Chapter 56

Please just try not to kill your brain cells trying to understand how the first part of this chapter happens cause it clearly has no explanation. Unless you can just imagine the things that happened happening

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Early the next morning, Ron opened his eyes and glanced at the sleeping girl beside him, noticing the faint tears on her cheeks. Despite her lively nature, she seemed unable to handle the intensity of their encounter.

Feeling strong and unaffected himself, Ron reluctantly gave up when he realized that Kaya couldn't handle it. He covered her with a blanket and quietly left the room.

Arriving on deck, Ron noticed that the other girls were already awake, though their expressions were somewhat grim. It dawned on him that the thin soundproofing in the cabin must have allowed them to overhear last night's events with Kaya.

"You... You really are a brute!" Nami gritted her teeth and glared at Ron with disdain.

"Haah... It was a hard to sleep last night," Nojiko sighed, rubbing her tired eyes as she fixed her gaze on Ron. "Captain Ron, you should consider our feelings as well. It wasn't a pleasant experience for us!"

"Yeah," Makino added with a hint of disapproval. "And Kaya is so young. Did you really have to go that far?"

Ron scratched his nose awkwardly and changed the subject. "The weather looks nice today, doesn't it?"

His attempt to change the subject wasn't lost on the girls, who exchanged knowing glances and sighed in resignation.

"I'm going to start preparing breakfast," Makino announced, heading for the kitchen.

"I'll help," Nojiko volunteered, following Makino's lead.

Meanwhile, Nami and Tashigi were busy adjusting the sails and preparing for the day's journey.

With nothing urgent to do as captain, Ron idly watched the ocean while waiting for breakfast.

As they sailed forward, an island resembling a sailing ship came into view.

"Huh? What island is that?" Nami, who was scanning the horizon, expressed her curiosity. "It looks strange."

"Oh, that's Warship Island," Ron replied thoughtfully. "It's already in sight. Well, here we are..."

"Nami, do you know what kind of island this is?" Ron turned to Nami, wondering if she had any insight into their destination.

"This is Warship Island. The rocks here resemble a warship, hence the name," Ron explained with a slight smile. "I've heard of it."

"So, shall we go to the island?" Nami's eyes sparkled with curiosity, wondering if there were any treasures to be found.

"Let's check it out," Ron suggested, remembering the original plot. He remembered that there was supposed to be a dying dragon on the island and the little girl who had eaten the Whisper Fruit, Apis.

Finding such a cute little girl, Ron thought maybe he could bring her aboard their ship.

"Alright, let's go to the island and explore," Nami agreed and steered the Merry towards the island of Gunkanjima.

"Let's eat!" Makino called from the kitchen.

"Let's eat first, then we'll go to the island together," Ron suggested, making his way towards the dining area inside the cabin.

After everyone had eaten, Makino brought a meal to Kaya's room. Since Kaya couldn't get up yet, she had to eat in bed.

Finally, the Going Merry arrived at Warship Island. Ron decided to leave Nojiko and Makino on the ship to take care of Kaya and guard the ship while he, Nami and Tashigi went ashore.

To ensure the safety of Nojiko and Makino, Ron had prepared a signal for them to alert him in case of danger - a kind of fireworks.

"Wow, this island is so beautiful!" Nami exclaimed as she ran across the lush green grass.

Ron watched Nami with a feeling of joy. Before defeating Arlong's gang, Nami had rarely smiled and seemed ready to run away at any moment. Now, she seemed to have regained her carefree and happy demeanor.

"What an optimist!" Tashigi sighed. "This island seems strange. Running around like that could lead to danger, don't you think?"

"What's there to fear when I'm around?" Ron waved dismissively. "I can handle anything that comes our way."

"True," Tashigi conceded. With Ron's formidable strength, they had little to fear.

Meanwhile, a few kilometers ahead of Ron's group, a young girl in a hat was struggling to climb a hill while carrying a basket of food.

"Ryu, I brought you food," she whispered to a high peak.

"Huh?" Suddenly, she froze and looked in a certain direction, her expression becoming fearful. "Strangers. They don't seem to be from our island. Could they be pirates?"

Nami, who had been running ahead, noticed the girl as well. "There's someone there - a little girl. Let's ask her about the island."

With that, Nami hurried over.

Indeed, it was Apis! Ron felt a wave of emotion and followed Tashigi.

"Hey, who are you?" Apis asked nervously when Nami and Ron approached.

"Hello!" Nami greeted with a warm smile, trying to calm Apis's nerves. "Is this Warship Island? We'd like to ask you about the island."

"Yes, this is Warship Island," Apis replied, letting her guard down slightly when she saw Nami's friendly demeanor. However, she remained cautious towards Ron, which made him feel a bit confused. Was he really that intimidating for a little girl?