Flashback ended, and the scene return to current time:
Karin's exclamation echoed throughout the entire submarine.
"This is mine and Naruto's child."
"Huh!!!????"
Adam seemed quite interested in her sudden outburst… his attention was instantly drawn away from his old father.
He still had some vague impression of the person he had just helped.
Instead of being scared by the suddenly raised voice like an ordinary baby, he stared at Karin for a few seconds and then suddenly smiled.
"It seems Adam likes you quite a bit... little girl."
Stussy took Adam from Naruto's arms and also smiled as she spoke to Karin.
But whether it was Karin's imagination or not, she felt a hint of sourness in this troublesome woman's tone.
—This wasn't Karin overthinking.
How could Stussy not be 'jealous'?
The little girl's admiration for Naruto was almost completely undisguised. Not just her, an agent, even any ordinary person could see it.
But she wasn't worried at all.
Not only because she had full confidence in her own charm, but also because she had confidence in his man, Uzumaki Naruto.
On one hand, she firmly believed that the years of connection between them couldn't be compared by some newly arrived little girl.
On the other hand, she had great faith in this man's 'taste'.
Back when Naruto was in his twenties and in his prime, weren't there plenty of women on the seas who had feelings for him?
Just among those she knew, there was suspicion about the Marine Admiral candidate, [Momousagi] Gion, and even within the Revolutionary Army, there seemed to be some cadre who had an ambiguous connection with Naruto.
But Naruto had never once made a move towards them.
In fact, not just them, even she herself and Hancock wouldn't have easily 'succeeded' without taking that special supplement prepared by Vegapunk last time.
This guy was practically 'obsessive' when it came to matters of the heart.
Because of the possible hope of 'going home', he refused to develop deeper relationships with any member of the opposite sex, breaking the hearts of countless powerful women on the seas.
And looking at this little girl who was twenty years younger than them… hmph, although her figure was barely developed, she was still just a little girl.
Naruto most likely saw her as a niece or even a daughter.
But today was different.
When it came to her precious son Adam, Stussy couldn't maintain her usual facade.
First Adam smiled at Naruto, whose mouth was wide open, and then he smiled at this little girl.
'Ugh... so frustrating! Why wouldn't cute little Adam smile at my, his mother?'
After teasing Karin, Stussy immediately devoted all her attention to playing with her son.
She would occasionally reach out a finger to touch the baby's lips, or rub her face against Adam's belly.
But little Adam just stared wide-eyed at his mother's strange behavior, without the slightest intention of laughing.
—It turned out that with children... especially newborns, it was hard to tell what would make them happy and what would upset them.
On the other side, Karin had no mind to dwell on Stussy's 'jealousy' towards her. Her brain had short-circuited upon hearing the word 'child'.
Poof—
White smoke, caused by overheating, rose from Karin's head.
"Hey... Karin... are you still awake?"
Naruto waved his hand questioningly in front of Karin's face, but her eyes remained vacant, not even glancing at Kalifa and Naomi beside her.
...Apparently, accepting this fact might be even harder than mentally overcoming Momoshiki.
…
Night fell.
Medusa continued diligently performing her duties as pilot, operating the submarine according to the preset course.
Naruto wasn't particularly surprised by her existence… at most, he expressed some objection against Dr. Vegapunk's private collection of genetic material.
But then he thought that thanks to this technology, he and Stussy had their child, so he let it go.
"Hancock is going to have a huge fight with you when she sees her."
Naruto said this very confidently.
"I'm really looking forward to it."
Stussy's expression was playful.
The husband and wife lay on the bed, not doing anything that everyone might expect.
Because little Adam was sleeping peacefully between them.
"But, is it really okay not to pursue Blackbeard... or rather, Imu?"
Gently stroking Adam's little head, Stussy's expression suddenly turned serious as she asked Naruto.
After waking up, Karin had recounted everything about her battle with Blackbeard and how Imu had later taken over his body.
This vanished figure had suddenly revealed his tail, and Stussy was very concerned about it.
If there was anyone left who could threaten her fate, it was this Imu, who had lurked behind the World Government for centuries.
"I've already checked the location where he left. That teleportation ability is not from the same system as the power I possess. I can't precisely locate him."
Naruto shook his head.
"Besides, your identities are unique. My top priority now is to get you to a safer place."
"That Imu guy should also know I'm looking for him. After this, he definitely won't dare show his face for a while."
Thinking about how he had almost lost his loved one and child, Naruto felt a lingering fear inside.
But mentioning this topic suddenly sparked an inspiration in his mind.
Although his application of spatial abilities all came from the Otsutsuki Clan's innate powers, his research into spatial power was still quite shallow.
But that didn't mean he didn't know anyone more proficient in 'spatial abilities'.
And if he mastered that technique, he could return to Hancock and Stussy's side anytime.
Thinking this, Naruto suddenly looked up at Stussy.
"I've thought of a way."
"I might need to leave this world for a short time later… don't worry, just a day or two. This time I won't keep you waiting long."
"Incidentally, I can also bring an elder to witness our wedding."
Hearing 'wedding', Stussy's eyes lit up. Then, as if provoking him, she reached out and poked her lover's chest.
"Oh? Has the great hero finally decided who to marry first?"
Hearing this, Naruto gently embraced Stussy and kissed her forehead softly, but his next words almost made Stussy roll her eyes.
"Of course together!"
"Get lost—"
A small fist thumped against his chest.
Naruto did his best to use Life Return to control his chest muscles, making them softer to avoid hurting Stussy from the recoil.
The couple playfully roughhoused for a bit, finally stopping for fear of waking Adam.
"I don't mind. I'm just a lonely woman with no family home, so I'll go along with whatever you say, as long as you can really handle that Hancock woman."
"She's not as easy to deal with as I am, you know."
Stussy looked at Naruto sideways, simultaneously moving his restless hand up a bit.
'Good grief... the child is right here!'
"Don't worry… leave it to me. That's my Ninja Way: to never go back on my word."
It was only at times like this that Naruto remembered he used to be a Ninja.
"Besides, you're not without family. Dr. Vegapunk and the others are, aren't they—"
"Then you can invite him along. As long as you can deal with the Marines and get them to let him go."
"Leave that to me too. Mission guaranteed!"
"Hmph... oh, I told you, the child is right here! Go away!"
"..."
Thankfully, the walls were very trustworthy in terms of soundproofing… otherwise, another person would have joined the ranks of the sleepless tonight.