"Whoosh—whoosh—"
High above the sea, the enormous cloud island Atlantis, or Homie, drifted steadily into the distance. Besides Dr. Kureha—the newly joined "Witch" who was already quite advanced in age—the members of the Fallen Angel Pirates were all hard at work with their morning training. Even the ship's doctor, Nef, was participating.
"Tsk, tsk, young people really do put in the effort," Dr. Kureha remarked, one leg crossed over the other. Sipping from a bottle of sake, she sat comfortably on an open patch of ground, casually helping herself to fresh ingredients from the newly installed ice chest. She selected some choice cuts of meat, seasoned them, and had Prometheus, the sun Homie, ignite a fire as she leisurely roasted the meat to pair with her drink.
The aroma of roasting meat filled the air, causing the crew—who hadn't yet had breakfast—to swallow hungrily and shoot envious, jealous glances at her.
"Hey, Kureha, are you doing this on purpose to make us hate you?"
Smelling the savory scent, even Linlin couldn't help but swallow, her eye twitching and brows furrowed as she glared at the older woman. "Be careful, or my eating disorder might flare up, and I'll end up swallowing you whole, old lady!"
"Wouldn't that be convenient?" Dr. Kureha chuckled, taking another sip as she looked Linlin up and down, admiring her towering, intimidating figure. "I've treated patients with strong compulsions to eat—conditions similar to hyperphagia or food addiction. But I've never encountered a case like yours, where only exceptional food can snap you out of it. I've yet to see you in a full eating frenzy, and honestly, observing it firsthand would really help my research."
She had already heard from El and the others about Linlin's "eating disorder," and her curiosity had only grown. In fact, she'd even requested funding from El to buy rare medical and laboratory equipment from the Drum Kingdom, hoping to analyze Linlin's blood. Nef, who had previously tried to diagnose Linlin but was stumped, had shared her earlier medical notes with Kureha. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough data yet to make any real progress.
If Linlin did experience a full-blown eating fit, Kureha would be thrilled—it would be a chance to observe the disorder up close and take samples of Linlin's blood and saliva during the episode. Comparing these with samples taken while Linlin was calm could yield new insights into the disorder's origins and perhaps lead to a treatment.
"You rotten old lady..."
Linlin gripped her sword, Napoleon, clenching her teeth as she shot the cold-blooded doctor a fierce glare. "Can't you at least pretend to care, instead of looking so detached and uninterested?"
The last thing Linlin wanted was for her eating disorder to flare up and cause chaos in the dreamy paradise of Atlantis. Most of the time, she carried a piece of Seastone with her to restrain herself immediately if her disorder emerged. And with El around, things would probably stay under control.
"Alright, Linlin, calm down..."
Gerd, acting like an older sister, stepped forward and gently patted Linlin's head, smiling as she comforted her. "Dr. Kureha has a point, and besides, El is here, so there's nothing to worry about."
"Hmph, who knows if she can really do anything..." Linlin turned her head away, but the anger in her voice had already dissipated.
She wasn't naive—she knew that Kureha was most likely hoping to provoke an episode of her eating disorder to observe it firsthand. After all, with such a unique condition, witnessing an episode and collecting data would be crucial for making a proper diagnosis.
Nef, the ship's doctor, had conducted similar tests before—comparing saliva, blood, and hair samples taken when Linlin was calm with those from when she was experiencing an episode. Some abnormal indicators had been discovered, and Nef had even tried using medicine to normalize those indicators during an episode. But when Linlin's disorder flared up, it was as if she were immune to all medications—they had no effect whatsoever.
"To think there's such a condition... it's unbelievable," remarked Tsuru, Mad, Tom, Rufe, and Lillian, the newer members of the crew. Even though they had never witnessed an episode themselves, they could tell it was a major issue that had troubled the Fallen Angel Pirates for a long time.
Considering Linlin's strength, which they had all witnessed, combined with her terrifyingly powerful Devil Fruit ability, the consequences of her losing control in a rampage were unimaginable.
"Alright, that's enough for now. Everyone, take a break and get some breakfast," El, slightly sweaty from his workout, called out loudly, putting down the enormous dragon hammer. "We'll resume training afterward."
"Ohhh—"
"El-sama/Boss is the best!!"
Having been training since early morning, the crew was sweaty and starving, so they were thrilled to finally take a break. Despite the hard work and monotony of their daily training, no one complained—El, their boss, was out there training just as hard, leading by example.
Even for those like Lily, Linlin, and Gerd, and especially for newcomers like Baka, Rufe, and Sak, they'd all come to understand that in this cruel world, strength is the ultimate means of survival. Their enemy was none other than the World Government—a force that had ruled the seas for centuries with unfathomable power.
Joining the Fallen Angel Pirates had given them a chance to change their fates. Not only had they gained access to Devil Fruits, but they also had skilled teachers guiding them in martial arts, swordsmanship, and Haki. Driven by determination, they threw themselves into their training.
Time passed quickly. After breakfast, they rested for a while, then resumed training, working up a sweat under El's watchful eye.
"Moss is back!"
Suddenly, Lillian's sharp eyes spotted something in the distance. She pointed to the sky, exclaiming loudly.
"Whoosh—whoosh—" A massive Pelagornis bird approached, flapping its wings. The crew of the Fallen Angel Pirates looked up, surprised.
The night before, after dinner, Moss had been sent on a mysterious errand by El, and no one knew where he'd gone. Now, he was back—so soon—and there were two figures riding on the bird's back.
"Back already?" El couldn't help but grin.
"Moss!" The Pelagornis bird soon reached Atlantis, landing in front of El, Linlin, Gerd, and the others.
Two figures, one male and one female, hopped down from its back. The woman was tall and beautiful, dressed in a pink dress with a white shawl, and wore a white flowered hat. She appeared to be around the same age as Tsuru, the so-called "Flower of the Navy." The man was a young, slightly chubby guy who appeared to be around 18 or 19 years old.
"Stussy!!"
"Ryan!!"
"Welcome back!!!"
~~~
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