Marcus looked down at the Shichiseiken still gripped in his hand.
Even now, the cursed sword was trying to release its dark energy, attempting to worm its way back into his mind.
Maybe it was the lingering effect of the milk, or maybe the sword was just exhausted after that massive burst of power. Either way, it was weaker now.
He could sense only one clear thought being transmitted from the blade.
Kill.
He switched it into his inventory, and the sensation vanished immediately.
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji finally relaxed completely. Especially Zoro, he kept glancing between Marcus and Saga.
"What just happened back there?" he asked.
After all, Marcus' possessed state had been disturbing as hell to watch.
But Marcus didn't answer right away. Instead, he walked over to where the old woman was sitting.
"You shrine maidens should've seen the memories inside that thing, right? So I've gotta ask... are you sure this sword is really worth protecting?"
The old woman sighed when she saw that Marcus had successfully broken free from the possession. "How much of the vision did you see?"
"A war machine showed up. Some kind of giant robot."
"A robot?" The old woman looked surprised, then thoughtful. "It seems the story we witnessed might not have been the same as yours."
"Different?"
The rest of the Straw Hats, though exhausted, turned their attention to the conversation.
The old woman settled onto the stone steps, leaning on her cane and gesturing toward the ruined mural behind her.
"This mural was still intact three hundred years ago. Pirates destroyed most of it during a raid."
The sudden topic change puzzled everyone, but before anyone could ask, she continued, "Time buries many things. Most of what happened back then has been lost to history. If it weren't for the Shichiseiken's blood moon ritual happening once every century, we might have lost that history entirely. In the memories passed down through our shrine maiden lineage, the Queen finally agreed to exchange a hundred thousand lives for peace. She compromised, for the sake of the greater good. And they did receive technology in return. In that primitive era, suddenly many people could afford decent clothing. It was also during that time that the Queen declared an end to slavery throughout the kingdom. The slaves were freed."
"But the good times didn't last. The outsiders returned, demanding more people. Even more than before. The Queen compromised again, and gained access to even more advanced technology. The Kingdom of Asuka flourished on the surface. But the technology couldn't be reproduced, only used. These wonders brought no benefit to the nation as a whole. They only provided luxurious lifestyles for the nobles and wealthy elite. The common people continued to suffer."
"The Queen tried to help by taking in women who'd lost fathers or husbands to the population exchanges. But with so many fighting-age men gone, Asuka had become hollow despite its outward strength. The Queen even formed an all-female army under her direct command. Despite her best efforts, the result was tragic. Asuka went from a mighty nation of ten million to barely six million people. And the outsiders didn't stop. They only became more ruthless. This time, they offered technology for extending life, but again, it couldn't be replicated."
"The nobles who'd gradually taken control of the kingdom's finances went completely out of control. Behind the Queen's back, they began mass kidnappings, trading away citizens for more technology. After all, aging terrified them. And for those with power, death was the ultimate fear. Asuka became a nation where women were strong and men were scarce. Its large population made it a tempting target, other countries saw it as easy prey, and a source of people they could trade for technology. Eventually, war broke out. The Queen, wielding the now-corrupted Shichiseiken, began her campaign of slaughter."
Marcus listened carefully to this version of events. Something felt off about it, but he stayed quiet and let her continue.
"The first target was a neighboring country, a small one. Asuka absorbed the last surviving citizens after the conquest. Then came the second nation. Then the third. But the fourth time, several countries banded together. Facing this alliance of nations, countries that had grown powerful through their own population-for-technology exchanges, even the Queen's army couldn't hold the line. The Kingdom of Asuka was destroyed. But the Queen escaped with the last remnants of her people. By then, though, she was gravely wounded. She could no longer suppress the Shichiseiken as it transformed into a true cursed blade. In the end, she chose to return alone for one final stand. Later, some brave women and children returned to what was left of Asuka. They found the Queen's body. The Shichiseiken had been shattered into two pieces."
Marcus scratched his head. "That's... way different from what I saw."
The old woman sighed heavily. "That's probably why everyone who touches the Shichiseiken directly during the blood moon never wakes up from the memories. They get trapped in there forever."
"The vision you saw must've been from the sword's perspective, right? Looking outward at events?"
The old woman looked confused for a moment, then her eyes widened. "If that's the case, then everything makes sense!"
Marcus briefly explained what he'd experienced, the first-person vision, the overwhelming emotions, the feeling of being trapped in the Queen's guilt and despair.
