Badak and the others turned to see an exquisite little princess of the Tontatta people walking alongside Leo. She was petite, with an adorable face, dressed in a fluffy skirt, her golden hair tied into two buns before cascading loosely down her back.
Noticing everyone's gaze, Mansherry shyly hid behind Leo but still spoke firmly, "I agree, Father."
"Chief Gancho, I'll protect the princess."
As he spoke, Leo pulled out a needle from his waist—this was the power of his special technique, capable of stitching anything together.
"So? King Gancho, I'll protect both of them as well. After all, we'll be companions from now on."
What could Gancho do? Deep down, he didn't want his daughter to go on such a dangerous journey, but they couldn't ignore the matter of Noland.
"But they're still children. Isn't it too dangerous for them to go on a sea adventure now? Can't you choose someone else?"
Violet insisted."Princess Violet, I won't take them straight to the Golden Land right away. The Grand Line is indeed quite dangerous now. We'll sail and train in the West Blue for a few years first. Only when I'm certain it's safe will we officially enter the Grand Line."
Violet pursed her lips, wanting to argue further, but she couldn't interfere too much with the Tontatta's affairs.
"Ah, my daughter will be away from home for so many years? I won't be able to see my daughter for years?" King Gancho asked Badak with evident distress.
Badak suddenly felt his approach might be too harsh, but remembering that the villain Doflamingo would occupy Dressrosa within a few years, with Mansherry being imprisoned and the Tontatta people deceived and enslaved, his resolve strengthened. He took out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and handed it to Gancho.
"King Gancho, this is a Den Den Mushi. It allows long-distance communication and is easy to care for—just feed it occasionally. When I prepare new Den Den Mushi, Mansherry will contact you. Remember, these artificial additions cannot be removed; if you take them off, it won't work anymore."
Badak, recalling how the dwarves in the anime had released Robin's Den Den Mushi, added another reminder while teaching Gancho how to use it.
"Now that things are mostly settled, Hancock, do you want to start now or wait until we return to the ship?"
"Let's wait until we're back on the ship."
Though eager, Hancock steadied herself—this wasn't the right place. She had already resolved to remove the mark, even if it meant cutting away a piece of flesh.
"Well then, King Gancho, I'll go catch a couple of Fighting Fish, and we can hold a feast to celebrate this great collaboration."
"No, no, no! We can't trouble our guests with such tasks. Leave it to us."
"Then let's do it together!"
...
At Green Bit, after a joyous feast, came a bittersweet farewell. Gancho held Mansherry's hand reluctantly, giving her endless advice.
"King Gancho, it's time for us to go."
"Mansherry, you must call often!"
"Leo, protect the princess, or don't you dare come back!" Leo's grandmother shouted.
"Got it!"
Badak and Hancock walked ahead, while Leo and Mansherry hurried after them, carrying the responsibility of finding the City of Gold and the excitement of adventure.
Violet and Kyros had left shortly after the feast—they were very busy. One was the kingdom's only public princess, the other the captain of the royal army, with countless matters to attend to daily.
"Mansherry, Leo, the 'miracles' you possess are known as Devil Fruit abilities out on the sea. Now, let me show you mine."
"Devil Fruit? Badak, you can use miracles—no, Devil Fruit abilities too?"
"Watch."
Badak summoned his Somersault Cloud, leaped onto it, and stood steadily before continuing, "This is just one of my abilities. I'll show you the others later. Now, come on up."
"Wow, amazing! Can we ride it too?"
Leo made to jump, but Mansherry suddenly climbed onto his back. "Leo, I can't reach. Carry me."
"Honestly, Princess, you really need to train more."
Even with Mansherry on his back, Leo easily jumped onto the cloud. The dwarves truly possessed incredible strength and speed—no wonder they were called the fairy race.
Once Hancock boarded, Badak urged the Somersault Cloud forward, speeding toward their small ship. This time, everything had gone smoothly. They had gathered all the supplies on the first day and could set sail immediately.
"Wow, this is amazing! Badak, can it go even faster?"
On the rapidly moving cloud, Leo cheered excitedly—it was his first time flying through the sky.
"Of course! Leo, Mansherry, hold on tight! Accelerating!"
The Somersault Cloud instantly doubled its speed, moving so fast that ordinary people wouldn't even see the blur overhead.
"Whoa, so fast! The wind is so strong!"Badak and Hancock landed in a secluded alley near the harbor and walked to the Handsome Monkey King. Leo and Mansherry were hidden within the shrunken Somersault Cloud, cradled in Badak's arms. The two of them still adhered to their old customs, unwilling to expose themselves to the gaze of larger humans unnecessarily.
Back on the ship, Badak carefully inspected everything and, finding no issues, began preparing to set sail.
"Damn it, I only prepared the Eternal Pose for the journey here and forgot the one for the return trip."
Hancock gave Badak a speechless look. Fortunately, Senior Shaki had prepared in advance. She pulled out a piece of paper from her chest. "Look, Senior Shaki's Vivre Card. It can guide us."
"As expected of a senior, always thorough. Now it's your turn. Once you're done, we'll depart."
Although Badak believed Mansherry could erase the Celestial Dragon's hoof mark on Hancock's back, he still wanted to see the results first. Perhaps Mansherry's abilities weren't fully developed yet.
Hancock took Mansherry into the cabin, where the two whispered for a while—likely Hancock explaining the situation and asking about the healing method.
Before long, Mansherry emerged, her eyes red as if she had been crying. Leo approached her with concern, but Mansherry only shook her head.
Crying could be explained as using her abilities, but what did shaking her head mean?
This left Badak baffled. Did it mean she couldn't do it? Regardless, he stepped forward to comfort Mansherry.
"Mansherry, it's alright. Your abilities just aren't strong enough yet. You'll definitely be able to do it in the future."
"No, I succeeded. I just feel heartbroken for Hancock. What kind of monster would hurt her like this? Waaah..."
Mansherry started crying again as she spoke.
Badak felt a headache coming on, unsure how to comfort her. Luckily, Hancock emerged at that moment, drawing everyone's attention.
How to put it? Before, Hancock had left an impression of beauty and strength on Badak. Now, to that impression, he had to add radiant brilliance—like a dusty gem polished back to its original luster.
"Hey, Hancock, if you succeeded, why didn't you come out sooner? You had us worried."
"I just didn't expect it to be so simple. Although it only erased the physical mark, I'm no longer afraid."