What Is She Talking About?

The azure sky was dotted with white clouds drifting in the wind.

A fast sailboat cut through the sea under the ocean breeze, kicking up sprays of white foam as it sped toward its destination.

Sephiroth lay spread-eagled on the deck. He reached up and brushed aside his drenched bangs, staring at the bright, sunny sky above as he cursed under his breath:

"Damn Grand Line weather!"

Who could have guessed that just over ten minutes ago, this fast sailboat had been on the verge of capsizing in a raging storm? Sandersonia, Marigold, and he had been running around frantically, terrified that one careless mistake would send the ship to the bottom of the sea.

At the same time, Sephiroth had personally experienced the sea's suppressive effect on Devil Fruit users.

Just moments ago, as the ship sailed through the storm, a towering wave had crashed over Sephiroth, leaving his entire body drained of strength.

He had been tightening ropes and adjusting the sails at the time. If Sandersonia had not pulled him back at the critical moment, he would definitely have fallen into the sea and drowned!

It had to be said that there was a reason top experts like Garp, Roger, and Rayleigh did not eat Devil Fruits.

Once one's strength reached a certain level, Devil Fruit abilities gradually became mere support. Haki and Physical Prowess were the most crucial factors in a head-on battle!

For those who had trained their Haki and Physical Prowess to the pinnacle, gaining one extra special support ability in exchange for the fatal weaknesses of fearing Sea Stone and seawater was simply not worth it...

Take Garp, for example. With Haki and Physical Prowess alone, he could blow up a mountain—or even a town—with one punch!

In that situation, eating a Devil Fruit would instead make him constrained by his fear of seawater and Sea Stone...

After all, ninety percent of this planet was covered by seawater!

Besides, as long as one's Haki was strong enough, it could nullify or offset many Devil Fruit abilities.

For instance, Law's Op-Op Fruit ability was absurdly powerful!

But...

If Law did not use his Fruit Awakening, his ordinary Fruit techniques could not affect Big Mom Charlotte Linlin at all. Her incredibly powerful Armament Haki allowed her to directly ignore the vast majority of flashy Devil Fruit abilities...

Still, at the end of the day, the biggest reason Sephiroth had been left powerless by a single wave was that his own raw strength was too weak.

If it had been Big Mom or Kaido, they probably would not have been affected at all!

If the young man wanted to become an expert of that level, he still had a long road ahead of him...

"I'm hungry, Sephiroth!"

"I'm hungry too, Sephiroth!"

"..."

Under the two girls' eager gazes, he sighed softly, rose from the deck, and headed into the kitchen in the cabin to prepare breakfast.

What he made was simple: onion fried noodles and lean meat congee. Yet with his precise control of the heat, even those simple ingredients became an exceptionally delicious meal.

The moment Sephiroth placed a large platter of fried noodles and a pot of congee on the dining table, the two girls dug in without the slightest concern for their image.

The sight made him shake his head repeatedly. However, rather than sitting down to breakfast with them, he served himself some noodles and congee onto a plate and into a large bowl, placed them on a tray, and headed for the Captain's Cabin.

Creak!

As soon as Sephiroth opened the door, he saw the black-haired girl still unconscious in bed. The sound appeared to wake her, and she slowly opened her eyes and greeted him.

"Good morning, Sephiroth..."

"Good morning. How are you feeling?"

Sephiroth smiled and set the tray on the bedside table.

"My head is still a little dizzy..."

The girl slowly pushed herself up and leaned against the headboard.

"Mm, is that so?"

As he spoke, Sephiroth swept aside his bangs and pressed his forehead against Boa Hancock's.

Their faces were so close that they could even feel each other's every breath.

"Sephiroth, you... what are you... doing?"

The girl suddenly recalled certain topics the women aboard the Kuja Pirates' ship had discussed while sailing at sea—things about hugging men and having children...

Though she did not really understand and was still rather naive, she still felt a little embarrassed.

"If it's about having children... not now. It's too soon... I'm not mentally prepared yet."

Sephiroth: (눈_눈)

Wait!

I just didn't have a thermometer, so I wanted to use my forehead to roughly check her temperature and see whether she still had a fever!

Could this gesture have some special meaning on Amazon Lily?

After thinking it over, Sephiroth decided to explain.

"Don't overthink it. I just wanted to see if you still had a fever!"

"Oh~!"

"Your temperature is still a little high. After breakfast, I'll boil you a kettle of hot water. Remember to drink plenty of it.

Hmm... don't take any anti-inflammatory medicine for now. Make sure to keep your blanket over you and don't catch a chill..."

Only after the girl finished eating did Sephiroth clear away the dishes and return to the dining room.

By then, the two girls were already full and lounging comfortably in their chairs, occasionally rubbing their slightly bulging bellies.

He looked at the spotless platter on the table and the pot that did not even have a drop of congee left in it, then fell into deep thought...

"Ah! I'm so sorry, I forgot you haven't eaten yet."

An embarrassed expression immediately appeared on Sandersonia's face.

Marigold scratched her head and chuckled awkwardly.

"Sorry, Sephiroth. The breakfast you made was just too delicious... How about I make you another breakfast?"

As a young man with the mindset of an adult, how could Sephiroth possibly get angry at two adorable girls? He smiled and shook his head.

"It's fine, no need to make such a fuss.

I'll do it myself."

"No! Let me do it!"

With a stubborn expression, Marigold pushed the silver-haired young man down into his chair.

Then she walked into the open kitchen and began bustling about.

A short while later, a plate of onion fried noodles was placed before the young man. He picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and put it into his mouth.

"How is it? Is it good?" Marigold asked with a grin.

The noodles were still a little undercooked, the flavor was too salty, and the onions had not been stir-fried beforehand... In short, there were quite a few problems, though it was still edible.

Thus, Sephiroth could only nod against his conscience and say:

"It tastes pretty good."

But... next time, I absolutely cannot let you cook again!