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"Really, to look at me with such disdain, I'll go right now and heal that redhead pirate's wounds to show you!"
Zyhark's contemplative look seemed to Aqua as a direct doubt of her abilities from the bottom of his heart.
Thus, the competitive Aqua turned around and headed towards Shanks, who was surrounded by his officers.
"Idiot, what do you think you're doing?" Zyhark, quick to react, grabbed her.
She had used up most of her limited strength, well, on disrupting his plan to shoot Higuma. Now, she was nearly depleted.
Forcing a healing blessing could result in a terrible backlash!
Forced to halt, Aqua sensed Zyhark's rare anxious concern and quickly let go of her irritation.
"Zyhark, are you... worried about me?"
Her azure eyes slightly narrowed, feigning an inscrutable expression, "Don't try to deny it, my senses are quite sharp right now~"
"I'm worried you'll embarrass yourself, and as your companion, it would be my face that's lost," Zyhark replied calmly.
"What embarrassment! This is a grave insult to the goddess of the Axis Faith!"
Aqua, her lips twitching, aggressively rolled up the sleeves of her pure white armguard and stepped forward with determination towards Shanks.
"If you really want to prove yourself, then help me with my healing," Zyhark's voice followed from behind, "After all, thanks to a certain idiot, my chest was severely slashed by Higuma. If we don't treat it, the wound will heal on its own soon."
Hearing this, Aqua stopped abruptly, turning back with wide, clear eyes.
"Eh? When did that guy Luffy cause you trouble?" she asked, frowning in confusion.
Zyhark: "..."
There was more than one idiot present just now, you know!
Can't you have a bit of self-awareness?
Despite Aqua's confusion regarding Luffy, the fact that Zyhark was injured on his chest was true.
Thinking she could prove her divine worth, Aqua returned, extending her delicate, fair hand to press lightly on Zyhark's chest.
As her wise eyes grew serious, Aqua's unique divine aura was revealed, and a gentle, warm glow emanated from her palm.
Zyhark didn't interrupt Aqua, quietly experiencing the healing process.
Aside from her intellectually debilitating behavior, Aqua's hands were admittedly quite beautiful—soft, cool, and...
No, that's wrong, the sensation of warmth flowing through the wound during the healing process was quite fascinating!
While maintaining the healing blessing, Aqua partly focused on the Red Hair Pirates.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she couldn't help but whisper, "Zyhark, that pirate with the straw hat, he lost his arm on purpose, right?"
"How did you know?" Zyhark blinked in surprise.
After the tavern incident a few days ago, wasn't this ditzy goddess underestimating pirates? How come her intuition is so sharp now?
"When he appeared, I inexplicably felt a very powerful aura, more terrifying than any Demon King the heroes have faced..." Aqua shared her thoughts honestly.
Such a high-level figure wouldn't get injured by someone like Higuma unless it was intentional.
"I see."
Zyhark sighed deeply, enlightened, "Such enviable talent..."
Since he could sense Shanks's imposing Haki, then Aqua, who grasped the essence of Observation Haki even earlier, naturally wouldn't be unaware.
"Hmph, I told you ordinary people can't compare to a goddess!" Aqua boasted with a smug, irritating smile.
Just then, she realized the little power she had left wasn't depleting as expected.
Looking down at Zyhark's chest, she saw his well-defined muscles clean and free from any trace of blood!
Wait, wait!
If we don't treat it, the wound will heal on its own?
Such superficial injuries, for someone with Zyhark's abnormal defensive strength, are practically non-existent!
After a long thought, Aqua finally caught on, realizing she had been played.
"Jerk! You big jerk, you didn't need healing at all, how dare you deceive even the noble Goddess Aqua!"
Regaining her senses, an irate Aqua, forgetting her previously divine composure, berated Zyhark, shaking his collar furiously.
"If I knew you figured out Shanks did it on purpose, I wouldn't have needed to do this."
Zyhark let Aqua shake him as much as she wanted, spreading his hands helplessly.
Shanks was willing to wager his arm to teach Luffy a lesson about growth—that was his determination, a man's resolve.
What reason did he and Aqua have to interfere?
…
Once Luffy had calmed down a bit, Shanks was quickly taken back to the village by the mayor and Makino, surrounded by the Red Hair Pirates' officers, for some not-so-urgent medical treatment.
After briefly greeting them to express his concern, Zyhark naturally packed up Higuma's body.
He pocketed the few tens of thousands of Belly and the custom long sword found on Higuma, then returned to Windmill Village with Aqua.
The village had no place to exchange the bounty; the closest point was the capital of the Goa Kingdom.
Traveling by land required passing through the Corvo Mountains behind and avoiding the chaotic Grey Terminal.
By sea, one had to depart from Windmill Village's port, sailing along the coast of the Goa Kingdom, passing several coastal villages.
Either way would be time-consuming, so to save trouble, Zyhark simply handed over Higuma's body and the wanted poster to the village's only merchant who traded by sea, asking them to claim the bounty on his behalf.
Of course, the handling fee was quite substantial, taking five percent, which amounted to a whopping 400,000 Belly!
This was after the merchant, a member of the Axis Church (the one who generously waived the debt during a previous visit), lowered the price by two percent out of reverence (pity) for Goddess Aqua.
Considering the risk of transporting a bounty head, along with the exchange procedures and personal information registration, Zyhark didn't bargain.
True to the special merchant's reputation, the efficiency was commendable.
By the next afternoon, the bounty was successfully claimed, and Zyhark received 7 million Belly.
What about the remaining 600,000 Belly?
Naturally, it was used to compensate for the destruction of the village's only boat dock by Aqua's flood...
This amount was far from the 10 million Belly needed to summon the second companion.
As for the second condition for activating the wishing pool, the "Special Buggy Ball," Zyhark already had an idea.
Since the execution of the Pirate King Roger, most of Buggy's activities were in the East Blue.
According to news from Shanks, who was recovering, their group was currently loitering around the Organ Islands.
And the port city of Orange Town on the Organ Islands, where Luffy beat Buggy in the original story, can be easily found on any map of the East Blue!
(End of Chapter)