"N-Names and such, they're not important at all!" Hakuro flashed a smile he thought was carefree and handsome towards Law.
"Maybe."
Law glanced at Hakuro, then turned and walked forward, leaving a bewildered Hakuro behind.
'That's it?'
Hakuro stared blankly at Law's retreating back.
Beside him, Uvogin looked at Law, then at Hakuro, completely baffled. He couldn't figure out what kind of riddle these two were playing, so he simply stopped thinking about it and hurried to catch up with Law.
With both of them gone, Hakuro naturally couldn't just stand there foolishly, so he quickly followed.
Seeing that Law seemed to have no intention of riding him, Hakuro reverted to his original size. In his smaller form, those black-rimmed glasses looked much more bearable.
Hakuro walked along, preoccupied, occasionally glancing up at Law beside him.
The trio gradually picked up their pace, weaving through the forest.
Twenty minutes later, Law spotted Machi and the others in a clearing among the trees.
Nobunaga had been leaning against a tree trunk, but upon detecting movement, he immediately stood up. When he saw it was Law approaching, the tension in his body eased.
Machi and Salin were standing nearby. Seeing Law finally return, they instinctively moved towards him.
One was his elder, the other his lover, but their first reaction was the same: to check if Law was injured.
Only after confirming Law was unharmed did they relax.
"Is the enemy dealt with?" Machi asked.
"More or less. They won't be chasing us, anyway," Law replied.
"Hmm."
Machi nodded, then kicked Law hard.
Law flinched in pain and instinctively asked, "Why did you kick me?"
"I'm happy to, I feel like it," Machi glared at him.
Law gave an awkward smile, but the thought of what came next was already giving him a headache.
He simply shifted his gaze and looked towards the area behind the tree where Nobunaga was standing.
Based on the effect of his God Hand, he had sensed Nobunaga's location before arriving here, and he had also sensed Ging's location.
The distance between them was probably less than a hundred meters. Law had initially thought Machi and the others had joined up with Ging, but that didn't seem to be the case now.
"Ging, no need to hide."
Law called out in the direction where Ging was.
Upon hearing this, Machi, Salin, and Nobunaga, who were present, all froze for a moment.
Nobunaga, noticing Law's line of sight, quickly looked behind him.
Rustle, rustle.
The sound of leaves rubbing together was heard, and then Ging emerged from the shadows.
"Were you here the whole time?" Nobunaga asked in astonishment, seeing Ging appear from behind.
Machi and Salin also looked surprised. They had been right next to Nobunaga just seconds ago, yet they hadn't detected Ging hiding not far behind them at all.
"You could say that."
Ging replied casually, swept his gaze over Machi and the others, then looked at Law and said, "So, what's the situation now?"
"It's complicated to explain quickly. Let's go meet up with Biscuit and the others first. Where's Sheila?"
"Not far ahead," Ging pointed in the direction he came from.
"Alright, let's go."
Law glanced at the people present.
One hour later, atop a mountain peak.
A large black iron pot hung over a fire, the scent of meat smoked with walnut wood wafting out from the gaps in the wooden lid.
Uvogin and Nobunaga squatted in front of the bonfire, staring at the large iron pot and swallowing their saliva constantly.
"Um, the food will still take about half an hour," Buhara, who was also standing by the bonfire, said to Uvogin and Nobunaga, worried they might not be able to resist lifting the lid.
"Another half hour?" Uvogin's stomach growled loudly.
Nobunaga lifted a weak, limp hand and placed it on Uvogin's shoulder, saying gravely, "Calm down."
"Get lost, your drool is getting on my clothes."
Uvogin smacked Nobunaga's hand away, looking at the saliva dripping from Nobunaga's mouth with disgust.
"Cough."
Nobunaga quickly wiped the corner of his mouth with his hand, pretending nothing had happened.
Several meters away, Nique leaned against a rock, his mouth full of lush green grass. He chewed while watching Uvogin and Nobunaga squatting by the fire, muttering disdainfully under his breath, "Hmph, mere mortals."
Tonpa, who happened to be passing by, gave Nique a strange look. Nique, noticing Tonpa's gaze, very naturally and subtly turned half his body away, giving Tonpa his back.
Seeing this, Tonpa shook his head and walked away.
Just then, Bruna suddenly pounced onto him, whispering, "Tonpa, that person is really scary."
"Who?"
Tonpa reached up to move Bruna's tentacle away from his eyes and immediately saw Sheila, her eyes shining, rushing over.
"What do you want!"
Tonpa was startled, taking several steps back.
"Is this the Blu Species from within the Rock Island Crab? Is it, is it?!" Sheila's eyes seemed to hold brilliant starlight, as if she had discovered a new continent, unable to contain her excitement in her words and actions.
"Yes, so what?" Tonpa looked at Sheila, whose mouth seemed ready to split from excitement, his lips twitching slightly, thinking to himself, 'What kind of person did Law bring back?'
"C-Can I... can I touch her?"
Sheila blinked, then stared intently at Bruna, who was shrinking behind Tonpa.
Tonpa turned to look at Bruna and asked, "Do you want her to touch you?"
Bruna looked timidly at the perverted uncle-like Sheila and whispered, "Okay."
Saying this, Bruna carefully extended a translucent tentacle towards Sheila.
Sheila looked at the tentacle Bruna offered as if it were a priceless treasure, holding it extremely gently in her hands, as if afraid it might melt.
"It's real, I'm touching it," Sheila said, deeply moved.
'This wasn't text recorded in a book… this was real existence.'
'A creature from the Dark Continent...'
'If I went with the team, I would surely discover many more unknown and wondrous things!'
Sheila, holding Bruna's tentacle, was immersed in her emotion.
Tonpa watched Sheila, lost in her overwhelming emotion, with a look of utter exasperation.
Meanwhile, another one of Bruna's tentacles quietly attached itself to Tonpa's temple, establishing a communication bridge.
"Mr. Tonpa, is this person sick?"
Bruna's timid voice sounded in Tonpa's mind.
"Well, she looks pretty sick, but don't be afraid. I'll protect you!" Tonpa's confident voice conveyed to Bruna's mind.
Immediately after, Bruna heard Tonpa's inner monologue.
'Hehe, I was so incredibly handsome just now!'
'Little Nana must feel really safe now. Wow, I can't believe someone is seeking my protection!'
Since it was a mental link, any of Tonpa's inner thoughts were heard by Bruna.
"Mr. Tonpa, I heard all of that."
Bruna looked at Tonpa with a slightly exasperated expression in her eyes.
"Huh?"
Tonpa looked awkwardly at Bruna.
Not far away on the open ground, Law, Ging, Biscuit, Knov, Stargie, Machi, Salin, and Shiro sat cross-legged.
There was still a problem to solve.
Namely, whether or not to let Machi and the others join the team.
Law glanced at Uvogin and Nobunaga squatting by the fire, then withdrew his gaze and saw Sheila stroking Bruna's tentacle, along with Tonpa's deeply embarrassed face.
It really felt like the group was getting bigger.
The vision of the initial twenty-person team was getting closer and closer.