The old woman let out a deep sigh. "The Queen always believed the hunger and suffering were all her fault. That's probably the biggest reason why the Shichiseiken transformed into a cursed blade."
Now that he thought about it, the visions he'd seen had only shown one clear moment of killing, when the Queen had struck down the traitorous nobles. After that, there had only been fragmentary scenes, emotional impressions, feelings of endless guilt.
No actual slaughter.
Which meant... in the Queen's nightmares, she saw the suffering of her people as something she had caused. In her mind, her hands were stained with their blood, even if she hadn't literally killed them herself.
For someone kindhearted, that would be an unbearable burden.
And experiencing it from a first-person perspective, feeling all those emotions directly? One could've been lost forever in that spiral of despair.
So the cursed transformation hadn't been caused by bloodshed. It had been caused by emotion.
The Queen's emotions.
Because she was good, she blamed herself. Because she cared, she hated what she'd become.
He thought about what he knew of this world's power system. As the ruler of a major kingdom, the Queen would've possessed tremendous strength. Haki definitely existed back then, it was an ancient art, after all. And Conqueror's Haki was a special form of Haki born from overwhelming willpower and emotion. Especially under extreme circumstances, it could erupt uncontrollably, but only a rare few possessed that kind of indomitable will. For those rare few, it could be triggered by mortal danger... or by something else entirely. Like Big Mom, whose sorrow had manifested as destructive Conqueror's Haki.
Could it be that the Queen's Conqueror's Haki had changed the Shichiseiken?
After all, Conqueror's Haki could be stored in inanimate objects using an advanced technique known as Tying
Just like how Armament Haki could permanently turn a blade black through repeated use... what would happen if Conqueror's Haki, raw emotional willpower, was stored inside a sword over years of use?
A cursed blade.
He glanced at the Sandai Kitetsu hanging at Zoro's side. This world really was full of wonders.
"What is it?" Zoro asked, noticing Marcus staring at his sword.
Marcus shared his theory about how the Shichiseiken might have been corrupted by the Queen's Conqueror's Haki rather than by bloodshed or dark rituals.
For a moment, the entire Straw Hat crew just stared at him in silence.
"So you're saying... The Shichiseiken became a cursed blade because it was saturated with the Queen's Conqueror's Haki? Her guilt and self-hatred literally corrupted the weapon?"
As someone who lived and breathed swordsmanship, this was the first time Zoro had ever heard such a theory.
"You've probably noticed this yourself, but the way cursed energy enhances sword techniques isn't that different from Armament Haki. It extends your attack range, amplifies your power, it's just another form of energy manipulation."
Zoro touched the hilt of his Sandai Kitetsu thoughtfully.
Now that Marcus mentioned it... when he'd first started developing his Haki, he had felt something similar. He'd just never thought about it in those terms before.
"So cursed swords aren't cursed because they're inherently evil," Nami said slowly. "They're cursed because they absorbed the trauma and negative emotions of their previous wielders?"
"Maybe," Marcus said. "I mean, I'm not an expert on this stuff. But it makes sense, doesn't it? Powerful emotions leave marks. Why wouldn't they leave marks on weapons too?"
Robin had been quiet throughout this discussion, but now she spoke up. "If your theory is correct, it would explain some historical mysteries. There are numerous accounts of weapons that became cursed after particular battles or tragedies. Scholars have always debated whether the curses were supernatural phenomena or something else."
"Great," Usopp muttered. "So cursed swords are basically trauma storage devices. That's not creepy at all."
"It's actually kind of sad," Chopper said quietly. "That Queen... she was trying so hard to save her people, but she ended up blaming herself for everything that went wrong. And that blame turned her sword into a monster."
Silence fell over the group.
They'd all experienced their own share of guilt and self-doubt. The idea that those feelings could literally corrupt reality if strong enough? That was a sobering thought.
"Well," Luffy finally said, breaking the tension, "at least we stopped the sword from causing more problems, right? So that's good!"
Marcus looked into his inventory and pulled out the Shichiseiken. The moment it materialized in his hand, that ghostly energy began pouring out again
"I still can't figure out why this thing went berserk the first time it saw me."
His expression turned strange as he stared at the cursed blade. Could the sword somehow tell he wasn't originally from this world? That he was what the Queen would've called an "outsider"?
Based on what he'd seen in that vision, the Queen had definitely hated those outsiders, probably considered them demons from beyond this realm or something equally dramatic.
Which, to be fair, wasn't that far off from what he actually was.
But could a sword really detect something like that? It seemed impossible, but then again, this was the One Piece world. Stranger things had happened.
