Parting Is for a Better Reunion!

Chapter 17: Parting is for a Better Reunion!

One hour later.

Splash, splash, splash.

A series of splashes rang out as two Marine soldiers, along with a few unlucky men from the slave ship, tossed the slavers' corpses from the deck into the sea.

The scent of blood, Before long, it attracted quite a few carnivorous fish.

"Mercer, do you think we'll ever see each other again?"

At the railing of the topmost deck of the slave ship, The four of them leaned there. Hancock watched the distant water's surface where fierce splashes churned, dorsal fins appearing and disappearing.

"What?" Mercer glanced at her. "Can't bear to part with me?"

Hancock shot Mercer a glare.

Then, with confidence, she said, "Barring any accidents, I'm going to be the captain of the Kuja Pirates in the future. Your grandfather is a Marine—are you going to be a Marine too?"

Mercer caught her underlying meaning and said, exasperated, "So if I become a Marine, I can't be friends with a pirate anymore?"

"Who said that? Besides, my future isn't—and can't be—as a Marine. That place has no room for me."

"A pirate, then?"

"Maybe a pirate, maybe not. I'll see when the time comes. What the future holds, you only know when you get there."

"Saying anything now is just empty talk."

Hancock looked thoughtful, then giggled. "You're changing the subject."

"I asked if we'll ever meet again."

Mercer gazed at the distant sea, azure and clear. "Probably. If fate allows, we'll definitely meet again then."

Hancock studied Mercer's profile, a doubt forming in her mind. Since it was there, she spoke it directly:

"Why are you so strong? You're even stronger than the adult warriors of Kuja. How did you do it?"

Mercer smiled. "Who knows? Maybe it's breathing."

"Breathing?" Hancock didn't quite understand, puffing out her cheeks.

"If you don't want to say, just don't say. Don't brush me off with 'breathing,' like I don't know how to breathe myself."

"Do you, really?"

"Don't I?"

"Are you sure?"

"Do you actually understand that the 'breathing' I'm talking about is the breathing you think it is?"

"You're talking in circles. It's making my head spin."

"Breathing isn't just a simple act of inhaling and exhaling. It's a method for perceiving yourself and understanding nature."

"Meaning unclear. I don't get it."

Hancock pouted. "Breathing is breathing. You inhale air, absorb oxygen, that's it. Isn't that breathing?"

"It is breathing,"

Mercer said.

"But that's the breathing you can do. What I can do is perceive the oxygen flowing down my throat, into my lungs, being delivered into my bloodstream, reaching every corner of my body, until it's expelled."

"Breathing with awareness. By refining your breath over time, day by day, you improve your control over your body."

Seeing Hancock look like she was listening to a foreign language, Mercer smirked smugly. "It's good that you don't get it. If you did, you wouldn't be asking me this."

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"I never said that."

"But that's what you mean!"

Hancock was a bit frustrated. Though she felt Mercer was teasing her again, some instinct told her he wasn't lying.

Two different thoughts clashed in her mind, leaving Hancock feeling stifled.

"If you want me to believe you, then prove it. Let me experience this 'breathing' you talk about."

"Heh, dream on. This is clearly a training method. You think you can just flap your lips and I'll teach you for free?"

Mercer looked at Hancock like she was an idiot. "Do you think I'm you?"

Click!

Her silver teeth clenched.

Hancock felt a surge of heat rush to her head. The next moment, words tumbled out.

"If you can prove it to me, then I'll do whatever you say."

Mercer chuckled and rolled his eyes at Hancock, sizing her up. "So, do you have anything valuable?"

Hancock immediately fell silent.

She stammered, unable to get the words out.

"How about this: I teach you the Breathing Technique, and when we meet again in the future, you give me three Devil Fruits. How does that sound?"

"If you can't hand them over on our first meeting, add one more. If you can't on the second, add another, and so on. What do you think?"

Hancock's expression froze as she stared at Mercer in disbelief. "Are you running a loan shark operation? Aren't you afraid that once I learn it, I'll just hide from you and never show my face again?"

"Oh?" Mercer looked at her with surprise. "Pretty sharp, aren't you? You actually spotted the loophole in my offer."

"So, how about it? Dare to try?"

"You're really not worried I'll dodge you later?"

"Learn it first," Mercer said with a shrug. "Who knows? Maybe you're an idiot and won't be able to learn it at all.

Even if you do learn it and then go back on your word, wouldn't it be amusing if the future famous Kuja captain takes a detour whenever she sees me?"

