Leaving the System Space, the gentle sunlight still shone, and the sea breeze lightly caressed.
Blake sat up from the lounge chair, stretched his wrists, and turned to survey the deck.
Robin was nestled in a lounge chair nearby, reading a book, while Perona, having found some seaweed from who knows where, was trying to bother her.
"Oh my, Perona."
Robin didn't even lift her head; a small hand grew from the book page and accurately swatted away the seaweed:
"If you keep bothering me, I'll tickle you."
"Nyah nyah nyah, I'm not afraid of you, bookworm."
Perona made a face at Robin and quickly ran off, acting as if she disliked it but her body was honest.
Not far away, Koala and Scarlett were sparring.
Kozuki Toki sat nearby with Rami and Hiyori, chatting softly.
Mandy was as quiet as ever, wiping her sword.
Stella, meanwhile, carried a tray with drinks, preparing to distribute them to everyone.
Behind her, Ginny and Betty, wearing Sea Stone bracelets, followed her every step.
Blake waved to Hancock, who was not far away:
"Hancock, come here for a moment."
Hancock had been watching Marigold train, and upon hearing the summons, her clear eyes instantly lit up.
She almost instinctively tidied her hair, a blush spread across her face, and she quickly trotted over:
"Saint Blake, do you need something from your humble self?"
"This is for you."
As he spoke, he placed his hand on Hancock's head, and Hancock shyly lowered her head.
The moment the ability card activated, a warm current coursed through her body, causing her to involuntarily let out a sound of embarrassment.
"Oh no, oh no! To show such an unsightly state in front of Saint Blake, what should I do? What should I do?"
Hancock, in a mental struggle, completely failed to notice the changes within her body. Blake's eye twitched, and he lightly flicked her forehead:
"Feel it properly."
Hancock looked up in surprise, gazing at Blake with a puzzled, adorable expression.
After a moment, she finally felt the changes within her body and instinctively pressed her hand to her chest:
"Is this the power Saint Blake has bestowed upon your humble self? Your humble self is truly too moved..."
Her voice was soft yet firm:
"As long as it is bestowed by Saint Blake, whether it is power or destiny, your humble self is willing to accept it."
Her fingertips were white with excitement, and when she looked up, her gaze was burning:
"Your humble self will surely use this power to clear all obstacles for you!"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it caused most of the people on deck to quiet down.
Seeing the commotion, Perona immediately abandoned Robin and bounced like a little rabbit to Hancock's side.
Her eyes were full of curiosity:
"What good thing did the big bad guy give you now?"
"Damn it! Perona-sama was here first!"
Hancock turned her head, looking down at Perona from above:
"Your humble self forbids you from calling Saint Blake that!"
In her eyes, a pink light flashed, and her entire demeanor was completely different from before.
Perona was startled and pouted:
"If I don't say it, I don't say it. What's the big deal?"
Hancock had always been aloof towards others, and Perona, who was usually fearless, didn't dare to provoke her.
Robin closed her book, pushed up her glasses, and said in her characteristic, slightly teasing tone:
"Oh my, it seems she's gotten something extraordinary."
"But Perona, don't disturb her now; she looks like she's about to faint from excitement."
On the entire ship, Robin and Perona were the earliest same-aged companions to join, and their relationship was quite close.
Hancock lifted her chin high, glancing at the two with disdain.
Kalifa had just completed a high-intensity training session and was wiping sweat with a towel, but her gaze kept darting over here, thinking:
"That impolite woman has received another favor from His Highness! I can't let her continue to be so arrogant!"
Seeing Kalifa's gaze, Blake smiled and waved:
"Kalifa, you come here too!"
Swish!
Upon hearing Blake's summons, Kalifa instantly appeared in front of Blake, bumping Hancock and giving her a provocative look.
Hancock glared at Kalifa; if not for Blake being right in front of her, she would have certainly taught this fellow a lesson.
Blake ignored their interaction and likewise placed his hand on Kalifa's head, activating two Magma-Magma Fruit ability cards simultaneously.
Kalifa's control over her body had reached an astonishing level, showing no unusual reactions whatsoever.
After all, this was the kind of person who, in the original story, could cut a Devil Fruit into pieces and eat it with Western dining etiquette; a mere warm current was hardly worth mentioning.
She felt the power within her body and bowed slightly to Blake:
"Thank you for your bestowal, Your Highness. I will use this power wisely."
As she spoke, her gaze seemingly unintentionally swept over Hancock, who was gritting her teeth, and a provocative curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Blake turned to Marigold; she seemed a bit bewildered by what was happening.
"Mary, take this."
Blake threw her the Mera Mera no Mi.
This Devil Fruit was brought back by Aramaki from the East Blue and was not an ability card.
Marigold froze, looking at the fruit in her hand with disbelief, then at Blake:
"Your Highness... I... can I really have a Devil Fruit too?"
Among the maid group, Marigold served more as Hancock's follower and didn't have much presence herself.
She instinctively sought confirmation, looking at Hancock.
The latter nodded vigorously at her, her eyes filled with encouragement.
Marigold took a deep breath, faced Blake, and her gaze became serious:
"I will never fail your trust and my sister's expectations!"
"What about me, what about me? Your Highness..."
Just then, a small pink head leaned into Blake's face, starting to whine in a high-pitched voice he had almost never heard before.
Blake looked at her amusingly and pushed her head away:
"You little troublemaker are already annoying enough; if I let you get new prank tools, the whole ship won't have a moment of peace."
"I didn't!"
Perona first indignantly defended herself, then showed a fawning smile:
"Your Highness, is there really no share for me?"
Rami laughed from the side:
"Perona, it would be better if you learned to control your curiosity first."
Seeing that there was no benefit to be gained, Perona immediately dropped her feigned expression, pouted, snorted, and ran off.
Blake shook his head with a smile; this 'use-people-when-needed, discard-them-when-not' attitude was clearly something he had fostered.
In reality, he had never decided on the ownership of the Ghost-Ghost Fruit.
On one hand, he felt that this should be Perona's Devil Fruit.
On the other hand, Blake also felt that if this little girl gained Devil Fruit abilities, the ship would likely be in constant chaos.
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