After lunch, Gray felt bored. He'd suddenly realized he had nothing to do.
Staying in a gravity field all the time trained both his body and his Devil Fruit ability.
That was the mode Gray had chosen for his daily routine. If he wanted to do any strenuous physical training, he couldn't afford the energy it would take.
As things stood, simply sitting quietly in the gravity field already counted as strenuous exercise. His energy recovery and the energy consumed by his Devil Fruit ability were just about even.
If he did any more running or martial arts practice, he wouldn't have enough energy left to maintain his Devil Fruit ability.
His recovery and energy consumption simply wouldn't balance out.
So he was in an awkward position. No matter how much he wanted to train, he had to wait.
He had to wait for his body to grow, both in age and in strength.
"Never mind. I'll go for a walk by the sea!" With nothing else to do, Gray decided to enjoy the scenery.
After all, in his previous life he'd been a landlubber. He'd been to the seaside once or twice, but his sense of wonder at the ocean clearly hadn't worn off yet.
Sitting in his own wheelchair, he raced along the road, steering it himself.
He could stop on a dime, speed up, and turn—smoother than an AE86.
Gray had gotten so good with his simple wheelchair that he was practically wheelchair Yasuo.
Time passed quietly. Every day, Gray ate, admired the scenery, or watched the others train. Then, at night, he meditated for an hour, drank a glass of milk, and went to bed, making sure he woke up full of energy the next day.
Of course, he never turned off the gravity field.
A week passed. With Sea King meat to supplement his diet, Gray's body had grown much stronger, and he'd already raised the gravity setting to twice normal.
That day, after playing with Shark Chili, Gray went to the beach again to enjoy the sea breeze.
Just when Gray thought the ocean was as unchanging as ever, a black speck appeared at the edge of his vision.
"Hm? Is that a ship?" Puzzled, Gray headed straight for the nearby watchtower, where a subordinate stood guard with a basic telescope.
"Hey! Can you tell what it is?" Gray called up to the tower after steering his wheelchair beneath it.
"Lord Gray, it's the family flag! It might be another officer returning!" As a family subordinate, he'd initially looked down on Gray for being a child. But a few days earlier, he'd seen Gray flying through the air, and had been instantly won over.
So he regarded Gray as a stronger fighter than himself, and naturally showed him the respect he deserved.
Gray didn't bother responding. After getting the news, he steered his wheelchair to the harbor, curious to see which members of the family were coming back.
"I wonder if it's Baby-5 and the others. It's been so many days without seeing the little girl. I kind of miss her." Thinking to himself, Gray waited at the harbor.
He didn't have to wait long. After about ten minutes, he could make out the people on the deck with his naked eye.
"Gray-sama!" Baby-5 excitedly waved at him from the deck.
A faint smile tugged at Gray's lips. He canceled the gravity field and switched to a flight field, sending his wheelchair floating up toward the ship.
"Baby-5, Gladius, Buffalo!"
"Welcome home!"
Seeing Gray fly toward them, the three stared in astonishment. Baby-5, who liked Gray the most, was the first to react. "Gray-sama, you can fly now!"
"Sugoi!" Baby-5's eyes were practically sparkling.
Gray enjoyed her admiring gaze. "Haha! It's my Devil Fruit ability!"
At his words, the envy in Buffalo and Gladius's eyes was practically overflowing.
"That's so great!" they said in unison.
At that moment, Gladius even felt a little dissatisfied with his own Blast-Blast Fruit.
Buffalo's thoughts were much simpler: I want a Devil Fruit that lets me fly, too.
"How did the mission go? Was everything all right?" Gray was already chatting with the little girl, asking her to tell him what she'd seen on her trip.
"It went really well! Of the pirates we ran into, Lord Gladius took care of most of them, and I even shot one dead!"
"And Lord Gladius praised me, too!" Baby-5, who desperately wanted to be needed, was just as motivated by praise as she was by feeling needed.
Hearing this, Gray patted her little head and lifted her onto his lap. "Mm, our little Baby-5 did a great job!"
At such a young age, she'd already gotten blood on both her hands. Gray didn't know whether he should feel sorry for her or proud of her.
This world was so twisted!
For Baby-5—or rather, for all of them who had joined the Donquixote Family—killing people was something they had to go through in order to survive.
Wherever you were, if you didn't want to be killed by someone else, you had to grow stronger and kill them first.
There was no absolutely safe place in this world. Pirates, gangs, the Navy, nobles, the World Government, the Celestial Dragons—there was always someone who might disrupt your peaceful life.
Killing was a means of survival. Even children had to learn how.
This world was sick and twisted!
When had killing become a habit?
Gray had no answer. He was weak, and could only adapt to the rules here.
Besides, he was prepared to stand at the very top and see the sights this world had to offer, even if it meant getting blood on both his hands.
That way, his coming here wouldn't have been in vain!
Just then, the ship docked, and everyone disembarked and headed for the base.
"I've been meaning to ask—Gray, did you hurt your leg?"
"Why are you in a wheelchair?" No matter how Gladius looked at him, Gray didn't seem injured.
"Oh! I'm not hurt. I just have an illness that keeps me from walking."
Gladius and Buffalo: ...
"Is there really an illness like that?"
"When did you get it? How come I didn't know?" they asked in unison.
The two hecklers looked utterly unconvinced.
Baby-5, though, reacted differently. "Gray-sama, can this illness be cured?"
"Will it have any bad effects?" Baby-5 asked, her face full of concern.
"You really believed him!" they said in unison.
Gray patted Baby-5's hair and said nonchalantly, "It's nothing serious, and it won't have any bad effects!"
Hearing this, Baby-5 patted her little chest. "Phew! That's good!"
"Tch!" they said in unison.
The two onlookers glared at Gray through gritted teeth. They felt like they'd eaten something, but also like they hadn't.
"Fufufu! Stop fooling around, Gray. Our family worked hard and has just returned. We should give them a proper welcome!"
"Got it!"
"Thanks for all your hard work!"
"Gladius, Buffalo, Baby-5!"
"Young Master!" Gladius and Buffalo looked deeply moved by his words of concern.
Meanwhile, Baby-5 was nestled in Gray's arms, drifting in and out of a daze and paying no attention to what was happening around her.
"Then let's throw a banquet!"
"Yeah!!!"
Gray: "Does that mean I get to eat something delicious again?!"
Buffalo: "A banquet! I love them!"
Before you continue