42 For The Future

( 3rd POV )

On a sunny day, upon the expansive deck of a grand luxurious vessel, a group of children engaged in coordinated exercises under the guidance of a man with a massive black wing.

"Put your strength into it, BOI! Look, even a girl younger than you guys managed to outrun you," the man exclaimed, addressing the sole two boys in the assembly.

"Hah... hah... I'm trying my best, damn it! Is everyone in this group a training maniac, Bepo?" complained the skinny boy, donning an oversized hat, to his companion beside him as he ran with weights strapped to his frame.

"Ah... You'll get used to it, Law," responded the white bear, Bepo, sheepishly to his new friend.

Both boys perspired profusely as they continued their arduous run around the deck for nearly three hours, their countenances growing fatigued. Not far off, a younger girl overheard their exchange. "Heh, getting outrun by a little girl like me, shame on you, twig," she taunted the skinny boy known as Law.

"Just because you've been trained earlier than both of us doesn't mean we couldn't catch up with you, Uta," retorted Law, gritting his teeth as he exerted more effort into his stride, a fierce determination gleaming in his eyes.

At Law's retort, the girl named Uta flashed a mischievous grin before accelerating once more, leaving her companions in her wake. "Well, try to keep up then."

Observing the interaction between the children, the man with the black wings showed an amused smile on his face. "She really picked some of Yamato's characters, huh?"

"Law also shows great will to improve, and the same goes for Bepo," he nodded in approval to the boys for their effort before shifting his gaze to his left.

A girl dressed in a maid outfit observed the children's training regimen with curiosity shining in her eyes. Azel silently watched over her, still cautious despite Robin and Law's acceptance of her. He needed time to ensure that she posed no threat to the guild before extending his trust.

.....

"How is Hancock, Robin?" inquired a man's voice from the round table in the meeting room.

"She is still asleep, but fine nonetheless," replied a woman with a graceful figure, clad in a tight leather blue jacket, as she took a seat beside the man and placed the newspaper on the table.

"Hmm..." the man mused to himself as he read a bunch of papers in front of him. It was the information that Robin had collected from the Doflamingo family, such as their underworld contacts and their auction houses.

Knock! Knock!

"Vanze, I brought them."

"Come in."

The door to the room opened as a girl with beautiful white hair with a tint of faded aqua green further down it entered, followed by another green-haired beauty holding a little girl's hand.

"Ah, we finally meet. I've heard your story from Robin already. I was supposed to talk to you yesterday, but I was preoccupied by something. So, sorry for the delay," said the man called Vanze, setting down the papers and welcoming his guests.

"Oh no, it's fine. Both my sister and I are also grateful to you guys for taking care of us yesterday," the lady with green hair replied with a flushed look, feeling embarrassed by his words.

Meanwhile, the little girl on her hands replied excitedly to Vanze. "Umu, Big sis Yamato showed us a lot of cool things on this ship yesterday, and the breakfast was also delicious."

Hearing the little girl, who shared the same hair color as the woman holding her hand, Vanze chuckled. "Haha, thanks for the praise, young lady. Oh, and please take a seat," he gestured to them, indicating a spot near Yamato.

Both sisters sat next to the white-haired girl as several hands materialized on the tables, and snacks and tea were served. Seeing this, Yamato didn't even bother with anything else and just went straight for it.

"Um, nice assist, Robin!" she exclaimed while munching on the macaron in her hands.

Seeing her sister's behavior, Robin shook her head with a wry smile before shifting her attention to the guests. "Please, help yourselves."

"Thank you... But, let me introduce ourselves once again. My name is Monet, and this is my little sister Sugar. I really can't tell you how much I appreciate your help from yesterday. We don't really have anything left to offer besides our gratitude, so thank you once again, Vanze-san," the green-haired lady said before getting up from her seat and bowing toward Vanze.

Seeing her sister's actions, little Sugar also imitated her and bowed toward him while holding a macaron in her tiny hand. "Umu, thank you, big brother, big sisters."

The guests that Vanze had taken in were exactly the same people who would join and work for the pink guy family in the original timeline. But, thanks to his group's intervention, or more precisely Azel's intervention, history had changed once again and led the two sisters onto a new path. Even Vanze didn't expect that he would meet them on this island.

"It's just a coincidence. We have been following those people's tracks for a while before finding them on this island, engaging in these atrocities. So, we simply engaged with them," Vanze replied, offering only a half-truth.

"We didn't directly save both of you, Monet. You should thank Azel instead, fufufu," Robin commented, showing a knowing smile.

"Big sis and I thank him already, but he acts cold towards us, Hmph," little Sugar suddenly interjected, filling a complaint about Azel.

