"I guess it's true what they say—what's impossible for one person is a breeze for another," Bardock said, leaning back. "Mansherry's ability was exactly what you needed. Alright, let's get moving."
"Yeah," Hancock smiled softly. "Sandersonia and Marigold are going to be so happy."
"Bardock, what are me and Mansherry going to do?" Leo asked, tilting his head.
"Hmm... Leo, you're the ship's combatant. Mansherry is the ship's doctor. And I'm the captain!" Bardock declared. He turned to Hancock with a grin. "Hey, Hancock. Want to officially join the crew? I'll make you the Vice-Captain."
"..."
Hancock hesitated for a long moment before finally shaking her head. "I have to decline, Bardock. Shakky told me that Amazon Lily hasn't had an Empress in years. She believes I have the highest potential out of anyone right now, and she wants me to protect the kingdom in the future. But my current strength is still far too weak. I've made up my mind—I'm going to spend the next few years doing absolutely everything I can to get stronger. Shakky promised to find me a master. Why don't you come train with me?"
'So she's still going to end up training under Rayleigh,' Bardock thought, shaking his head. Learning from the Dark King was a massive opportunity, but the concept of a "master's debt" carried immense weight in this world. Bardock absolutely refused to be inextricably tied to the Roger Pirates' faction.
"I'll pass," Bardock said aloud. "I guess that just makes you the ship's temporary sniper and lookout! Alright, setting sail!"
Truth be told, Bardock had originally wanted to recruit Hancock purely based on her stunning looks and future strength, figuring that having the Pirate Empress on his crew would be an absolute steal.
'Wait a minute. What I want is the Pirate Empress, and right now, she isn't the Empress yet,' he rationalized internally. 'Since she rejected me, I'll just let Rayleigh and the Kuja tribe train her up for me!'
With that comforting thought, Bardock commanded the Monkey King into the air, flying straight toward the direction indicated by Shakky's Vivre Card.
"Bardock, pirate ship spotted dead ahead," Hancock called out, dutifully fulfilling her role as the temporary lookout.
And what was Bardock doing?
He was currently sparring with Leo.
On the deck of the Monkey King, Bardock had expended a bit of extra stamina to weave a miniature arena out of the Flying Nimbus. A golden monkey roughly the same size as Leo was currently playfully dodging the dwarf's relentless attacks.
Through his Size Manipulation ability, Bardock had realized a direct trade-off: when he grew larger, his physical strength skyrocketed but his agility plummeted. When he shrank, the exact opposite happened—his speed increased, but his raw power dropped.
The Tontatta tribe might be tiny, but their physical strength and speed were inherently superhuman. Despite being so young, Leo was a prodigy. His raw power actually surpassed Bardock's shrunken form, and his speed was only slightly inferior.
In other words, compared to Bardock's base form, Leo was weaker but faster. Compared to Bardock's shrunken form, Leo was stronger but slower.
Bardock had almost been caught off guard at the start of the spar. Thankfully, he quickly adjusted, using his superior speed and the explosive bursts of Soru to exploit Leo's predictable attacks. No matter how hard the dwarf tried, he couldn't catch the golden monkey. Instead, Bardock repeatedly flicked him right on the forehead, leaving a bright red welt on the dwarf's brow.
"How's that, Leo? Pretty cool technique, right? I can teach you later," Bardock laughed, instantly shifting back to his normal size. "Let's call it a draw for now."
"Dammit!" Leo pouted, rubbing his forehead. "Once I learn it, I'm definitely going to flick your forehead too!"
"Leo, are you okay?" Mansherry rushed over in a panic. "Let me heal you!"
"Hmph. It doesn't even hurt," Leo grumbled stubbornly, though he obediently sat still and let the princess wipe away the red mark, healing it instantly.
Bardock looked out at the distant ship. "Judging by their heading, they're sailing toward Dressrosa. The Jolly Roger isn't anyone famous. Sense any strong presences over there, Hancock?"
"Just a bunch of fodder," she replied dismissively.
"In that case, Hancock, why don't you show off your Devil Fruit powers?" Bardock suggested. "It'd be a shame to waste perfectly good test subjects when they deliver themselves right to our doorstep."
Hancock frowned, clearly resistant to the idea. But after a moment of internal struggle, she forced herself to nod. She had sworn to do whatever it took to get stronger, which meant she couldn't afford to ignore the power of her Devil Fruit anymore.
