"Ah..."
Meiser sighed when he saw this. He had expected as much.
After going through such events, the little one had indeed become inseparable from them both.
But considering the dangers of Marine Headquarters and Impel Down, Meiser knew they couldn't possibly bring the child along.
They had to be ruthless about this!
Just then, Luffy walked over and crouched down to pat Merry's head gently.
"Luffy?"
Seeing Luffy squatting before her, Merry's sobs gradually quieted, though she still sniffled occasionally.
"Merry, Meiser's right," Luffy said seriously, looking into her eyes. "This mission is too dangerous. I can't take you with me."
"But how could you... I..."
"Merry!"
"We promise we'll both come back alive to get you!" Luffy declared. "This is our vow to you!"
"A... vow?"
"Like the one between Brook and Laboon?"
As if remembering something, Merry's vision blurred with fresh tears.
"Merry," Meiser interjected. "Our situation differs from Brook and Laboon's. Don't forget our special connection."
As he spoke, Meiser formed the hand signs for the Summoning Technique, then smiled. "You haven't forgotten this, have you?"
Hearing this, Merry fell silent.
Indeed, she and Meiser shared a Summoning Contract bond. As long as both lived, they would inevitably reunite.
Upon reflection, she realized her combat abilities were still too weak. If she went with them, she'd only become a burden...
They might even endanger themselves protecting her.
With this understanding, Merry finally accepted the situation.
"Fine, I'll stay," she conceded, then added fiercely, "But you both must promise me..."
"You must come back alive!!"
Seeing Merry's tearful determination, Meiser and Luffy exchanged glances before laughing heartily. "Of course!"
"We'll definitely return alive!"
They still had an unfulfilled promise to reunite with their crew at Sabaody Archipelago—how could they possibly die in Impel Down?
Therefore... they would absolutely survive!
"Then pinky swear!" Merry extended her little finger.
"Alright, pinky swear!"
Laughing, Luffy and Meiser hooked fingers with Merry, sealing their ironclad promise to return.
This... was their solemn vow to Merry.
With Merry now calm, Luffy turned to Granny Nyon. "Granny, we're counting on you to look after Merry."
"Rest assured," Granny Nyon nodded. "I'll take good care of the lass."
Come to think of it, the girl had mentioned wanting one of Kuja Island's signature snakes. Tomorrow she'd fetch a serpent egg for her.
That should keep Merry occupied and distracted during their absence.
Luffy nodded in satisfaction, then addressed Meiser. "Meiser, let's depart."
With Merry settled, they could proceed without worries.
"Not yet—I need to capture a Sea King first," Meiser shook his head.
Without securing this mode of transportation, they wouldn't be able to follow the navy ships.
"Sea Kings?"
Luffy blinked in confusion. What did that mean?
Why would they need a Sea King?
"We're using a Sea King as our transportation," Meiser explained. "How else are we supposed to reach Impel Down?"
"Oh, I see."
Though he didn't understand why they needed a Sea King this time, Luffy didn't dwell on it too much. As long as they could reach Impel Down to rescue his brother, that was all that mattered.
After a moment's thought, Luffy asked, "Need any help?"
"No," Meiser shook his head. "I can handle this myself."
"Alright, got it."
Margaret stared at the two in disbelief. Were they really calmly deciding something so terrifying?
"Wait, hold on," Margaret interjected. "Meiser, you're planning to capture a Sea King?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Hiss..."
Upon receiving confirmation, Margaret sucked in a sharp breath.
If she heard correctly, they intended to use a Sea King as a ship.
But... that's just absurd!
Leaving aside whether such a thing could even be used for sailing, how could they possibly tame a Sea King?
"Meiser," Margaret said cautiously, "Sea Kings are extremely dangerous. Are you sure about this?"
"They might be dangerous to you, but not to me."
Margaret: "..."
So confident?
"Don't worry!" Luffy grinned widely. "If Meiser says he can do it, then he can! I don't know what method he'll use to tame a Sea King, but if he says it's possible, then it is!"
"That's right, Sister Margaret!" Merry wiped the tears from her eyes. "Meiser isn't one to boast. If he says he can do it, then he definitely can."
"Well... alright."
Seeing their unwavering confidence, Margaret decided not to press further.
Meiser smiled and then asked, "Where are the supplies we bought?"
Before leaving, he needed to seal all the supplies into a Sealing Scroll.
"In Granny Nyon's backyard," Margaret replied. "Follow me."
As she spoke, Margaret rose from the couch and led the way to the backyard.
Once there, she pointed to the supplies. "Everything's here."
"Most of it is meat, as per Luffy's request."
"Wow, that's a lot."
Meiser's expression shifted slightly at the sight of the mountain of food.
Sure, Luffy had a monstrous appetite, but... this was excessive. There was enough here to feed the entire Straw Hat Pirates for half a month.
