"Ah... much better."
After staring blankly at the ceiling for a while, Meiser slowly sat up and glanced at the clock nearby.
"Has it been that long already?"
He hadn't expected to sleep for nearly 18 hours this time. But considering he hadn't slept at all for the past seven days, Meiser quickly accepted it. Sleeping only 18 hours after a week without rest was actually quite minimal.
"I wonder how Luffy's doing now." Meiser rubbed his temples as he spoke. "I should go check on him." With that, Meiser got out of bed, casually put on his clothes, picked up his Grass Sword, and headed outside.
"You're awake."
Seeing Meiser emerge from the room, Inazuma's face broke into a smile. "How do you feel?"
"Ah, slept really well, just a bit hungry—" Meiser's words trailed off as realization struck. He stared at Inazuma in shock. "You're Inazuma? Why have you become a man?"
The facial scar, hair color, clothing, and the ever-present wineglass in hand—this was undoubtedly Inazuma. But why had "she" turned into a man?
Noticing Meiser's astonishment, Inazuma smiled faintly. "I did tell you before—I'm not a woman, but an Okama. What you see now is my true form."
"Then before..."
"Ah, that was because Ivan-sama injected me with Female Hormones," Inazuma explained. "That's what turned me into a woman."
Meiser: "..."
What kind of bizarre Devil Fruit ability is this, damn it! Being able to turn men into women and women into men—that's terrifying! No wonder they call Ivankov "Ivan-chan"—maybe this guy was originally female!
At that moment, a thought struck Meiser.
Wait... could it be that Crocodile was originally a woman? Maybe something happened, and he sought out Ivankov to request becoming a man? That's not impossible...
Lost in these musings, Meiser fell silent.
Seeing Meiser's unresponsiveness, Inazuma assumed he was worried about Ivankov's Devil Fruit abilities. "Don't worry. If you're unwilling, Ivan-sama won't inject you with hormones," Inazuma reassured. Their approach to friends was naturally different from how they treated enemies.
"Huh? Ah... that's good to know." Meiser nodded. Though that wasn't what he'd been thinking about, he certainly didn't want anyone giving him any injections either.
Shaking his head to clear these thoughts, Meiser asked, "How's Luffy doing now?"
"The screaming hasn't stopped."
"I see." Meiser nodded, then said, "Inazuma, could you bring me some food? Just leave it outside the cave entrance."
"Understood."
Inazuma didn't waste words and decisively left to prepare food for Meiser in the banquet hall.
Watching him depart, Meiser murmured, "Luffy, time's almost up. You'd better pull through."
If Luffy couldn't recover within eighteen hours, he'd have no choice but to leave him here for now.
At this thought, Meiser sighed quietly.
Then, without another word, the man headed toward the cave where Luffy was.
As soon as he opened the door, Meiser heard a chorus of shouts.
"Keep going!"
"Straw Hat Boy!"
"Don't give up!!"
"Huh?"
The encouraging cheers took Meiser by surprise—he hadn't expected so many people rallying behind Luffy.
After closing the door behind him, Meiser quickly ran inside.
"Ah, you're awake," Ivankov remarked, glancing at Meiser. "How do you feel?"
"Back to full strength," Meiser replied. "I could fight for days if needed."
He then noticed Bon Clay cheering enthusiastically and asked, "Bon, you've recovered?"
"Worry not, darling~ My body's in tip-top shape!" Bon Clay laughed before turning back to cheer for Luffy.
Meiser nodded, then turned to Ivankov. "How's Luffy doing now?"
His eyes flickered with concern as he glanced at the distant door.
"Still undergoing treatment," Ivankov sighed. "But as long as the screams continue, there's still—"
Before he could finish, the distant screams abruptly stopped, causing Ivankov's pupils to shrink to pinpricks.
Cold sweat broke out instantly.
Seeing his reaction, Meiser's heart sank.
"Hey, why did Straw Hat's screams stop?!" Bon Clay cried anxiously. "Ivankov, what's going on?!"
