(Today there will be 10 chapters coming Give Powerstones)
Sabaody Archipelago, Marine Base 62, family quarters.
Early morning.
Stella woke up with the sky still gray, slipped out of bed, and made herself breakfast.
Tomato-and-egg noodles.
With scallions on top.
And just the right amount of chili.
White-bro's favorite.
She hadn't used to like it—too sour, too spicy. But when Jin told her, "This tastes like home to me," she'd stopped asking questions about where that "home" was.
She'd tried asking Jango and Kuro if Loguetown had any food like it. They'd both said no.
Stella didn't push.
If it was what he loved, she'd just learn to love it too.
She remembered the first time she'd tried it—she'd added way too much chili. One bite and her face went red, tears streaming down her cheeks while Ain and Jin laughed their heads off.
She'd adapted.
Now she loved it; that sharp, sour-spicy flavor was comforting in its own way.
Lately, Jin had been muttering about "proper, authentic zhajiang noodles" and "beaten sauce." Half the words didn't mean anything to her, but she watched him experiment with quiet fascination.
He'd grind dried beans into powder, boil water, stir it in, shake his head, mutter about missing ingredients… and she and Ain would quietly take notes, tasting every failure with serious expressions.
Ain's notebook had one line at the top of the first page, written large and underlined:
White-bro likes sour and spicy.
So whenever they cooked for him, they always bumped the seasoning up a notch.
Jin always said that without spice, the food "had no soul."
After slurping down her own noodles and tidying the small house, Stella stepped out into the yard.
Alone.
Ain was out on assignment with Kuro and Jango.
"New World pirates are getting rowdy," Ain had said, half excited, half grim. "White-bro's not here, so we're the backup."
So Stella didn't go out.
Even though she was strong enough now to handle most trouble, Jin's words stayed in her ears:
"There are too many monsters out there. One careless step and you bump into something you can't handle."
So she trained.
Every day.
So she wouldn't be the one holding him back.
"Shave!"
Her body blurred around the courtyard, popping in and out of view.
"Geppo!"
She kicked off the air to go higher.
"Rankyaku!"
A slash of compressed air flew off her foot.
"Tekkai. Kami-e…"
She cycled through each of the Six Styles, then moved on.
"Bubble Finger Gun!"
Stella pointed at the sky. Tiny bubbles fired from her fingertip, rapid-fire, streaking upward before exploding with soft booms.
"Compressed Bubble."
She brought both hands together in front of her chest. A single large bubble formed between her palms.
She focused, compressing it smaller and smaller until it was barely the size of her fist. Then she snapped her hands out and punched it into the air.
"Go—!"
Whoosh… BOOM!
The mini-bubble shot up and detonated high above the yard with a deep, rolling crack.
That move was something Jin had given her.
A bubble-version of Bartholomew Kuma's legendary "Ursus Shock." The tyrant's version could level a town and leave nothing but ruins behind.
She still had a long way to go.
Nearby residents barely flinched.
They were used to it.
"There she goes again," an old man said, sipping tea. "That's White Ghost's woman, right? Supposed to be a real beauty."
"Sure is," another old-timer nodded. "Girl's strong too. Stronger than most of the enlisted boys. Last time some punks tried to harass her at the docks, she flattened them herself—didn't even call the Marines."
Stella took a deep breath and cycled back through bubble control practice.
Jin had drilled it into her:
"A strong Devil Fruit isn't enough. If your body can't keep up, you're just waiting to die."
Too many people on this sea relied on their abilities and let their bodies rot.
Those were the ones who died first.
So she worked.
Tirelessly.
She was midway through another round of practice when she suddenly looked up.
Something was coming.
Fast.
Jin smirked as he descended.
Good. Observation's sharper.
His body shrank back down into human form. Black wings spread wide, he glided down slowly, cradling the little boat in both hands until it touched down in the open yard.
Stella just stared.
The man she'd been thinking about every single day… was suddenly there.
In front of her.
Alive.
Smirking.
He folded his wings away.
"What?" he asked. "Don't recognize me anymore?"
"White-bro!"
She flashed into motion with Soru, throwing herself at him.
He caught her easily, hands sliding around her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You were gone so long," she choked, pressing her forehead against his chest. "So long…"
"Hey, hey," Jin laughed softly. "I'm back, aren't I? No next time, alright?
"I won't leave you hanging that long again. You keep crying and your face'll puff up like a little cat."
While he was soothing her, the passengers on the boat climbed down one by one.
Shirako stopped short, face scarlet at the sight of them hugging.
Ella's eyes turned into two pink hearts.
Pedro turned away, smoking like he saw nothing.
Wanda's expression went flat and sharp.
So this was the "Rear Admiral" who already had multiple women around him.
He hadn't even taken his boots off and he was already glued to one.
Tch.
She quickly moved to block Shirako's line of sight.
No need to let the princess get her head filled with trash so soon.
"Alright, that's enough," Jin said eventually, wiping away Stella's tears with his thumb. "I'm here. Lemme introduce a few people first."
"O–okay…"
Only then did Stella realize there were other people present.
"Ah—"
She practically flew off him, face burning, and bolted back into the house.
Jin watched her go and shook his head helplessly.
Still that shy…
"Come on in," he told the minks and Shirako.
Stella's heart pounded as she leaned against the kitchen wall, trying to breathe.
What was I just doing… hugging him in front of strangers like that…
He'd only just gotten back.
He must be hungry.
That thought snapped her back.
She splashed cold water on her face, took a breath, and hurried out of the bedroom toward the main room.
By then, everyone else was already inside.
Jin turned to make introductions—
"You all sit down for a moment," Stella blurted, cheeks flaming. "I'll… I'll make breakfast."
Then she spun on her heel and retreated to the kitchen again.
Jin stared at the doorway.
And sighed.
"This is Stella," he said to the confused newcomers. "I pulled her out of a hellhole and she's been with me ever since.
"She's also the future mistress of this house."
Clatter!
Something fell hard in the kitchen.
Stella scrambled to pick up the dropped cutting board, rinsing it quickly.
Future… mistress of the house?
She slapped her cheeks with wet hands, forcing herself to calm down.
He hasn't eaten yet. Focus, Stella. Focus.
"I'll help!" Wanda said, standing up.
"Me too," Shirako added quickly.
"I–I'll come as well!" Ella squeaked.
The three of them headed for the kitchen.
Pedro stayed on the couch, lighting another cigarette.
His only job was to protect Shirako.
Deciding who was mistress of this house was none of his business.
In the kitchen, Shirako bowed.
"Nice to meet you, Sister-in-law. My name is Shirako. I came back with White-bro. Please take care of me from now on."
"Miss," Wanda added politely, "my name is Wanda. This is Ella. We'll also be living here for a while."
"Ah—not, no, I… we're not… that yet," Stella stammered, face going crimson. "We haven't… that is… you can't call me that…"
She trailed off as she realized all three girls were looking at her with the exact same expression.
"Hyah!"
She whirled around and splashed cold water on her face again.
What is wrong with me today…
After a while, she finally turned back.
"Nice to meet you," she said, calmer now. "I'm Stella. You… can all just call me Stella.
"And little one, you can call me 'big sis' if you like."
Shirako smiled, eyes curving.
"Okay, Big Sis Stella."
Wanda and Ella traded a look.
So this is White Ghost's woman…
Warm, shy, but steel under it.
Outside, Jin lounged on the sofa, listening to the sounds of clattering dishes and soft laughter from the kitchen.
For the first time in a long while, Sabaody actually felt… like home.
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