The sharp blade sliced through flesh, stopping only when it met hard bone.
Drip~
Blood fell onto her shoulder before Perona realized what had happened.
Someone had tried to kill her from behind, and the person in front had protected her.
"Ahhhh!!!"
A scream tore from her throat as the shadow of death loomed over her. Tears welled up uncontrollably, and she instinctively clung tightly to Dier, who stood before her.
Compared to the unknown criminal behind her, Dier—who had shielded her—gave her a far greater sense of security.
And the one behind her was none other than the shaven-headed man Dier had encountered by chance on the ship days earlier.
Crackle~
Electricity sparked from Dier's left hand, the lightning traveling along the blade and coursing through the shaven-headed man's body, forcing him to deactivate his ability and retreat.
"Didn't expect to run into you here."
He looked at the shaven-headed man with surprise and said:
"Mr.1."
With a shaved head, slightly dark skin, thin connected eyebrows, thick lips, bare-chested, wearing a sleeveless cape, and loose gray trousers—
This was the Quick-Slicing Fruit Ability User, the future Mr.1 of Baroque Works.
As for his actual name, Dier couldn't quite recall.
"Mr.1?"
Daz Bones frowned in confusion.
He was only eleven this year and hadn't joined Baroque Works yet, so he naturally didn't have the codename Mr.1.
Though puzzled, he was a man of few words and didn't bother asking. Instead, he silently retracted his ability, turned around, and ran off.
Tap tap tap~
The sound of footsteps faded into the distance as Mr.1 left the scene without looking back.
Dier's expression shifted from surprise to speechlessness.
What the hell?
Show up, slash someone, then leave without a word—shouldn't he have stayed for a fight to the death?
He had no intention of chasing after him. His face was still disguised as Robin's, so he wasn't worried about Mr.1 discovering his identity.
Besides, compared to Mr.1, Perona was far more important.
The latter seemed terrified by the sight of blood earlier, clinging to his leg and crying nonstop.
"There, there, he's already run off."
"Waaah!!"
Dier scratched his head helplessly—he had no experience taking care of kids.
When he first met Robin, she was already eight and remarkably mature for her age.
"How about... I give you that big bear?"
"Really?!"
Perona jerked her head up, her teary eyes wide and pitiful.
"Of course. It's yours now."
A child's emotions were easily swayed—all it took was something they loved enough.
Upon hearing his confirmation, Perona immediately let go of his leg, her tiny feet shuffling excitedly as she threw herself onto the stuffed bear's belly.
"Kumashi~ Hehe, my Kumashi~"
Her face pressed against the bear's stomach, she beamed with satisfaction.
Rip~
The sound of tearing fabric made her look up—Dier had ripped off part of his clothes and was wrapping the cloth around the wound on his hand.
The white fabric quickly turned red, blood still dripping steadily.
The Quick-Slicing Fruit allowed the user to turn their entire body into blades, and Mr.1 had transformed his entire right arm into a large sword.
If not for his bones being tough enough, Dier's left hand would have been severed.
After all, without the enhancement of Armament Haki, even Garp could be slashed into heavy bleeding by Axe-Hand Morgans, let alone him.
Despite the massive blood loss, Dier wasn't overly concerned.
It was just a severe injury.
He could recover by eating more later.
But Perona, unaware of this, bit her lip tightly, a pang of guilt rising in her heart.
He had suffered such serious injuries for her sake, yet she had only been worried about her stuffed bear.
"Um... thank you just now."
She turned around, clenched her small fists firmly, and said with a serious expression:
"You mentioned wanting to do something earlier—I can help you!"
"That's great!"
Dier's face lit up with joy. His Hypnosis ability hadn't even been used yet, and the matter was already settled.
He stepped forward and ruffled the pink-haired girl's head.
"But we'll have to wait a few more days. How about coming with me first?"
"By the way, where are your parents?"
"I don't know..."
Perona's voice grew somewhat despondent.
"I don't remember."
All she recalled was waking up in the forest behind the graveyard, wearing a gothic-style dress.
She had been three years old at the time.
Later, she found a hollow tree in the forest and made it her home, living nocturnally.
She slept during the day and sneaked into the cemetery at night to steal offerings.
As for daily necessities, she had to rely on theft.
Not far from the graveyard was a general store.
Thanks to the island's upstanding customs, criminal activity was rare, and few people visited the cemetery late at night.
The shopkeeper had grown careless, often leaving goods meant for sale the next day outside the store after closing.
This gave Perona the opportunity for some "free shopping."
One day, she accidentally ate the Ghost-Ghost Fruit.
The fruit's ability allowed her to create Phantoms as playmates, while the Phantoms could also scout for her, helping her discover the best offerings in the cemetery ahead of time.
"Why didn't you seek help from others?"
"Because... everyone outside is a bunch of Monsters."
Perona said with a tremble in her voice:
"Especially that werewolf granny at the general store. She looks terrifying. I always have to be extra careful when I go to take things."
The island's customs had led her to misunderstand, mistaking the costumed Monsters for real ones, which was why she never dared to ask for help.
"How about coming with me from now on?"
Dier crouched down and smiled:
"I can take you to find more, even cuter bears."
Perona seemed slightly tempted. The boy before her wasn't a vicious Monster—he had even saved her earlier.
Following him didn't seem so bad, but she had to secure more benefits.
With that in mind, Perona gave a light humph and made an outrageous demand:
"And I want to eat lots and lots of bagel sandwiches!"
"No problem! You can eat as many as you want."
Dier agreed without hesitation.
A little food was nothing. Could she possibly out-eat him?
"Then it's settled. Come on, call me 'big brother.'"
Robin, who had just arrived at a jog, couldn't help but sweatdrop at these words.
She hadn't joined Dier in coaxing Perona, instead waiting behind a tree outside the graveyard.
Earlier, she had heard Dier's loud shout and thought something had gone wrong, rushing over in a panic.
But as soon as she arrived, she witnessed this scene.
"Dier, right now you sound like a shady uncle trying to lure a child."
"More like a handsome uncle."
...
Robin wasn't opposed to Perona joining them—in fact, she was even a little pleased.
She was finally not the youngest one anymore.
The three of them returned to the inn with the stuffed bear.
Robin and Perona entered the bathroom first.
For the past two years, the latter could only bathe when it rained.
With the recent cold weather, she didn't dare get caught in the rain too often, leaving her quite dirty.
In such a state, she naturally couldn't go to bed without washing up first, so a hot bath was necessary.
Dier collapsed onto the bed, his left hand wrapped in bandages no longer bleeding.
It was the middle of the night, making it inconvenient to tend to his wounds or find food.
He planned to deal with his injuries after waking up the next morning.
Hina was awakened by the noise, rubbing her eyes and mumbling:
"You're back. Is there breakfast?"
"It's the middle of the n
ight. Go back to sleep."
"Oh."
Hina buried herself back under the covers.
The sound of running water came from the bathroom as Dier drowsily closed his eyes.
It seemed like he'd forgotten something—oh right, why did Mr.1 want to kill Perona? There shouldn't have been any grudge between them.
Well, he'd ask tomorrow.