After a long and arduous period,
Ginny and Bonney's jade-scale illness was finally cured one after another, and Kuma no longer needed to sacrifice his life as he once had.
"Hey hey, Kuma-chin! We've got to go on a real adventure out at sea next time!!!"
Bonney clung to her father's arm, stretching her little hands outward. Her cute, round face was filled with joy.
"Yeah, Daddy! Let's go see those places from your stories—like Skypiea!!!"
She had been waiting for this for so long. Ever since she was little, she'd been shut away from the sunlight. She longed for the outside world more than anyone!
Vegapunk watched the scene with his tongue sticking out slightly, smiling cheerfully.
"That's right, Kuma. Your family can finally live together again~"
Clearly, this blissful sight before him made him feel that all his previous effort had not been in vain. It was truly heartwarming.
Even Sentomaru and Borsalino (Kizaru) showed genuine smiles.
"That little rascal Bonney might be a handful, but seeing her grow up healthy—it feels pretty damn good!"
"Oooh~ yeah~ though it's all thanks to Orin's funding, right? Treating both of them—such a long recovery process doesn't come cheap. What a rich man~"
Hearing the cheerful conversation and blessings around him, Kuma smiled happily.
But when he heard Borsalino's words, he froze slightly, and the smile on his face faded a little.
While everyone else was filled with joy, Kuma gradually grew silent.
After a long pause, it seemed he had made up his mind. He finally raised his head.
Yet, he hesitated—his eyes refused to meet theirs, and his tone was faint, uncertain.
"I'm sorry, Ginny, Bonney... I can't go with you."
"Eh?!!!"
The sudden words froze the once-happy atmosphere. Bonney's cheerful face instantly fell, disbelief flooding her expression.
"Why, Daddy?! I'm already better now, aren't I?!!"
But Kuma stayed silent. He stood up, ignoring Bonney's protests and anger, and led Ginny and Vegapunk into another lab—the only one without surveillance, left unrestored ever since Orin had destroyed it.
Even then, Kuma lowered his voice, crouching slightly to meet their eyes.
He first turned to Vegapunk, his naturally gentle voice now firm and serious.
"Dr. Vegapunk... if I remember correctly, what Orin-sama entrusted to you—it's something extremely important, isn't it?"
"This…"
Vegapunk, who had been wondering why Kuma called him aside, suddenly broke into a cold sweat upon hearing that.
He glanced at Ginny, confused as to why Kuma would bring that up in front of her.
That was top-level classified information.
If even a single word leaked out, and the CP organizations—those hyena-like watchdogs—caught wind of it, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Orin-sama?"
Ginny frowned slightly, not fully understanding. But upon hearing that long-lost, awe-inspiring name, her expression grew solemn.
After all, she had once been a commander in the Revolutionary Army; her sense for major matters was sharp.
"I'm sorry… Ginny. I can't tell you any details…"
Kuma clearly didn't intend to reveal anything further. Even though he trusted Ginny completely, the very knowledge of that secret carried immense risk.
Ginny was a sensible woman. She nodded, choosing to trust him.
Yet Vegapunk still looked puzzled—why bring this up now?
"It's fine, you don't need to stay with me all the time. After all, Orin-sama had already accounted for this possibility. The operation has full preparation behind it. With the support from the major underground leaders alone, that's already more than enough. Not to mention…"
Vegapunk spoke confidently, his expression completely calm.
"Before he left, he granted me the authority to mobilize one of the world's three greatest violent forces—the Shichibukai!!!"
Hearing this, Kuma's expression remained calm, but Ginny's eyes widened in shock, her pupils trembling.
The name Shichibukai was well-known to her—after all, Kuma himself was one of them, and not even the strongest among them.
That was an organization composed entirely of monsters—each powerful enough to rival the Revolutionary Army itself!
And Vegapunk had just said—Orin-sama had entrusted him with command authority over them?!
She could hardly imagine what kind of magnitude this involved.
Ginny's shocked reaction didn't surprise Kuma. In fact, it was exactly what he wanted—to let her see how serious the situation was.
Only then could he persuade her to accept that he couldn't stay by their side.
"As long as the underground leaders haven't used the Op-Op Fruit to remove Orin-sama's control over them…"
"No…" Vegapunk paused, thinking for a moment before continuing,
"Or rather, until they are absolutely certain that Orin-sama is dead or cannot find them, they wouldn't dare to leak or resist anything. They'll continue cooperating with me for the experiments."
"So, Kuma, there's no need for you to keep following me."
Vegapunk tried to persuade him. He believed Kuma had earned the right to be free, to spend time with his family.
But unexpectedly, Kuma smiled gently and shook his head.
"I don't know how to repay Orin-sama's kindness. Please, let me at least do this much."
He locked eyes with Vegapunk.
"Besides, I know the other Shichibukai can't be by your side at all times, protecting you and the experiment. As someone who has received countless favors from Orin-sama, it's my duty to guard this experiment in his stead—especially now, at this crucial moment!"
"Kuma, you…"
Vegapunk fell silent, deeply moved by his conviction—yet unable to refute it.
Indeed, Orin had given him the authority to command the Shichibukai, but they could only be summoned temporarily. None of them could stay to guard constantly.
Except for Kuma—the loyal, steadfast man before him.
Vegapunk finally nodded helplessly.
"Kuma…"
Ginny, on the other hand, couldn't hold back her tears. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, unable to stop crying.
She knew Orin's kindness was indeed worth this level of loyalty—but it still hurt to let him go.
"Don't cry, Ginny!!"
Kuma panicked a little, fumbling awkwardly to comfort her.
"You just take Bonney and go travel for a while, okay? I won't be long. Once the experiment succeeds—you know my ability—I'll come to you both immediately!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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