Somewhere in the Grandline'
'Father, where are you?'
A young girl put her hands on the railings and looked at the vast sea under the setting sun, and asked.
Her aura was so silent and pitiful that even those crew members who didn't see her face could feel her depression.
They knew why their Captain went out to the Grandline. They were the ones who helped Bonney escape the Sorbet Kingdom to find her father.
They had reached the Grandline and were very close to Kuma. So close that they didn't even know Kuma had already arrived on their ship.
"Bonney!"
A soft yet mechanical voice came from the side. When they turned their heads, they saw Kuma standing there holding a bible in his hand.
Kuma's face had a small smile as he said.
"I'm sorry for being late, Bonney."
It could be said that he was easily able to find Bonney's location despite being so far away from her.
As soon as they finished the party on Going Merry, he told Liam that he was going to bring Bonney to the crew.
Bonney was in a state of shock. She just stood there, unable to understand anything.
But that smile, that face, everything about this person made her cry. Her body changed. From eighteen years old girl to ten years old kid.
She ran towards Kuma with big tears falling from her eyes and jumped.
Kuma raised his hands and held Bonney in his arms.
"Daddy!"
Bonney cried. Her tears were one thing. Her voice was another. She was still in a state of shock and disbelief, filled with some joy and love.
"Bonney!"
At this moment, Kuma couldn't hold back his tears. Those eyes weren't metal. They weren't dry either.
Both father and daughter were crying while holding each other.
Bonney was holding her father tightly, as if he would leave the next moment.
On the other hand, Kuma was holding his daughter lightly as if his body would crush her.
"Uwaaaaaa!"
Seeing the father and daughter crying, Bonney's crew also couldn't hold back their tears.
As they started crying, Bonney felt a bit embarrassed. After all, she was the captain of the crew.
But she didn't want to let go of her father.
She was really afraid.
"I'm sorry for not checking out your situation." Kuma apologized.
Bonney wiped her tears away and shook her head.
"It's okay, Dad. But I want to know everything, Dad. Please, don't run away from me."
Kuma paused for a moment and said.
"I will tell you everything one day. And no, I won't leave you again. But I am afraid you have to leave your crew."
"What? No, I can't leave them."
Bonney shouted. Although she wanted to meet her father, she didn't want to leave these people behind.
After all, they were the ones who rescued her. Even going as far as to help her reach the Grandline and help in the search for her father.
"Lord Kuma, are you going to take Captain to a safe place?" A large man spoke. He had a large black beard and mustache. He wore a t-shirt that barely covered his chest.
"Gyogyo, thank you so much for helping my daughter!" Kuma smiled and bowed his head towards a man who rescued his daughter from the hands of those agents.
Although she would be safe with those agents, she wouldn't be free. As someone who believed in Nika, he wanted his daughter to be free.
"Yes, I have found a group of people who can keep her safe. They also made me realize my sacrifice would mean nothing but benefit to the World Government."
Kuma nodded.
Hearing that, Gyogyo smiled and looked at his fellow crew members.
"What do you think?"
"Of course, it's time."
"Captain, let's disband the crew!"
Everyone in the crew had a large smile, though it couldn't hide their tears. They were certainly reluctant.
As a part of a crew, they were a part of the family.
It wasn't so easy to break away from the family.
"No, please, don't say that!"
Bonney couldn't stop her tears as she begged. She had just gained her father. She was so happy that she forgot the whole reason behind establishing this crew was to help her find her father.
These people were from the Sorbet Kingdom, who were close to her father. They were her father's friends, and to help her, they left behind everything.
Friends, homeland, even family, they left behind everything to help her.
How could she abandon them?
Seeing their mood, Kuma could no longer bear to see them in such sadness and quickly spoke.
"Don't worry, Bonney. Your crew won't be disbanded. Although you won't be able to see them often, if you ever need to meet them, I can always bring you to them."
"Bonney, I compromised with the World Government so that even if you become a pirate, they won't kill you. But we don't need to fear them anymore."
"I've joined the Straw Hat Pirates. They can keep you safe. Your crew can also join their fleet and become a part of them alongside Trafalgar Law's Heart Pirates."
"What?"
Bonney and her crew were shocked by this revelation. They were certainly happy that they didn't have to disband their crew.
On the other hand, Bonney was stunned and sad. Because she just realized how much her father was paying just for her safety.
Compromising with the World Government wasn't so easy.
She knew he wasn't telling her the full truth. Even now, she couldn't feel that same warmth from him.
But her love for her father was so deep that even the mechanical body didn't feel like metal to her.
"I'm sorry for deciding for you, Bonnie. But they are the only ones who can protect you."
Kuma softly spoke.
In fact, that wasn't true. Even the Revolution could protect her. But the problem was that his daughter was a revolutionary type.
She was free-spirited like a pirate, just like Dragon's son.
He had been observing Luffy for a long time. Just after the party, he also confirmed the existence of Nika in Luffy and also understood why Liam wanted him to join the crew.
......…
"I'm disappearing, Kuma." Liam spoke. He had brought Kuma to the other side of the island for a small talk, but this wasn't a normal talk.
"Is it because you messed with time?" Kuma asked.
Liam nodded.
"Without my existence, Luffy and others would've been much weaker at this moment in time. But many things have not changed much."
"Such as your presence during our raid in Thriller Bark. Without the improvement I brought to the crew, it would've taken them everything to defeat Moria."
"Then, you would've tested the loyalty of this crew and let them go."
"But a week later, they will face an Admiral in Sabody. On that day, the Straw Hat Pirates, led by Monkey D Luffy, will be destroyed."
At this moment, there was a small ear listening to the entire conversation.
Normally, Liam and Kuma would've felt this presence, but Robin had been trying to decrease the presence of her power as much as she could.
And, thanks to the remnant of Haki from the previous battle and their lack of alertness, they didn't sense it.
Robin was listening to the entire conversation. When she heard that, her eyes widened as she put her hands over her mouth.
She was sitting on a bed next to Luffy, who was sleeping there.
Normally, he wouldn't sleep so quickly, but that battle with Kaido was extremely tiresome. So, after eating a lot of food, he immediately fell asleep.
Robin brought him to the room and noticed Kuma and Liam leaving the ship, which surprised her.
She decided to sneak behind them and listen to their conversation, but she knew they could easily sense her presence, so she used her power.
For a moment, she couldn't believe what Liam just said, but that was just the start.
"Of course, they didn't die, and two years later, they would meet again and enter the New World. Luffy has already surpassed the level of strength he had just after entering the New World."
"In fact, after this battle with Kaido, his strength has grown significantly. Now he is equal to an Admiral. So, he will have no problem protecting your daughter."
"But soon, there will be a big battle. You should already know about it. The Straw Hat crew will participate in this battle and save Ace."
"Once we save Ace, I will disappear. During this battle, I will make sure that Luffy awakens his Devil Fruit. After this battle, I am pretty sure those old men will do anything to destroy Luffy."
"So, entering the New World would be a better choice for the crew. Unfortunately, I won't be here to guide them."
"So before they enter the New World, you must visit all of these islands with the crew and help them learn as much as they can before they set out for the New World."
"Understand?"