The old woman watched Marcus standing there. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then hesitated. She had her own suspicions about why the Shichiseiken had reacted so violently. After all, there was only one type of person the sword would be that hostile toward, descendants of those ancient outsiders.
But according to the memories passed down through generations of shrine maidens, the outsiders had black wings and flames burning behind their backs. Marcus didn't fit that description at all.
If anything, Robin with her sprouted limbs resembled those beings more than he did.
She decided to keep her theory to herself. Accusing someone without proof wouldn't be right.
Marcus caught her hesitant expression though. "You know more than you're telling us, don't you? Especially about that unfinished war you mentioned."
The old woman met his eyes, then nodded slowly. "The Shichiseiken has another trait you've probably noticed, it can control and enslave people. But if anyone tries to enslave others, the sword erupts in fury. Eight hundred years ago, the Shichiseiken left this island. I don't know what happened during that time, but when it returned, it was shattered into pieces. And then something terrible occurred, everyone on the island died mysteriously, their bodies completely drained of blood. Ever since then, each new shrine maiden who completes the succession ritual receives a message from the Shichiseiken. The sword is waiting... for a war that was never finished."
Marcus blinked. That was a lot to process, and it connected directly to the Void Century.
So the sword that could enslave others got pissed when anyone else tried to do the same thing? Talk about hypocritical.
As he was mulling this over, he noticed the rest of the Straw Hats staring at him with odd expressions.
"What?"
"I think I know why the sword attacked you." Alvida laughed and slapped her thigh. "Your Devil Fruit power lets you possess people's bodies, right? That's basically a form of enslavement."
"My ability doesn't force control, okay? It only works if the other person agrees, and even then it doesn't always take effect."
He pointed at Luffy as evidence.
Luffy had pulled his straw hat down over his face and was now snoring peacefully, a snot bubble expanding and contracting with each breath. Clearly, he'd checked out of this conversation a while ago.
The others chuckled at the sight.
Marcus sighed. "What a mess."
But thinking about it... Alvida might actually be onto something. After all, Luffy's Devil Fruit rejected him whenever he tried to enter, treating him like an invader.
So maybe it wasn't impossible that the Shichiseiken could sense something similar in his abilities.
Wait. What if the sword had detected residual traces from when he had possessed Zoro? What if it thought he had enslaved Zoro through some kind of technique?
Actually, thinking about it more carefully, the only person capable of leaving that kind of mark inside someone else's body would be Imu, right?
And the Shichiseiken had disappeared eight hundred years ago, right at the start of the Void Century. What if it had fought against Imu back then? What if it recognized that specific type of power?
Seeing Marcus again after all these centuries, the sword might've mistaken him for Imu returning to finish what was started. That would explain why it went absolutely nuclear.
If that was the case, then the Shichiseiken definitely had its own consciousness. Otherwise it couldn't be this intelligent.
He looked down at the blade, which was still trying to pump ghostly energy into him. Without much thought, he switched inventory slots.
The Shichiseiken vanished.
The constant flow of ghostly energy stopped immediately. The only real difference he noticed was that the whispering voices in his ears had finally gone quiet.
The old woman stared at Marcus in awe. Even during a blood moon, he could handle the Shichiseiken this easily?
She felt like fate was sending her a clear message.
"Perhaps the Shichiseiken has found its purpose again. Please, take it with you. Complete the war that was left unfinished."
"What?" Marcus was surprised. He'd actually been planning to return the sword, it wasn't particularly useful to him personally.
Was the Shichiseiken powerful? Hell yes. It was a unique weapon that could turn an ordinary person into a strong swordsman instantly. Plus, his diamond sword hadn't even scratched it, which meant its durability was maxed out. It even seemed to have some kind of self-repair function, considering how it had reformed from broken fragments.
"You're just... giving it away?"
The old woman nodded solemnly. "To resist the blood moon's influence and regain your senses so quickly, that can only mean one thing. The sword has chosen you."
Marcus' expression turned skeptical. Something about this felt off, but he couldn't put his finger on what.
Still, her logic wasn't wrong. And the "chosen one" angle did make a certain amount of sense.
"Alright, I'll take it."
Since waking up from that vision, he had been wary of the Shichiseiken's ability to trap people in illusions. But that power clearly required specific conditions, like the right environment, a shrine maiden's touch, probably the blood moon itself.
"Chopper, you got anything that restores energy?"
"Yeah! Hold on, let me find it!" Chopper immediately started rummaging through his bag, pulling out a small bottle with a paper label. "This is my latest creation, an energy restoration potion I made using the brewing stand! I haven't tested it yet though."
