After the concert ended, the members of Kessoku Band began exploring the Lulusia Kingdom on their own. Although the country lay on the Grand Line, it had hardly any fighters worth mentioning.
Perona and Brook had already used the combat Memory Crystals, including ones containing Kuma's two-color haki techniques. Their overall fighting strength had more or less reached the level of the Supernovas.
With Sephiroth able to teleport over to support them at any moment, there was little reason to worry about their safety.
-Shopping district.
Outside a women's specialty shop, Sephiroth, still in his Satellite Shining form, was surrounded by fans.
Fortunately, he was still a wanted criminal with a bounty of 400 million. Fanatical as his fans were, they retained at least a shred of restraint.
In the month since Kessoku Band's formation, Sephiroth had mined his memories of his previous life for all sorts of songs he had heard. They had made the band famous, and the band had even released an album.
As a result, the Navy had started calling them the "Kessoku Pirates," which felt a little strange.
As for why he was standing outside a women's specialty shop, it was entirely because Perona had gone inside.
They had agreed to split up, and Brook had gone to a shop best left unnamed...
But Perona had kept clinging to Sephiroth, insisting that they go shopping together. It had been fine at first, but no matter what, Sephiroth simply could not bring himself to enter a women's specialty shop...
Still, judging by the situation now, waiting outside was hardly any better.
"Buru-buru-click-"
"Hey-lightning boy~! Any news lately?"
Sephiroth took out his Den Den Mushi and flew into the air. Once the call connected, a spirited elderly woman's voice came from the other end.
"...Dr. Kureha, if you mean the Heart Pirates, they entered the Grand Line yesterday. But they disappeared again afterward..."
Sephiroth had already worked out a plan with Kuma to station people at the first two islands along each of the seven routes. They only needed to pass along a message, so finding them was enough.
"Then hurry it up! And call me Ms. Kureha, boy! That's all-"
Click-
Kureha hung up.
With Kuma's mobility, he had actually found Dr. Kureha the very day he heard Sephiroth's plan.
Cold on the outside but kind at heart, Dr. Kureha had merely hurled a few insults at Kuma before agreeing to make a house call upon hearing that a little girl had blue-scale disease.
The conclusion had been bleak. Even Kureha, whose expertise leaned toward difficult and unusual cases, had no way to cure it completely. After all, it fell under the category of congenital hereditary endocrine disorders.
Kureha had, however, suggested some improvements to Sephiroth's metabolism-boosting treatment plan, reducing the strain it placed on Bonney.
Sephiroth's original foundation in "medicine" had come partly from his vague understanding of modern medicine from his previous life, and partly from Memory Crystals supplied by ordinary doctors on Sky Island.
After repeatedly testing that knowledge through experiments on living subjects, he could reasonably call himself a qualified doctor by this world's standards.
Later, he had obtained two heavyweight medical Memory Crystals, one from Hogback and the other from Crocus.
Hogback certainly lived up to his reputation as a doctor even Chopper admired. In this world, he ranked among the foremost authorities on surgery.
Crocus had an exceptionally high overall level of expertise. He simply lacked fame, but in internal medicine, he was also a leading authority.
Sephiroth's current medical expertise-at least his theoretical knowledge-should have reached a world-class level. After all, the more complicated the knowledge, the longer it took to absorb.
Because of what had happened with Brook, Crocus had readily agreed to help save Bonney.
Even without the matter involving Brook, given Crocus's character, he would have offered his help if Kuma had brought Bonney to him.
And so, with Sephiroth's approval, Kuma had used his ability to send both Crocus and Kureha to Sky Island.
Sephiroth had also teleported back, and the three doctors had held a specialist consultation for Bonney.
Fortunately, Crocus, the authority on internal medicine, had proposed a better treatment plan for managing her condition. Combining the expertise of all three had indeed yielded new results.
As long as Bonney received continuous treatment and never encountered natural light for the rest of her life, her disease would not flare up, and she could live normally into old age.
Kureha, the softest-hearted of them, could not accept Bonney having to live that way. Although Kuma was already deeply grateful for the current outcome, Kureha had still given him a vicious tongue-lashing.
It was not that the others did not want to cure Bonney. Kureha had simply shown even more emotion than Kuma.
-Harbor, Thunderhawk.
