This Is Basically an Angel!

In the Ice Sea, two pirate ships are sailing steadily on the sea.

Since those Ferocious Penguin had been killed by Xi Yan, there were no obstacles this time, and they advanced towards the Achino Family's headquarters almost without any hindrance.

We'll arrive at our destination soon.

Behind the Thousand Sunny, on the pirate ship being pulled by ropes, Stanson and the others stared blankly at the Thousand Sunny, clearly not yet recovered from their shock.

They only woke up when they heard Luffy's voice.

"Your strength is terrifying..." Elbaf said, looking at Luffy, "You took down those people so easily."

They had fought with all their might but still couldn't defeat Brindy alone, yet the Straw Hat Pirates defeated them so easily.

"Of course, we're very strong!" Luffy grinned, showing his teeth.

"What's going on with that Water Dragon?"

"Ah, that's Xi Yan's Ninjutsu, isn't it amazing!"

"So powerful!" Elbaf exclaimed in shock, "Is that Ninjutsu?!"

"The legendary Ninja are indeed more powerful than I imagined."

Someone like that wouldn't be in danger even if they went to the New World; they might even be able to establish themselves New World!

"Hahahaha, Xi Yan is incredibly strong!" Luffy laughed as he spoke.

Luffy was very happy when others praised his crewmates.

"No wonder they're a pirate crew with a total bounty exceeding 1 billion..." Stanson swallowed hard.

"Huh?!"

"Over 1 billion?!"

Elbaf and the others stared at Luffy in shock, their eyes practically bulging out.

They never imagined the bounty on this group would be so terrifying—a billion!

Keep in mind that the captain of the Phoenix Pirates only has a bounty of 100 million Beli.

"Um?"

Didn't I tell you?

"No!" Elbaf roared, opening his shark-like mouth.

If they had known the other party was so terrifying, they wouldn't have even entertained the thought.

Stanson:...

It seems I really forgot to tell them, no wonder these guys are so bold.

"Luffy..."

Chopper ran out of the cabin, carrying his small backpack on his back.

"Chopper, is the treatment over?"

"Yes." Chopper nodded and said, "The person has woken up."

After his treatment, the other person not only escaped danger but also regained mobility.

"Let's go then."

Chopper has done what he wanted to do, so there's no need for him to stay here any longer.

"Please... please wait a moment..."

A weak male voice came from inside the cabin, and then a man emerged, supported by Ji Nuo.

"Mr. Pazeru, be careful."

"I'm fine."

Pazeru shook his head, looked up at Luffy, and said, "So you're the captain of this Ship's Doctor? Thank you."

"As you can see, all our things were stolen. We wanted to thank you, but..."

"It's nothing, I'm just respecting my Ship's Doctor's opinion."

"You're welcome," Chopper said with a smile. "I was just fulfilling my duty as a doctor."

Pazeru pursed his lips; he hadn't expected to encounter such a pirate crew.

"I heard you're going to the New World?"

"Ah."

"The New World is very dangerous," Pazeru said.

As he spoke, a shadow of gloom appeared in his eyes, as if he were recalling how his first Vice-Captain had died.

The meteorite that fell from the sky shattered his Pirate Dream in one blow.

The New World is simply not a place for ordinary players like them; venturing in rashly will only lead to certain death.

"Mr. Pazeru ..."

"I'm fine." Pazeru patted the little guy beside him, then looked at Luffy and said, "I want to remind you that the dangers there are beyond your imagination."

"You'll find out when you get there," Luffy said nonchalantly.

Even if it's dangerous?

"No matter what danger we encounter, we'll overcome it!" Luffy laughed. "We're very strong!"

Seeing Luffy's confident smile, Pazeru was momentarily stunned. In that moment, he seemed to see his past self.

He was so full of confidence back then, believing he would definitely become the Pirate King.

But in the end... the Vice-Captain was killed in battle, and they almost died in the New World as well.

"Really? Well, good luck then."

"Um."

"Chopper, let's go."

"Profound!"

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Elbaf quickly said, "Captain, they're planning to challenge the head of the Achino Family. Let's prepare ourselves."