Merry, having regained her composure, walked over and said, "Well, Luffy does eat a lot. Did you pay for it?"
"Yeah, don't worry. I paid."
Meiser nodded, then pulled out a Sealing Scroll and approached the supplies.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, he gradually stored all the goods inside.
Margaret was utterly dumbfounded.
"Gone... just like that?!" she gasped. "Did everything really just go into that Scroll?"
How could so much cargo be stored inside such a tiny scroll?
How did he do that?
Is Meiser some kind of monster?!
"So this is the method you mentioned," Granny Nyon said, staring at Meiser in astonishment. "To think you could actually store this much supplies..."
This amount of food could feed an entire ship's crew for a week, yet it all fit inside a single scroll... That's incredible!
"Exactly, this is what I meant," Meiser said as he put away the Sealing Scroll. "Using Sealing Scrolls allows us to store items and save a tremendous amount of space."
"Sealing Scrolls, huh?" Granny Nyon mused. "A fitting name indeed."
Sealing supplies inside a scroll—what else would you call it?
"Hmm?" Granny Nyon noticed Meiser examining her warehouse. "What is it?"
"Granny Nyon, could I borrow this warehouse?" Meiser grinned. "That way, we'd have a place to rest."
The moment he saw this small warehouse, an idea had formed in Meiser's mind.
He could store it inside a Sea King's mouth!
Not only would they avoid detection by the Marines, but they could also rest safely inside.
As for oxygen... They could just have the Sea King open its mouth periodically to breathe.
And seawater wouldn't be a problem either—each time the Sea King opened its mouth, he could use Water Release to protect the warehouse from erosion.
"I see..."
Seeing Granny Nyon frown, Meiser added, "Or I could buy it from you."
"Boy, do I look like some stingy old hag to you?" Granny Nyon huffed. "I was just wondering how you'd pull it off."
Meiser felt a little embarrassed—he'd misjudged her.
"My apologies..."
"Enough, just take it," Granny Nyon said. "But can you really fit something this big into one of those scrolls? This is an entire warehouse!"
Though the warehouse was only about 20 square meters, it was still a complete structure—nothing like the food supplies.
"Of course," Meiser replied. "I can even store a Pirate Ship inside. This is nothing."
As he spoke, Meiser pulled out another Sealing Scroll and clapped his hands together.
Poof!
White smoke billowed as the scroll rapidly expanded into a larger version.
"Granny Nyon, is there anything you need to take out first?" Meiser asked.
Still eyeing the scroll curiously, Granny Nyon shook her head. "Nothing valuable in there. Just take the whole thing—might come in handy later."
"Alright then."
Meiser nodded, then placed his hands on the ground and activated his Ninjutsu.
"Earth Release: Elevated Platform Technique!!"
Rumble—!
The ground trembled violently as if an earthquake had struck.
Then, the earth beneath the warehouse began to rise, lifting the entire structure into the air!
"I-It's floating?!!" Margaret gasped, her eyes bulging and snot flying uncontrollably from her nose.
Clearly, this sight was far more shocking to her than the Sealing Scroll had been.
"Earth Release Technique again."
Granny Nyon stared at the rising ground and sighed, "What an impressive young man."
However, upon seeing Meiser's next move, she immediately fell silent.
Because Meiser not only stored away the warehouse but also packed the foundation into the Sealing Scroll along with it.
Granny Nyon: "..."
Looking at the empty site where the warehouse once stood, her lips twitched as she said, "No wonder you lifted the ground—you weren't planning to leave even the land behind, huh?"
Meiser awkwardly replied, "Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to take the warehouse away intact."
If it got damaged during disassembly, that would be awkward. He didn't have time to repair it now.
"Fine, fine," Granny Nyon waved her hand dismissively. "Take it if you must."
After a pause, she added, "But you didn't have to go out of your way to retrieve this. If conditions didn't allow it, losing the warehouse wouldn't have been a big deal."
"Got it," Meiser nodded.
Though under normal circumstances, he could still retrieve it safely.
"Alright, I'm off to catch a Sea King," Meiser said. "Luffy, wait here for me."
Perhaps worried Luffy might grow impatient, he added, "Don't worry, this won't take too long."
As long as he could find a Sea King, he could capture it!
"Understood," Luffy replied.
This time, Luffy didn't insist on tagging along. He knew now wasn't the time for fooling around. The sooner Meiser caught a Sea King, the sooner they could set off for Impel Down!
Meiser nodded, then swiftly leaped over the wall and dashed away at incredible speed.
"To the back mountain," Meiser muttered.
This way, even if he caused a commotion, he could avoid the Marines stationed on Kuja Island's front.
With that in mind, Meiser quickened his pace, soon leaving the village behind and arriving at the seaside behind the mountain.
Gazing at the churning waters below, he narrowed his eyes. "I wonder if Sea Kings have a habit of sleeping at night."
