Bepo, dressed in his orange jumpsuit, was clearly stunned out of his mind.
Their captain had been knocked unconscious by a single slap from Arashi.
For the current Bepo, that was simply too shocking.
Ever since Trafalgar Law had saved him, Bepo had admired him immensely.
It was because of that admiration and gratitude that he willingly became Law's very first crewmate.
Yet now, the captain he looked up to had been taken down so effortlessly.
How could he not be shocked?
Most importantly, when Arashi gave him an order, Bepo found himself unable to muster even the slightest thought of resistance.
Instead, he obediently ran over, hoisted Law onto his shoulder, and followed behind Arashi with trembling nerves.
"This big bear is fun! Hehe~"
Perona was extremely curious about Bepo as well.
After noticing his pitiful expression, she suddenly floated over beside him.
Tilting her little head, she studied him for a while before asking Arashi curiously:
"Arashi, why can this bear walk and talk?"
"I'm Bepo! I'm a Mink!!"
Bepo instinctively raised his head and answered.
"WAAAH!!!"
The moment Bepo spoke, Perona jumped in fright and immediately floated back beside Arashi.
"Arashi! Arashi!"
"This bear can actually talk!"
"So amazing!"
"Haha."
Arashi rubbed Perona's head.
"Didn't Bepo already say so? He's a Mink."
"Someday I'll take you to where the Minks live."
"There are lots and lots of interesting Minks there."
"Though Minks are incredibly strong fighters."
"You'd better learn what they like first."
"Otherwise, if they get angry, they'll electrocute you."
"!"
Bepo looked up in shock.
"You... you know about the Mink Tribe?"
"Yes, Bepo."
Arashi smiled and nodded.
"Not only do I know about the Minks, I also know where they live."
"Oh..."
Bepo didn't think too deeply about it.
Instead, he gradually relaxed under Arashi's warm smile and gentle tone.
"So... you really are a traveler?"
"Of course."
Arashi nodded again and introduced the others.
"This is Perona, my little ghost girl."
"And that's Robin, my maid."
"Hello, Bepo."
Walking beside Arashi, Robin smiled and nodded politely.
"H-Hello..."
Bepo looked at Robin, then at Perona.
Finally, he asked cautiously:
"My captain..."
"He's only unconscious."
Before Bepo could finish, Arashi suddenly stopped and turned around.
The smile on his face gradually became rather sinister.
"Don't worry."
"Once he wakes up, I plan to take him as my disciple."
Bepo clearly couldn't keep up with Arashi's train of thought.
After blinking blankly, he asked in a rather adorable manner:
"A... disciple?"
"Ah... does that mean you're taking my captain traveling with you?"
"No."
Arashi shook his head.
"I simply want to make him my disciple."
With that, he turned and continued walking.
Before long, the group arrived at a house filled with all sorts of strange machinery.
After looking around, even Arashi couldn't help admiring Old Wolf.
The man was already advanced in years, yet he was still tirelessly pursuing inventions.
And he wasn't just messing around, either.
His creations were genuinely impressive.
Especially the aircraft that had crashed earlier.
Although it was still far from a true airplane by Arashi's standards and could only be considered a flying machine, if Wolf had been twenty years younger, he might really have invented a proper airplane in this world.
After all, the Heart Pirates' submarine-capable ship in the future had been built by Old Wolf.
"Grandpa Wolf is awake!"
"Grandpa Wolf is awake!"
Just as Arashi and the others reached the house, Shachi's excited voice rang out from inside.
Before Bepo could react, Shachi burst through the front door.
Then he froze.
The smile on his face instantly vanished.
"Bepo!"
"What happened to Captain?!"
After a brief moment of shock, Shachi immediately turned toward Arashi.
His fists clenched instinctively.
"Maybe he exhausted himself during the surgery."
Arashi casually patted Bepo's shoulder.
"Come on."
"Let's go see the old man."
Ten minutes later.
Inside the room.
Arashi sat calmly beside Old Wolf's bed.
Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo stood quietly nearby, completely baffled by the appearance of this unexpected guest.
Although Bepo had already told them their captain had been knocked unconscious by Arashi, none of them knew how to respond.
The biggest reason was simple:
The first thing Arashi had done after arriving was help treat Old Wolf's wounds.
He had cleaned the injuries, re-bandaged them, and stabilized his condition.
As for Old Wolf himself, he was equally curious about Arashi.
After Arashi finished tending to his wounds, the elderly inventor finally spoke with difficulty.
"May I ask... who you are?"
"My name is Arashi."
"I'm a traveler."
"I happened to pass by Swallow Island and witnessed the aircraft accident, so I took the liberty of coming ashore."
After finishing his work, Arashi smiled warmly.
"Just rest peacefully, old man."
"I won't harm these kids."
"So... it was Mr. Arashi who saved me?"
Old Wolf looked grateful.
"Thank you very much."
Arashi shook his head.
Then he pointed toward the unconscious Law lying nearby.
"It was that kid who performed the surgery."
"I only cleaned and bandaged the wounds afterward."
"Trafalgar Law?"
The old man's eyes widened slightly.
Then, as though suddenly realizing something, his expression changed.
"Could it be...?"
"Yes."
Arashi smiled knowingly.
"This kid is the user of the Op-Op Fruit."
"A Devil Fruit coveted by countless people throughout the world."
Without waiting fo Old Wolf to speak, Arashi continued:
"You've heard of that Devil Fruit before, haven't you?"
Of course Old Wolf had.
Not only had he heard of it, but he had also read about it in a Devil Fruit encyclopedia.
The moment Arashi mentioned the Op-Op Fruit, Old Wolf's pupils contracted.
And when he looked at Arashi again, there was now a trace of caution in his eyes.
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