Upon hearing Luffy's words, Kuma's pupils trembled slightly.
If he couldn't escape the clutches of the World Government, why would he be willing to become a thoughtless machine, losing the chance to see Bonney?
He had also thought about taking Bonney back to the Revolutionary Army.
But the Revolutionary Army often had to travel around and carry out various missions.
He wouldn't be able to stay by Bonney's side to protect her all the time.
Just like Bonney's mother, Ginny.
Even though Ginny was part of the Revolutionary Army, she was still captured by the Celestial Dragons during a mission, which ultimately led to a tragedy.
He didn't want to see Bonney end up like that.
Therefore, abiding by his agreement with Satan Saint and transforming himself into a thoughtless weapon was the only way to protect Bonney.
Now, hearing Luffy say he was willing to take in Bonney, Kuma's heart couldn't help but begin to tremble.
While Kuma was hesitating and thinking, Luffy continued to speak.
"I promise you, I will definitely protect Bonney!"
"You don't have to fulfill your agreement with the World Government and transform yourself into a weapon without self-awareness anymore."
"Go back to my father!"
Kuma didn't respond to Luffy's words, still appearing to be thinking and weighing things in his mind.
Luffy frowned at this and said,
"Are you worried I don't have the ability to protect Bonney?"
Kuma still didn't answer.
But he did indeed have that thought.
After all, their enemy was the strongest existence in this world, the World Government.
Although the Straw Hat were not weak, compared to the strength of the entire World Government, they were still too small.
And just as Kuma was thinking this, Luffy continued to speak.
"Then what do you think Bonney will think after you abide by your agreement with the World Government and transform yourself into a human weapon that has lost its self?"
"Do you think she'll just give up and live her life well afterward?"
Facing Luffy's question, Kuma couldn't answer.
He himself knew that the answer to this question would definitely be no.
And Luffy continued to speak.
"She will desperately try to find a way to save you for your sake."
"She will seek the truth at all costs."
"Sooner or later, she will definitely embark on a path of opposing the World Government."
"But at that time, you will be a weapon of the World Government, and under their command, you will personally kill Bonney!"
Although what Luffy said was a bit exaggerated, it wasn't impossible.
And when Kuma heard this possibility, especially when he heard Luffy's last sentence, his body involuntarily trembled violently.
Personally kill Bonney!
This was the most unacceptable thing for Kuma.
His massive body began to tremble, and his usually unexpressive face, at this moment, revealed endless sorrow.
Even two lines of hot tears burst from his eyes and streamed down his cheeks.
Seeing such a side of Kuma, the rest of the Straw Hat were shocked.
The outside world reported Kuma as a cruel tyrant, powerful and cold-blooded.
But the Kuma they saw at this moment was clearly a gentle and kind father who would give everything for his daughter.
At this moment, the entire Straw Hat's impression of Kuma couldn't help but change.
After a period of sorrow and tears, Kuma suddenly looked at Luffy and said,
"Can you really protect Bonney?"
Luffy's gaze was firm as he looked into Kuma's eyes, nodded seriously, and said,
"I…",
"And these companions of mine…",
"We will definitely protect Bonney!"
As soon as Luffy said this, the Straw Hat all smiled and spoke.
"Leave it to us!"
"Although we don't know Miss Bonney, since our Captain said so, we will definitely protect her with all our might."
"Waaah… Although you're a Shichibukai, hearing your story really moved me to tears! Rest assured, your daughter is safe with us!"
"If Bonney joins us, she'll be our companion, and all of us will desperately protect our companions."
Listening to the Straw Hat's words one after another, and seeing the sincerity and determination on each of their faces.
At this moment, Kuma was deeply moved.
His tears couldn't stop overflowing from his eyes again.
If Bonney's safety could truly be guaranteed, he would be willing to do anything.
And if he could still have the chance to reunite with Bonney, that would be the greatest satisfaction in his life.
Just thinking about the chance to reunite with Bonney, Kuma couldn't help but shed tears of excitement.
Seeing Kuma's prolonged silence, Luffy continued to speak.
"If you still don't believe me, then…"
Luffy was already planning to use Gear 5 to show Kuma.
But unexpectedly, Kuma interrupted him at this moment.
Kuma said emotionally,
"No!",
"I believe you all!"
Hearing Kuma finally say this, Luffy, including everyone in the Straw Hat, couldn't help but smile.
After calming his excited emotions, Kuma looked at Luffy with special gratitude and said,
"Thank you, Straw Hat!"