"The pain during treatment can't just vanish," Ivankov said grimly. "Which means... the Straw Hat Boy might have already..."
Meiser's expression darkened at Ivankov's words.
"Luffy... died?"
No way. How could he fall here?
He was the man who would become the Pirate King—he couldn't die like this!
Refusing to believe it, Meiser rushed to the door.
Bon Clay, tears streaming down his face, sobbed, "Meiser... Straw Hat, he—"
"I don't believe it!"
Seeing the blood slowly seeping from under the door, Meiser's face twisted with fury. He swung his sword.
"Clang!"
The sharp slash effortlessly severed the massive chains locking the door.
Without a word, Meiser pushed the door open, determined to see Luffy's condition.
But the moment it swung open, he froze.
"Lu... Luffy!!"
Struggling to his feet, Luffy stood before him. Meiser's eyes lit up with joy.
"You're alive! Thank goodness!"
Taking a deep breath, Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs:
"I! WANT! FOOD!!"
"Alright, alright, let's get you fed!"
Meiser smiled and nodded, his heart finally at ease.
"OH!!"
"The Straw Hat Boy is alive!"
"That's great!!"
"This is nothing short of a miracle of life!"
The people outside erupted in cheers at this moment, their faces filled with overwhelming excitement.
After all... they had witnessed a miracle!
"That's wonderful, truly wonderful," Bon Clay said, wiping tears from his face. "It's so good that little Straw Hat survived."
"He recovered in less than a day," Ivankov gulped, adding, "What astonishing vitality!"
But then, remembering that this guy was Dragon's son, Ivankov felt it made sense.
After all... that man's vitality was monstrous too!
As his son, inheriting such monstrous vitality was only natural!
"Has the Straw Hat Boy really recovered?" Inazuma, carrying food, walked in and stared in shock at the distant cave.
"Yeah, he's recovered," Ivankov nodded. "Take the food in your hands to the entrance."
Then, he turned to the other Okama and shouted, "Quick, bring the food over!"
"As much as you can carry!"
"OH!!"
The Okama roared in response and immediately dashed toward the banquet hall, intending to haul all the food there.
This scene left both Crocodile and Jimbei dumbfounded.
"What's going on?"
Crocodile, puffing on his cigar, eyed the food-carrying group suspiciously. "What are you all doing?"
Jimbei, who had been sitting nearby keeping an eye on Crocodile, also looked at them in confusion.
"The Straw Hat Boy has recovered and now needs to eat," one Okama explained.
Without another word to Crocodile, they turned and left with the food, leaving Crocodile and Jimbei stunned.
"He survived Magellan's Mixed Toxin?" Crocodile thought in shock. 'Just what kind of monster is this kid?'
He knew exactly how terrifying Magellan's toxins were.
After all... many pirates in Level 6 had been executed by Magellan!
Yet this Straw Hat Boy had stubbornly pulled through after being poisoned by Magellan's Mixed Toxin... Wasn't his vitality a bit too exaggerated?
At this moment, Crocodile recalled their past encounter in Alabasta.
Back then, the boy had already displayed incredible vitality—even after being drained into a husk, he hadn't died...
What a terrifying man!
Meanwhile, after a brief moment of astonishment, Jimbei suddenly burst into laughter.
"Ahahahaha, as expected of the man the Ninja chose to follow!"
With that thought, Jimbei stood up, intending to head over.
Now that the Straw Hat Boy had survived, there was no need to keep watching Crocodile.
Seeing Jimbei's back, Crocodile hesitated for a moment before following.
Noticing the movement behind him, Jimbei glanced back and silently activated his Observation Haki, keeping a firm eye on Crocodile.
Crocodile: "..."
As if sensing something, veins bulged on Crocodile's forehead.
"Does this bastard think I can't sense him?!"
Not only had he been staring at him for over ten hours, but now he was even using Observation Haki to keep watch... Wasn't that just too damn insulting!
If it weren't for the fact that fighting here would only benefit the Marines, he'd have loved to kill this bastard right now!
