Chapter 23: Success

Bardock and the others turned to see a delicate little princess from the dwarf race walking alongside Leo. She was petite and adorable, dressed in a fluffy dress, with her golden hair styled in two buns that cascaded loosely down her back.

Seeing everyone looking at her, Mansherry shyly hid behind Leo but still spoke firmly, "I agree, Father."

"Chief Tonta, I will protect the princess."

With that, Leo pulled out a needle from his waist. This was the source of his special ability — he could stitch anything together.

"How about it, King Gancho? I will protect both of them, too. After all, we are all going to be companions from now on."

What could Gancho do? Deep down, he didn't want his daughter to go on this dangerous journey, but they couldn't just ignore the situation in Noland.

"But they are both still children. Isn't it too dangerous for them to venture into the sea now? Can't you choose someone else?" Princess Viola asked.

"Princess Viola, I won't take them straight to the City of Gold from the start. The Grand Line is indeed dangerous right now, so we will sail the West Blue for a few years to gain experience. Only when I feel confident will we set out for the Grand Line," Bardock explained.

Viola pouted, wanting to argue further, but she couldn't interfere too much in the affairs of the dwarves.

"Oh, my daughter will be away from home for so many years? Will I not see her for years?" King Gancho asked Bardock in pain.

Bardock immediately felt that what he was doing might be a bit harsh, but thinking about Doflamingo, who would seize Dressrosa within a few years, with Mansherry being imprisoned and the dwarves deceived and enslaved, he remained resolute. He took a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and handed it to Gancho.

"King Gancho, this is a Den Den Mushi, which allows for long-distance communication. They're easy to care for — just feed them regularly. Once I'm ready with a new Den Den Mushi, I'll have Mansherry contact you. Remember, do not remove the artificial attachments; if you do, it won't work anymore."

Bardock recalled how the dwarves had released Robin's Den Den Mushi in the anime and gave Gancho some extra instructions, also teaching him how to use the snail phone.

"Now that most of our business is settled, Hancock, do you want to start now or talk when we get back?" Bardock asked.

"Let's wait until we get back to the ship," Hancock replied.

Though anxious, Hancock kept her composure. This wasn't the right place. She had mentally prepared herself to remove the mark on her back, even if it meant carving out a piece of flesh.

"In that case, King Gancho, I will go catch a couple of Fish, and we can have a feast to celebrate this great collaboration."

"No, no, no, we can't trouble our guests with such matters. Leave it to us!" Gancho insisted.

"Then let's do it together!" Bardock suggested.

…

After a joyous feast on Green Bit, it was time for a melancholy farewell. King Gancho clung to Mansherry, giving her all sorts of instructions.

"King Gancho, we have to go now," Bardock said.

"Mansherry, make sure to call home often!" Gancho reminded her.

"Leo, protect the princess, or don't bother coming back!" Leo's grandmother shouted loudly.

"I got it!" Leo responded.

Bardock and Hancock walked ahead, while Leo and Mansherry, carrying the responsibility of finding the City of Gold and their dreams of adventure, quickly followed.

Viola and Kyros left shortly after the feast; they were busy people. As the kingdom's only known princess and the captain of the kingdom's army, they had many matters to attend to.

"Mansherry, Leo, the abilities you possess are called Devil Fruit powers on the sea. Now, let me show you my power," Bardock said.

"Devil Fruit? Bardock, you have special abilities too — I mean, Devil Fruit powers?" Leo asked in surprise.

"Watch," Bardock replied.

He spat out his Nimbus Cloud, jumped on it, and stood firmly, saying, "This is just one of my abilities. I'll show you the others later. For now, come on up."

"Wow, that's amazing! Can we ride too?" Leo exclaimed.

Leo was about to jump up when Mansherry suddenly leapt onto his back. "Leo, I can't get up. Carry me!" she said.

"Geez, Princess, you need to train harder in the future," Leo said. Despite carrying Mansherry, Leo easily jumped onto the cloud. The dwarves truly possessed incredible strength and speed, worthy of being called fairies.

Once Hancock climbed aboard, Bardock commanded the Nimbus Cloud to accelerate swiftly toward his small boat. Everything had gone smoothly; they had already stocked up on supplies on the first day, so they could set sail immediately.

"Wow, that's awesome, Bardock! Can we go even faster?" Leo shouted excitedly, enjoying his first time flying.

"Of course, Leo, Mansherry, hold on tight! Accelerating!" Bardock warned.

The Nimbus Cloud's speed instantly doubled, becoming so fast that ordinary people couldn't even see it flying overhead.

"Whoa, so fast! The wind is so strong!" Leo shouted.

Bardock and Hancock landed in a secluded alley near the harbor and walked toward the Great Sage ship. Leo and Mansherry hid on the shrunken Nimbus Cloud, nestled in Bardock's arms. They were still following the old custom, avoiding being seen by adult humans.

Once back on the ship, Bardock carefully checked everything and found no issues, so he began preparing to set sail.

"Darn, I only prepared the Eternal Pose for the way here and forgot the one for the return journey," Bardock muttered.

Hancock gave him a disapproving look. Fortunately, Shakky had prepared for this. She pulled out a piece of paper from her chest, saying, "Look, this is Shakky's Vivre Card. It will guide us."

"As expected of a great senior, always so thorough. Now, it's time for your matter. Once it's settled, we can depart," Bardock said.

While Bardock believed Mansherry could remove the Celestial Dragon's Hoof mark on Hancock's back, he still wanted to see the results. After all, Mansherry's powers might not be fully developed yet.

Hancock took Mansherry into the cabin. The two whispered inside for a while, likely discussing the situation and the healing method.

A short time later, Mansherry emerged with red, puffy eyes, as if she had just been crying. Leo approached her with concern, but Mansherry simply shook her head.

Crying could be explained by using her powers, but what did the head shake mean?

Bardock was confused. Could it be that it didn't work? Regardless, he stepped forward to comfort her.

"Mansherry, it's okay. It just means your powers aren't fully developed yet. You'll definitely be able to do it in the future," he reassured her.

"No, I succeeded. I just feel sorry for Hancock. What kind of horrible person would do this to her? Waaa…" Mansherry started to cry again.

Bardock was at a loss for words, unsure of how to comfort her. Fortunately, Hancock came out at that moment, drawing everyone's attention.

How should he describe it? Bardock's previous impression of Hancock was that she was beautiful and strong, but now, on top of that, she was radiant, like a gem polished to shine anew.

"Hey, Hancock, if you succeeded, why didn't you come out sooner? You had us worried," Bardock said.

"I just didn't expect it to be so easy. Although it only removed the mark from my body, I am no longer afraid," Hancock replied.