"Severe burns over his entire body, broken ribs and arm, internal bleeding in multiple organs... The fact that he's alive is already a miracle..."
"The good news is that the toxins in his body are slowly being expelled on their own..."
"Who treated your injuries before?"
Faced with the aged stranger's voice, a group of familiar voices rang out beside him.
"Roman." X4
"All right, it looks like you need to recruit a ship's doctor..."
Something soft brushed across his cheek, and Roman slowly opened his eyes.
"You're awake?"
Amid the delighted voice, the blurry colors before Roman's eyes gradually came together, forming a familiar face.
"Nami?"
"I..." Roman opened his mouth, but his throat was as dry as a desert.
"Here, have some water."
Before Roman could say anything, Nami carefully helped him sit up, placed a pillow behind his back, then personally poured him a cup of warm water.
"Thanks..."
Gulp, gulp, gulp~~
"I'm the one who should be thanking you."
The orange-haired girl looked at the man before her, whose entire body did not have a single patch of intact skin. To others, Roman probably looked like a monster right now, but in Nami's eyes, he was a true hero!
Compared to the Roman who had always worn a stiff expression, as though everything had to be perfect, this Roman made Nami feel even more...
"Don't worry. I'll take care of you for the rest of my life."
???
"My injuries aren't serious enough to need someone taking care of me, are they?"
Though he was badly injured inside and out, Roman knew very well that injuries fatal to ordinary people were, to him—
"As long as I don't do any strenuous exercise, I can get out of bed and walk right now."
"But your appearance..."
Nami lowered her eyes. Most men of the sea did not care much about their appearance, but Roman's body had been so severely burned that he resembled a vicious ghost. It could no longer be described as mere disfigurement.
"Oh, you mean this?"
Roman raised his hand. Beneath the charred outer layer were scarlet fissures, like grotesque earth after lava had solidified.
"Yeah, it does look a little ugly, but—"
Roman closed his eyes and focused his attention on his arm.
"Paper Dance: Shedding!"
Rustle, rustle.
The burned outer skin peeled away like paper, revealing fair skin beneath it—skin so pale that tiny bluish-purple blood vessels could be seen underneath.
"Mm, mm, mm. Just as I thought..."
Roman nodded in satisfaction. Devil Fruits truly were miraculous. As long as his imagination was broad enough and he had the stamina and focus to drive his Fruit, he could accomplish all sorts of unbelievable things.
Whoosh.
Roman threw aside the blanket, got out of bed, closed his eyes, and fully controlled his Devil Fruit ability.
"Paper Dance: Regrowth!"
Crack, crack, crack—
The scarlet dead skin all over Roman's body swelled, split, and fell away amid a series of cracking sounds! Chunks of charred skin dropped away, revealing a brand-new Roman.
Fair skin, an inverted-triangle physique, full muscles brimming with strength, six defined abs like a vest, and long, lean arms that carried an explosive sense of beauty. The room's lamplight fell across Roman's sculpted muscles, coating them in a golden sheen.
Drip.
The sound of drool hitting the floor brought Nami back to her senses. Her face flushed red as she hurriedly turned away.
"Roman, you... you're... not wearing any clothes..."
"Oh?"
"Sorry."
Roman slapped his forehead. Amid a rustling sound, sheets of paper flew out and formed an ordinary suit over his body. As Nami secretly peeked from the side and breathed a sigh of relief, a wave of regret rose in her heart.
"Paper Dance: Clothes."
What a pity...
"By the way, what happened after the battle at Arlong Park?"
Since he was standing here, humanity must have won. But there was a difference between a narrow victory and a complete triumph...
"It went very smoothly."
Nami stood up and smiled as she explained everything to Roman.
"After you fell unconscious, those fish-men seemed to go mad! They even summoned a sea monster from the ocean, one as huge as a mountain..."
"Just then, Luffy and Sanji appeared behind the sea monster and took down that creature, which could have destroyed an entire town, with a single move. The ordinary fish-men were even less of a match for them and were quickly sent flying..."
Was that so?
It seemed Luffy had successfully recruited a cook. Good.
At last, I won't have to cook anymore.
Roman touched his now fully restored exterior. Though his fractured bones, toxins, and other internal injuries had not completely healed, the fact that he could stand again so quickly after being burned into charcoal...
What an inhuman physique!
Night fell, and the sea remained calm today.
The grand feast in Cocoyasi Village continued. The people who had endured humiliation and hardship for so long had lived for this day, the day they could laugh as freely as they pleased.
There was revelry everywhere, laughter everywhere. Bonfires and dancing—no matter how well or poorly you danced, all that mattered was losing yourself in this sea of joy. For their hard-won freedom, for finally escaping the fate of enslavement, all of Cocoyasi offered songs and wine to its heroes!
"You guys..."
