In the blink of an eye, the night quietly receded, and the next morning's sunlight fell gently across the window.
In her sleep, Lina vaguely felt something hard pressing against her. Her brows creased slightly as she slowly opened her drowsy eyes.
Her arms were wrapped tightly around Kakarot. Realizing the position she was in, she instantly came fully awake, her face flushing scarlet.
Although she still felt a trace of attachment to Kakarot, her mind had mostly returned to normal.
She clearly remembered how she had lost control yesterday.
Biting her lip, she slowly withdrew her hands from Kakarot, moving carefully for fear of waking the person beside her.
In fact, Kakarot had already woken the moment Lina began to move.
Rot's body suddenly stiffened, and he nearly failed to suppress an involuntary reaction.
He kept his eyes tightly shut, hardly daring to breathe, utterly flustered. Oh no, oh no. This is way too awkward.
He kept praying inwardly, secretly relieved that Lina seemed to have returned to normal.
Otherwise, if she kept moving around like yesterday and woke Lilith, he would be terribly embarrassed.
Relying on his powerful control over his body, Kakarot did his best to remain completely still.
Before long, Lilith slowly woke as well.
She rubbed her eyes and gazed blankly at the apparently sleeping Lina and Kakarot.
"Auntie, big brother, I'm so glad to have you both by my side!" Lilith murmured.
She leaned down and kissed both Lina and Kakarot on the cheek.
Warmth filled both Lina's and Kakarot's hearts.
Lilith reached out and patted them, calling sweetly, "Auntie! Big brother! Time to get up!"
Hearing Lilith call them to get up, the two pretending to sleep finally stirred awake.
Lilith turned toward Lina and was delighted to discover that she was no longer clinging to Kakarot as she had yesterday. She blurted out, "Auntie, you're better now!"
A faint blush lingered on Lina's face. Feigning composure, she cleared her throat and said, "Yes, Kakarot's blood isn't affecting me much anymore.
"I'm really sorry about yesterday, Kakarot. Sorry for all the trouble."
Kakarot grinned, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth. "Hey, why be so formal? What matters most is that you're all right, Auntie Lina!"
Hearing Kakarot still calling her auntie, Lina felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
Frowning slightly, she said, "Kakarot, just call me big sister Lina from now on. I'm not that much older than you two."
Lilith tilted her head, sensing something was a little off, but Lina's changes soon captured her attention:
"Auntie! Why do your cheeks look so much fresher? You even seem a lot younger, almost the same age as me."
As she spoke, Lilith leaned closer to examine Lina's face carefully.
Hearing this, Kakarot also studied Lina curiously and found that she really had changed.
Rubbing his chin, he mused, "I remember Saiyans having pretty long lifespans, and their cells are very active, letting them stay young for a long time.
"Could my blood not only cure illnesses, but also extend people's lives or keep them young?"
Kakarot voiced his thoughts. After all, over the past five years, he had already told Lilith and Lina that he was a Saiyan.
The two only knew that Saiyan blood granted extraordinary natural gifts and had always assumed they were some mysterious race out on the seas.
Hearing Kakarot's guess, Lilith's and Lina's eyes instantly lit up, and they stared straight at him.
But then they remembered those strange side effects from before. A trace of hesitation flashed through their eyes, and they ultimately suppressed the idea.
Lilith bit her lip and said longingly, "I've definitely got to try your blood someday and see if it really is that amazing."
With a mischievous grin, Kakarot winked at Lilith. "You can try something else someday."
Looking utterly puzzled, Lilith tilted her head, her big, watery eyes full of confusion. "Something else? What else?"
Lina, however, immediately understood what Kakarot meant. She rolled her eyes at him and chided, "You and your naughty ideas."
"All right, all right! Enough chatting. Let's hurry up and eat.
"Afterward, we need to contact the people outside and have them prepare a ship and supplies for us. Aren't you two planning to set sail?" As Lina spoke, she got up and straightened her clothes.
Kakarot was just about to speak when Lilith cut in first. "Not you two-us! You're coming with us too, Auntie. I don't want to be separated from you."
As she spoke, Lilith hugged Lina tightly, blinking her big blue eyes as she gazed pleadingly at her.
Amused by Lilith's expression, Lina stroked her head fondly. "All right, all right! I'll go with you."
"Wonderful!" Lilith bounced happily like a cheerful little rabbit.
