The Secret Room on the Pirate Ship

Kane, who had been kicked off the ship by Hina, hung in midair using Geppo. Looking at the pirate ship far beyond the horizon, he could not help shaking his head with a bitter smile.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to take advantage of the enemy ship still being far away and flew toward another escort ship.

Tsuru's orders had said little about the pirate ship. Instead, she seemed especially concerned about Cuckoo, as though something had happened while he was asleep.

Kane landed on the other escort ship using Geppo, and a Marine immediately came to greet him.

"Lieutenant Colonel Kane!"

"Where is Commander Cuckoo?"

"In her cabin."

"Take me there."

"Yes!"

The Marine led Kane outside a cabin. After dismissing him, Kane raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Creak...

The door opened, revealing Cuckoo standing behind it with her hair in disarray and a somewhat dazed expression.

[Cuckoo's Favorability has reached 91. The third ability replication may begin.]

[Please choose one ability from the following to replicate:]

[1. Bird-Style Swordsmanship (Mastery)]

[2. Six Powers (Mastery)]

[3. Observation Haki (Mastery)]

[4. Armament Haki (Mastery)]

[5. Horsemanship (Mastery)]

[6...]

[Note: Ability 1 and Ability 4 have already been replicated once. Replicating them again can only slightly increase proficiency. Please choose carefully.]

Kane raised an eyebrow slightly. He remembered that Cuckoo's Armament Haki and Observation Haki had only been at proficiency last night. How had they reached mastery after just a few hours?

Could it be because...

Of fighting him?

The thought had barely surfaced before Kane dismissed it. If that were the case, Robin would have grown stronger long ago.

Then how had Cuckoo become stronger?

While Kane was still surprised, Cuckoo had already walked up to him and tightly wrapped her arms around him.

Feeling Cuckoo's erratic heartbeat against his chest, Kane gently embraced her, led her into the cabin, and closed the door.

"What happened?"

Cuckoo did not answer immediately. After a moment of silence, she spoke softly.

"...Call me Instructor."

"As you command, my dear Instructor."

Kane sat down gently, stroking Cuckoo's hair and smoothing out the tangled strands.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

Cuckoo still did not speak. She clung to Kane like a sloth, greedily inhaling the familiar scent of pine from where her nose was buried against his chest, until it soothed her racing heart.

"Swift saw everything that happened last night."

"Mm, and then?"

Cuckoo looked up in surprise. Seeing that Kane's expression remained unchanged, she asked in confusion, "You don't mind?"

"Why would I mind?" Kane shrugged, then asked curiously, "Does my dear Instructor mind?"

"Of course I mind!"

Cuckoo sat up straight and told him about how Swift had teased her, saying indignantly,

"She just wanted to laugh at me..."

"What happened last night wasn't a joke."

"...!"

Cuckoo was rendered speechless. Her bright eyes blinked, and a faint radiance began to bloom within them.

Kane looked directly into Cuckoo's eyes. Her pupils were so clear and bright, like a pair of gemstones. The longer he looked, the more beautiful he found them.

Suddenly, a brilliant smile appeared on Cuckoo's face. She happily wrapped her arms around Kane's neck, her long legs swinging excitedly.

"That's right! It wasn't a joke! Swift is the joke!"

Kane smiled as well. Seeing Cuckoo's messy hair, he had already guessed what had happened last night.

"So my beautiful Instructor beat Swift up, and even broke through in the heat of battle, greatly increasing her strength?"

"Of course! Who told her to tease me?"

Cuckoo proudly raised her head, neglecting to mention that Tsuru had punished them by hanging them from a clothesline to dry all night.

Thinking back on last night, though, it was hard to say whether Swift had done something bad or something good.

Still, she had been so ashamed and furious at the time that she had lost her head and attacked. Afterward, she had even felt too embarrassed to face Vice Admiral Tsuru, so she had fled to the escort ship without even taking her Den Den Mushi, hiding there.

If Kane had not come to comfort her, she would probably have remained depressed all the way to Impel Down.

Now that the knot in her heart had been untied, Cuckoo felt utterly refreshed. Even Kane before her seemed more handsome than he had yesterday.

"Since you've figured it out, go back. Vice Admiral Tsuru is very concerned about your condition."

Kane prepared to leave the cabin. By his reckoning, the pirate ships should be arriving soon.

But just as he stood up, a hand grabbed his coat.