"Who are you looking down on?" Hancock huffed, her head tilting back slightly, chin jutting out. "I accept this challenge. It's just three Devil Fruits, right? Once I become the Kuja captain, I'll definitely find them."

"You can start now."

Lifting his right knee, Mercer's right hand brushed along the side of his boot, and the Surgical Knife appeared in his grip.

"First, let me explain the principles of breathing."

Over the next ten minutes, Mercer delved into breathing techniques, starting from the basics and building up.

To make it easier for Hancock to understand, Mercer occasionally tapped the internal nodes involved in breathing with the handle of his Surgical Knife.

Mercer's breathing method wasn't overly complex, but it required a specific rhythm and frequency, along with some knowledge of human medicine.

"...Got it? Breathing isn't really that complicated. If you had Observation Haki to complement it, you'd find it much easier to get started. Oh, by the way, do you know what Observation Haki is?"

After listening, Hancock's eyes went vacant, and she stammered, "I know, but can't you explain it more simply? Some of those 'medical terms' you mentioned—I can't even understand them. Are you doing this on purpose?"

Mercer gave her an amused look. As expected, she was being unreasonable.

"Since you can't understand it with your head, then let your body remember it."

Mercer said, "Now you can start breathing."

Hancock's expression was awkward. Though she hadn't grasped some parts, she had a general idea.

She closed her eyes.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

As her chest and abdomen slowly rose and fell, a breathing pattern different from her usual one began. An uncomfortable sensation of a racing heart and a dizzy, swollen head spread through her body.

Just as she was about to speak, Mercer's voice came through. "Don't stop. It's normal. When your original breathing pattern is disrupted, your body's oxygen levels drop—it's a normal physiological reaction.

Keep going."

As he spoke, his Observation Haki enveloped Hancock, sensing the rhythm of her breathing. He opened his shoulder bag, took out a needle pouch, and spread it open to reveal several Silver Needles inside.

Mercer verbally guided her through the breathing nodes, using precise movements to insert the Silver Needles one by one into Hancock's body.

Like lighthouses, they pointed the way, guiding the breathing deeper.

Time passed.

With this latest Breathing Technique—modeled after Mercer and personally compiled by Kureha—under Mercer's careful guidance, Hancock's breathing pattern gradually began to shift. Vaguely, she seemed to sense something, though it was hazy and unclear.

Half an Hour later, Seeing the sweat on her forehead, Mercer removed the Silver Needles from her heart, lower abdomen, lungs, and intestines.

As soon as the needles were pulled out, Hancock immediately began breathing heavily, her rhythm thrown into chaos.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

She coughed violently.

Mercer put away the Silver Needles and watched Hancock's physical reactions with interest. The experiment was a success—the Breathing Technique could be accelerated.

No, not accelerated. It was just a method to artificially deepen the body's memory of this breathing pattern.

If she didn't continue using this breathing method to reinforce the impression, she would forget parts of it in a few days.

After all, transitioning from one instinct to another takes time and perseverance.

After a while, Seeing that Hancock had regained her composure, Mercer explained the concept of 'body memory' to her.

Pursing her lips, Hancock looked at Mercer with a mix of surprise and complexity in her eyes. "Everything you said was true.

Since that's the case, I'll keep my end of the deal."

Mercer nodded.

"Good. Then I'll look forward to our next meeting. Don't forget my Devil Fruits."

Hancock shyly lowered her head, looking embarrassed. "Sorry."

"I wanted to ask, can I teach this breathing method to Sonia and Golde?"

"Up to you. Whether you teach them, whether they can learn it—that's your freedom."

"Besides, I didn't tell them to leave earlier either."

With that, Mercer glanced at Hancock's two younger sisters beside her.

And then.

"Sister, look over there—is that Water Seven?"

Sonia tugged at Hancock's sleeve, pointing at a black dot appearing in the distance. As time passed, the dot grew larger and larger, until finally a majestic waterborne city emerged.

From afar, the entire city was crisscrossed with waterways. Its conical structure, with a massive garden fountain-like building at the very center and top, gave it a beauty that was both formal and romantic.

At that moment, the fountain was spraying water, and one after another, graceful rainbows bloomed in the reflection of the sun.

"So beautiful!"

"I've never seen such a sight before."

"Hancock, look—isn't that your Kuja ship?"

Mercer spotted a vermilion two-masted sailing ship at the edge of a cluster of buildings directly in front of Water Seven's Gate No. 1.

It resembled a tower ship in form.

