One Piece.
"Oh? This woman is finally going to draw her blade in front of everyone?"
The sea breeze carried a salty, damp scent across the deck. The ember of Crocodile's cigar flickered unsteadily in the dim cabin. On the sky screen, Acheron was surrounded by several burly men, yet her long blade remained sheathed.
——
Someone was waiting for her to draw it.
Mihawk stood with arms crossed, his hawk-like eyes slightly narrowed. His back unconsciously straightened a little as he focused intently on every single movement Acheron made.
However, even until Stelle and Firefly came to the rescue, Acheron showed no intention of drawing her blade.
Crocodile couldn't help but sneer: "Looks like she's going to disappoint you again, huh?"
"It doesn't matter. She will draw it sooner or later." Mihawk calmly shook his head. Although he always longed for Acheron to display the swordsmanship he anticipated and admired, waiting with a calm heart was also part of a swordsman's training.
He didn't know what kind of mission Acheron carried, or what she sought to become stronger for. But there was no doubt that to reach her current height, she must have stepped over countless corpses.
"Hey, Hawkeye." Crocodile blew out a smoke ring. "How does this woman's sword compare to that one called Jingliu? Is she worth your attention?"
Acheron always gave him the feeling of someone who hadn't woken up properly, looking a bit dazed. Honestly… if Hawkeye hadn't later said she slashed Stelle with one strike and that her strength shouldn't be underestimated, he would have found it hard to equate this forgetful, directionally-challenged young lady with the words "peerless powerhouse."
"I know the mission Jingliu carries, and her purpose for becoming stronger. I can also see what lies within her sword… killing intent, hatred, and the desire for revenge… far too much…"
Mihawk let out a soft sigh and placed his hand on the hilt of his black blade. "But I have yet to see this Miss Acheron draw her sword from its sheath… By the time I realized what happened, Stelle had already been slashed by her in the dream."
"Too fast. So fast that I didn't even have time to clearly see her… 'answer'."
——
["Why are they all familiar faces?!"]
[Firefly looked at Stelle in confusion: "Huh? What do you mean by 'all'…?"]
["Oh, see! See! I wasn't lying! Misha is in danger!" Clockie's bell rang urgently, "Tick-tock! Please, grey friend! Help Misha!"]
[Stelle nodded: "My baseball bat is too late!"]
["But the baseball bat's efficiency is too low… No! I mean, we can't solve the problem in such a violent way…" Firefly instantly realized her slip of the tongue and hurriedly corrected herself.]
[Clockie said they could use a technique called [Clockie Trick] to bring good emotions back into people's hearts, so everyone could make up and become friends again! But since others couldn't see him, he was helpless alone in this situation.]
["Alright, grey friend! I have a feeling you can definitely learn the Clockie Trick, since you're special enough to see me! So please, close your eyes—"]
[Stelle suddenly felt her whole body tingle as if an electric current had passed through. According to Clockie, they were now "one heart and one body." They just needed to find that angry gang boss and pour good emotions into him to complete the task.]
——
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid.
In the living room of Kobayashi's house, three people were curled up on the sofa. Kanna's little feet dangled in the air, gently swinging. Her blue pupils reflected Clockie bouncing around on the sky screen.
"Changing and adjusting emotions at will? Meaning someone can be angry one second and happy or sad the next? That's impossible…" Tohru shook her head. The more she thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. "…Even psychic magic can't be that precise, right?"
Kobayashi pushed up her glasses: "Seeing cartoon characters that others can't see in a dream already sounds ridiculous enough. Everyone came to Penacony through the Dreamscape Pool. If you can freely change someone's emotions, wouldn't that mean you could walk sideways across Penacony?"
Whenever they encountered a difficult opponent, they could just modify the other party's emotions, turn hatred into joy, and immediately turn hostility into friendship. This ability was probably even stronger than Robin's [Harmony] resonance.
While the three were discussing, on the sky screen Stelle had already approached the boss among the men in black.
She stretched out her hand and twisted it slightly in the air like winding a clock. The boss, who was cursing loudly one second, suddenly fell silent the next.
"This… this… no way? That simple?" Tohru's dragon eyes widened. "No need to chant like Miss Robin or recite some prayer?"
It wasn't that complicated.
Because something unbelievable had already happened before their eyes—the fierce expression on the man in black gradually softened as if erased by a rubber, finally revealing a dazed smile. That smile even spread across his lips and turned into a hearty, volcanic eruption of laughter.
——
["…Hahahahaha!"]
[The gang boss laughed so hard he rocked back and forth, tears almost coming out. This sudden change scared the hell out of his lackeys nearby.]
[Clockie was both excited and confused: "You did it! But how did he become like this?"]
[Stelle scratched her head: "I don't know… Did I do that?"]
["It should… be you, right? Otherwise why would he suddenly start laughing? It's just… oh, he looks really scary—like a real, moody Stone Boss."]
[The gang boss laughed for a full half minute before barely stopping. He enthusiastically greeted Acheron: "Oh, hi! Everyone! Please forgive my rudeness. Welcome to the Land of Dreams, Penacony!" Then he looked at his lackeys behind him and said seriously: "Boys! Line up! Give our honored guests a proper welcome!"]
["Ah? Y-yes…!" Although the lackeys were also confused, if the boss said so, there must be a reason.]
["Ready—go!"]
[Following the boss's order, the previously fierce lackeys all bowed to Acheron and Stelle together: "Welcome to the Land of Dreams, Penacony!"]
["No need for formalities, rise."]
[Stelle waved her hand, exchanged a few casual words, and sent the group away first.]
——
Demon Slayer.
In the courtyard of the Butterfly Mansion, Zenitsu, Tanjiro, and Inosuke were helping Kanao and the others hang laundry. When they saw the miraculous effect of Clockie's trick on the sky screen, Zenitsu's anguished voice immediately echoed throughout the entire Butterfly Mansion.
"Aaaah! Why aren't I from Penacony! I can see Clockie too!" Zenitsu clutched his head and wailed. "Stelle is completely not using this ability in a reasonable way!"