What It Means to Be Gentle

When the enormous red paw-shaped mass of energy finally dissipated, it felt as though an unseen weight had been lifted from the church. Even breathing came easier.

Sakazuki was the first to show a change.

His ragged, rapid breathing gradually grew slow and steady.

His body, tense to its limit, slowly relaxed. His brow smoothed, and the sense of danger that had clung to him as he hovered between life and death receded like a tide.

Rock walked to the sofa and bent to check his pulse, then used Observation Haki to examine his condition more closely.

Once he was certain, he straightened up, visibly relieved.

"...He's all right."

Rock turned to Kuma and Ginny, who were still staring in a daze. A faint smile touched his lips.

"Want to talk?"

A little later.

The three of them sat around the same clean but rather plain wooden table.

The tension that had filled the church was gone. Only quiet and warmth remained.

Ginny had calmed down considerably.

She brewed tea with practiced ease. Steam curled upward, and a faint fragrance spread through the air, easing the last of the strain.

As for the pirate corpses that had been sprawled across the floor not long ago—

Rock had already tossed them into the sea, where they became a late-night snack for the fish.

Leaning back in his chair, Rock glanced between the two of them before settling his gaze on Kuma. There was something knowing in his smile.

"You brat."

"You're a lucky one."

Kuma blinked. He clearly missed the meaning behind the remark and scratched the back of his head.

"...Huh?"

Beside him, Ginny paused in the middle of pouring tea.

A blush spread across her fair cheeks, coloring even the tips of her ears.

Rock caught it all. His