Ever since discovering how to use the brewing stand properly, he had been enthusiastically experimenting with new formulas every day.
Marcus took the bottle and examined it.
Instant Energy III.
After he described the potion's effect, Chopper quickly pulled out his notebook and started scribbling annotations next to his original formula.
Marcus didn't pay much attention to Chopper's note-taking. He just downed the entire potion in one gulp.
Instantly, he felt power surging through his body. His Haki, stamina, life energy, everything started climbing rapidly until it hit his body's natural limit... and then kept going.
That's when he understood why it was called "Instant Energy." Like a mana potion in a game that instantly restores MP, except this one not only replenished energy but the overflow didn't disappear, it just kept building up.
"Damn, that's strong."
An idea occurred to him. He drew the Shichiseiken again, not wanting to waste all this excess energy. Whether it was Haki, life force, or whatever else the potion had restored, he started channeling all of it into the cursed blade.
The Shichiseiken began trembling in his grip.
The ghostly energy visibly radiating from the cursed sword started getting pushed back. Armament Haki crept up the blade.
It had always been the aggressor, invading and corrupting whoever touched it. Now it was being invaded in return, and the sword clearly wasn't happy about it.
The ghostly aura exploded outward.
The blade began vibrating, producing a deep humming sound. But the more violently the sword resisted, the more excited Marcus seemed to get.
He actually started pushing harder.
Thanks to the Instant Energy III potion, that surge of power inside him showed no signs of stopping yet.
Let's see your limits!
A playful glint flashed in Marcus' eyes as he gradually increased the pressure.
The sword's humming intensified.
The crew stood frozen, watching this bizarre struggle between Marcus and the cursed weapon.
Sanji's expression turned increasingly strange as he observed.
For some reason, he kept getting this weird mental image, like the Shichiseiken was the proud, beautiful Queen from Marcus' vision, and Marcus was forcibly prying her open with brute strength to do something... inappropriate.
He shook his head hard, trying to dispel the disturbing thought. No, this was just a sword. A cursed blade. An evil weapon that could control people.
"Running out of steam already?" Marcus' tone was casual, not taunting at all.
But to Sanji's ears, it sounded wrong, distorted somehow, like the words meant something else.
For a split second, his brain twisted Marcus' words into something like: "Is that all you've got? If you stop resisting now, I'm going all the way."
The knight's honor inside him nearly exploded. He almost shouted, "Let go of her! Fight me instead!"
"What is wrong with me?" Sanji muttered, shaking his head again. "Am I getting corrupted by the energy or something?"
"Kira, how many barrels of milk did you bring?"
Kira shook her head. "It was an emergency, so I only grabbed one from the storage. Do you need more? I can go back and get it."
Sanji waved her off. "Nah, I'll grab some myself later."
While they were talking, Marcus' Haki had already spread to cover a third of the blade.
Then his momentum started to fade.
The Instant Energy III potion was powerful, but it wasn't infinite. Plus, his own energy capacity had limits. The overflow that couldn't be contained was dissipating naturally, and even though he was channeling it into the sword, a lot was still escaping into the air.
The Shichiseiken seemed to sense Marcus weakening. The blade vibrated, almost mockingly, like it was saying, "That's it? That's all you've got?"
No way.
"Chopper! You got more?"
"Yeah." Chopper immediately rummaged through his bag and pulled out another bottle. "This is the Instant Energy II."
Marcus grabbed it and checked the effect. Weaker than before. Must be from an earlier stage of the formula development.
He briefly explained the difference, and Chopper nodded seriously, already thinking about improvements.
Marcus didn't waste time. He tossed the Instant Energy II into his crafting interface, didn't even look at the EMC cost, and bought ten more bottles.
"You think I can't handle you? Let's see about that."
He downed another bottle immediately.
Power surged through his body again. He pushed harder, and the Shichiseiken's ghostly aura exploded in resistance. The blade vibrated even more violently, the humming sound becoming almost continuous, like the sword was cursing him for using potions.
He didn't care. The moment he felt the potion's effect starting to fade, he grabbed another bottle and drank it without hesitation.
Seven or eight bottles later, his Haki had covered two-thirds of the blade.
But it seemed to have hit a wall. The compressed Haki was getting denser and denser, requiring exponentially more energy to push further.
Put simply, his output had maxed out. It was like comparing two faucets, one releasing 100 milliliters per second, the other 500. Right now, the Shichiseiken was draining power from Marcus' "reservoir" just as fast as he was pouring it in.
