Alone

"What's got you so excited?" Hancock asked, noticing Clover's joyful expression.

"Nothing, nothing," he quickly waved off, though it was clear he was thrilled.

Later, Clover brought up his desire to sail alone. Hancock was initially reluctant—she didn't want to be separated from him, especially with Clover now being one of the world's most wanted men. In her eyes, he had the bounty of an Emperor but not yet their strength, making him an easy target for many powerful enemies.

After much convincing, Hancock agreed to let Clover sail solo under one condition: he must check in with her every day and visit every two months. Clover accepted the terms, knowing how tough it would be to manage her possessiveness.

Finally, after an intense night together where Hancock unleashed her emotions, Clover was ready to set sail. Hancock, ever the doting lover, almost insisted on giving him the Kuja Pirates' entire ship but was thankfully stopped by her sisters.

As Clover prepared to depart on a smaller boat, Hancock panicked, suddenly worrying about navigation. "Where's the navigator?!" she yelled, pushing their navigator towards the sea.

"Sister! We need her here!" Sonia shouted, pulling her back.

"It's fine, Hancock," Nami reassured her. "Clover can navigate just fine."

Clover held up the recording pointer on his wrist. "I've got everything I need," he smiled, shaking it lightly.

Blushing, Hancock apologized. "I'm sorry... I was just worried."

"Why are you apologizing?" her sisters exclaimed in confusion.

"Maybe you underestimate me," Clover said with a small grin. "I'll be fine. Take care, everyone!" He waved to the crew as they waved back, watching his boat sail away.

Once alone on the open sea, Clover felt an unexpected loneliness. Looking out at the vast ocean, he wondered where his journey would take him. The recording pointer pointed to an unknown island, but he had no clear destination.

His mind wandered as he contemplated his next move. He had promised Luffy to rejoin their crew, but now, with a bounty that rivaled even the most dangerous pirates, he knew he couldn't follow Luffy's path. He had to carve out his own legacy and build his own crew. But who would he recruit? Impel Down's criminals? Trafalgar Law or Kid? Both were strong-willed and wouldn't easily follow him.

"If only the timeline were earlier, I could've recruited Kaido or Shanks," he mused, half-jokingly. Suddenly, he remembered the lottery function in his modifier. He hadn't used it yet!

Excited, Clover opened the lottery interface and chose the middle box. A golden light flashed, revealing a green, leafy Devil Fruit before him.

[Ding! Congratulations! You have obtained the Logia-type Devil Fruit: Mori Mori no Mi! It has been placed in your storage.]

Clover raised an eyebrow. "The Mori Mori no Mi? Isn't this the fruit that belonged to Green Bull? What happened to him?"

He shrugged it off. With the fruit in his possession, he pondered whether to eat it immediately. However, being alone at sea, the risk of drowning if his boat capsized was too great.

"I'll wait until I'm in a safer position before eating it," he decided, storing the fruit for later.

Now equipped with three types of Haki and the potential to eat a powerful Devil Fruit, Clover wasn't worried about most enemies. But for now, sailing alone was tedious. He pulled out a fishing rod that Hancock had packed for him and cast it into the sea, surprised when the line immediately tugged.

"Already?" Clover grinned, ready for whatever adventure the sea had in store for him next.