"Haha, Azel is not like what you think, Sugar-chan. He's just really bad at expressing himself toward other people, and he easily gets embarrassed. That's why he acts as cold as a statue to hide his real feelings."

"He's also bad at understanding women..." Yamato added her comment while munching on the macaron.

"Fufufu, but he is a reliable companion once you get to know him later," Robin added, putting a positive spin on Azel in front of both sisters.

"I-is that so...?" Monet muttered slowly.

"Oh, he must be a tsundere like what the people in town talked about," Sugar realized as she remembered the town folks' conversation that she once overheard.

Hearing the little girl's evaluation of his best friend, Vanze chuckled heartily. "Hahaha, maybe you are right, Sugar-chan, hahaha."

Monet, who heard her sister's words, had an embarrassed look before pulling Sugar back to her seat and stuffing her mouth with a macaron to silence her. "I'm sorry for her behavior..."

"Fufufu, it's fine, Monet. Kids tend to speak whatever words they have in their heads, just like Uta-chan. I think both of them could become good friends later," Robin tried to ease Monet's worries with an understanding smile.

"Robin is right, no need to apologize, Monet. After all, I found it funny. Anyways, back to the topic, as you already know, while the town is in ruins and there are hardly any survivors left on this island as we already searched. If you also add the aftermath of our fight, this island is basically already dead as the environment got destroyed. I want to ask, what are you going to do? Will you continue to stay in this place...?" Vanze finally threw her the question he had been pondering since he saw them yesterday.

When he saw them with his KG on, he didn't find any trace of devil fruit origin on them. So, he was curious as to what the two normal sisters would choose for their future path.

The room suddenly turned silent as he finished speaking. Monet had a grim look as she remembered the town's condition when Azel brought them here. She had also been pondering the same question last night before going to sleep. There was no way she would let her sister live in that place.

"You could also follow us to the next islands; we can help you find a nice place to start your new lives if you want, Monet," Robin said, offering her another alternative to staying on the island. Robin always had a soft spot towards children like Sugar, so she wanted to help the two sisters live a better life in a safe place.

Monet was surprised as soon as she heard Robin's offer. But rather than quickly agreeing to it, she contemplated her choice. She already felt indebted to them for saving her and Sugar, so she didn't want to be a burden to her benefactors. But thinking about her sister's future... She felt entangled.

Seeing Monet's struggles, Vanze contemplated something before deciding to speak once again. "Or... both of you can join our guild. As you can see, our ship is so big, some of the residents are still children, and most of us are fighters. We don't have much time to organize things around here, except for Robin. So, we could use some help around here. How about it?"

"Hm?"

"H-huh?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone seemed taken aback by his words, especially Monet. Yamato and Robin even shifted their attention towards him, feeling curious about his sudden offer towards the green-haired sisters. While little Sugar just stared at them with a puzzled look on her face before continuing to eat the macaron.

Feeling overwhelmed by the sudden turn in their conversation, Monet's brain couldn't comprehend it immediately. "I-i-i... I m-mean w-we..." She stuttered because of it. She felt she needed to answer their question quickly to avoid misunderstanding.

Seeing the poor green-haired lady's situation, Vanze felt he was pushing her too much. "Alright, calm down, Monet. You could think our offer later; there's no need to be hasty with your choice. It's better if you consider it slowly; we have time."

"I still have matters to attend to, so I'll leave first. Robin, Yamato, both of you could stay here and accompany them," he said before standing up from his seat and walking towards the door, leaving Monet still deep in her own thoughts.

"Okay, Vanze," Robin replied with her usual smile.

"Nah, I'm going to see the kids training!" Meanwhile, Yamato quickly got off from her seat before heading towards the exit and sprinting off towards the deck while pocketing some snacks from the plate.

Seeing the door being smashed by her, Vanze looked dumbfounded by her childish action. "Sigh, what a way to start the day..." He murmured while touching the dilapidated door on his way out. A green light flashed for a second before the door shards came back together and formed the same door as before.

"Um... Is that normal?" Monet quietly asked as she watched their antics.

"Fufufu, you'll get used to it," Robin replied to her with a chuckle.

.....

As Vanze headed toward the prison to check on the pink guy's situation, he suddenly changed his mind before turning away and heading toward the female quarters. He still worried about Hancock's condition, even though Robin had already checked on her this morning and said she was fine. He needed to see her with his own eyes. As he arrived at the western part of the ship where the female quarters were located, he approached one of the rooms before opening its door.

As the door opened, he saw that the room was decorated with a royal vibe, with big red wardrobes, a luxurious sofa, a full-body mirror, a golden chandelier on the roof, and so on. But he ignored all of that because he saw a woman sitting on her velvet bed, staring at him before flashing her beautiful smile at him.