When Roman stepped out of the infirmary, he looked at the three people in front of him who were supposedly seriously injured as well.
Smoke, alcohol, meat.
Very good. The trio of the beauty, the swordsman, and the meat was complete!
"Weren't you all supposed to be seriously injured?"
Roman swept his gaze over them. Luffy and Sanji had dealt with the Krieg Pirates before immediately rushing to Cocoyasi Village for support. They should have been covered in wounds... yet now, they looked completely unscathed.
Even Zoro, who had previously taken Hawk Eyes's casual slash across the chest, seemed to have completely recovered. He was currently chugging from an enormous cup of alcohol...
Did everyone in this world possess passive abilities like high-speed regeneration and wound healing?
Roman only nodded in understanding when he saw the bandages around Nami's shoulder and the strips of gauze plastered all over Usopp's face.
Got it. He had actually forgotten that every main fighter of the Straw Hat crew was a damage sponge.
Speaking of damage sponges... Roman glanced enviously at Luffy. Trained by Garp since childhood to possess Life Return in its eating version, then gaining incredible endurance after eating the Rubber-Rubber Fruit, Luffy had worn down countless powerful opponents and bosses through sheer persistence. He was practically a bug...
Forget it. He did not seem qualified to criticize them.
"Nami-swan~~"
The moment he saw Nami emerge, the blond man in a suit named Sanji came rolling over! But when Nami slightly stepped back and took Roman's hand, Sanji's expression turned solemn as he bent at the waist.
"My apologies for interrupting."
Then he turned gracefully around and—
Went to shower Nami's older sister Nojiko with attention.
?
"This..."
Sanji's character seemed a little...
"You keep eating and drinking. I'll take Roman for a walk."
??
This—
Roman looked up at the crescent moon in the sky. He did not understand what the point of taking a walk at this hour was. But—
Forget it. He would treat it as rehabilitation.
Led by Nami, Roman followed while she held his hand. The crowd gradually thinned until it disappeared entirely. Soon, an Orange Grove came into view.
"This place..."
Roman remembered clearly. This was Nami's family Orange Grove. But they were not heading toward Nami's home. Instead, they were facing the sea.
"Bellemere, your daughters have grown up..."
A voice came from ahead, making Roman instinctively lighten his footsteps before he realized that he no longer needed to be so cautious.
"They look exactly like you..."
Splash.
The sound of liquid being poured echoed softly beneath the moonlight.
"Nami has found companions she can laugh and cry with..."
"They've already avenged you and freed us from our shackles..."
"The sacrifices we made... were far too great. All we can do is live on with smiles."
?!
The middle-aged man who had been talking to himself turned around, and the sternness on his face eased.
"It's Nami. And this is... Roman?"
It was no wonder the scar-covered middle-aged police officer hesitated. The sight of Roman being burned black by blazing flames had left far too deep an impression. Yet less than a day later, a perfectly intact Roman was standing before him...
"It's me."
Roman saw the doubt in his eyes and took the initiative to explain. "It's my Devil Fruit ability. I may look healed on the outside, but the inside of my body is still a mess."
"I see." The scarred police officer nodded in satisfaction. Roman did not know whether he was marveling at the wonders of Devil Fruits, or...
"Nami, you came to see Bellemere."
"Yes, Uncle Ken."
The scarred police officer named Ken stepped aside. Beneath the moonlight, a small earthen mound with a cross stood behind him. There was no need to explain what that meant.
Was that the grave of Bellemere?
Combined with what he had just said, that must mean she was Nami's mother!
"Kid."
While Nami stepped forward to place an offering before the grave, Ken, the scarred police officer passing Roman by, quietly said:
"Nami is going to sea with you as a pirate."
"If you make her cry... I won't be able to kill you either."
"Do you understand?"
--
"I understand."
Though it was a threat with no real force behind it, Roman still nodded seriously. "I'm not in the habit of making my companions cry. You can rest assured."
"That's good..."
After Uncle Ken left, Nami had quietly finished paying her respects. She walked over to Roman and looked up at the boy beneath the moonlight.
"The moon is beautiful tonight~~"
?
"Roman, even though I know you don't care, I still have to solemnly say thank you again."
Thank you for avenging my mother. Thank you for shattering the shackles around me...
"And please take care of me in the days to come."
For the rest of my life...
"Of course."
Faced with the girl's strange words, Roman nodded and answered without hesitation. "We're both members of the Straw Hat Pirates, after all."
"Pfft~~"
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing."
Nami walked past Roman, then turned to look at the boy wearing a thoughtful expression. Her smile grew even brighter.
"Come on, let's go back."
PS: My boss dumped a pile of extra work on me today, so I can only manage one update for now. I'll make it up in a few days. —A certain dizzy-eyed nobody.
Before you continue