As a prototype vehicle capable of operating in four environments-the atmosphere, the water's surface, underwater, and hovering over land-the Thunderhawk's performance depended heavily on the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Without sufficient replenishment of its energy reserves, surface mode was the most energy-efficient.
Inside the ship floating in the harbor, the Ultramarines Bunbu each attended to their duties.
Sephiroth, whom Perona had pestered into going shopping, finally returned laden with bags and bundles.
"Bunbu, put these things in Storage Hold Two for now."
The Bunbu carried away the shopping bags suspended in the air from hovering metal platforms, heaving and huffing as they went.
Only the pastries remained floating beside Sephiroth.
Then... Perona floated along too, though she did it using her own power.
Under Sephiroth's influence, Perona had learned how to make her physical body float...
When it came to soul-related fruits, Big Mom's Soul-Soul Fruit could exert physical effects, and Perona's exploding ghosts also produced physical effects.
There was no reason she should not be able to fly.
Building on that, Sephiroth had simply tossed out some improvised nonsense about the theory of Oversouls from Shaman King, which he had watched in his previous life.
And then she had actually learned how?
I told you to develop your ability, and you actually managed it?
In the communal lounge, Sephiroth sat down at the circular table.
The communal lounge had been designed to resemble a living room at home, but flight and other considerations meant there were no loose odds and ends. All the furniture was fixed to the walls or floor.
To recover from the exhaustion of the concert and shopping, Perona had taken off her shoes and was lying on the floor beside Sephiroth. She had caught a randomly selected lucky Bunbu, lifted him high, and was playing with his ears.
"En-na~ en-na~"
The Ultramarines Bunbu wriggled his stubby legs, struggling helplessly. This was no ordinary heresy anymore. It demanded a heavy-handed response.
Sephiroth drank his coffee while taking out the latest medical journal to read.
Unlike Perona, who wore only socks, he had dutifully changed into indoor shoes, even though he had gone out in an elementalized state and could not possibly have gotten his shoes dirty.
That was right: Sephiroth had now returned to his normal form in front of Perona.
Because he had needed to tell Dr. Crocus part of the truth, he could not conceal his identity from him.
With that being the case, continuing to hide it from Brook would have been strange.
And in the end... he could hardly keep Perona alone in the dark, could he?
Sephiroth was someone who stayed true to his desires. Perona was so cute that he had set his sights on her long ago.
He did not want this matter to leave her with any misgivings.
So, when he explained the situation to Dr. Crocus as the Great Angel, he had also revealed the truth to Brook and Perona.
At the time, the two of them had been so shocked that even their art style had changed.
"..."
He was indeed holding a book, but Sephiroth's gaze was not on it for the moment. Instead, he glanced at Perona's tall gothic leather boots, then stared at her cute little feet swaying back and forth in their loose socks.
He vaguely heard an auditory hallucination along the lines of-lunch boxes and food...
Oh no. Has the Arknights forum invaded?
With tremendous willpower, he tore his gaze away.
Sephiroth focused his attention on the Temple of Medicine.
"Lord Shining, why do you study medicine?"
Perona rolled across the floor until she was beside Sephiroth.
"To earn compensation."
Hugging the Bunbu like a cushion, Perona had scooted over to lean against Sephiroth. When she heard his answer, her brain suddenly stalled.
"...Lord Shining."
Even after learning Sephiroth's identity, she still habitually called him Shining.
After spending nearly two months seeing the outside world, Perona spoke slowly, in the lowest voice she had used since Sephiroth met her. Paired with the smile filling her face, it honestly gave her a slightly yandere air.
"Why do you always refuse to acknowledge your own kindness?"
"...I could never go as far as Kuma."
-No, surely you have to be at least like Kuma for it to count as kindness.
Sephiroth felt that, at most, he was a "great philanthropist" who won people over through virtue-and an axe.
"No... why are you making that face, Lord Shining...?"
Hearing Sephiroth's answer, Perona, who was neither good at debating nor equipped with the relevant knowledge, could not accurately express what she felt.
"Lord Shining... Lord Shining, are you a contrary person from Contradiction Planet~?! What a blow! Perona's devastated!"
With a "Waaah!" Perona clutched her head and rolled around. Since she was rather cute, Sephiroth watched for the time being...
(The author said they posted a picture of Perona. Let's see whether it gets approved.)
Before you continue