-----
-----
"Gear Second!"
With no way to retreat, Luffy's eyes burned with determination. He was ready to fight with everything he had.
He planted his feet, pressed his left hand against his thigh, and slammed his right fist into the ground. Steam rose from his body.
"Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"
With a roar, his stretched arms shot out toward Logan at lightning speed.
"Too slow."
Logan tilted his body, dodging Luffy's attack and sending a green blade slicing through the air.
It flew hundreds of meters in an instant, and Luffy's wide eyes registered the strike hitting squarely in his chest.
"Ahhh!"
He let out a scream, his body flung like a ragdoll.
Rubber made him immune to most physical attacks, but slashing blades were his weakness.
A gaping, horrifying wound opened on his chest. Blood sprayed like a river, staining the ground crimson.
Logan shook his head, disappointed. Even now, he hadn't seen any signs that Luffy was about to trigger his hidden potential. What had gone wrong?
Hundreds of meters away, Luffy lay on the grass, struggling to breathe. His vision blurred, and every tiny movement made the pain worse. Even breathing felt like a luxury.
"Everyone…"
He whispered, tears welling up in his eyes. The gap between him and Logan was too great. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even scratch him.
Suddenly, Logan's figure flashed in his mind again.
Logan looked down at him from above, utterly uninterested. There was no sign of awakening—no Gear Fifth, no Haki breakthrough. Continuing would be pointless.
"Cough… cough… Logan, you… you…"
Splat.
Logan didn't hesitate. His sword pierced Luffy's body.
The darkness within the Seven-Star Sword surged inside Luffy, ravaging him.
"Ahhh!!"
Luffy's face contorted in pain, his body convulsing violently as a chilling scream tore from his throat.
Before long, his blood was drained entirely by the sword, which glowed with unprecedented brilliance. With the last drop of blood, Luffy's life was gone.
Three days before Ace's public execution, in the first area of the Sabaody Archipelago, 1520 in the Sea Calendar.
The future Sun God… was dead.
Logan sheathed his sword and pulled out a blank fruit, looking like an ordinary piece of fruit. The moment it appeared, a strange force seemed to contain the energy of the Nika Fruit.
Then, a miracle happened.
Slowly, spiral patterns unique to the Nika Fruit appeared on its surface, turning it from white to purple.
The Nika Fruit had been reborn in Logan's hand.
Logan examined it closely. On the surface, there was no clue as to its true power. Losing interest, he tossed it into his system storage. Like ancient weapons gathering dust, some things weren't meant to be used immediately—but he had to keep them in his grasp.
He didn't plan to eat it, nor give it to anyone else. Anyone besides Luffy or the one chosen by the fruit would just get a normal rubber fruit.
After that, Logan teleported to Tyrant Kuma's side.
By now, most of the delicate mechanisms in Kuma's body were destroyed. His red eyes flickered, on the verge of shutting down.
With a deep sigh, Logan grabbed Kuma's shoulders and teleported again.
Inside the luxurious ship's bright living room, Bonney was devouring food.
"This is amazing! Karumen, you're incredible! Way better than anything I've ever had!"
"More, please! I want more!"
Bonney, head down and stuffing her face, mumbled praises to Karumen.
After a painful "lesson in love" from Sara, she had become much more obedient. Her growling stomach only encouraged her to eat first, worry later.
She was immediately won over by Karumen's cooking. Her usually picky taste buds were fully satisfied.
Magino, Vivi, and Kaya watched in awe, hands on their cheeks. They had seen eaters before, but never like this. And she was a beautiful girl! Truly a big eater.
Karumen and Nochikou were busy in the kitchen, spatulas flying.
"Slow down, Bonney. Don't choke," Magino said, gently wiping the oil from Bonney's lips.
Bonney paused for a moment, a strange gleam in her eyes, then went back to devouring her meal.
She thought to herself: Once I'm full, I'll use my powers to turn all these women into old hags and slip away.
Her mind raced as she ate. She wasn't one to sit idly by.
"This tastes… so good?!"
Her plan in motion, a familiar laugh suddenly echoed through the room. Bonney froze.
Logan appeared.
Before anyone could react, their attention went to a tall man beside him.
Bonney's brain short-circuited. She didn't even notice the food falling from her hands.
"Father?!"
Her lips trembled as she stared at the severely injured Tyrant Kuma.
The others sensed her shock, eyes darting between the two.
"Logan, who is this?!"
Kaya stepped forward cautiously, taking Kuma from Logan and leaning him against the wall.
"Father!" Bonney shouted, rushing to him. "Your body… who did this to you?!"
