Why are you blushing?

At this moment, Katie suddenly struck, unleashing a massive flying slash towards the surrounding CP0 members.

"What?!"

The CP0 members were startled by the incoming slash. The power of the attack was such that even they had to take it seriously; a single mistake could be fatal.

As they dodged, the slash flew past them and headed straight for the distant Yarchiman mangrove tree.

With a loud "crack," the huge slash cleaved through the thick trunk of the mangrove tree. The upper half, now unsupported, slowly toppled to the ground, crashing down with a deafening noise that shook the entire island.

"That was reckless," one of the CP0 members muttered, looking at the fallen tree with a grim expression. Clearly, with Nicholas and his crew's appearance, their mission was almost certainly doomed.

The CP0 members turned their attention to Katie, who was calmly sheathing her sword. The power she displayed made it clear that even Katie was far stronger than they could easily handle. If a battle broke out, they could be wiped out in an instant.

The CP0 leader quickly weighed the pros and cons. "We only want that woman," he said coldly, pointing at Bonnie, who still appeared as a little girl. "Leave now, and we can pretend this never happened."

"Interesting," Nicholas responded with a smile. It seemed that his long absence from the seas had made many people forget who he was.

As Nicholas spoke, Katie, Brook, Simon, and Urouge prepared for battle. The CP0 members knew how important Bonnie was to the World Government and the Celestial Dragons; failure would have dire consequences for them.

Bonnie watched the tense standoff with a sense of satisfaction. She had bet on the right side. "Time to slip away," she thought, starting to cautiously edge away, knowing that running outright would draw attention.

Seeing Bonnie's actions, the CP0 leader's face darkened. "You wish to die?" he snapped, launching a Rankyaku (Tempest Kick) at her. In a flash, Katie appeared in front of Bonnie, deflecting the attack into harmless shards with a precise sword draw.

Katie's response was swift. She had already lost her captain once and wouldn't allow it to happen again. In an instant, she closed the distance to the CP0 leader. He instinctively used Tekkai (Iron Body) and Soru (Shave), but the next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

"What?!"

The CP0 leader looked down to see a horrific wound stretching from his right shoulder to his left abdomen, blood gushing out. The shock of being taken down in one blow filled him with a cold dread.

The other CP0 members were stunned by the swift confrontation and its outcome. They knew their leader's strength well, yet he had been defeated in a single strike by Katie. This left them with expressions of shock and fear. They realized that against these opponents, they were utterly outmatched.

...

A CP0 member wearing a pig mask collapsed to his knees, coughing up a mouthful of blood. He looked at Urouge in fear. At first, he had been serious against Urouge's powerful Armament Haki, but when he realized Urouge wasn't attacking much, he became more aggressive.

Initially, he enjoyed the fight, but as time went on, he started to panic. His attacks seemed to have no effect on Urouge, and Urouge's smile grew more unsettling. Just now, Urouge had almost killed him with a casual slap.

Looking around, the CP0 member noticed he was the only one left standing. "How is this possible?" he exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"It's been long enough; we shouldn't keep the captain waiting," Urouge said, his body swelling until he was a giant over ten meters tall. "Karma!" he shouted as his Armament Haki-covered fist came crashing down.

Boom! With a resounding impact, the last CP0 member fell under Urouge's iron fist. Bonnie watched in awe at the terrifying strength displayed by Katie and the others.

"Jewelry Bonnie," Nicholas said, turning to Bonnie, who was still in shock. Hearing her name, Bonnie shuddered and looked at Nicholas with an innocent expression as if to say, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Stop pretending," Nicholas said. "Your acting is terrible. Don't try to escape; you can't." As soon as Bonnie thought about running, a suffocating aura emanated from Nicholas, locking her in place. Her body screamed warnings.

Realizing the vast difference in their power, Bonnie gave up trying to escape. "Good," Nicholas said, retracting his aura. "I don't know why CP0 is chasing you, but I have a good relationship with Kuma. So, if you have any connection with him, I don't mind protecting you for a while."

Bonnie's eyes widened at the mention of Kuma, recalling the image of a gentle man. But she wasn't ready to trust Nicholas yet. Seeing her hesitation, Nicholas took out a transponder snail, dialed a number, and handed it to her.

Bonnie looked at the snail in confusion. Nicholas calmly explained, "That's Kuma's number. You can ask him about our relationship." A moment later, as the call connected, Bonnie's face turned noticeably red.

"Here," she said, still blushing and slightly out of breath. Nicholas was puzzled. "It was just a call with Kuma. Why are you blushing like a teapot?"

 [AN- This chapter was written before the relationship between kuma and bonnie was explained. So forgive me, i have to make changes to the original story. Forgive me, No sweet home Alabama here.]