"Hah! Hah! Hah!"
The sound of a young boy's shouts echoed through the room.
A small boy with a topknot hairstyle and a clean, beige kimono with a star and moon pattern was repeatedly swinging a wooden sword, completely focused on his practice.
A little girl with a pink bow and a black dress stood in the doorway, her head tilted, curiously watching the scene.
They continued on like this, one practicing swordsmanship and the other quietly observing, as if they didn't bother each other at all.
After a while, the boy's shouts became more and more agitated: "Hah! Hah!..."
"Hey! You're so rude! Can you stop staring at me?"
He finally couldn't take it anymore and stopped, yelling angrily at the doorway.
"My name is Baby-5, and it's nice to meet you. What's your name?" Baby-5 said with a smile, mocking him. "Honestly, your swordsmanship is terrible. It's not even as good as Diamante-san, let alone Law!"
"My name is Hirakawa, and I'm a…"
Hirakawa was stunned for a moment but then roared in fury, "Shut up, you brat!"
"Waaahhh!"
Baby-5's eyes instantly filled with tears, and she ran to hug Bastet, crying.
Bastet was startled by Baby-5's actions and almost bristled. "Hey, hey, hey! Don't wipe your tears on me, meow! Let me go, you bipedal brat, meow!"
Hirakawa, seeing Baby-5 cry, immediately panicked. He stammered, "I, I, I didn't even hit you... Don't cry... Are all girls from overseas this crybaby? Don't cry, I'm sorry, okay?"
"What are you two doing?"
Suddenly, Cross appeared in the doorway, looking curiously at the flustered Hirakawa, the crying Baby-5, and Bastet struggling in Baby-5's arms, but not daring to struggle too hard.
"You came just in time, Cross, meow!" Bastet gritted her teeth, calling out in exasperation. "Get this bipedal brat off me! She's messing up my fur, meow!"
"Cross-san!"
Baby-5 let go of Bastet and hugged Cross's leg, continuing to cry.
"This is outrageous, meow!"
Freed at last, Bastet scurried a few meters away and crouched down, meticulously licking her fur back into place.
"Good grief."
Cross rubbed Baby-5's head to comfort her, then looked at Hirakawa. "Be gentle with girls, or you'll never find a wife in the future!"
"Tch! I don't want a troublesome woman!" Hirakawa huffed and turned his head away.
As soon as he finished, Baby-5 suddenly lifted her head, her face full of indignation. "How dare you be rude to Cross-san!"
"Mind your own business, you brat!"
A vein popped on Hirakawa's forehead, and he yelled in frustration.
The next second, Baby-5 hugged Cross's leg again and started crying, "Waaahhhh!"
"If you're going to cry, then don't talk!"
Cross looked down at Baby-5 and said with exasperation, "Hey, you two, stop fighting. I have something to tell you."
"Do you need me?"
Baby-5 looked up with sparkling eyes, her gaze fixed on Cross.
Hearing that Cross had something to say, Hirakawa put away his wooden sword. He respectfully sat on the ground, his small face serious. "Please tell us, Cross-san!"
"Don't be so formal. Relax."
Cross smiled and waved his hand. "Here's the plan: I'm sending both of you to the Marine Academy at Headquarters for a few years of schooling. After you graduate, I'll bring you back here to be my subordinates!"
"Go to the Marine Academy..." Hirakawa fell into thought.
"I don't want to leave Cross-san!" Baby-5 said pitifully, hugging Cross's leg again. "I've learned so much under the Young Master! Giolla taught me how to read, Diamante-san taught me swordsmanship, Gladius-san taught me gunnery, and Lao G taught me martial arts! I'm already a qualified assassin. Please don't cast me out!"
Hirakawa's eyes widened at Baby-5's words. He looked at her in disbelief, never imagining such a small girl had already learned so many skills.
"And, and, I'm a Paramecia-type Arms-Arms Fruit user! I'll definitely be useful to Cross-san!"
As she spoke, Baby-5's upper body transformed into a large-caliber firearm.
"A monster!"
Seeing Baby-5 suddenly transform from a cute, sharp-tongued crybaby into a monster with a gun for a torso and human legs, Hirakawa's eyes bulged. He screamed in terror, jumped three feet into the air, and scurried behind a table.
"Hehehehe~"
Baby-5 returned to normal, covering her mouth as she giggled.
"Hahaha! That kid's a real coward!"
"He was the same when he first saw us!"
Surtur and Marduk appeared behind Cross, laughing mockingly.
Hirakawa's face turned red as he came out from behind the table, his head bowed. He finally realized that Baby-5 was a Devil Fruit user, not a monster.
"Alright, my decision is final. Both of you are going to the Marine Academy to study!" Cross placed his hand on Baby-5's head. "You're still way too inexperienced. I need you to study hard for a few years. When the time comes, I might even need you to protect me, Baby-5-chan!"
"Really?"
"Really!"
"Then I'll study hard!"
Assured by Cross's words, Baby-5 was filled with confidence and agreed to go to the Marine Academy.
"There's no rush right now. In the meantime, I'll teach both of you swordsmanship and martial arts!" Cross looked at Hirakawa. "And you, Hirakawa, there's no harm in studying hard at the Marine Academy for a few years. No matter what you decide to do later, power is the real standard in this world. I'll ask my teacher to teach you both well!"
"Cross-san's teacher... He must be a very strong person!" Baby-5 said, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"That's right. He's known as 'No Killing', the former Admiral of Marine Headquarters, 'Black Arm' Zephyr!" Cross said with a grin.
"That's incredible! Cross-san's teacher is a Marine Admiral! That's amazing!" Baby-5 said, covering her mouth in shock.
Having traveled far and wide with Doflamingo, Baby-5 naturally knew how significant a Marine Admiral was.
"Thank you for everything, Cross-san!"
At that moment, Hirakawa's eyes turned red. He quickly walked in front of Cross and bowed deeply. "You saved me once and have been so good to me. I will definitely repay you in the future!"
"Hahaha! Don't mention it. I'm a Marine! A Marine of justice!"
Cross laughed heartily. He reached out to pat Hirakawa's head but, remembering that the boy hated having his head touched, he instead patted his shoulder.
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