When you have a bounty on your head, having your life—or various other things—targeted becomes part of the daily routine.
It doesn't happen constantly if you keep a low profile. But as long as people have eyes, there's no telling when, where, or by whom you'll be marked.
And the people who come for you aren't all the same.
Bounty hunters, drawn by the seventy-six million Berry on my head.
Marines, trying to capture or eliminate pirates as part of their duty.
Pirates, hungry for a name, for loot, for money—or for something uglier.
Human traffickers, looking to cash in.
And others, depending on the place and the mood of the world.
Naturally, I have no intention of being captured or killed, so I deal with them every time.
After spending nearly half of my thirty-plus years living as a wanted woman, I've gotten used to this part of my life.
Lately, I've even caught myself watching attackers with detached amusement. His footwork is stiff—newbie. That one's all lust and greed—if he gets caught later, he'll have an even worse time than he deserves.
Maybe it's just a way to stay calm. Fighting is inevitable, so my brain turns it into a game. Either way, I've developed nerves I didn't know a person could have.
And today, once again, I found myself facing another group.
This time, they were human traffickers—an occupation I've had more contact with than I ever wanted.
Worse, it wasn't a small crew. Dozens of them ambushed us in a deserted stretch, swarming like locusts.
The difference today was simple.
They weren't only targeting me.
There were four of us.
And all four of us fought back.
"Damn it! This isn't how it was supposed to go!"
"Why are they so strong…?! Who said taking a kid hostage would be easy?!"
"Even the brat is ridiculously strong!"
"Don't call me a brat!"
Leona snarled and snapped her head forward—
Grrk!
Her forehead slammed into a descending iron club and knocked it back with raw, furious force.
Even in her hybrid form, it was absurd. No Haki. No Iron Body. Just sheer power and the hide of a Nemean Lion.
The man's eyes widened as his full-strength swing was deflected with a hard, metallic clang.
Leona didn't give him a second to breathe. She slipped low under his legs, seized both ankles, and lifted him clean off the ground—then spun.
A massive, brutal arc.
Bodies went down like bowling pins as she used the man like a weapon, mowing through the group.
And when she was done, she hurled him—broken and limp—straight into another trafficker further away to finish the job.
A gunman who'd been waiting for the opening fired at her from behind.
The bullet didn't pierce her skin.
It didn't even make it through the thick, mane-like mass of her transformed hair. It stopped short and fell apart against her with the slightest movement, dropping to the ground in pieces.
The gunman froze.
Leona turned her head slowly, locked eyes with him, and bared her teeth.
Nice target switch.
Then she charged.
The man didn't even have time to scream before she slammed into him and sent him flying.
While Leona tore through them with brute force and overwhelming presence, Suzu fought with something else entirely.
Precision.
She drew both swords and moved like flowing water—offense and defense braided together, seamless. She slipped past strikes, parried, redirected, and in the blink of an opening, her second blade flashed.
One clean cut.
Another.
It was the same rhythm repeated over and over, but her form never wavered. For someone so small, so young, her blade work was almost unnerving—quietly dependable.
She hardly used the powers of the Mud-Mud Fruit.
I think she's trying not to rely on it too much, just like me. At most, she uses it to snare ankles and steal a heartbeat of advantage.
The rest is skill.
"Kurozumi Two-Sword Style… Mizuchi!"
A technique straight from that secret manual.
The manual held forms for both one-sword and two-sword styles, but Suzu had clearly devoted herself to the latter. She dropped low into an enemy's guard, crossed her blades, and released a single decisive slash.
Her opponents never expected that kind of sharp, unpredictable technique from a child. They fell quickly—sometimes without even understanding what had happened.
The refinement in her swordsmanship is startling. It forces you to remember what Wano produces when a culture lives and breathes combat.
I still can't quite place the Kurozumi Family's standing here. Are they a renowned samurai clan even in Wano? Or is this simply the baseline for those raised on the sword?
Either way, Suzu's defense still isn't perfect. An attack would graze her now and then. Occasionally, something would even land.
She could always dissolve into mud and let it pass harmlessly—but every near miss twisted her face with frustration, and she clicked her tongue as if she'd failed herself.
Typical Suzu. Serious about everything. Hard on herself, even when she doesn't need to be.
Leona's recklessness and Suzu's discipline were more or less what I expected.
What I didn't expect—what genuinely caught me off guard—was Alice.
