"Here I come!" Clover jumped onto the ship from a distance just as a storm rose, carrying the Merry far away from the pursuing pirates.
"Clover, where did you go? You really had me worried," Luffy said, relieved to see Clover.
"Well, at least you're safe now!" Nami, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp shouted at Luffy together.
"Let's hurry; we're close to entering the Grand Line," Nami urged.
"Wait a second," Clover interrupted, catching everyone off guard.
"What's going on behind us?" Usopp noticed two large ships and a smaller one following them.
"Eh? That's Shanks' ship!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Whoa! What a beautiful woman!" Sanji, ever sharp-eyed, immediately noticed Hancock standing on the bow of the Nine Snake Pirates' ship, watching Clover with a worried expression.
"Who are those people?" Zoro eyed the man in the green cloak, standing alone but radiating a dangerous aura.
"Everyone, I'm saying my goodbyes here," Clover said, leaning on the railing.
The crew was stunned, especially Nami, who looked at him in disbelief.
"What do you mean? We're about to enter the Grand Line, and you're talking about leaving?" Usopp yelled.
"Yeah, this isn't the time for jokes. The waves are rough—focus on the ship!" Nami agreed, though she could tell from Clover's serious expression that he wasn't joking.
"I'm not kidding." Clover shook his head and pulled out his bounty poster, handed to him by Hancock.
Usopp took it and started reading aloud, "One hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, a million... wait, FIVE BILLION!?"
Usopp's hands shook as he processed the number.
"Five billion berries?!" everyone shouted in shock.
"That's insane," Sanji muttered, staring at the poster. The Empress, momentarily forgotten, slipped from his mind, and his cigarette fell into the sea.
"This is my real bounty. I had it long before I met any of you," Clover explained, putting the poster away. "Now that my true identity has been revealed, staying with you will only bring disaster."
"With that bounty, every time we set sail, we'll face enemies at least as strong as Marine Vice Admirals," Zoro said gravely, understanding the situation.
"Vice Admirals?!" Usopp looked horrified. They could barely handle a Marine Captain, let alone someone that powerful.
"Luffy..." Nami turned to Luffy, who had remained silent. His head hung low, deep in thought. He only reacted when Nami called his name.
"Don't worry. No matter how many come, I'll beat them all," Luffy said with a smile.
Clover shook his head. "Don't say foolish things. You're not strong enough yet, and you need time to grow. You can't do that with me around. If you really consider me a friend, trust that I'll come back, but only when you've become strong enough."
Clover's eyes locked with Luffy's, who stared back in silence before nodding. "I understand. I'll become very, very strong—stronger than even Mihawk. Then I'll wait for you to return."
Luffy's current frame of reference for strength was still Mihawk, the strongest swordsman he'd encountered.
"In that case, I want to go with you." Nami spoke up suddenly.
Nami had long seen herself as Clover's girlfriend. He was the first person she met, he helped her defeat Arlong, and he had always protected her. For Nami, the reason she joined the Straw Hats had shifted from Luffy to Clover.
"No, Miss Nami!" Sanji shouted, devastated. "If you leave, 98% of my reason for staying here will be gone!"
"Of course, Nami, I want you to come with me," Clover said, turning to her. "If you're willing."
"Of course!" Nami replied without hesitation.
"Luffy, I'm sorry. It looks like you'll need to find another navigator," Clover said.
Luffy kept his head down, the sadness evident on his face, but he didn't protest.
"You know I'll feel better with Nami by my side, right?" Clover added, and Luffy nodded silently. They had joined together, and their relationship made it natural for them to leave together.
"Then this is goodbye for now. We'll meet again on the Grand Line," Clover said to the crew.
"Yeah!" Luffy replied, his resolve strengthening, ready to become even stronger.
At this point, Shanks' ship, Hancock's ship, and Dragon's small boat were following the Merry. Clover had to decide which one to board.
Should he join Shanks and temporarily be part of the strongest pirate group? Or should he follow Dragon and start a revolutionary career? Or maybe… join Hancock and live in peaceful luxury on Amazon Lily?
"Of course, I'm going with Hancock!" Clover declared without hesitation, grabbing Nami and leaping onto Hancock's ship.
After all, with the world's most beautiful woman, Boa Hancock, offering him a place on her ship, how could he possibly choose the others?
"Wonderful!" Hancock leapt into Clover's arms, overjoyed. Clover, unfazed by her enthusiasm, welcomed her embrace.
"Hey, hey!" Nami, seeing this, looked ready to fight Hancock, but Clover, anticipating such a reaction, quickly used his power to modify her obedience to 100%. Nami stopped, no longer bothered by Hancock.
It was a good thing Clover had this power! No need to worry about increasing his strength when he could simply adjust things as needed.
"Gah!" Sanji, watching this unfold, felt his blood boiling. "Why does this guy always get the beautiful women?!"
Nami, on the other hand, was indifferent, completely unbothered by Clover's other relationships. With her obedience set to 100%, nothing else mattered. It was like a magic key to opening the perfect harem.
Though Hancock was jealous, she understood her position wasn't yet secure, and she didn't dare challenge Nami.
"Alright, let's go! Set sail!" Luffy shouted, and the Straw Hats got to work, heading toward the Grand Line. Though, without Nami, who knew if they'd make it?
"If you need anything, feel free to contact me," Dragon said, tossing a den den mushi to Clover from his boat. Clover caught it and nodded in thanks.
With that, Dragon left.
Shanks, seeing this, said nothing. He steered his ship in the direction of Windmill Village, intent on visiting his old friends.