When he turned around, Cuckoo stood there with bright eyes and pearly teeth, wearing a bold, radiant smile. She grabbed his collar and pulled him close, her eyes brimming with excitement.

"Fight me!"

"I still have pirates to fight. There are three whole pirate ships to deal with!"

"I'll help you fight them! Let's make this quick!"

"Even so, I... mmph!"

When Kane left the escort ship to intercept the pirates, the three pirate ships had already prepared to bombard the warships.

Kane rushed forward with Geppo, finally managing to straighten his disheveled clothes before reaching the pirate ships.

Cuckoo followed closely beside him. Her pretty face was flushed, but her attacks were swift and ruthless.

Her sword flashed from its sheath like lightning. A cold blade gleamed, and before she had even landed on the deck, she had severed the pirate ship's mast!

In an instant, chaos broke out aboard the pirate ship.

"Enemy attack!"

"It's the Marines! Kill them!"

"Don't be afraid! There are only two of them!"

"You dare cause trouble on my ship? You're courting death!"

Amid the chaos, the towering Dorla burst forward and charged straight at Cuckoo as she landed on the deck!

In his mind, as long as he subdued this female Marine, the others would be forced to obey him out of concern for their hostage's safety!

However, just as he came within two meters of Cuckoo, a sudden change occurred!

"Idiot, what do you think you're doing to my dear Instructor?"

With that indifferent question, a sturdy figure appeared before Dorla, standing directly in his path with both hands tucked into his pockets!

You're the idiot!

You actually dare face me without defending yourself!

Die!

Dense beast fur sprouted across Dorla's arms. His already thick arms swelled another size, and his massive fists slammed viciously into Kane's abdomen!

Boom!

A deafening impact rang out, as though his fists had struck metal.

Dorla felt agonizing pain shoot through both fists. It seemed as though his bones had shattered, yet the man before him did not move an inch!

Kane grinned. Iron Body combined with Armament Haki was not ordinarily hard.

Before Dorla could react, Kane launched a kick into his abdomen, folding him in half.

Dorla let out a miserable cry and flew backward like a cannonball. With a thunderous crash, he smashed through the deck and fell into the lower cabin.

For a moment, the deck fell silent. The pirates' eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, and their mouths hung wide enough to swallow a teapot.

However, the physique of a Zoan user far surpassed that of an ordinary person. Dorla roared as he leaped back onto the deck, his body twisting as he fully transformed into a giant bear and charged at Kane with a roar.

Kane could not be bothered to waste time on him. He picked up the thick mast, and Giant Strength erupted as he viciously swung it at the charging Dorla.

Dorla's expression changed drastically. His four bear paws hurriedly scrambled backward as he tried to retreat.

"W-Wait! I surren—"

Bang!

A tremendous crash cut off Dorla's plea for mercy. Struck hard by the mast, he flew like an enormous baseball hit by a bat, soaring high into the air before crashing heavily into the sea.

The pirates aboard the ship were completely dumbfounded. They stared at Kane as though he were a monster. No one knew who started it, but they all dropped to their knees with thuds, scrambling to beg for mercy.

The noisy clamor made Kane's ears itch. He frowned and shouted for silence. The entire ship immediately quieted, and the pirates looked at each other in terrified silence, afraid of provoking him.

"Before I return, tie yourselves up. Otherwise, jump into the sea and feed the sharks!"

With that, Kane leaped into the air and landed directly on the second pirate ship. The sounds of battle erupted, then abruptly ceased.

Before long, all three pirate ships had raised white flags and surrendered under Kane's violent suppression.

The unconscious Dorla was also fished out of the sea, fitted with Seastone shackles, and left sprawled in a corner like a dead fish.

Kane, who felt as though he had only just warmed up, could not help feeling somewhat disappointed. He felt that fighting Cuckoo had drained more of his stamina than this had.

However, while taking stock of the spoils, he unexpectedly discovered a secret room.

Too lazy to look for a key, Kane kicked the door open, only to hear several women scream from inside the secret room.

Kane's expression changed. He glanced at Cuckoo behind him before walking into the secret room.

An indescribable scent immediately assailed his nose. It was not a nauseating stench, but rather something like a spice that could calm the mind.

Suspicion rose in Kane's heart as he examined the room closely. He quickly discovered that aside from being dimly lit, the secret room was spacious, clean, well-ventilated, and fully furnished with every necessity.

If not for the sturdy iron bars dividing it into several cells, it would have been an excellent resting room.

But when Kane clearly saw the people imprisoned in the cells, his expression changed instantly.