I'm Not Interested in Devil Fruits

Chapter Head Serialized: A Cup of Afternoon Tea in South Blue - Part 7: He Used to Love the Tea I Brewed, and Said His Doctor Always Complained He Drinks Too Much Alcohol

Rouge comforted the irritable Bonney, smiling at Garp from the balcony and inviting him to join them for a cup of afternoon tea.

…

When Bonney regained consciousness, she felt the familiar swaying of the ship.

"Ah, you're awake?" A man's voice reached her ears with a cheerful lilt to it.

'Damn it! He's a pirate and the most wicked one at that. Why is he so cheerful?' Bonney gritted her teeth and climbed up, realizing she was still on the same ship.

Roger was munching on food from her ship and said with a grin, "I'm not too good at navigation, so I just followed the course you set. We should be close to the next island, I think it's called…"

"Baterilla Island," Bonney interrupted coldly.

"Right, Baterilla Island! It sounds nice," Roger smiled carelessly, gazing at the rolling sea. "Too bad I don't have much time. Otherwise, I'd love to visit all the islands in South Blue. It'd be interesting! Hahaha..."

"No time left?" Bonney thought, quickly realizing, and mockingly replied, "Is the Marine after you? 'Pirate King,' is such a big title! The World Economic News gave you that name, making you a thorn in the side of the World Government and the Marines."

"Wasn't I always like that?" Roger glanced back, his tone calm.

Bonney was momentarily at a loss. Indeed, this wicked, devil-like man was one of the most infamous pirates, even before he conquered the Grand Line, standing alongside the likes of Gold Lion and Whitebeard! It was terrifying how he showed no fear of the World Government or the Marines...

"We're almost at shore," Roger said as he turned forward. With interest, he asked, "I saw some little gifts on your ship. Are you visiting someone on that island?"

"None of your business!" Bonney's expression darkened, her voice sharp. "Don't think you can harm anyone else..."

"Who knows?" Roger shrugged, ignoring her thoughts. He removed his pirate captain's cloak and walked down the streets of Baterilla Island as if he were an average passerby.

Bonney reluctantly followed him, but suddenly heard someone in the crowd exclaim, "Aunt Bonney? What are you…?"

…

Bonney's thoughts shifted back to Rouge, and she couldn't help but feel a sharp pang in her chest. She opened her eyes suddenly, recalling that she was still sitting in front of her tombstone.

A gentle breeze blew through the graveyard... There were a few people quietly mourning, shedding soft tears, and paying their respects.

Bonney glanced out of the graveyard, her eyes narrowing when she spotted familiar figures at the edge of the crowd.

No way...

'How did the Kuja pirates find her here? How did they locate her on such a large island?'

"Damn it..." Bonney glanced down at Rouge's tombstone, her soft, freckled face smiling in the photo, and lowered her hat, biting her lip as she quickly left. As she turned a corner, her figure disappeared.

"This place... is a graveyard," Robin said, following Liam and Hancock into the area.

Hancock flicked a strand of hair from her face and thoughtfully said, "Giorno, your Kenbunshoku Haki seems especially good at sensing different people's auras…"

"Now that you mention it, it really is." Liam glanced at Robin, who seemed puzzled at first but soon recalled how Liam had recognized her even before mastering Kenbunshoku Haki, back when she had disguised herself using her Hana Hana no Mi powers.

"But... this is quite a coincidence..." Liam said, scanning the rows of gravestones and the people mourning by them.

Baterilla Island had been his suggestion to the Kuja Pirates during their journey. His original purpose was simple: he just wanted to visit Ace's mother's grave. But unexpectedly, tracking Bonney had led them here. He wondered if Ace's mother's grave was among these tombs…

The entire group moved deeper into the graveyard.

The female warriors accompanying them were keeping a close eye on the people along the way, looking for the pink-haired woman they were tracking.

Liam continued walking, observing the names and photos on the gravestones.

A family stood quietly by one grave, their sadness palpable. A child silently stood beside the adults, looking down, saying nothing.

Liam's group stopped at one grave, across a narrow path.

"So, she really is here," Liam said, standing with his hands in his pockets, looking down at the gravestone.

Hancock and the others stopped as well, looking closely at the grave, especially at the photo of the freckled woman.

"Portgas D. Rouge…" Robin read the name from below the photo.

Sonia and Mari curiously asked, "Is this someone Giorno knows?"

"I've heard of her before!" Liam couldn't exactly reveal in public that this was the lover of the Pirate King and the biological mother of Ace, so he simply said, "She was a remarkable mother... Right, Portgas D. Bonney?" He suddenly called out loudly.

A child nearby, mourning at another grave, shuddered at the sound.

"Wuwuwu... Who are you, little girl?" The red-eyed aunt asked, looking down. "Did you get lost? Where are your parents?"

"Sorry for the trouble," Robin said, walking over and gently patting the child's pink hair. "Come on, everyone is waiting for you."

Bonney, now in her little girl form, lifted her head, and Robin simply shook her head.

If it had been Liam needing to do something, Robin might have tried to persuade him, but now that it was Hancock who needed her, there was nothing she could do.

Bonney glanced back at Rouge's grave, just as Hancock's cold gaze met hers. She gritted her teeth and muttered, "Tch."

Robin gently took her hand, but Bonney slapped it away and walked toward Liam and the others. As she walked, her petite form grew taller and transformed back into her youthful, perfect figure.

"If you run again, I'll take your Devil Fruit. Don't be so ungrateful, old woman," Hancock said harshly to Bonney, but the latter, unusually, didn't look at her. Instead, she fixed her wary, confused gaze on Giorno and asked, "What did you just call me?"

"If I'm not mistaken…" Liam tapped his temple. "When we first asked for your name on the ship, your immediate reaction was to say 'Bo.'" He smiled. "At the time, it was Hancock who made you answer. Your first instinct was definitely your full name, but you hesitated and only said 'Bonney,' leaving out the surname. Since we're here with someone named Portgas, I just naturally guessed. Was I right?"

(End Of The Chapter)

You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/marvel6395