Neither could overpower the other. They were completely deadlocked.
He frowned. Even chugging more potions wouldn't help if his body couldn't channel energy any faster.
He gritted his teeth and pulled out an enchanted golden apple. Desperate times and all that. He bit into it, if it didn't work, he'd try something else.
A trace of purple faded from the Shichiseiken's glow.
It was working, but only slightly.
The progress bar crawled forward painfully slowly until it reached four-fifths coverage.
If he had another Instant Energy III potion, he might've been able to finish it, using the rapid overflow to burst through the final barrier.
But he was out.
"Should've saved the first one," he muttered.
The sword trembled weakly, it was nearing its limit too. But it still managed a faint ring, almost whispering, "Not enough... is it?"
Was that his imagination? For a second, he could've sworn he heard those words.
"Chopper, give me your bag. Let me see if there's anything stronger."
Chopper scratched his head. Marcus' tone sounded weird somehow. But he handed over the medicine pouch anyway.
Marcus rummaged through it quickly.
"Instant Heal V."
"Cardiac Restoration."
"Blood Regeneration."
He raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar names. Obviously Chopper's own experimental formulas. Under normal circumstances, he would've taken time to study them properly.
Not now though.
After a few more seconds of searching, his eyes lit up.
"Instant Energy IV!"
And right below it: "Vitality Boost VIII."
Marcus chose to ignore the implications of that second one.
Just to be safe, he tossed them into his transmutation interface and bought several more copies. Didn't even check the price.
He was worth over a hundred million now. A few EMC points were nothing. Without hesitation, he downed the Instant Energy IV in one gulp.
Power exploded through his body. Heat flooded his system, making his skin flush bright red as energy coursed wildly through his veins.
But his mind was focused on one thing only: pushing harder.
He didn't notice anything else.
The Shichiseiken seemed to sense overwhelming dread. Its blade began trembling violently, almost desperately.
"Haha! Too late now!"
The Haki crept up inch by inch.
Under the blood-red moon, the Shichiseiken released one final massive wave of ghostly energy, blasting the Straw Hat crew off their feet.
But in the end, the sword was fully enveloped by Marcus' Armament Haki.
The blade stopped trembling. It had acknowledged its master.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!"
Marcus nodded in satisfaction.
But the raging energy inside him didn't stop. Now that the sword had gone still, the overflowing force had nowhere to go. It rebounded through his body.
The pressure hit him all at once.
His skin turned scarlet red. Then blood burst from his mouth.
"What the—?!"
Seeing Marcus bleeding, some of the crew thought it was backlash from the Shichiseiken finally getting its revenge.
But then the sword released another surge of ghostly energy. This time though, Marcus didn't need to resist it at all.
The ghostly aura flowing from the Shichiseiken, which had taken on Marcus' "color," carried no corrosive power anymore. Instead, it was actively healing his body, flowing through him like a soothing balm.
The problem wasn't that Marcus was injured. The problem was that the energy inside him was erupting way too violently, with nowhere to go now that the sword had stopped draining it.
The solution was actually pretty straightforward: keep channeling energy outward and let the surging power inside find a proper release valve.
The Shichiseiken seemed to understand this. The ghostly energy that had been flowing outward suddenly reversed direction, drawing power in like a vacuum.
Sanji blinked as he stared at the sword. He wasn't sure if he was hallucinating, but for a split second, he seemed to see the image of that beautiful Queen leaning against Marcus' body, whispering, "More..."
SLAP!
Everyone's attention immediately snapped toward the noise.
The Straw Hats all turned to stare at Sanji in confusion.
"What's wrong? Did the energy possess you?!" Chopper asked nervously. First Marcus had started bleeding, now Sanji was slapping himself. As the crew's doctor, he was starting to freak out a little.
Kira spread her wings, ready to fly back to the ship to check if they had any milk left. But Sanji quickly raised a hand to stop them. "I'm fine. Just... a small problem. Nothing to worry about."
He was pretty sure something was seriously wrong with his brain. Why was he getting those kinds of mental images from watching someone tame a sword?
He really needed to cut back on certain reading materials.
He shook his head vigorously, trying to clear his thoughts.
Meanwhile, the Shichiseiken's active absorption of Marcus' Haki provided a stable channel for all that overflowing energy. The problem was, while the energy restoration effect had ended, the other effect from that potion was still very much active.
Marcus realized this immediately, especially since he could now see what that potion actually did.
Vitality Boost VIII.
"..."