What should we prepare?

Elbaf paused for a moment, then said, "Of course, we're preparing for battle!"

"We must take back the Phoenix Pirates ' flag!"

"Pirate Flag...?"

Pazeru looked up at his own mast, his expression somewhat complicated.

After a moment of silence, he said, "We don't need the Pirate Flag anymore."

"Why?"

"Because we are no longer pirates."

"Captain, you..."

Elbaf stared at Pazeru in disbelief, never expecting him to say such a thing. Was this still the Immortal Bird?

"Luffy, they..."

Chopper glanced back worriedly, wondering if something would go wrong.

"Chopper, they're not pirates anymore," Luffy said without turning his head. "Let's go."

"Oh..."

Chopper didn't say anything, walked over to Luffy, and hugged his leg.

"How dare Mr. Pazeru say such a thing!"

Tears welled up in Ji Nuo's eyes immediately; he never expected that this person would lose even their spirit.

"Ji Nuo ..."

"Even if Mr. Pazeru doesn't want to continue being a pirate, I'll still take back the flag!" Ji Nuo said, and immediately Luffy.

"Ship's Doctor, Mr. Luffy, please wait for me."

Luffy, upon hearing the sound, neither turned around nor launched back.

"Please take me with you!" Ji Nuo looked at Luffy earnestly and said, "I can fight alongside you too."

"Pirate battles are brutal, Ji Nuo."

"I'm not afraid!" Ji Nuo said resolutely, "I will definitely take back the Phoenix Pirates ' flag!"

Even death?

Even if it means death!

Upon hearing Ji Nuo's resolute words, Luffy suddenly smiled.

"Me too!"

"And us too!"

Elbaf and the others rushed over, looking at Luffy with excitement and saying, "Please let us join the battle!"

"You?"

Pazeru looked at his crew in disbelief, not understanding why they were still fighting under these circumstances.

They've already failed, do they still want to continue being pirates?

"Captain..." Ke Ku glanced at Pazeru and said, "I don't know why you've lost all your spirit, but I believe that Immortal Bird will return sooner or later."

"That's right, so we absolutely must take back the Pirate Flag!"

"Please take us with you, gentlemen."

Listening to his companions' words, Pazeru felt shocked, and his expression gradually became conflicted.

But when he thought about the Vice-Captain's fate, his fire died out again.

Luffy didn't look at Pazeru or the others, but simply smiled and said, "I didn't stop you from following me."

"If you're not afraid of death, then show some spirit."

After saying that, Luffy swung his hands out and grabbed the protrusion at the bow of the ship, saying, "This connecting rope will not be cut until we reach our destination."

"Whoosh~"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chopper launched himself and Luffy away, flying towards his own pirate ship before landing steadily on the deck.

"Snap~"

"You're back."

Hearing the voice, Xi Yan turned around and looked at the two of them, saying, "Has that person been cured?"

"Yes, you can move around now." Chopper nodded and said, "As long as you don't engage in overly intense battles, the wound shouldn't cause any major problems."

After saying that, Chopper glanced at the two strangers on the deck and asked, "Who are they?"

Chopper glanced at Arubell, then at Lilu, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Especially Lilu, the little girl, sat side by side with Merry on the swing, chatting happily with Merry, just like two little sisters, which surprised Chopper greatly.

"That's the bounty hunter we were fighting just now," Xi Yan said in surprise. "Didn't you see him?"

"After Luffy returned, I was worried that something might have happened to the pirate captain, so I went to the cabin to check on him."

No wonder you didn't know.

Xi Yan nodded in understanding, then explained, "These two are prisoners of war from this battle. We're keeping them to guide us."

As he spoke, Xi Yan glanced at Arubell, as if to warn her.

Arubell shuddered and immediately lowered his head, saying, "Don't worry, I won't try anything funny again."

She had just hatched a plan to take a detour and buy herself as much time as possible.

But the Ninja still discovered her. With just one look from him, she saw an incredibly terrifying scene that almost scared her to death.

