Chapter 24: The Return Voyage

"Maybe it's just a matter of 'difficult for the inexperienced, easy for the skilled.' Mansherry's ability is just what you need. Let's set off."

"Yes, Sandersonia and Marigold will be delighted."

"Bardock, what do Mansherry and I do?"

"Hmm... Leo, you're the combatant on the ship, Mansherry is the ship's doctor, and I am the captain. Hey, Hancock, do you want to formally join us? I'll make you the first mate."

"..."

Hancock hesitated for a moment but ultimately declined, "Bardock, elder Shakky told me that Amazon Lily hasn't had an Empress for many years now, and all this time, I've been the most qualified candidate. She hopes I can protect the island in the future. I'm still too weak. I've decided that in the coming years, I'll do everything I can to become stronger. Elder Shakky promised to help me find a teacher. Why don't you join me in training?"

Isn't this just the same path of training under Rayleigh again? Bardock shook his head. Training with Rayleigh was beneficial, but "mentor-student bonds" in this world were far too binding. Bardock didn't want to tie himself completely to Roger, Rayleigh, or their crew.

"In that case, you'll just be our temporary sniper and lookout. Let's set off!"

To be honest, Bardock initially approached Hancock because of her beauty and her potential future strength. He thought getting the future Empress on board would be a huge win.

Right, I always wanted the Empress, but she's not the Empress yet. Since she refused this time, I'll just let Rayleigh and Amazon Lily train her for me.

Bardock raised the "Great Sage" ship and flew in the direction indicated by the Vivre Card.

...

"Bardock, there's a pirate ship ahead."

Hancock, serving as the lookout, was peering into the distance.

What was Bardock doing at that moment?

He was sparring with Leo.

Onboard the "Great Sage," Bardock had spent extra energy using his Flying Nimbus to create a makeshift arena. A golden-haired monkey, similar in size to Leo, was playfully taunting him.

Bardock's "Size Manipulation" allowed him to grow larger, increasing his strength but reducing agility, and to shrink smaller, boosting agility while decreasing strength.

The Tontatta Tribe members, though small in size, had exceptional strength and speed. Leo, despite his young age, was naturally gifted; his strength surpassed that of Bardock in his shrunken form, and his speed was only slightly behind.

This meant that Leo was currently less powerful than Bardock in his normal size but faster; compared to Bardock in his shrunken state, Leo was stronger but slower.

Bardock almost got caught off guard initially. Fortunately, he soon exploited his own strengths against Leo's weaknesses. He was already faster than Leo and used "Soru" to increase his speed further, making it impossible for Leo to catch up. Bardock even flicked Leo's head a few times, leaving his forehead red.

"How about it, Leo? Cool technique, right? I could teach you. Let's call it a day for now."

Bardock said this and reverted to his normal size, looking into the distance.

"Darn it, once I learn it, I'm going to flick your head too!"

"Leo, are you okay? Let me heal you."

"Hmph, it didn't hurt at all."

Leo pretended to be tough, but he obediently accepted the treatment, and soon he was fine.

"From the direction, they seem to be heading toward Dressrosa. Their Jolly Roger doesn't belong to any famous pirates. Is there any strong presence on board, Hancock?"

"They're just a bunch of small fry."

"In that case, Hancock, show us your Devil Fruit ability. No point wasting these volunteers."

Hancock hesitated a little, but eventually convinced herself. If she had resolved to become stronger, she couldn't ignore the power of her Devil Fruit.

"Slave Arrow."

Hancock lightly touched her lips with her finger, forming a huge pink heart. She mimicked drawing a bow and pulled back.

With a release, countless pink arrows shot toward the pirate ship like raindrops, turning everything they hit to stone, from the crew to the sails and even the hull.

Seeing this, Hancock herself was somewhat shocked, let alone the others.

"Amazing, Hancock! With this ability, you won't need to carry a bow anymore."

"How did they all turn to stone?"

"Hancock, is this your Devil Fruit ability? It's incredible!"

"Is there anyone on the ship who wasn't hit?"

"No, when they saw our ship flying in the air, they all rushed onto the deck."

"Alright then, let's do a little test. Board the ship."

"Boarding the ship" was actually just Bardock landing their small ship directly on the enemy's deck.

After some exploration, Bardock concluded that everyone had been turned to stone. Paramecia-type Devil Fruits really were ridiculous; this was totally unfair.

"Leo, sew these two to the deck."

"Got it, Captain."

Leo stitched two of the petrified pirates to the deck like they were pieces of fabric. Even if they were restored, they wouldn't be able to move.

Another outrageous Paramecia-type ability. The stone and the deck posed no resistance to Leo's stitching.

"Mansherry, give this a try and see if you can reverse it. Remember, if it takes too much energy, stop. Hancock, try reversing the petrification of the other pirate."

"Captain, I can restore him, but it would take too much stamina. I can't do it for now."

"That's okay, Mansherry. You're still young. Remember, don't push yourself too hard."

"Okay, Captain!"

Hancock easily reversed her own power, and the pirate, still disoriented, started yelling, "You bastards, do you have a death wish? Let me go!"

Then he glanced lustfully at Hancock and tried to say more.

"Perfume Femur!"

A heart-shaped beam shot out, and the unfortunate pirate was petrified again.

Bardock had many ideas he wanted to experiment with, but now, with two innocent young ones on board, some of those ideas seemed too cruel. Maybe it was best to put them aside for now.

After a search of the ship, Bardock found only some Beli. The pirates didn't even have an Eternal Pose.

"Alright, let's go," Bardock called the crew back aboard their ship.

As Bardock and his crew departed, where would this ship, laden with stone statues, drift? What would people think when they discovered it? All of this became a mystery.

...

After several days of intermittent flying, Bardock was feeling mentally exhausted.

The return trip was just as bad as the journey there, filled with terrible weather. They should have arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago long ago.

"Bardock, I suggest you seriously study navigation, or at least hire a competent navigator. Otherwise, I really worry that one day your ship might capsize in some unknown corner."

"Stop nagging! Isn't that the Red Line over there?"

"Yes, the Red Line..."

Hancock gazed at the Red Line, and this time, her body did not tremble.