Ancient and elegant.

On the sea surface ahead of the bow, there seemed to be two strange serpents.

Hancock followed Mercer's pointing finger and, sure enough, saw the ship there.

Onboard were many women dressed in light, cool clothing. They had also noticed this spot.

"That's right, that's our Kuja ship."

Saying this, Hancock looked at Mercer, a trace of reluctance appearing in her eyes. She cleared her throat lightly. "Then we have to go."

"Alright. Safe travels."

With that, Mercer looked at her face and suddenly smiled, curling his lips. "Remember to use your head from now on. Don't get caught by slavers again. You won't be this lucky every time."

The parting sentiment that had just emerged shattered under Mercer's words.

Hancock's face darkened. She scowled. "Not Speak, and no one will take you for a mute. I'm leaving—aren't you going to give me a farewell gift?"

This was a custom of the Kuja, meant to pray for the safety and smooth journey of those setting out to sea.

Hancock didn't know what had come over her, but she suddenly blurted it out.

"And what about you?"

Mercer stared at her.

Hancock's face stiffened. What valuable thing did she have on her to give as a gift?

For a moment, she was awkward.

Seeing this, Mercer helped her out of the situation. He pointed at the hair hanging down on either side of her cheeks, indicating the copper hair clasp on the left strand.

Hancock blinked, took off the copper clasp, and handed it to Mercer. "Since you want it so badly, big sister here will give it to you."

Mercer took it. It was a very small clasp, the size of a pinky finger, engraved with a serpentine pattern.

"Not bad. Quite unique. Since that's the case, I'll give you this."

Mercer handed over the Surgical Knife in his hand. "This is my throwing weapon, also a surgical tool. Let's trade."

This Surgical Knife was obtained from Kureha; its quality was excellent.

"You can use it as a self-defense weapon."

Hancock took it. She had touched it before—a very sharp, very sturdy surgical knife. Thrown with full force, it could pierce a human skull.

It felt good in her hand.

She played with it happily for a few seconds, then blinked at Mercer. "This time I'm really leaving. They've come to pick us up."

Mercer could see a small boat coming from the Kuja ship, rowed by a purple-haired woman.

"Then we part ways here. Farewell, all three of you."

"Mm. Take care."

He watched the three of them jump from the railing, landing on the deck below, then leap from the ship onto the small boat on the sea surface.

Their movements were very agile.

As the small boat drifted away, Mercer watched silently. The next time they met, who knew when it would be.

And then, from the small boat not far away, Hancock cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted loudly:

"Mercer!!! Next time we meet, I'll definitely be stronger than you!!!"

Accompanied by the three sisters' vigorous waves and cheerful laughter, Mercer only withdrew his gaze after they had boarded the ship.

"Better than me? Don't overthink it."

"What? Can't bear to part with them?"

Just then, Bogard's voice rang out, a hint of amusement in his tone.

Mercer turned to look at Bogard, who had appeared beside him, and sighed:

"Has no one ever told you?"

"What?"

"I forgot."

"You little brat, what's the point of saying half a sentence? And then what?"

Bogard was getting a bit impatient.

Mercer sighed again. "You, an old bachelor, don't go pretending to be some great lover for no reason. It doesn't fit your image."

The corner of Bogard's mouth twitched violently. He regretted coming up here in the first place, and even if he had, he shouldn't have opened his mouth to tease.

Just as he was stewing in frustration, Mercer spoke again.

"Yeah, you guessed right. I am a bit reluctant. After all, she's the first playmate I've made around my age. Though she's a bit dumb and slow, her heart is pretty pure."

"Tch, you little brat, what's with the deep act? That little girl is nearly ten years older than you. How is she your age?"

"Age isn't the barrier; thoughts are the boundary."

"Old man, if you keep this up, you'll probably never find a wife. Even if the Navy distributes wives later, I doubt you'd even get a spot."

Sigh!

With a sigh that dissipated with the sea breeze, Mercer left the spot, leaving Bogard alone, bewildered in the wind.

Another day passed.

Taking a slight detour, they handed over the people from the slave ship to the nearest Marine base for settlement.

Then, as the tenth day arrived, a small island appeared in the warship's view.

Early morning.

The sun had just risen.

Garp brought Mercer to a small hill behind a seaside village on the island.

They didn't wait long.

With a gust of wild wind sweeping through the sky and earth.

A tall figure draped in a military-green cloak appeared there.

At the same time.

"Wah!!!"

A loud baby's cry rang out as well.

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