"Slave Arrow."
Hancock brought her fingers to her lips, gently kissing them to form a massive, pulsating pink heart. She grabbed the center of the heart and pulled it back like a bowstring.
The moment she released it, a torrential rain of glowing pink arrows blanketed the pirate ship. Anything the arrows touched instantly turned to solid stone—the crew, the sails, even the wooden hull itself. None were spared.
Seeing the sheer devastation, even Hancock looked a bit shocked. The other three were completely floored.
"That's insanely strong, Hancock," Bardock whistled. "With an area-of-effect attack like that, you'll never need a real bow again."
"W-Why did everything turn into stone?!" Leo gaped.
"Big sister Hancock, is that your Jutsu?! It's amazing!" Mansherry cheered.
"Is there anyone left on the ship who didn't get hit?" Bardock asked.
"No," Hancock shook her head, lowering her hands. "They all rushed onto the deck when they saw our boat flying in the sky."
"Alright, let's board them and run a few tests."
Bardock simply steered the Monkey King down and parked it directly on the petrified galleon's deck.
After walking around and knocking on a few of the statues, Bardock concluded that the pirates had been completely petrified down to their very cores. 'Paramecia fruits are just way too broken,' he thought, shaking his head. 'They completely defy all laws of logic.'
"Leo, stitch these two guys to the deck," Bardock ordered.
"You got it, Captain!"
Using his Sew-Sew Fruit powers, Leo effortlessly stitched the two stone statues to the petrified wooden planks as if they were made of soft fabric. Even if they were restored to normal, they'd be completely immobilized.
'Yep, Paramecias are completely absurd,' Bardock sighed internally, watching the needle phase through solid rock without any resistance.
"Mansherry, give it a try. See if you can reverse the petrification," Bardock requested. "But remember, if it drains too much stamina, stop immediately. Hancock, try undoing the petrification on that guy over there."
Mansherry concentrated hard, her tiny hands glowing faintly. "Captain! I can sense that I can restore him, but it would take way too much of my stamina right now. I can't do it yet."
"No problem at all, Mansherry. You're still young," Bardock smiled warmly. "And remember what I said—never force yourself to use your abilities if it hurts you, okay?"
"Okay, Captain!"
On the other side of the deck, Hancock effortlessly snapped her fingers, instantly reversing her petrification on one of the pirates. The man stumbled, completely disoriented, before realizing he was tied down.
"What the hell?! Are you bastards trying to die?!" he roared, thrashing wildly. "Let me go right now, or I'll—"
His angry shouting abruptly stopped as his eyes locked onto Hancock. A disgusting, perverted grin spread across his face, and he opened his mouth to say something vile.
"Mero Mero Mellow."
Hancock coldly formed a heart with her hands and fired a beam of pink light. The unlucky pirate instantly reverted into a solid stone statue, his lecherous expression permanently frozen in rock.
Bardock had a whole list of other gruesome scientific tests he wanted to run on the petrification effect, but with two innocent children watching, he figured it was best to hold off.
After a quick sweep of the galleon, Bardock only managed to scrounge up a handful of Berries. These guys didn't even have a spare Eternal Pose.
"Alright, we're done here! Back to the boat, everyone!"
As the Monkey King lifted back into the sky and flew away, the pirate galleon drifted aimlessly across the New World—a completely petrified ghost ship carrying a crew of stone statues. Who knew where it would end up, or what terrifying rumors it would spawn when discovered?
Several grueling days of start-and-stop flying later, Bardock was physically and mentally exhausted.
The return trip was just as much of a nightmare as the journey there. The psychotic New World weather constantly forced them to halt or evade. If it weren't for the storms, they would have reached the Sabaody Archipelago days ago.
"Bardock, I strongly suggest you either sit down and study navigation, or recruit a brilliant navigator immediately," Hancock sighed, watching him slump against the mast. "Otherwise, I'm genuinely worried you're going to crash this boat into a ditch someday."
"Oh, shut up," Bardock grumbled, pointing a tired finger forward. "Can't you see the Red Line right there?"
"The Red Line..."
Hancock turned her gaze toward the towering crimson continent looming on the horizon. This time, as she looked at it, her body didn't tremble.