Another half hour later.
The group of human traffickers had been tied up and placed on roasting spits like rotisserie chickens.
Bartolomeo was explaining to Bonney how to control the fire temperature to ensure they wouldn't die, while still "evaporating their sins."
And Bonney was actually listening with great interest.
Only the five members of the Bonney Pirates had dark lines on their faces.
They knew full well that their captain had been deceived by a superstitious fraud, but they didn't dare to speak up.
That barrier whip Bartolomeo had created using some unknown ability was incredibly fast—they definitely couldn't defeat him.
They could only think about how to take Bonney away and prevent her from mixing with this idiot any longer.
They were essentially Bonney's "uncles."
About five months ago, when Bonney escaped from the Sorbet Kingdom in the South Blue, they had followed her and formed a pirate crew to protect her.
All of them had received help from Bonney's father, Kuma—you could even say he had saved their lives.
Therefore, they treated Bonney as if she were their own daughter.
What father would want to see his daughter being corrupted by some wild, brainless boy?
"Corrupted" might be too strong—more like tainted.
Mentally tainted by stupidity.
Just as they were still thinking about what to do, a silver figure appeared before Bonney as if teleporting.
ZAP.
When everyone clearly saw who had arrived, they all exploded.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa... OH MY GOD!"
Bartolomeo was the quickest to recognize Ray.
His eyes nearly popped out of his skull!
"RAAAAAYYY-SENPAIII?! I'M YOUR UNDERLING!!"
Hearing this, Ray thought Cavendish had appeared, but then he saw it was a green-haired punk.
After a moment's thought, he could understand the situation.
Since Bartolomeo chose to set sail, his reason was likely to follow in the footsteps of the Straw Hat Pirates.
He probably witnessed everything that happened back in Loguetown, otherwise he wouldn't have become a fan of the Straw Hat Pirates so early.
Since this guy was destined to become Luffy's follower—and clearly the exceptionally loyal type—Ray couldn't bring himself to completely ignore him.
He responded indifferently.
"Mm."
Hearing Ray's voice, Bartolomeo leaped three feet in the air with excitement, tears streaming down his face.
"Grandma was right! Driving away evil intentions for others accumulates good karma! My reward has finally come today!!"
Ray's simple "Mm" signified his acceptance of Bartolomeo as a subordinate.
Too ecstatic to think straight, Bartolomeo didn't spare a single brain cell wondering how Ray knew him or why he agreed so readily.
He was mentally climaxing!
The other members of the Barto Club reacted much like their captain, cheering and crying.
Having followed Bartolomeo for over ten years, they were already largely assimilated into his fanboy cult.
…
While the Barto Club members were thrilled to see Ray, others had far more intense negative reactions.
The human traffickers tied to the grill desperately wished they could faint on the spot.
'Oh god... am I hallucinating? A YONKO-LEVEL MONSTER appearing here?!'
'I must already be dead, otherwise I wouldn't be seeing this man.'
'So this is the price of human trafficking? If he's here, it must be for those two pirates. We're doomed for sure.'
From the traffickers' perspective, they weren't wrong.
As a top-tier figure on the seas, if Ray appeared in the slums searching for someone, regardless of whether his targets were Bartolomeo or Jewelry Bonney, he'd likely eliminate all witnesses.
Yonko weren't supposed to openly appear in the first half of the Grand Line—this was an unspoken rule of the seas.
The uncles serving as Bonney's guardians grew even more tense.
Unlike the traffickers, however, these members of the Bonney Pirates not only felt nervous but also showed clear hostility toward Ray.
Because Ray had teleported to a position right in front of Bonney.
Clearly, he was here for her.
'Did this super pirate know about Bonney's identity?'
'Or had he taken a liking to our Bonney?'
Whatever Ray's purpose, they had no choice but to fight with their lives on the line.
Even if it was like ants trying to shake a tree, they would stand in front of Bonney.
This was what they owed Kuma.
So all five of them rushed in front of Bonney, firmly shielding the daughter of their benefactor behind them.
Surprisingly, the young boy from earlier joined them too, brandishing his stick.
Watching their actions, Ray felt a mix of speechlessness and faint admiration.
"Quite admirable comrades."
These were the first words Ray spoke to Bonney.
Hearing his evaluation, Bonney immediately bristled like a startled cat.
Thinking Ray intended to kill her crew, she shouted at him.
"DEMON GOD RAY! Have you come for me?!"
As she spoke, Bonney already had her aging abilities ready in both hands, waiting for an opportunity to attack.
Ray acted as if he hadn't noticed, responding calmly.
"Nah, i'm here to take you away."
"NO!"
Without a second thought, Bonney uttered her refusal.
She still needed to find her father—she absolutely couldn't be captured by this pirate.
She didn't know what Ray wanted from her.
Was it her bounty?
Or was he planning to help the government capture her?
She had known the World Government was watching her ever since she escaped from the Sorbet Kingdom, but she didn't understand the specific reason.
However, she could roughly guess that her father Kuma's refusal to see her was probably related to this surveillance.
And now Ray, a super pirate, actually wanted to take her away.
No matter how she thought about it, this couldn't be good for her, and it was very likely connected to the government.
Unfortunately, Ray didn't give her a chance to resist.
WHOOSH.
The Light Whip flew out and instantly bound her into a bundle like a cocoon.
ZOOM.
Before anyone could react, Ray had already flown off into the distance with Bonney in tow.
At this moment, the members of the Bonney Pirates rushed madly toward the direction where Ray had disappeared.
"CAPTAIN!"
Bartolomeo also reacted and immediately chased after them, shouting:
"I'm not sure why Ray-senpai is taking Bonney, but I guarantee he definitely won't harm her!"
But those few people wouldn't listen at all, their minds filled with nothing but worry for Bonney.
Bartolomeo could only shout to his subordinates behind him:
"You guys keep roasting people first! I'll follow them to see what's happening!"
...
In a dense forest about 2 kilometers away.
After landing in a clearing, Ray immediately released the Time Whip binding Bonney.
Seeing that she was free, Bonney rushed toward Ray without hesitation, hands glowing pink.
She planned to use her ability to turn him into a frail little old man or a toddler.
"Touch!"
Unfortunately, this action had long been foreseen by Ray.
But something unexpected happened—Ray stood still without making any move to dodge.
Seeing this, Bonney felt triumphant.
'Hmph! No matter how powerful you are, you're finished once my hand touches you!'
BAM.
However, what happened next immediately made Bonney widen her eyes in shock.
Her hand couldn't touch Ray's body at all.
A semi-transparent, invisible red energy wall blocked her hand just centimeters outside Ray's skin.
Bonney had never seen anything like this before.
But Kuma, hiding in the shadow of a large tree behind them, understood the situation perfectly.
"Advanced Armament Haki... and very thick and solid at that."
"What terrifying Haki mastery."
"Truly worthy of someone called the Demon God who killed two Yonko... truly frightening."
Ray naturally heard Kuma's murmuring.
SWISH.
He used the Light Whip to bind Bonney to a tree again to prevent her from constantly charging at him.
"Let me go! You bastard!"
Then, Ray looked toward the shadows and spoke calmly.
"Kuma... Come out and see your daughter."