Seeing the ruined mechanisms in Kuma, her pupils shrank. Her emotions snapped. She clutched him and sobbed uncontrollably.
All her pretenses vanished before her broken father.
"Captain… Tyrant Kuma is Bonney's father?!"
The women were stunned. They knew him from their prior briefings on the Seven Warlords, but Bonney being his daughter was unexpected.
"Adoptive father," Logan explained patiently.
"Logan, why is my father like this?! Did you do this?!"
Bonney spun toward him, losing her temper. She had traveled across oceans to find her father, only to see him like this.
She charged at Logan like a little bull.
"Cloud Lock!"
Logan summoned two slender white chains, restraining her.
"Bonney, I did injure Kuma, but it's not what you think."
"Bastard! I knew it was you!" Bonney's eyes were red, her scream hysterical. Red marks formed on her arms.
In the next instant, in front of the shocked women, Bonney shrank into a small girl in just two breaths.
She easily broke free from the chains and returned to her normal form, shouting: "Take this! Aging Shock!"
She unleashed her Devil Fruit powers, fearlessly rushing Logan.
Logan sighed, teleporting to Kuma's side.
"Bonney, calm down. I haven't finished explaining."
She froze when she saw the Seven-Star Sword at Kuma's neck. Her body shook as she choked out:
"No… don't… Logan, please don't hurt my father."
Though she didn't understand why his body was part machine, he was on the verge of death. Another strike would kill him for sure.
"Don't worry. Logan won't hurt your father," Kaya said gently.
Bonney went pale, unable to argue.
Seeing her regain some composure, Logan sheathed the sword and poured healing energy into Kuma.
"Logan…"
Bonney's eyes widened, ready to intervene.
But then she froze, staring at her father in disbelief.
Logan's healing energy replaced the cold mechanisms with fresh flesh, his organs restored, injuries disappearing.
Finally, Kuma's eyes, once blood-red, returned to normal black.
Confused, he looked around at the unfamiliar room, then dashed to Bonney. "Bonney? How are you here? And… what is this place, Logan?!"
"Father, don't…"
Bonney tried to block him, but Kuma's aura erupted.
"Bonney, don't stop me! You don't understand how dangerous this man is!"
"Logan, what did you do to Luffy?!"
Kuma glared at Logan. His memory was still of a few minutes ago. Luffy, the leader's only son—if he had died here, Kuma would be responsible.
"Father!" Bonney's voice shot up an octave.
Kuma raised an eyebrow at her. She pointed at his body.
He looked down, realization hitting him. All his injuries were gone. The modifications, the tampering by Vegapunk, even his mind—everything restored.
Stunned, he looked at Logan in awe.
Logan smiled faintly. "Now, can we sit and talk?"
The tense atmosphere dissolved. The women relaxed, serving tea before quietly leaving the room.
"Relax. If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already," Logan said calmly.
Kuma hesitated, then slowly spoke: "Logan, I don't know how you did it… but thank you."
Logan turned to Bonney, smiling slightly.
She blushed and looked down, embarrassed. Just moments ago, she wanted to kill him—and now he had saved her father.
"Th… thank you…" she muttered, almost inaudible.
Kuma cleared his throat, shaking his head. "Logan, I appreciate your help, but… you shouldn't have saved me."
His voice carried an unspoken weight.
"Father, what? You almost died!" Bonney protested, confused.
Kuma gently stroked her head, silent but filled with mixed emotions—joy at seeing his daughter, sorrow at the timing.
Vegapunk had been moments from curing Bonney's Jade Scale Disease, but now with Kuma healed, everything had to start over. He needed to return to Vegapunk to complete the final step and cure Bonney.
"I need to leave now with Bonney," Kuma decided.
Logan sipped his tea slowly. "Do you really think Vegapunk can cure her?"
Kuma frowned, uncertain. "I can't be sure… but no one else could do it either."
He stared at Logan with burning intensity.
Logan watched him silently.
"Logan… can you cure Bonney's Jade Scale Disease?" Kuma asked, voice trembling with hope and urgency.
"Yes," Logan said simply.
Without hesitation, Kuma fell to his knees, forehead touching the floor. "Please, save her. I'll pay any price."
He had searched the seas, consulting every doctor, all saying the same thing: Jade Scale Disease was a death sentence, like Bonney's mother, Jinny.
But Logan could cure her. Kuma had no doubt. His own healing was proof.
Logan looked at Bonney, smiling faintly. "I can save her—but she will stay by my side. And you will follow me too."
"....."