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  **Sabaody Archipego**

  "W-Where are we?" Hancock asked in a nervous tone, clutg Luffy's hand tightly as a faint buzziion faded. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but as the strange feeling subsided, she cautiously opehem.

  The sight that greeted her was unlike anything she had ever seen. T mangrove trees stretched hundreds of meters into the air, their roots sprawling like veins over the nd. Floating bubbles shimmered and danced all around them, zily drifting upward until they disappeared into the forest opy.

  The festive sounds of life filled the air—a bustling crowd, ughter, and the king of goods being sold at the many stalls scattered about the area.

  The Gon sisters, still in their ragged sve clothing, gawked at the bubbles, their exhaustion momentarily fotten. They had spent so much of their lives in misery and fihat the wonder of this new world felt almost dreamlike.

  "This pce... it's beautiful," Sandersonia whispered in awe.

  Marigold nodded. "I've never seen anything like it. The bubbles… they're everywhere."

  Luffy, however, wasn't admiring the sery. He was slumped against a tree, drenched i and visibly pale. His breathing was ragged, his usual exuberanowhere to be seen.

  Marigold turo him with etched across her face. "Hey, what happeo you? Why do you look so weak?"

  Both Hancod Sandersonia snapped out of their daze at Marigold's words, their gazes log onto Luffy's haggard form.

  "I'm fine," Luffy said with a tired grin, raising his hand as if to wave off their worries. "It's just… using my ability to travel tens of kilometers with all three of you… kinda took everything I had. Just give me a few minutes, and I'll be good as new."

  The casualness in his tone trasted sharply with the effort it had clearly taken, leaving the sisters momentarily speechless.

  Hancock frowned, crossing her arms. "You shouldn't push yourself so recklessly. What if you colpsed pletely? Then what would we do?"

  Luffy chuckled weakly, the sound slightly strained. "Then you'd have to carry me. But hey, I couldly leave you behind."

  Hancock's cheeks flushed faintly, though she quickly turned away to hide it. Sandersonia and Marigold exged knowing looks but said nothing.

  After about five minutes of rest, Luffy stretched his arms above his head and got to his feet. Though he still looked a little drained, his signature grin was back. "Alright! Let's get moving!"

  Hancock let out a soft huff, her lips curling into the fai hint of a smile. "Just don't overdo it again."

  Luffy gri her, his expression as cheeky as ever. "What, worried about me?"

  Hancock stiffened, her cheeks darkening further. "D-Don't be ridiculous!"

  Marigold snickered softly, nudging Sandersonia. "Looks like someone's warming up to him."

  "Let's just get going," Hancock said sharply, marg ahead to hide her embarrassment.

  Luffy pulled out his **[Universal GPS]**, which dispyed a map with their current loarked alongside their destination—a bar atop a small hill.

  "Alright, this way," Luffy said, extending his hand toward the sisters. "We'll again to save time."

  Sandersonia hesitated, but Hancock was already relutly reag out. "If you colpse again, I swear—"

  "Rex," Luffy said with a wink. "I've got this."

  Another dizzying ter, they found themselves at the base of a staircase leading up the hill. At the top, a building came into view, its wooden structure weathered yet sturdy.

  Luffy released their hands, taking a moment to steady himself. "Phew. See? Still standing."

  Hancock rolled her eyes, though she felt oddly relieved. "Barely."

  It took them five mio climb the stairs, during which Hancock kept gng at Luffy out of the er of her eye. He climbed ahead of them with ease, as though the earlier fatigue had never happened.

  Finally reag the top, the group was greeted by a small, unassuming bar. The sign above the door simply read: **"Shakky's Rip-off Bar."**

  Luffy kwi the door, the sound eg faintly in the quiet surroundings.

  "The bar's open," came a charming, slightly amused female voice from inside.

  Luffy pushed the door open, stepping ih a grin that immediately froze on his face. His eyes widened as he took in the se before him.

  A slender woman stood amidst a pile of unscious bodies, holding a bloodied man by the colr. She exhaled a puff of smoke from her cigarette before zily turning her gaze to the newers.

  The woman, Shakky, looked to be ihirties. Her pink v--shirt, adorned with a bck spider design, exposed her toomach. A bck jacket with pink stripes hung loosely over her shoulders, while her giraffe-patterned pants and beaded neckce gave her an etric air.

  "Wele," Shakky said casually, her voice calm despite the chaos around her. "What'll it be?"

  Luffy opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Behind him, the Gon sisters g to each other, their eyes darting nervously between the unscious bodies and the woman who seemed utterly unfazed by the age.

  Shakky raised an eyebrow, blowing out another puff of smoke. "Well? Don't just stand there, kid. If you're here for a drink, you're a few years too young."

  Luffy sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not here for a drink, Shakky-san. I need your help."

  Shakky's curiosity iqued. "Help, huh? What kind of help?"

  Before answering, Luffy stepped aside, motioning for the sisters to enter. Hancod her siblings hesitated before cautiously stepping iheir eyes widened in horror at the sight of the unsen scattered across the floor, their bodies littered like broken toys.

  "Rex," Luffy said, the sisters a reassuring smile. He gently took Hancock's hand, giving it a light squeeze. "She's on our side."

  Hancock stiffe the tact but didn't pull away. Instead, she g Shakky, her wariness mingling with a flicker of hope.

  Shakky studied the sisters closely, her sharp eyes noting their ragged clothes and the brand marks faintly visible on their skin. She exhaled slowly, her expression softening ever so slightly. "I see… Escaped sves, huh? Brave move, bringing them here, kid."

  "Yeah, well," Luffy said, scratg his cheek sheepishly. "I couldn't just leave them."

  Shakky's lips curled into an amused smile. "You're an iing one, aren't you?" She turo the sisters. "Take a seat. I'll up this mess, and then we'll talk."

  With practiced efficy, Shakky dragged the unscious bodies outside, leaving the group momentarily alone.

  Marigold leaoward Luffy, whispering, "Are you sure we trust her?"

  Luffy grinned. "Absolutely. She's got a sharp tongue, but her heart's in the right pce."

  --- ? ? ? ---

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