After this incident, Arubell became very obedient and dared not have any ulterior motives.

Chopper blinked. Although he didn't know what had happened, since Xi Yan had said so, he didn't need to care.

"Hey, Xi Yan, be gentle with the lady!" Sanji said, handing the tea to Arubell.

"Miss Arubell, have some tea to warm yourself up~"

"Thank you so much," Arubell said.

Unexpectedly, this pervert was the one with the best attitude, which made Arubell feel very complicated.

"Merry, I never imagined you were a legendary Ship Spirit." Lilu, sitting on the swing, looked at Merry curiously and asked, "How were you born?"

Little Merry, sitting next to her, tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, "Actually, I don't know either."

"One day, I suddenly gained a body and was able to sneak out to help my friends repair the ship."

"Hey, let me tell you, when I was secretly repairing the boat, I really scared Usopp!"

As if she had thought of something amusing, Merry chuckled.

Usopp, who was not far away, was immediately annoyed. It wasn't his fault, was it? A stranger suddenly appeared on the ship late at night to repair it, and then even gave him a smile.

From his perspective, it was like a shadowy figure baring its teeth at him in the fog—how was he supposed to know what it was?

As an ordinary person, it's good enough that he didn't wet himself in fear.

"Oh~"

"That guy named Usopp is really a coward~" Lilu said, glancing at Usopp intentionally or unintentionally, a hint of slyness in her eyes.

"Little girl, what are you saying?!" Usopp retorted, displeased. "I am a great Sea Warrior, how could I be a coward?"

"Lilu, don't talk nonsense~" Merry said, "Usopp isn't a coward, he's a real man who has participated in countless battles!"

Even though Usopp often says cowardly things, he has never backed down when it comes to actually fighting.

Merry was aware of this.

"Merry ..."

Usopp was moved to tears. Merry really understood him; she was practically an angel!

"That's right, Usopp is very strong!" Chopper said. "I went to war with him..."

"The raccoon... the raccoon is talking!!"

Lilu stared at Chopper in shock, never expecting that this pet-like little guy could speak human language.

"I'm not a tanuki!" Chopper angrily pointed to his antlers and said, "I'm a reindeer, a reindeer!!"

"You horned bastard!"

Seeing Chopper's displeased expression, Lilu said sincerely, "Oh, it's a reindeer. I'm sorry."

"Since you've apologized, I'll forgive you..."

"Wait, reindeer can't talk!"

Chopper:...

So, is that the key point?

"I'm Reindeer Man ate the Human-Human Fruit," Chopper explained. "Remember that!"

"Devil Fruit User...?"

"Chopper is our ship's Ship's Doctor," Merry explained. "His medical skills are amazing; there's almost no illness he can't cure."

"Huh?!"

"Wouldn't that make him a famous doctor!"

"Even if you praise me, I won't be happy," Chopper said, wriggling his body, though he looked genuinely delighted.

This reaction surprised Lilu; was the other person just shy?

"Hahaha, they're so funny!"

Luffy was immediately amused; these kids together were really entertaining.

"What a clever little one," Nico Robin said with a smile, staring at Lilu.

"What's the meaning?"

Nami glanced at Nico Robin curiously, not understanding what she meant.

"Clearly, this little girl named Lilu has realized Merry's position in our group," Nico Robin explained. "Becoming friends with her will at least prevent us from being killed."

Although they hadn't originally intended to kill the little guy, the other party wouldn't think that way.

From Lilu's perspective, they were a group of vicious pirates; who knew if they might suddenly turn on them?

But if she becomes good friends with Merry, Merry might plead for her, and she might be able to survive, or even save her sister.

It must be said that the other party was really smart, making full use of their age advantage.

But this little guy probably never imagined that Merry's innocence would lead the two of them to become true friends.

"That's quite a clever little guy," Nami said with a smile.

This intelligence reminded her of her past self.

"Hey everyone, we can already see the Aqi Nuo family's building!" Franky shouted from the bow of the ship.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions immediately turned serious. Luffy adjusted his hat and said, "Brothers, prepare for battle."

"Profound!"