Getting Acquainted

"All right, Annie, can you let big brother out now?" Locke asked again as he watched the delighted Annie.

"Not yet. This is big brother's dream to begin with. Under normal circumstances, he could wake up whenever he wanted, but big brother's injuries are too severe, so he'll need some more time before he can wake up!" Annie replied.

"I see!" Hearing Annie's words, Locke understood. His body was too badly injured, and he simply could not wake up yet.

Since that was the case, Locke did not force the matter. Instead, he took Annie, the little girl who was extremely interested in the city, to the amusement park. As for what was happening outside, Locke trusted Carmen and Yun Zhannan to handle it properly.

When Locke woke up again, everything before his eyes was no longer the room from his previous life. It had become a spacious cabin. Just like the last time he woke up after being injured, Carmen was still sitting by the bed. This time, though, she was not asleep; she was carefully tucking the blanket around Locke.

"You're awake?" Carmen said gently as she looked at the awakened Locke.

"Mm." Locke nodded and tried to sit up, but Carmen immediately pressed him back down.

"Your injuries need time to heal. Lie still for now. I'll get you something to eat." With that, Carmen rose and headed outside.

Before long, Carmen returned carrying a bowl of porridge and carefully fed Locke. This time, without Zoro acting as a third wheel, the scene was quite warm.

"Where are we now?" Locke asked after finishing his heartwarming recovery meal.

"We're on that slave ship."

"How long was I asleep?"

"Not long. Just one night."

"Can you tell me what happened here? And where's Yun Zhannan?"

When Carmen heard Locke ask about Yun Zhannan and what had happened here, she first glanced toward a corner of the cabin. There was someone else lying in a bed just like hers. She had not even noticed before, but who else could it be but Yun Zhannan?

After that glance, Carmen began telling Locke what had happened here: how she had secretly boarded the ship, how she had released all the slaves, and how she had led them in defeating the crew aboard the ship.

"By the way, how did I get onto this ship?" Locke asked again after hearing Carmen's explanation.

"Do you remember those three people we saw back then?"

"Of course. What happened to them? Didn't they run away?"

"I don't know whether they ran away or not. I only know that the three of them carried you back, and they treated your injuries too."

"Oh? There was a doctor among them?"

"There really was a doctor."

Hearing that, Locke fell into thought. Could he invite those three onto the ship? After all, all three were Devil Fruit users, and one of them was a doctor his crew badly needed.

"Can you call them over? I want to talk to them!"

"Hmph! You wake up and immediately start ordering people around." Though Carmen said that, she still slowly walked out of the cabin, intending to bring the three over.

Before long, Carmen ran back anxiously, her face full of nervousness. "I don't know whether they're asleep or unconscious, but they keep muttering things like, 'Spare me!' No matter what I do, I can't wake them up."

"Asleep? And you can't wake them?" The moment Locke heard that, he thought of Annie.

"Annie! Are you there? Come out for a moment!" Locke called out to the surroundings.

Though Locke could not be certain that Annie had done it, Annie was the only one on this ship who had that ability and could do it without anyone noticing. So Locke tried calling out.

"Annie? Who's Annie? There's no one around us!" Carmen asked strangely as she watched Locke suddenly call out for someone named Annie.

"Big brother, what did you call Annie for?" Before Locke could answer, a little girl glowing with a ghostly blue light appeared beside Carmen.

"Ah! A ghost!" Carmen screamed at the sudden appearance of Annie, then leaped onto the bed and pulled Locke's body sideways in front of her as a shield.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Locke was already covered in injuries, and Carmen's actions made him grit his teeth in agony.

"G-ghost..." Carmen was trembling with fright, completely failing to notice what Locke had said.

"All right, don't be afraid. She's not a ghost! This is Annie, who ate the Ghost Fruit—our new crewmate." Having no other choice, Locke endured the pain, turned around, and held Carmen in his arms to comfort her.

"She really isn't a ghost?" Carmen cautiously raised her head from Locke's embrace and asked.

"Annie, say hello to Sister Carmen," Locke said helplessly to Annie.

"Hello, Sister Carmen! I'm Annie, and I'm eight years old!" As she spoke, Annie floated upward so Carmen could see her clearly.

"F-f-flying!" This time, Carmen was so frightened by Annie floating in the air that she fainted on the spot.

However, Locke noticed Carmen's constantly trembling eyelashes and realized she was only pretending to faint. He did not expose her.

"Big brother, does Sister Carmen not like Annie?" Annie asked aggrievedly.

"How could that be? Annie is so cute. Sister Carmen is just too tired and fell asleep, that's all." Locke comforted Annie as she looked like she was about to cry.

"Really?"

"Of course." Locke nodded firmly.

"Then I'll go play with Sister Carmen in her dream." Annie spoke as she prepared to enter Carmen's dream.

"Wait, I still have something to ask you!" Locke hurriedly stopped her. If Annie went over and discovered that Carmen was pretending to faint, how heartbroken would she be?

"What does big brother want to ask?" Annie looked at Locke.

"Were you the one who dragged those three people outside into a dream?"

"Yes! Since the three of them ate the Divine Tree's fruit, they should be this generation's Divine Tree Guardians. I'm teaching them about the duties of a Divine Tree Guardian." Annie nodded cutely.

"What duties?" Locke asked curiously.

"Of course, the duty to protect the Divine Tree—which means protecting big brother!"

"What? Protect me?" Locke was astonished.

"That's right! Since big brother ate the Divine Tree Crystal, from now on, big brother is the Divine Tree. Protecting the Divine Tree means protecting big brother."

"That won't be necessary, will it?"

"How can you say it isn't necessary? Anyone who eats the Divine Tree Fruit must protect the Divine Tree." Annie insisted.

"Then can you let them out first? Can big brother talk to them?" Seeing the determined look in Annie's little eyes, Locke could only say this.

"No. They haven't agreed to protect the Divine Tree yet!" Annie refused.

"Let them out first. After big brother finishes talking to them, you can continue teaching them."

"All right!" Annie thought big brother was right. Once they had finished talking to big brother, she could continue teaching them.