"Vanze..."

"You're awake..." He returned her smile before approaching her warmly.

.....

"Huft... Huft... It's finally over..." A boy's voice echoed as he gasped for breath, reclining on the ship's deck beside his newfound furry companion, both drenched in sweat.

"Here's the towel, Law," a girl in a maid outfit approached him, offering a towel.

Law stared at the girl for a while before sitting back up and accepting the towel from her hands. "Thanks, Baby 5." The girl replied with a nod while smiling at him.

Law then shifted his attention towards the girl wearing headphones on her head who was still running around while being chased by another woman with white hair. Law watched their actions with a hint of disbelief in his eyes as both of them used Soru in their playful chasing game.

"Is she a monster...?" He muttered, watching the girl vanish from her spot only to reappear elsewhere.

His furry friend beside him heard his words. "That's Uta for you. After all, she has been trained earlier than us. Physically, I'm stronger than her as a mink, but I really doubt I could win against her if we fought."

"You sure, Bepo?"

"Yeah. I mean, look at her skill; I can't even keep up with her."

Hearing Bepo's analysis about Uta, Law felt a pang of discouragement. He was older than both of them but much weaker. But he had to admit that not any kid could become strong at such a young age like Uta and Bepo, so he still admired both of them, even though he wouldn't say it to them directly.

"Don't be discouraged, Bepo, Law. Bepo as a mink could also get much stronger through a certain way. Law's devil fruit also has much more potential as long as he keeps developing it. Both of you still have a chance to catch up with her," a deep voice suddenly cut in as he overheard the kids' talk.

The kids turned their heads behind and saw the man with a huge black wing and fire on his back descending from the sky.

"Azel-san...!"

"Bepo just joined us a few weeks ago, and you just got cured and are still recuperating your body, Law. Our guild is also busy with the Doflamingo crew these days, that's why Vanze-san and Hancock, who usually trained you kids, are unavailable now. You guys need time to develop, but for now, just be patient."

"You are right, Azel-san. As long as I grow up and control my Sulong form later, I believe I can catch up with Uta and finally search for my brother's whereabouts," the little white bear replied to Azel's encouragement.

"Um, I also believe that you will become stronger now that you've been cured from your illness, Law!" Baby 5, who had been listening quietly chimed in, tried to encourage her only friend who cared about her when they were still on the Doflamingo crew.

For the past few days, Law had a lot of doubt in his mind, not only about his strength but also about his future, especially after hearing Rosinante and Vanze's conversation the other day.

He had seen a lot of things when he was still a vengeful, sickly kid back then, but when he got cured and stayed on this ship for only a short moment, his horizon broadened. He learned a lot of things that were supposed to be world secrets; he discovered a lot of cool things, and he saw incredible power displayed just from a few members of this guild.

As he glanced at Baby 5, who he found a bit annoying sometimes, his eyes softened. She was the only person from that bastard crew who was very kind to him beside Rosinante. Despite his weak appearance, she never looked down on him like Buffalo did.

Law was not an ungrateful person, so that's why he pleaded with Robin to free her when he heard that she got captured. One thing he learned from his stay with this guild is that they can be trusted, so once again he put his trust in them.

Touched by their encouragement, Law showed a confident smile and replied to them. "Hmph, of course! Not only will I become strong enough to protect the people I care about, but I will also become the best doctor this world has ever seen!"

Hearing his declaration, Azel nodded, approving his dream and passion. Bepo smiled while Baby 5 blushed and also smiled like an idiot. Azel suddenly felt a chill down his back before shifting his eyes towards the maid girl; he felt like he saw a mini-version of the crazy Hancock on her.

But the warm atmosphere on the deck didn't last for a long time as Azel stopped smiling, and his expression became tense. He sensed something from his Kenbunshoku Haki.

"I believe all of you will achieve your dreams later, but for now, you guys need to go back inside the ship," he said with a serious tone and left the kids puzzled with his behavior.

He ignored their gazes as he walked in front of them and called out to the other two people who were still playing. "Uta! Yamato! Stop playing and head back inside, right now!"

Both of the girls immediately stopped their movements as they heard Azel shouting at them.

"Huh? What happened, Azel-niisan?"

"What's going on, Luci?"

"Stop playing and bring back the kids inside with you, Yamato. And don't go out if Vanze-san didn't give permission. I need to find the others," he said with a no-nonsense look on his face before leaving the deck and heading inside the ship.

"Hey! Lucifer! Tell me what's going on!" Yamato shouted after him, demanding answers.

But Azel never intended to stop and just whispered slowly before leaving them on the deck. Yamato, who had a more sensitive ear, heard his words before he was gone.

"We've got company...!"

.....