In the triangular waters of the Grand Line, the sea breeze carried salty moisture against the fast ship's hull. Jewelry Bonney crouched at the bow, holding a large, fragrant, charred Sea King steak and tearing into it. Her pink hair blew against her cheeks, but her round eyes kept darting toward Huang Zhong at the stern, filled with dependence.
Ever since accepting Huang Zhong as her adoptive father, she had finally dropped the facade she had maintained under constant strain for years. She no longer had to pretend to be a vicious, overbearing pirate or shoulder all her fear and helplessness alone. She had become what a ten-year-old child should be again.
"Father, you've been staring at that chart forever. Take a break!" Bonney finished the last bite of her steak, wiped her mouth, and skipped over to Huang Zhong, offering him her water flask. "We've been out at sea for almost ten days. Is there still no news of my father?"
Huang Zhong took the flask, ruffled her hair, and pointed to the Sabaody Archipelago marked on the chart. "The latest lead from the Wind-Listening Guard just arrived. Your father, Bartholomew Kuma, may have appeared near the Sabaody Archipelago half a month ago, but his trail disappeared after that. Also, the research base for the World Government's human weapons, the PX Series, is suspected to be near the Marines' G-1 branch at the Sabaody Archipelago. That information hasn't been confirmed yet."
Bonney's eyes instantly lit up. Her little hands clutched Huang Zhong's sleeve, and even her voice trembled. "The Sabaody Archipelago? My father... is he really there?"
"We only have signs of him. We can't be sure he's still there." Huang Zhong offered her no false hope, his tone as steady as ever. "But we can confirm that the