As he pondered, Meiser stepped onto the water's surface and activated his Ninjutsu.
"Water Release: Playful Fish Dance!"
"Fizz—"
As the technique took effect, a thin membrane formed over his body, allowing him to move underwater for extended periods.
Smiling, Meiser swiftly submerged, plunging into the ocean.
No large Sea Kings in sight...
Scanning the waters around Kuja Island, Meiser found no trace of any massive Sea Kings, which puzzled him.
Could it be because of Kuja Island?
But that didn't make sense—the marketplace sold Sea King meat, meaning they did appear in nearby waters. Yet now, there were none... Had they all retreated to deeper waters to sleep?
With that thought, Meiser turned his gaze toward the deeper ocean and vanished in an instant.
Soon, he spotted a suitable candidate several nautical miles away from Kuja Island.
"Is that... a Husky?"
Staring at the enormous Sea King with a Husky-like head, Meiser's eyelids twitched.
In his line of sight, the hundreds-of-meters-long "Husky" Sea King lay sprawled in the water, eyes half-closed as it snored loudly.
It was as if... it was asleep.
"You'll do."
Meiser grinned. Seeing such a familiar creature, it would be a shame not to take it with him.
But before Meiser could act, the Sea King suddenly shuddered, as if startled by something.
Seeing this, Meiser immediately prepared to strike.
To his surprise, however, this "husky" showed no signs of waking up—it merely twitched before settling back into stillness.
Meiser: "..."
"What the hell is this?"
Did its brain not know whether its body was dead or alive, so it sent a tremor to check the host's condition?
He'd only read about such things back in school.
Shaking his head, Meiser moved atop the husky's head and activated Susanoo.
"Whoosh—"
A pale golden skeletal structure enveloped Meiser, shielding him securely within.
Then, the skeletal arm rose and struck down squarely on the husky's head.
"BAM!!"
"Woof!"
The pain jolted the husky awake, its eyes snapping open to the strange figure standing on its head.
"WOOF!!!"
It glared furiously at Meiser, its expression practically screaming: You bastard, were you the one disturbing my nap?!
Amused by the husky's outrage, Meiser smirked.
Under normal circumstances, he might've indulged in playing around with it.
But right now... there was no time for that!
With that thought, Meiser locked eyes with the husky and unleashed an Illusion Technique at the Mangekyō Sharingan level!!
In the next instant, the husky's vision warped.
A pair of eerie crimson eyes materialized in its sight, growing larger—and larger—until...
Finally, those spinning Mangekyō Sharingan eyes loomed overhead like a blood-red sky!
"Clang!"
The hundreds-of-meters-long Sea King was instantly subdued!
The sheer Pupil Power of the Mangekyō Sharingan was beyond its resistance.
Observing the pattern in the Sea King's eyes, Meiser mused inwardly: So this is what my Mangekyō Sharingan looks like...
The design resembled a three-leaf clover, but atop it was an hourglass-like motif.
"Heh, interesting."
"I never thought the curse on the three elders would truly be lifted..." Kalamis murmured. "Just who is this Meiser?"
Recalling the Serpent Princess's earlier words, Kalamis was utterly stunned.
An outsider—a mere doctor—had cured the elders' curse? It was unbelievable!
What kind of person could do such a thing?
"Who knows? But it's a good thing, isn't it?" Ran wiped her teary eyes. "At least the elders won't suffer from the curse anymore."
"You're right."
That damned curse... was finally gone!
"Thank you, Lord Meiser!"
"Yes, thank you, Lord Meiser!"
Listening to the commotion outside, Hancock smiled.
Just as I expected...
Then, turning to her two sisters, she said, "Speaking of which... how long has it been since we last bathed together?"
Sandersonia exchanged a glance with Marigold before replying, "Over ten years now."
Ever since they had returned to Kuja Island, the sisters had never bathed together again.
After all... they needed someone to stand guard outside, ensuring no one would barge in.
This wasn't just for their own protection, but also for their people's safety.
"Over ten years have passed already," Hancock mused. "Too long..."
In the blink of an eye, more than a decade had slipped by.
Were it not for Meiser, she probably wouldn't have had this chance to bathe with her sisters again.
Thinking this, Hancock silently thanked Meiser in her heart once more.
"Yes, far too long," Marigold agreed. "But starting today, we won't need to worry so much anymore."
"That's right, we have Meiser to thank for all this~"
The two younger sisters shared another look before bursting into laughter together.
A smile also appeared on Hancock's face as she took a sip of water from the side, looking more relaxed than ever before.
Yet she knew there wasn't much time to enjoy this moment - she still had to accompany Meiser to Marine Headquarters.
With this thought, Hancock rose from the bath and looked at her sisters. "Well, it's time for me to depart."
"I leave Kuja Island in your care while I'm away."
"Of course!"
"You can count on us, Sister!"
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