"Is that so? Such a thing happened just yesterday."
In a small house in the city, Hathaway's eyes were downcast.
"Lady Hathaway, please don't blame yourself. That person named Hiriluk already had an incurable disease that even Dorry couldn't cure."
The Nicuss intelligence agent, disguised as a villager, spoke up to comfort her.
Kureha, as Nicuss's court physician, wasn't very strong due to the nation's overly abundant martial prowess.
Even if she wanted to retire, such intelligence agents would also secretly double as Kureha's bodyguards.
When Nero mentioned a souvenir, Hathaway immediately realized something was wrong.
With her accompanying him on this voyage, Nero probably didn't even know what a wardrobe looked like, so how could he hide a souvenir there?
She had also overheard Nero and Kureha's conversation inside the treehouse, so when Nero told her to get the souvenir, she immediately found a Nicuss intelligence agent to understand the situation.
"I'm fine, but His Majesty's mood might be a bit bad after hearing this news." Shaking her head, Hathaway looked worried.
The point wasn't who died, but that Doctor Hiriluks Wife was sad. When traveling abroad, there was no one more protective of their own than the Nicuss nobles and Nero.
"His Majesty?" The intelligence agent recalled his Majesty's divine power and felt that King Wapol here was probably doomed.
"Oh, right, I left in a hurry this time. Could you please help me prepare a souvenir?"
Hathaway paused, then added, "Preferably high-quality alcoholic beverages."
"No problem! We just harvested a batch of good wine a while ago. I'll go get it now."
The intelligence agent patted his chest. Although he, as a part-time bodyguard, wasn't considered strong in the New World, he possessed both types of Haki. In this First Half of the Grand Line, known as the paradise, he was completely capable of 'fishing in a beginner village.'
He had also earned quite a bit of private extra income, living in a rather ordinary place but still being a small wealthy man.
"Oh, thank you for your trouble. It will be double reimbursed through the public accounts afterward." Hathaway nodded without formality. Such intelligence agents were basically the eliminated group of Nicuss servants.
Strictly speaking, as the head maid, Hathaway's status was also their direct superior… Carrying two bottles of high-end red wine, Hathaway used Moonwalk and quickly rushed towards Kureha's treehouse.
After landing not far from the treehouse, she didn't rush in but tidied her wrinkled clothes and messy hair.
Only then did she walk towards the treehouse, and before she could knock, she heard a commotion inside.
"Mmm, Chopper! Unleash the fire in your chest and take revenge on the despicable humans!"
Nero tempted Chopper in his ear, "Make her prostrate on the ground. It's time to make her understand who the master is. Come on, ride on her. This is what she desires too."
"Gulp—" Chopper swallowed, "Isn't that bad?"
"What's bad about it? She needs this too. Remember to transform into that snow monster form from before."
"Of course not! Why should I be ridden by a reindeer?" Kuina indignantly exclaimed. This is truly inhuman!
"Mmm, you need to train. Chopper riding on you can both serve as a weight and vent his hatred. Killing two birds with one stone, what do you have to be unhappy about?"
"Those are two different things, aren't they?"
"What did you say? Are you unwilling to help the cute blue-nosed little elf?" Nero held up the adorable Chopper in front of Kuina.
Chopper was bewildered and didn't know how to react, so he just stared at Kuina with his big, watery eyes.
"Guh… Don't… Don't look at me like that!" Kuina had some resistance to such a cute little animal.
"Don't worry, Dorry went to the kitchen to prepare food, and Hathaway isn't here either. I promise not to tell anyone else. Just pretend you were tricked and help Chopper!"
Kuina's expression was extremely conflicted. She always felt that if she did this, she would lose something important.
But looking at Chopper and hearing Nero's temptation, Kuina finally cried out in self-abandonment, "I get it! I agree! But Master must promise me that no one else will ever know!"
"Mmm, don't worry! I always keep my word!" Nero put Chopper down and promised.
"Do I really have to do this?" Chopper, transformed into a snow-man-like monster, was a bit hesitant but also eager for the new experience.
"This is too big, isn't it?" Kuina looked up at the little giant in front of her, her eye twitching.
"It's fine. Where do you think all those high-end medicinal baths you take daily go? Now is the time to test the results!"
"Ah! I'll do it!"
Kuina lay on the ground, ready for push-ups, then turned to Chopper and said, "Come on, I'm ready!"
"Oh… Osu!" Chopper hastily nodded in agreement, but looking at Kuina's slender body, he still looked at Nero with some uncertainty.
To this, Nero gave a thumbs-up in affirmation.
"Then I'm going on!"
A large foot stepped onto Kuina's back, slowly applying pressure.
After confirming that Kuina could endure it, Chopper lifted his other foot. His current size couldn't allow him to ride on her as Nero had said.
He could only precariously step on her, carefully, as he might lose his balance at any moment.
"Very good, my disciple! You may begin your training!" Nero nodded in satisfaction, indicating that they could start.
"One… two… three, three!"
Kuina began her push-ups, and even she couldn't believe that she could lift such a small giant.
She had known that her arm strength growth was completely different from Zoro's, becoming slower and slower, but now, strangely, she felt that Chopper in this form wasn't as heavy as she had imagined.
She glanced at her slender arms, which seemed to contain endless power.
Kuina smiled from the bottom of her heart. Indeed, going out to sea with Nero was the right choice. Her efforts were paying off, and her speed of getting stronger was visible to the naked eye.
"Um, Kuina, are you okay? Is it really too heavy?" Chopper on her back asked uncertainly, seeing Kuina suddenly stop her movements, thinking she couldn't hold on anymore.
Snapping back to reality, Kuina's smile grew wider: "Daijobu, Chopper, can you get even heavier? The current weight is still a bit light."
"Eh?" Chopper was bewildered.
Just then, the door opened, and Hathaway entered to see Chopper barely standing on Kuina's back, Kuina with a somewhat perverse smile, and Nero looking shocked as if he had just witnessed this scene.
Pressing her temples, Hathaway's trigeminal nerve twitched: "Can you explain what's going on right now?"
Kuina: "Misunderstanding! Master Nero…"
Nero: "Kuina, your hobbies are quite unique, it's just… mmm… try to keep them more private…"
Kuina: "…"
Looking up at Hathaway, Kuina's smile crumbled.
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