Chapter 63 Lending a Hand

When the dawn light spilled into the room through the gaps in the curtains, Honey Queen was curled up in Kaguya’s arms, her fingertips tracing circles on his firm chest.

She lazily lifted her eyelashes, her voice still carrying the lingering raspiness of the previous night.

“Now… am I truly considered your crew member?”

Kaguya caught her mischievous fingers and gave them a light kiss at his lips.

“You have been from the moment you stepped on board.”

The morning sunlight spilled onto the deck as Kaguya walked out of the cabin feeling refreshed, followed by the radiant Honey Queen.

There was an unmaskable glow of passion in the corners of her eyes and brows, and her walking posture was even more alluring than usual.

Nami was leaning against the railing reading a sea chart, and she glanced up when she heard footsteps.

“So, did you get what you wanted?”

“Many thanks to little sister Nami for being so generous and letting me have Master last night~”

Honey Queen thanked her in a saccharine voice.

Nami gave a light snort and rolled up the sea chart, tapping it against her palm.

“Hurry up and eat; it’s been ready for a while, we were just waiting for the two of you.”

Honey Queen gave a doting laugh and walked into the dining room leaning on Kaguya’s arm.

After breakfast, Moomoo pulled the dragon soaring ten thousand miles and set off once again.

“Kaguya, at this speed, we should arrive at Syrup Village roughly by the latter half of tonight or tomorrow morning.”

Nami came to the deck to report the course to Kaguya, who was currently instructing Honey Queen in her training.

“Mm, understood.”

Kaguya nodded and then continued to add barbell plates for Honey Queen.

“How is it? Is it a struggle?”

The barbell Honey Queen was currently lifting had already increased in weight to eight hundred jin.

“You can add more.”

Honey Queen gritted her teeth and persevered, sweat sliding down her smooth skin and glistening like crystal in the sunlight.

Her usually alluring and moving eyes were now filled with stubbornness, clearly not wanting to show any weakness in front of Kaguya.

Kaguya looked at her hardworking appearance with appreciation and added two more barbell plates.

The metal clanged together with a crisp sound; the weight had now reached one thousand jin.

“Ah!”

Honey Queen let out a soft cry, but quickly adjusted her breathing, her arm muscles tensing as she forced the barbell up.

Her arms trembled slightly, yet she still maintained a standard posture.

Nami leaned against the gunwale, watching the scene with interest.

“I didn’t expect a woman like you to have quite so much perseverance.”

Honey Queen ignored Nami’s teasing and focused entirely on completing the movement, discovering that a steady stream of warmth was currently being generated within her body.

With the appearance of this warm current, Honey Queen was surprised to find that her originally exhausted muscles were suddenly injected with new strength, and the weight of the barbell seemed to become much lighter.

When she finished a set and put the barbell down, she was drenched in sweat, but her face was beaming with a satisfied smile.

“Well done.”

Kaguya handed her a towel.

“Your progress is faster than I imagined.”

Honey Queen took the towel and wiped the sweat from her face, a flash of cunning in her eyes.

“Then… is there a reward?”

Kaguya raised an eyebrow.

“What kind of reward do you want?”

She leaned close to Kaguya’s ear and whispered something, causing Kaguya to burst into laughter.

Seeing this, Nami rolled her eyes and turned toward the barbells on the side.

Just then, Moomoo let out another cry.

Yesterday’s encounter had left a deep impression on everyone.

Everyone immediately became alert, and Kaguya strode to the bow, picking up binoculars to look ahead.

On the azure sea, a dilapidated small boat was drifting with the current, and figures seemed to be moving on board.

“It’s not the Marine; it looks like some people have met with a disaster. Prepare to move closer and take a look.”

Kaguya ordered.

As the dragon soaring ten thousand miles gradually approached, the situation on the small boat became clear.

It was a boy in rags, waving desperately to them for help.

Even more surprising was that a girl lay unconscious beside him, her long golden hair spread wetly across the boat’s planks.

Kaguya felt the girl’s appearance was very familiar, but he couldn’t recall who she was for a moment.

“Save… save us!”

The boy shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice filled with despair.

A hint of solemnity flashed in Kaguya’s eyes, and he turned to Honey Queen.

“Go tell Nami to prepare medical supplies.”

Then he leaped, jumping directly from the ship onto the dilapidated small boat.

The hull rocked violently because of his weight, and the boy stumbled, nearly falling.

Kaguya steadied him.

“What happened?”

Tears welled in the boy’s eyes.

“We… we were attacked by pirates, the whole ship…”

Before he could finish, several black dots suddenly appeared on the distant horizon, closing in on them at an alarming speed.

Those were five pirate ships flying Jolly Rogers; a menacing skull pattern was painted on the sails, with a pair of hourglasses on either side of the skull.

“Oh no!”

The boy cried out in terror.

“They’ve caught up!”

Kaguya’s gaze darkened as he picked up the unconscious girl and said to the boy.

“Relax.”

Then, grabbing the boy by the collar, he leaped back, bringing both of them onto the dragon soaring ten thousand miles.

“Prepare for battle!”

Kaguya’s voice echoed across the deck.

“Honey Queen, take care of these two children.”

On the ironclad battleship scimitar.

Pearl shouted to Krieg.

“Commodore! Another ship has appeared ahead!”

Krieg sat on a massive chair on the deck, his golden armor gleaming in the sunlight.

He narrowed his eyes, observing the distant dragon soaring ten thousand miles through binoculars, a cruel smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

“Interesting, it looks like another merchant ship.

And it’s of quite a large scale.

Luck is truly on our side today.

Men! Pull alongside them!”

“Yes!”

At Krieg’s command, the five pirate ships turned simultaneously, surrounding the dragon soaring ten thousand miles in a fan formation.

The sea breeze suddenly became biting, making the sails snap and flutter.

Honey Queen quickly settled the unconscious girl inside the cabin.

Looking at the shivering boy beside her, Honey Queen asked softly, “Who are you? What happened?”

Hearing her voice, the boy snapped out of his terror.

“I’m a villager from Mula Village. This time I was following my father on a merchant ship to Loguetown to see the world.

But halfway there, we encountered pirates.”

“And her? Is she your friend?”

“No, she is the daughter of that merchant ship’s owner.

Her father secretly sent us away on a small boat while he stayed behind on the ship to hold off the pirates…”

Before the boy could finish his sentence, the deafening boom of a cannon suddenly came from the distance.

A cannonball whistled across the sea and exploded near the dragon soaring ten thousand miles, kicking up a massive spray of water.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s safe here.”

Seeing the boy turn pale with fright, Honey Queen gently patted his shoulder.

…

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