack her luggage and supplies.
Zeff stood on the badly damaged wooden platform of the Baratie, his eyes full of reluctance and anticipation as he watched the vanishing shadow of the Baphomet.
In a daze…
He seemed to recall the distant past.
He suddenly smiled, tears glistening in his eyes.
"Sanju, I hope your dreams come true…"
Groggy sounds and moans echoed behind him, pulling his attention away from the already disappeared ship.
"Ah, I almost forgot about those guys…"
"Hurry up and wake up! The customers' bellies are screaming with anger!!!"
Zeff shouted at the still-unconscious staff, kicking them awake one by one.
"Zeff Boss!! What happened?"
"I feel like my head got slammed by something, and I lost consciousness."
The staff woke up one after another, faces full of curiosity and astonishment.
A collective fainting?
Some of the crowd hurriedly left the Baratie, only to be shocked by the surrounding ruins.
They were relieved to still be alive. Who cared about fainting? The most important thing was survival.
Don Krieg, who was later escorted by the Navy, kept shouting,
"It was that sword-holding demon…"
On the Baphomet, Luffy was sitting leisurely on a rocking chair. In front of him, a nervous Sanju knelt, her face filled with apprehension and anticipation.
But she wasn't the only one kneeling. Nami was also on her knees, not far away, surrounded by the other girls. Her face was pouting, red-eyed and sulking. But no one seemed to care. They snorted at her to express displeasure and took turns slapping her head.
Nami weakly resisted, trying to explain herself.
"I told you, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have hidden it from you! I really trust you, I just wanted to tell the captain first!"
But the girls weren't buying it. They knew Nami had only used that as an excuse to get private time with the captain.
Nami's life may have been miserable — they understood that — but harboring bad intentions towards the captain was not allowed.
On the other side, Sanju hesitantly asked, fear written all over her face:
"Captain, are you sure this transformation doesn't have any side effects?"
Luffy seemed to see right through her thoughts.
He tilted his head casually, as if understanding.
"You mean the fact that your genes had been modified before?"
Sanju's face turned pale, staring at Luffy in shock.
This time, the girls became interested and finally let Nami go.
Kaya, especially, was intrigued.
"I did notice Sanju's body was a little different. Although nothing shows on the surface, she seems to have some hidden power…"
Zala looked at the nervous Sanju with interest.
"Didn't expect this perverted woman to have talent. I thought the captain just wanted a capable maid…"
Kuina slapped Zala's head.
"Zala, don't be rude."
Surprisingly, Sanju wasn't triggered by Zala's insult. She just kept watching Luffy with apprehension.
Luffy hummed.
"You don't have to worry. After the transformation, not only will you gain all the benefits, but anything that might've affected you negatively will be erased. Anyway, feel it for yourself…"
The moment Luffy's hand touched her head, the transformation began.
The girls watched in fascination.
Even though they had gone through it themselves, watching a person evolve so completely never got old.
Enhanced talent. Increased potential. No bottlenecks. Beauty. An ultimate, sexy body. Power...
It was simply miraculous.
The newly awakened Sanju, who looked nothing like her usual self, opened her eyes slowly.
Her face turned red immediately—her blue chemise and bra were on the ground, torn apart by her bust's overgrowth.
Her pants were so tight they were about to burst.
Her mind was in disarray. She hadn't even taken the time to examine her body, but the fact that she still felt shame brought her some relief.
She hadn't lost her emotions as she had feared.
Luffy watched her with interest.
There was no difference in her base stats compared to the other girls—her physical attributes had increased a hundredfold. But in her case, some things were even more exaggerated.
Her defense was impenetrable. Without extreme internal destruction Haki or advanced King's Haki coating, no one could break through her "tortoise shell." And even if they did, her regeneration was insane—not weaker than any awakened Mythical Zoan.
Her raw power was just as impressive—her body parts seemed to be made of steel. But in this world, even giants were nothing compared to the power of Haki.
Garp was just a normal human, yet with Haki, he could blow apart a town with a single punch.
Sanju was soon surrounded by the other girls, who eagerly inspected her body and occasionally let out surprised exclamations.
They quickly noticed Sanju's unique traits.
Sanju let out a long sigh of relief. It seemed the captain hadn't lied—she was enjoying the benefits of the genes, but without the downsides like emotional detachment or cruelty.
She looked at the still-lounging Luffy, her expression filled with gratitude, loyalty, tenderness, and resolve.
She bowed deeply toward him, only to be met with a chuckle.
"You're my crew now. No need to be so dramatic. As long as you grow strong enough to protect me, that's enough…"
"Ah, and cooking. Cook well. Now that you've gained my favor, your cooking talent will also shoot up in the future… I expect much from you."
The girls rolled their eyes.
The captain might be lazy, unreliable, and unambitious, but he was strong—that was an undeniable fact. And honestly, they didn't mind.
Wasn't it only natural to pamper the captain?
Zala looked at Luffy with excitement. Her eyes darted about, her face flushing. Who knew what weird thoughts she was having?
"Don't worry, captain! Sleep in peace. Even if I surpass you one day, I'll still reluctantly follow and protect you…"
Sanju glared at her. Why was this green-haired annoyance trying to butt in?
The captain had clearly asked her to protect him!
"Green-haired ugly woman, stop dreaming. The captain is asking me for protection. What does this have to do with you?"
Kuina quickly interjected, pretending to be calm and broad-minded.
"Anyway, we're all responsible for protecting the captain. There's no need to fight over such silly matters…"
Nami rolled her eyes and mercilessly exposed her.
"Don't think I don't know you've been reading books on harem management…"
Kaya, who had taken some small samples from Sanju, was already heading to her lab. She was reassured—no one could harm the captain anytime soon. None of the girls would allow it.
Now it was time to study Sanju's body. If she succeeded, everyone on the ship would gain more power. And she would gain favor, which meant—hehehehe…
Luffy could easily do this himself, of course—but he wouldn't. After all, he was a lazy and unreliable master aiming to become the King of Gigolos.
What was the use of all these beauties if they didn't work hard to support him?
As the girls bickered and quarreled as usual, the silent Yasha, who had been sitting beside Luffy, finally turned her head to look at her captain, a doubtful expression on her face.
It seemed something was weighing on her mind. She couldn't suppress the urge any longer.
Luffy, still with his eyes closed, suddenly spoke.
"What is it, Yasha? What's on your mind?"