"And thank you all!"
Kuma also spoke very gently and politely to the others.
Luffy smiled and waved his hand, saying,
"You're welcome!",
"I wanted to do this myself!"
The others were also touched by Kuma's gentle demeanor and spoke words of courtesy.
Kuma stared at Luffy for a while, then suddenly said,
"You're very much like your father!"
"You are both people who can deeply influence others!"
Luffy smiled and didn't respond.
Kuma also just sighed, not expecting a response from Luffy.
After his sigh, he took out a bounty poster from his body and presented it in front of Luffy and the Straw Hat.
Jewelry Bonney, the "Big Eater," bounty of 140,000,000 Berries, dead or alive!
As everyone looked at the bounty poster, Kuma spoke.
"This is Bonney!"
"Like you all, she's also a pirate."
Upon hearing Kuma's words, everyone in the Straw Hat was incredibly surprised and confused, speaking one after another.
"Bonney is a pirate? And her bounty is 140,000,000 Berries!"
"Didn't you say Bonney was only 10 years old? The picture on this doesn't look like 10 years old at all!"
"What exactly is going on?"
Upon hearing the Straw Hat's questions, Kuma explained,
"Bonney is a user of the Age-Age Fruit, capable of freely changing her age."
"She escaped surveillance by the World Government and went out to sea, becoming a pirate."
"Now, like you all, she is about to reach the middle section of the Grand Line."
"According to my estimation, she will arrive at the Sabaody Archipelago, the necessary route to the New World, around the same time as you all."
After informing Luffy and the others about Bonney, Kuma changed the subject and said,
"I cannot meet Bonney yet; this place is too close to Marineford and Mary Geoise."
"If they found out I violated the agreement this early, they would definitely dispatch forces to deal with me and Bonney."
"So, I'm entrusting you all to tell Bonney about this."
Luffy nodded, indicating understanding.
Kuma continued to speak.
"I will continue to serve as a Shichibukai until the very last moment before my modification."
"At that time, Marineford and the World Government will temporarily be too preoccupied to focus on me and Bonney."
Everyone in the Straw Hat was confused upon hearing this sentence.
They didn't understand what Kuma meant by "at that time."
But before they could ask, they saw Kuma's expression suddenly turn serious, staring intently at Luffy.
Then, they heard Kuma say to Luffy with extreme seriousness,
"Straw Hat!",
"Do you have an older brother?"
Upon hearing this, Luffy immediately frowned.
He instantly realized something.
Those among the Straw Hat who had seen Ace in Alabasta before now all recalled.
"Luffy seems to have an older brother."
"I remember! Luffy's older brother is Fire Fist Ace, the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 2nd Division!"
"Why suddenly ask about Luffy's brother?"
As everyone was confused, they heard Kuma slowly say,
"After you defeated Crocodile, a man submitted a bounty criminal to the World Government in order to become a Shichibukai."
"That bounty target is Fire Fist Ace!"
"Now…"
"The World Government has decided to publicly execute Fire Fist Ace!"
"The location will be Marineford, the city where Marineford is located!"
"The execution time hasn't been set yet, but it should be soon."
"Once everything is arranged, newspapers will spread this news all over the world!"
Hearing this shocking news, the Straw Hat immediately exclaimed in disbelief.
"How could this be? Luffy's brother is going to be…"
"Isn't Ace very strong? Who could possibly…"
"Ace is a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, and that pirate crew won't just stand by and watch Ace be executed. Is a war about to break out?"
"Luffy…"
After a series of exclamations, everyone's attention shifted to Luffy, looking at him with worry.
Kuma also stared intently at Luffy at this moment and asked,
"What are you going to do, Straw Hat?"
At this moment, Luffy kept his head slightly lowered, silent, clenching his fists tightly.
Upon hearing Kuma's words, he slowly raised his head and glanced at Kuma and the Straw Hat.
Then, with immense determination, he gritted his teeth and said each word clearly,
"Of course I'm going to…"
"Save Ace!!!"
Although Ace and he were not from the same pirate crew and should not interfere in each other's affairs.
But at a time like this, whether it was Luffy or Ace, upon learning that the other was in danger, they would undoubtedly rush to save them without hesitation.
Upon hearing Luffy's answer, Kuma seemed to have expected it and nodded.
Then he looked at the others and said,
"What about you?"
"The enemy is the combined strength of Marineford and the Seven Warlords of the Sea. In such a battlefield, anyone could die!"