With these thoughts, Crocodile and Jimbei entered the massive cave together.
Upon reaching their destination, they saw a steady stream of people carrying food into the cave like ants.
Meiser sat to one side, silently gnawing on a piece of meat with bone still attached.
"Hmm?"
Noticing Crocodile and Jimbei approaching, Meiser stood up and asked, "What brings you here?"
"We came to check on Luffy," Jimbei answered honestly.
Meiser nodded, then turned his gaze to Crocodile.
"I already said I wouldn't lay a hand on him."
Crocodile replied curtly before silently observing Luffy, who was devouring food at an insane pace inside the cave. A hint of amazement flickered in his eyes.
"That's an absurd eating speed."
Not only that, but the Straw Hat Boy's condition was visibly recovering at a rapid pace.
Heh. As expected of someone who could withstand Magellan's Mixed Toxin.
The man suddenly chuckled, as if struck by a thought.
Watching Crocodile's inexplicable laughter, Meiser thought to himself, "Is this guy another lunatic?"
Whatever. As long as he doesn't attack Luffy, there's no need to engage with him.
With that, Meiser sat back down and resumed eating.
"Hurry, keep bringing more food!"
"Right, even raw ingredients will do!"
Chomp chomp chomp~
Massive quantities of food were hauled in, only to disappear at a visible rate.
"That's an astonishing eating speed."
"Indeed."
"How much longer will he keep eating?"
"No idea." Ivankov shook his head. "But if he needs it, we won't stop!"
As long as it helped the Straw Hat Boy recover, Ivankov was willing to expend all the food reserves of the New Transvestite Kingdom!
Soon, under the stunned gazes of everyone present, Luffy continued his rapid eating for thirty straight minutes.
The terrifying speed and volume of his consumption left them deeply shocked.
"Whew~"
After polishing off the last piece of meat before him, Luffy exhaled deeply before roaring, "I'm full!!"
Then he burst into laughter.
The feeling of being completely stuffed was absolutely fantastic!
"He... he alone ate several days' worth of our New Transvestite Kingdom's food supply."
"Both his vitality and appetite are monstrous."
"What an incredible man!"
"Hey, Straw Hat Boy, you're amazing!"
The okama exchanged glances before laughing and rushing forward, tossing the miracle boy into the air.
"Miracle Boy!"
"Hooray!"
"Ahahahaha!"
Luffy laughed heartily as he was thrown up and down.
After a while, once back on the ground, Luffy looked at Bon Clay and said, "Bon-chan, you're okay now!"
"Don't joke around, darling! I'm perfectly fine!" Bon Clay laughed boisterously. "Darling still needs to—"
Before he could finish, his body suddenly convulsed. His eyes rolled back as he collapsed to the ground.
"Hey, Bon Clay, what's wrong with you?"
"Meiser, check on Bon Clay quickly," Luffy said.
Without a word, Meiser crouched beside Bon Clay and carefully examined his condition. After a moment, he said, "It's probably due to extreme fatigue."
"Extreme fatigue?"
"Yeah." Meiser nodded. "This guy must not have rested properly."
Hearing Meiser's words, Ivankov wore a helpless expression. "Not everyone is like you guys."
After an exceptionally tough battle, ordinary people would need at least a few days of rest to recover.
But this guy had only slept for ten hours—there was no way he could be back to normal.
"As long as it's not a serious injury, it's fine."
Luffy sighed in relief, then grinned at Ivankov. "Thanks for saving us, Ivankov-chan."
"Ivankov-chan?!"
The Okama stared at Luffy in shock. This guy actually called Lord Ivankov "Ivankov-chan"?
"That's quite a nice nickname." Ivankov chuckled before turning serious. "If you really want to thank someone, thank this candy boy here."
"If it weren't for him, you wouldn't have had the chance to come here, let alone survive."
Luffy fell silent for a moment before saying, "Bon Clay, thank you. I owe you big time."
He would never forget this debt of gratitude!