After the three finished eating, Lina stepped aside, picked up a Den Den Mushi, and gently dialed a number.
"Purupuru." The Den Den Mushi rang once.
"Hello, Shu Laibao speaking. What can I do for you?" The Den Den Mushi instantly took on the appearance of a plump, shrewd-looking male mixed-blood Mink, his round eyes glinting with cleverness.
"Laibao, it's Lina. Are the ship and supplies I asked you to prepare ready?" Lina asked the Den Den Mushi.
"Oh, big sister Lina! Everything's ready. You can have them whenever you need them." Shu Laibao was all smiles, his tone deeply respectful.
"Good. You haven't run into any trouble out there lately, have you?" Lina asked with concern.
Shu Laibao patted his chest proudly. "Don't worry, sis. Our Mink Tribe warriors are powerful fighters.
"Doing business in Paradise and the early part of the New World, those pirates are no match for us, so everything's been going smoothly."
"Big sister Lina, may I ask if Mr. Kakarot is there?" Shu Laibao asked respectfully.
"Big brother Shu Laibao, please don't call me that. Just call me by my name," Kakarot said, waving his hand.
"I've often heard big sister Lina mention you over the past few years, and the Ideological Program you wrote has truly been our guiding light.
"All our people out here admire you greatly. But I won't stand on ceremony anymore. I'll just call you by your name from now on!" Shu Laibao said happily.
"All right, enough chatting. I'm hanging up now. Make sure you stay safe!" Lina reminded him.
"Got it! Don't worry, sis!" Shu Laibao answered readily.
"Okay, get back to your work. We'll contact you when we need the ship." With that, Lina ended the call.
"Auntie Li... big sister!" Looking at Lina, Kakarot hastily corrected himself.
"Big sister Lina, having people set up trading fleets and gather intelligence, Kakarot-that was really wise. It'll make things much easier for us in the future."
Lina looked tenderly at Kakarot, who was already several heads taller than she was.
She said, "It was all thanks to those suggestions you gave a few years ago that they've been doing better and better.
"When I first sent them out to form trading fleets, they weren't making much headway."
Kakarot chuckled without saying anything.
Time flew like a white horse flashing past a gap, and two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
During those two weeks, the Mink Tribe warriors remained on high alert, not daring to slack off in the slightest, constantly guarding against a possible World Government attack.
After all, the previous clash had made them fully aware of the threat posed by the World Government.
Fortunately, Zou had quietly left its original stretch of sea, and without a Vivre Card for Zou, finding it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
The two kings, Quan Xiao and Mao Changrong, had suffered grave injuries in the previous battle and still showed no signs of improvement.
Dragging their weakened bodies along, they devoted all their energy to searching for the two missing princes, Inuarashi and Cat Viper.
Kakarot actually knew that Inuarashi and Cat Viper were in Wano Country, but he said nothing.
During this time, he followed the newspapers every day, keeping a close eye on developments on all sides.
When he discovered that the World Government had not publicized the battle, Kakarot secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He knew he was not yet strong enough. If the World Government set its sights on him this early, he would be in serious trouble.
Although he could kill an Admiral-level fighter when transformed into a Super Saiyan, in his normal state he only had the combat strength of a Vice Admiral, or at most an Admiral candidate.
That evening, a roaring bonfire burned in the middle of the training ground in the rocky area.
Kakarot, Lilith, Lina, Vian, Yingyue, Iris, Emily, Yueli, Simba, and Ailik sat around the bonfire, happily eating barbecue and drinking.
The meat sizzled over the fire, giving off an enticing aroma. Everyone ate, chatting and laughing.
During this time, after careful consideration, Cook had decided to let Yueli set sail with Kakarot and the others.
Yueli got along extremely well with everyone, and she eagerly looked forward to adventuring with them, exploring more of the world, and learning more medical techniques.
Kakarot stood, raised his cup, and said loudly, "Everyone! Tomorrow, we set sail. Countless challenges await us out on the seas.
"But for the sake of our shared dreams, we must forge ahead fearlessly! Here's to a bright future!"
"A bright future!" everyone echoed, gathering excitedly to sing and dance.
Lilith happily held Kakarot's and Lina's hands, bouncing up and down;
Vian and Iris smiled as they clinked their cups together;
Yingyue, Emily, and Yueli linked arms, swaying cheerfully to the rhythm;
Simba and Ailik sang loudly as they waved their arms, and the atmosphere was incredibly lively.
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