As soon as Kuma finished speaking, the Straw Hat all expressed their stance.
"Hmph! You underestimate us too much! Even if we die, we won't run away."
"That's right! Luffy is our Captain, and no matter what he wants to do, we will steadfastly stand behind him."
"The enemy is Marineford and the Seven Warlords of the Sea? That means… will that man come too? It seems I need to train desperately during this time, after all, I promised Luffy that I wouldn't lose again!"
Each member of the Straw Hat had an unyielding attitude.
Kuma didn't even see a trace of fear or retreat in any of their eyes.
This scene shocked Kuma.
After a long while, he looked at Luffy and sighed.
"You have a very good crew!"
"I'm relieved to leave Bonney with you!"
After saying this, Kuma intended to bid farewell to Luffy and the others.
"Goodbye, Straw Hat, and the Straw Hat!"
"During my last period as a Shichibukai, I will continue to pay attention to you."
"If you need any help, I will help you."
With that, he activated his ability and vanished into thin air before everyone's eyes.
In the past, perhaps the Straw Hat would have marveled at Kuma's strange ability.
But now, all of them were staring intently at Luffy, with endless worry in their eyes.
Luffy looked at their expressions, then suddenly smiled and said,
"You don't need to worry about me!"
"Ace hasn't been executed yet, has he?"
"And…"
"I will definitely save him!"
Hearing Luffy say this, the Straw Hat's mood relaxed a bit.
They were worried that Luffy would be very sad and anxious upon hearing this news, and thus become negative or impulsive.
But Luffy's performance still looked as usual.
This lessened their worries.
Then, one by one, they perked up and said,
"Then let's discuss how to save Luffy's brother!"
After a period of discussion.
They made a decision.
First, they would go to the Sabaody Archipelago, as Kuma had said, and bring Bonney into their pirate crew.
Then, during this time, they would continuously monitor the news until they knew the exact time of Ace's execution.
Afterward, they would prepare in advance and set off to rescue Ace together with the Whitebeard Pirates.
They did not intend to rush directly to the Deep Sea Great Prison to rescue Ace in advance now.
The date of Ace's execution had not yet been announced, and the Whitebeard Pirates would not act for the time being.
If they went to the Deep Sea Great Prison now, they would face the entire force of Marineford.
It would be too difficult for just a few of them to confront the entire Marineford alone.
Therefore, acting with the Whitebeard Pirates was the safest option.
After finalizing the plan, everyone once again faced a problem.
Nami looked at the Log Pose in her hand, then said to everyone with a bewildered expression,
"Speaking of which…"
"According to Kokoro, the next stop after Water 7 is Fish-Man Island."
"So…"
"Where is this Sabaody Archipelago?"
As soon as she said this, everyone looked at each other, completely bewildered.
Just then, Uta suddenly spoke up.
"I've been to the Sabaody Archipelago before with Shanks."
"Although I don't remember how to get there."
"But it's very close to the Red Line."
"Let's just follow the Log Pose until we reach the Red Line, and then search for it nearby!"
Everyone felt helpless upon hearing this.
"At this point, that's all we can do!"
After sailing for some more time, following the Log Pose.
At a certain moment!
A fierce wind blew, and ice-ball-like objects fell from the sky.
The Sunny swayed wildly in the waves, and screams and wails filled the deck.
"Waaahhh… What is this stuff falling?"
"Hail?"
"Not hail! So sweet! So delicious! Ah! It hurts!"
"How strange! Why does it taste like candy?"
"Oh?! There's a circular rainbow ahead!"
"So beautiful!"
"Never mind that, hurry and get out of this sea area! A giant wave is coming right behind us."
Hearing Nami's instructions, everyone immediately sprang into action.
Franky went to the control panel and launched a Coup de Burst.
Whoosh!
After flying over a thousand meters, the Sunny finally dodged the giant wave.
However, before anyone could let out a sigh of relief.
They were shocked to find themselves in a sea area that looked like giant sea snakes intertwining and coiling.
"Damn it! It's the Sea Serpent Current!"
"This weather is too terrible!"
"What are you afraid of! Charge through!"
"Want to play a song?"
"Alright! Let's all sing!"
"Is this the time to sing?!"
"Yohohoho…"
After passing through one harsh sea area after another, and enduring strong winds and storms.
The weather and currents finally improved.
At a certain moment, a surprised voice from Luffy rang out on the ship.
"I see it!"
"We finally… arrived here!"