"W-what the hell is this?! The bullets—bouncing off?!"
"Swords, spears—nothing works! What is she?!"
"Obvious attacks won't work on me!"
Alice moved across the battlefield like an acrobat, weaving through chaos with effortless grace.
Unlike Leona, who fought with raw power, and unlike Suzu, who relied on her blades, Alice waded in with a club—likely choosing it because she could incapacitate without cutting. When a trafficker struck first, she reversed the attack with her Reva-Reva powers and dropped him in a single exchange.
Then she took his weapon and made it hers.
Maybe it was the way she'd grown up, maybe it was the sparring sessions she'd endured with the three of us, but her body moved with frightening efficiency. She held her own—and then some.
And she wasn't limited to one style. A club, a sword, a spear, a gun—she handled whatever she grabbed as if she'd trained with it for years.
A trafficker slashed at her.
She reversed the motion, and his own blade came back down on him hard enough to end the fight.
She took the sword.
A gunshot cracked.
She reversed the bullet—sent it back—and the shooter went down.
She took the gun.
In short, every attack turned into a weapon against the attacker. Every weapon became hers. Depending on where it landed and how much force was behind it, one reversal was enough to end someone.
In a way, Alice was the most hopeless opponent of the three for these men.
No matter what they threw at her, it came back at them. Their weapons vanished into her hands. And in a straight fight, she was still strong.
If one of them had Armament Haki, they might have forced an angle through sheer power—but petty traffickers working in a backwater like this weren't likely to have anyone that skilled.
So there was nothing they could do.
And what strikes me most is that Alice seems the least hesitant.
Maybe it's because she grew up in the slums, where every fight can be the last. Even when she's laughing, even when she looks carefree, there's a steady resolve in her eyes.
When she swings, she aims for vital points. When she shoots, she doesn't flinch.
For a child, it's unsettling.
As a fighter, though, she's doing nothing wrong.
If anything, it's the world that's wrong—for shaping someone this young into someone this sharp.
That's how the battle went: their attacks did nothing, and ours landed every time.
The smugness they'd arrived with—the easy-prey talk, the jokes about "sampling the goods" before selling—had long since evaporated.
Some of them clearly wanted to run.
But I'd already dealt with anyone who tried.
You don't start a fight and then decide you're done once it stops being convenient.
I'm not letting anyone limp away only to come back later with revenge in their teeth. We settle it here.
And honestly…
Watching the three of them fight, I couldn't help but feel a strange calm.
They've become so strong.
Leona's time limit—how long she can stay in her hybrid form without losing herself—has increased dramatically. She can now finish battles like this with stable, unwavering control, unleashing her full strength without teetering on the edge.
Suzu's Kurozumi Two-Sword Style grows sharper with every sparring session, and her mastery of the Mud-Mud Fruit deepens as well.
Alice was already accustomed to fighting with the Reva-Reva Fruit. Now, through constant practice with the other two, her overall strength has climbed—faster, stronger, more precise.
And all three of them have benefited from something deceptively simple.
A proper diet.
Their bodies have become sturdier, healthier, more resilient—and because of that, they're growing rapidly. A strong body is the foundation of everything. The bedrock beneath all true strength.
On top of that, the more they learn in real combat, the faster they improve.
They're talented.
They're going to keep getting stronger at a terrifying rate.
Mm. Mm-hm.
As a mother, I can't help it.
I'm excited for their futures.
…And while I was indulging in that little daydream, the fight ended.
☆☆☆
We turned the tables on the traffickers, seized their valuables, and freed the slaves they'd been transporting on their ship.
The freed slaves were overwhelmingly grateful—but in the brief distraction, the surviving traffickers escaped using another ship, fleeing into open water.
"Woo-hoo! We did it!"
"Gyahahaha!"
"Serves you right!"
Their laughter carried across the waves as they sailed farther and farther away. Even at that distance, there wasn't a hint of remorse. It was astonishing—after a beating like that, most of them still looked utterly unrepentant.
They were penniless now, but they'd regroup somewhere and keep preying on the weak. That's what predators do.
…If only that ship hadn't had a pre-drilled hole in its hull, plugged by a lump of mud Suzu had placed there.
Then their escape might have succeeded.
It's a mud ship.
It'll take time for the mud to crumble and dissolve… but by then, they'll be far enough out that no one will be able to swim back.