His body hunched slightly.
He had to admit, combining vitality enhancement with energy restoration had multiplied the recovery effect several times over.
He knew what a normal Instant Energy III felt like, powerful, definitely powerful. In game terms, that was like instantly restoring 300 MP.
But Instant Energy IV combined with Vitality Boost VIII? Instead of restoring 400 MP, the vitality boost had multiplied it eight times over. A direct surge of 3,200 points, complete over-recovery. And thanks to the vitality enhancement, all that excess energy was now rampaging uncontrollably through his body.
"Chopper, what exactly was in that potion?"
Chopper picked up the glass bottle and read the handwritten label. "Vitality and blood restoration tonic for malnourished individuals. How's the effect?"
"Uh..." Marcus felt like he was going to explode in every possible way. "It's... really strong. I'll explain later. I need to get back to the ship right now."
Before anyone could respond, he pulled out an ender pearl and vanished on the spot with a flash of purple particles.
The rest of the crew stood there looking confused.
"What's up with him?" Usopp scratched his head.
The others looked equally puzzled.
Chopper, however, seemed thoughtful. "Maybe it's one of those conditions that can only be cured with milk?"
Everyone nodded in agreement. That made sense. And honestly, it would take Kira longer to fly back and forth anyway. Made more sense for him to teleport directly.
Nobody thought much more about it.
Except for one person, Alvida.
As someone who knew Marcus' abilities extremely well, she couldn't help thinking: if he needed milk, why go back to the ship at all? Couldn't he just... make it himself?
The other crew members might not fully understand the extent of his powers, but as one of the earliest followers, she had always been curious and observant. She'd been paying attention.
And right now, something about this situation felt off. Especially considering the question Marcus had asked Chopper right before he left.
"No way..."
A knowing look crossed Alvida's face, followed by a mischievous grin. She stretched lazily and yawned. "All that fighting got my clothes dirty. I'm heading back to the ship to change. Anyone coming?"
The women glanced at each other. In the end, only Vivi stood up to join her.
The others were too exhausted, collapsing where they sat on the hillside to catch their breath.
Nami and Vivi might not have much direct combat ability compared to the others, but they'd still done their best to help the team in their own ways.
Right now, Nami was holding her Clima-Tact, examining it thoughtfully. It hadn't been particularly effective during the Arabasta battles, but it had proven somewhat useful tonight.
Vivi, on the other hand, felt like she hadn't contributed much at all. Even though she'd once worked with Baroque Works, compared to the rest of the crew, she simply couldn't keep up. She felt more like dead weight than anything else.
As Alvida headed toward the ship, the rest stayed by the hill. The guys had already found their next project, building a massive campfire for the evening celebration.
"I'll come too," Sanji said, standing up and brushing dirt off his suit. "Might as well grab some food supplies while I'm there."
After all, the evening bonfire party was still happening. That was an unspoken agreement among the men, well, mostly an excuse for a celebration.
As the three of them walked back along the narrow path, Vivi couldn't help murmuring softly, "Am I... just useless?"
Among the women, Alvida was without question the strongest fighter. She could actually trade blows with Marcus one-on-one, sure, she got sent flying eventually, but at least she could respond to his sword slashes and hold her own for a while. The other women? Their combat contributions had been... limited.
Alvida gave Vivi a surprised look. She saw the troubled expression on the princess' face and laughed, reaching over to pat her firmly on the back.
"You've been on the ship for days now. Stop overthinking everything. Haven't you noticed how much your stamina's improved since you started eating our food?"
Sanji lit a cigarette and nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Everyone's different. Not all of us are fighters, and that's fine. Nami's our navigator. Kira handles logistics and transport. We all cover each other's weaknesses. That's how a crew works."
Vivi listened silently. She appreciated what they were saying, she really did. But when everyone else was fighting and she couldn't even hold her own, it was hard not to feel like she was just the one being protected. The weak link in the chain.
Still, she managed to smile. "Thank you."
They were trying to encourage her. She couldn't let those words go to waste, even if she didn't quite believe them yet.
Alvida seemed to notice the loneliness behind that smile. She slung an arm around Vivi's shoulders. "Getting stronger on our ship isn't that hard. Remember Kira? She couldn't fight at all when she first joined. Now she can hold her own just fine."
"If you want a Devil Fruit, talk to Marcus," Sanji added. "Though... he probably only has a few left, and they might not be what you're looking for."
Vivi nodded thoughtfully. The problem was, most of the ones he'd shown them so far wouldn't really suit her fighting style or personality.