Cleanse

Monya's refusal did not stir Luo Ze in the slightest.

They had traveled together for a while, but Monya was ultimately just an ordinary pirate hunter from South Blue. She and Luo Ze were not on the same path at all.

Perhaps once Luo Ze entered the Grand Line, they would never meet again.

So Luo Ze did not particularly care about Monya's refusal. Carrying Ellie in his arms, he headed toward the Ghost Sword and soon disappeared from everyone's sight.

"Goodbye, Killing Sword Luo Ze."

Monya stared blankly at Luo Ze's retreating back. For some reason, she had a strange feeling.

Luo Ze and Ellie soon returned to the Ghost Sword.

After returning to the Ghost Sword, Luo Ze first entered the control room. Once he confirmed their bearing, he sailed the Ghost Sword back to the dock at Boke Village. The place they had docked before smelled far too bad for him to stand.

After that, he began packing up his things.

While packing, Luo Ze unexpectedly discovered that Monya had already taken all her belongings away at some point. Perhaps she had made up her mind long ago.

Luo Ze did not dwell on it. He took Ellie into the kitchen and began picking out their breakfast.

The kitchen on the Ghost Sword was stocked with an abundance of ingredients. There was even a huge fish tank filled with all kinds of fish.

Ever since she came aboard, Ellie had been stunned by everything on the Ghost Sword. Having grown up in impoverished Boke Village under the rule of the fish-man Kashal, when had she ever seen anything so luxurious, grand, and beautiful?

So throughout the trip, Ellie remained in a state of extreme shock. Her mouth hung wide open, and her adorable big eyes sparkled brightly. She was simply cute beyond measure.

Seeing Ellie's astonishment, Luo Ze could not help but find it amusing. He did not think he was into little girls, but for some reason, Ellie still made him feel utterly charmed by her cuteness.

"Wow! So many fish!"

When they arrived before the enormous fish tank, Ellie became incredibly excited upon seeing so many different kinds of live fish.

"They're so pretty!"

Ellie said.

"Ellie, do you want fish? Pick whatever you want. Big brother will treat you to a feast." Luo Ze smiled and rubbed Ellie's head. Not to mention Ellie—even he found the old craftsman's design rather stunning.

"This one, this one, and this one." Ellie quickly picked out three particularly pretty fish. She licked her fingers, seeming extremely expectant.

"Alright." Luo Ze smiled, used the machine in the fish tank to catch the three fish, and placed them in a basket.

"Do we have to kill the fish?" Ellie suddenly asked. She remembered that they seemed to have to kill fish before eating them, and that felt a little too cruel.

"We do. But Ellie, there are lots of fish. It would take a very long time to kill them all, and even if we did, there would still be plenty more fish in the sea. We eat fish to control their numbers. If there are too many fish, they'll destroy the world."

Luo Ze answered casually, making up a lie on the spot.

Although Ellie had become accustomed to life and death, there was still some kindness in her heart. Luo Ze was not a good person, and he felt that kindness had no need to exist in the world of pirates, so he began trying to erase that last trace of kindness from Ellie's heart.

After all, Ellie would be his family from now on. Luo Ze did not want her to do something foolish and sacrifice herself for so-called kindness.

In this real pirate world, Luo Ze believed that it was enough to look after himself and his family.

Although Ellie had become his family because of the system, since she was family now, Luo Ze had a responsibility to protect and guide her properly. As for people unrelated to him, Luo Ze would not care whether they lived or died.

"Mm. Alright, then." Ellie was still young, and her values had not fully taken shape. Besides, she had no resistance toward Luo Ze, so she quickly accepted his words.

Next, Luo Ze and Ellie picked out some vegetables and meat, enough to make three or four dishes. Though he wanted to treat Ellie to a full feast, there were only the two of them, so there was no need to waste ingredients.

Luo Ze handed the selected ingredients to the God of Cooking robot, chose the dishes, and then took Ellie into the bathroom.

Luo Ze briefly introduced the bathroom to Ellie, prepared a toothbrush and towel for her, and quickly took off her clothes.

Ellie's clothes were very dirty. When she had lived on her own, she had barely been able to find enough food to eat, so she had not bathed in a long time.

Luo Ze first tossed Ellie's clothes to the laundry robot to be washed. Then he made up his mind that once they returned to Dog Town, he would pick out several sets of clothes for Ellie.

His little sister needed to look presentable at the very least. She could not keep wearing such ragged clothes.

"Ellie, take a bath first. You're too dirty."

Luo Ze quickly carried Ellie over. Since Ellie was still young, there was nothing to avoid. Though Luo Ze looked like a madman to outsiders, he was perfectly normal when it came to his family.

He did not have the slightest strange thought toward the naked Ellie.

"Alright. Do I go in there?"

Though Ellie had not particularly wanted to bathe, just as Luo Ze said, she did smell a little.

She looked at the large bathtub ahead and asked Luo Ze.

"Yes, go in. It's fine."

Luo Ze nodded.

"Alright, then."

Ellie replied.

She quickly walked forward, but she did not enter the bathtub right away.

She had never seen a bathtub before, so she first tested it with her hand. Only after finding that the water temperature was suitable and that there was no danger did she carefully climb in.

Luo Ze was somewhat speechless. This girl was far too timid.

Soon, Ellie began playing in the water.

As for Luo Ze, he applied shampoo to Ellie's hair and slowly worked it into a lather.

Ellie did not spend long bathing. In just over ten minutes, Luo Ze had washed her from head to toe until she was squeaky clean. However, once she was done, she had no clothes of her own to change into.

Luo Ze had no choice but to take out some of his own clothes for her to wear first.

At breakfast afterward, Ellie ate with great relish.

She might have looked tiny, but her appetite was anything but small.

Ellie cleaned every dish on the table, and in the end, she still seemed not to be full. Luo Ze could only give her his portion as well.

In the end, Ellie sat comfortably on the sofa. She was certain that, from the day she was born until now, this had been the happiest day of her life.

She had such delicious food to eat, could bathe in such a huge bathroom, and now she could sit on such a soft sofa.

Looking at the satisfied Ellie beside him, Luo Ze chuckled softly. He pinched her cheek and asked, "Ellie, your brother is about to head out to sea. Do you want to come with me?"