Disappear quietly into the ocean. Without troubling anyone ever again.
"But Alice," Suzu said afterward, arms folded, "I've always thought you rely too much on your powers. I'm not saying you shouldn't use them… but if you keep fighting that way, you'll neglect developing your own strength."
"I know," Alice replied, shrugging. "But abilities only get stronger through use, right? I'd rather have a truly powerful ability than one that just deflects attacks. Mom is proof of how terrifying a fully developed power can be."
"That's…" Suzu's brows knit. "That's not wrong. Hmm. I wish there were a way to make both work."
"Ugh, you two are so lucky," Leona groaned. "Your abilities can do all sorts of cool things. Mine is just 'I can turn into a lion,' so all I can do is train my body."
"But that simplicity is a strength," Suzu said. "The more you train, the more your body and your power grow together. You're the most straightforward to develop, Leona."
"It's a double-edged sword," Alice said, tapping her chin. "Besides, I've heard some Zoan users awaken unique abilities through training. Since yours is a Mythical Zoan, it might be too soon to give up hope."
"…I hope so," Leona muttered.
Watching them reflect like this—casually discussing things that could kill people in the wrong hands—I couldn't help finding it a little heartwarming.
"Alright," I said. "Let's start dinner. What does everyone want?"
"Beef bowl!" Leona shouted.
"Beef stew!" Suzu chimed in.
"Roast beef!" Alice declared.
"What is with this sudden beef obsession? All three of you?" I sighed. "Fine. But Alice—roast beef again? You ate it yesterday. It takes forever, and we're out of stock right now. Pick something else."
"Aww, but I really want it." Alice clasped her hands. "Please, Mom? I don't mind waiting. I'll wait as long as it takes. Pleeeease."
"…If you want it that badly, I'll make it."
I don't mind cooking.
But what about the other two—especially the glutton who looked ready to devour the table right now?
"…Ehh. Something that takes ages is kind of…" Leona started, grumbling.
"Come on, it'll be worth it!" Alice said, then leaned in. "Mom's homemade roast beef, fresh out of the oven, is unbelievable. Here—come here. I'll tell you something."
"Huh…?"
As expected, Leona was about to complain—
but Alice clapped a hand over her mouth and dragged her to the corner. For some reason, Suzu followed too.
When they came back, Leona looked grudgingly convinced.
"Alright," I said, eyeing them. "I'll start now. It'll take about thirty or forty minutes. Plenty of time to do other things while we wait."
"Oh? Great!" Alice chirped. "Sorry, Mom—we'll just continue our reflection session. See you!"
"…Huh? Sure."
And then, for reasons I couldn't begin to understand, the three of them disappeared into another room together.
I was left alone in the kitchen.
I didn't mind… but something about their behavior felt off.
Ah, whatever.
Time to cook.
Roast beef needs patience. Even with shortcuts, it takes time.
After that commotion, they must all be tired and starving. I didn't realize Alice loved it this much.
"…Well," Alice's voice drifted faintly from the other room, "while we have a moment… there's something I want to talk about. Both of you."
"Mhm. Let's hear it," Suzu replied.
"I'm starving… but if it's about Mama, I'll endure it," Leona said. "What is it, Alice?"
Whatever.
I focused on the kitchen.
Alright, roast beef it is. Something delicious enough to make them all smile.
---
An hour later, I'd finished the roast beef and two other dishes. The four of us polished off every last bite.
But for some reason, once we'd cleaned up, we gathered in the ship's lounge.
Normally, at the table, we'd sit two on each long side—two and two—chatting or eating.
Now, for some reason, the arrangement was three-on-one.
I was the one.
My daughters were the three—seated together, shoulder to shoulder, staring at me with uncharacteristically serious faces.
It was cramped on their side. And the way they looked at me made my skin prickle.
What is this… an interview?
"Ahem," Suzu said. "Um… sorry for making this so formal, Mother. But this is serious for us, so we wanted to do it properly. Please bear with us."
"Uh… okay," I said slowly. "So… what is it?"
"Very well." Suzu straightened, composed. "With your permission, I, Suzu, will speak on behalf of the three of us as the eldest daughter."
…Eldest daughter?
Alright. You have my attention.
"Mother," Suzu said, voice steady, "we… the three of us have a request."
A beat of silence.
Then—
"Please… would you make us three your 'daughters'?"
To be continued...