They gazed at each other for a long time.
Luffy finally came to his senses and scratched his head awkwardly.
He had never blushed before, yet a faint flush now crept onto his face.
"Ahem. Um, Marguerite, y-you should hurry up and eat. The meat will get cold soon."
Marguerite came to her senses at his words too, her pretty face covered in a rosy blush.
But seeing how cute Luffy looked, she could not help laughing again.
At the sight, Luffy froze for another few seconds.
Then he immediately turned to look out at the distant sea.
"H-hurry up and eat. The meat won't taste good once it's cold."
"Sigh..."
Marguerite looked at Luffy's back and sighed softly.
Then she lowered her head and continued eating the roasted rabbit.
Her movements were gentle, and she made no sound at all.
For a while, everything was utterly quiet, with only their somewhat erratic heartbeats lingering in the air.
Occasionally, a breeze passed through, bringing the rustle of leaves from the forest.
Luffy's thoughts were in turmoil.
He felt a very special emotion growing in his heart.
This emotion lay hidden in the deepest part of his heart, spreading through his entire body with the flow of his blood.
It affected every cell.
He did not know what kind of emotion it was. It was completely different from the bonds between crewmates, brothers, or family.
It was an emotion he could not put into words, but it made his whole body tingle.
And this emotion felt particularly pronounced whenever he was with Marguerite.
At that moment, he wanted to hurry away from this girl.
He panicked.
Because this newly budding emotion could already rival his dream.
After all, the greatest dream of his life was to become the freest man on