Beside the crescent-shaped bay, a dark shadow slowly approached the shore on the surface of the sea.
A thick wooden pillar breached the surface, wrapped in a highly resilient, colorful, translucent bubble—clearly the coating craftsmanship of the Sabaody Archipelago.
Allen arrived at the shore and decisively leaped down. His body slipped into the bubble, and he descended along the wooden pillar.
Beneath sea level.
The *Freewill*, coated in an outer layer of diving film, rested quietly. Sanji, Nami, and the rest of the crew gathered on the deck, looking up at the top of the mast.
Before long, they saw a figure jump down from above.
"Look! The captain is back!"
"Whoa!!"
"Welcome back, Boss!!"
Seeing Allen, the crew immediately erupted into excited cheers.
"Hahahaha, long time no see, everyone. This scent really brings back memories," Allen laughed.
*Clack!*
Landing on the deck on both feet, Allen grinned at the crowd. "As expected, it's much more comfortable staying on my own ship, even if it isn't as luxurious as Mary Geoise."
"Tch, and here I thought you wouldn't want to come back after enjoying a trip to Mary Geoise."
Nami and the others unconsciously raised the corners of their mouths into faint smiles, stepping forward to welcome him.
The Nyaban Brothers brought over a brand-new pirate cloak, grinning mischievously.
"Hehehe, time for a change of clothes, Boss."
"The enjoyment was alright, I suppose. Good food and good drinks, but the Celestial Dragons' chefs are nothing special."
Allen took the coat handed to him by the Nyaban Brothers and draped it over his shoulders, chuckling lightly.
"Only after visiting Mary Geoise did I realize that when it comes to food, even the World Nobles can't compare to us."
"That's right, that's right! I agree with that. Sanji's cooking is absolutely amazing!"
Perona threw her hands in the air and shouted excitedly.
Allen gave her an appreciative look. Then, his smile gradually vanished. He looked at her again, his face completely deadpan.
"Why are you here."
"What do you mean, 'why am I here'!"
Perona glared at him fiercely, baring her teeth as she yelled angrily.
"Your eyes look like you're completely disgusted, hey! Do you have any idea how popular I am on this ship, you bastard!"
Turning a deaf ear to her words, Allen looked toward Nami and the others. He pointed at Perona, maintaining his deadpan expression.
"Hey, hey, hey. Someone explain to me why this annoying pest is still on my ship."
"Well, about that..."
Nami laughed awkwardly, explaining sheepishly, "Over the past few days, we heard news on the island that Moria apparently landed on the Sabaody Archipelago not too long ago."
"That's right! Rumor has it that Lord Moria hijacked a fully coated pirate ship. He's probably already entered the New World by now, so I have no choice but to tag along with you guys for a little while longer."
Perona rested her hands on her hips and lifted her chin with a smug look.
Allen looked her up and down, his interest piqued. "You're quite good at making decisions for yourself. You can stay on the ship, but there are no free meals here. What can you do for me?"
"What do you want me to do?"
Perona shot him a sideways glance, her eyes holding a mix of confusion and wariness.
She strongly suspected there was a hidden meaning behind Allen's words, but she had no proof.
Allen spread his hands, offering a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"I'm in need of a personal maid. From now on, you'll be responsible for serving me."
"Wait a minute! I strongly object to this idea!"
"That's right! Abusing your captain's privileges is strictly prohibited!"
Hearing his words, Sanji and Nami immediately jumped out, wrapping their hands around Allen's neck and shouting indignantly.
"In the name of the captain, I veto your objections."
Allen shrugged, brushing their hands away and turning to leave. Without looking back, he said,
"Anyway, I'm going to take a bath first. Get some food ready, along with a change of clothes. Make it quick, you stupid girl."
"Who's going to prepare food for you!"
"Who are you calling a stupid girl, you bastard!"
Sanji and Perona rolled their eyes and glared at him viciously.
Allen ignored them completely, leaving them with only the sight of his back as he stepped onto the stairs and headed straight up.
A short while later.
...
"That bastard...! As expected, the ship is only peaceful when he's not around. I'm so mad!"
Out on the balcony, Nami muttered curses through gritted teeth while reading over the precautions for coated ships.
Under the crew's control, the *Freewill* began to slowly submerge by altering the expansion and contraction of the ship's coating.
Their destination for this voyage was naturally Fish-Man Island, located ten thousand meters deep at the bottom of the sea, situated within a massive cavern beneath the Red Line.
To successfully arrive there, protecting the ship's coating from rupturing due to any accidents was an absolute prerequisite concerning the lives of everyone on board.
If the coating were to tear, let alone Devil Fruit users, even ordinary people would be crushed into meat patties by the terrifying water pressure.
Because of this, she had to keep a constant eye on the *Freewill*'s movements.
Meanwhile, in the captain's quarters on the fourth floor.
Hot steam rose in the bathroom, condensing into a white mist that filled the entire space.
Allen leaned back against the edge of the bathtub, more than half of his body submerged in the water, leaving only his chest and above exposed.
At the door, Perona gritted her teeth. Carrying a bucket of hot water with both hands, she walked in with a face full of reluctance.
*Splash!*
"Is this good enough! Seriously, why do I have to do this kind of work!"
After walking over to the bathtub and pouring the bucket of hot water in, Perona rested her hands on her hips and complained angrily.
Allen spread his arms, resting his hands on the edge of the tub behind him. He closed his eyes and comfortably enjoyed the soak, chuckling lightly.
"It's just a little work, what's there to complain about? It's not like I'm making you do anything embarrassing. If you want a seat at the dining table, you have to contribute something."
"Hmph! When I was with Lord Moria, I was always the one being served by zombies. Couldn't you just leave this kind of thing to your subordinates!"
Perona puffed out her cheeks and glared at him.
"Zombies, huh..."
Hearing this, the corners of Allen's eyes couldn't help but twitch. He opened his eyes, stared at her, and said speechlessly,
"Who in the world actually likes those ugly things with shriveled bodies and wrinkled skin? For something like personal servitude, of course you'd want a cute young woman. If that's not possible, it should at least be a woman."
"What are you talking about! Zombies are obviously very cute, okay? They aren't the kind of things you're describing! Well, even though there are some like that, Kumashi and the others definitely aren't...!"
Perona retorted angrily, but halfway through her sentence, she suddenly realized something.
"Wait a minute... Were you... just saying that I'm cute?"
Perona froze for a moment and blinked. Then, her face flushed slightly red. Covering her mouth, she couldn't help but laugh smugly.
"Horo horo horo! You actually have pretty good taste. But even so, I still won't have any favorable feelings toward you!"
"..." Allen remained silent.
"It's hard to imagine you have the intelligence of a twenty-three-year-old. You're practically no different from a little girl."
Allen couldn't help but remark. As he spoke, he shifted his gaze to Perona's flat chest and added,
"Your physical development doesn't look like it either."
"..."
Hearing the first half of Allen's sentence, Perona's smile instantly froze. By the time she heard the second half, she completely petrified on the spot.
Intelligence... development... doesn't look like a woman...
Perona lowered her head, her face darkening. She remained silent for a moment before suddenly exploding in rage. Baring her sharp teeth, she lunged fiercely at Allen.
"You bastard...! Go to hell!!"
...