After bidding a tearful farewell to everyone at the orphanage, Tama, filled with excitement and nervous anticipation, followed Connie on the journey to the Flower Capital.
Thanks to the past six months of Luffy's relentless focus on infrastructure—constructing roads, bridges, and improving transportation—the road system in Wano Country was now highly developed and convenient.
Connie, along with Tama and two of his subordinates, traveled using one of the more unique modes of transportation available in Wano: a giant rooster.
Even though they took their time, stopping along the way to show Tama the sights, they still arrived at the Flower Capital smoothly after three days.
As soon as they reached the outskirts of the Flower Capital, even before entering the city proper, Tama was completely blown away by the sheer magnificence and prosperity of the place.
While Amigasa Village had undergone significant renovations over the past months—becoming cleaner, more vibrant, and far better than before—it still paled in comparison to the bustling, dazzling Flower Capital.
The red brick houses with green tiled roofs refreshed Tama's young worldview completely.
It turns out houses can be this beautiful!
It turns out there are this many people in the Flower Capital!
It turns out there are so many delicious foods to buy on the street!
It turns out the Marine base is built on a mountain!
And… so this is what Vice Admiral Luffy looks like?!
As Tama stared in awe at the tall, handsome man standing before her, her body suddenly froze. The baked rice cake Connie had just bought her slipped from her fingers, falling to the ground unnoticed.
"Lululu—Master Luffy!!!"
Her piercing scream caught the attention of both Luffy and Connie, who were in the middle of greeting each other.
Luffy turned towards the sound, his signature grin lighting up his face as he squatted down to Tama's eye level, waving cheerfully.
"Don't be nervous, little one. I don't eat people," he teased gently.
As he spoke, Luffy reached out and gave Tama's head a soft, reassuring pat.
Feeling the warmth of his hand on her head, Tama's wide, watery eyes grew even larger. Her heart raced as she stared at the face of the man she'd always admired—the savior of Wano Country was actually talking to her!
He even patted my head!
The excitement overwhelmed her tiny frame. Her mind felt like it was spinning, her heart pounding so hard it felt like steam was rising from her head.
Her big eyes rolled up, and with a faint gasp, she leaned back—completely fainting from sheer excitement.
Luffy blinked, momentarily stunned.
"…"
As Tama began to collapse backward, Luffy quickly reacted, catching her before she hit the ground. He scooped her up effortlessly, cradling her small frame in his arms with a mix of amusement and helplessness.
Seeing this, Connie couldn't help but comment sourly:
"Must be nice to be so popular.
I've been with Tama for months, and she's never looked at me like that."
Luffy chuckled, adjusting Tama so she could lean comfortably against his shoulder.
"Can't help it. What can I say? I'm just too handsome. Good looks—something you're either born with or not."
Connie scoffed, crossing his arms.
"Hey, boss, I'm not bad looking either, okay? The girls on my squad are practically fighting over who gets to date me."
Luffy raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it.
They both laughed, the teasing easy and familiar. But then, Luffy waved his hand, signaling the female guard beside him.
She stepped forward and presented a small wooden box.
Opening the box, Luffy revealed a strange-looking fruit—brown with mysterious patterns curling along its surface.
Connie, who had been ready to continue their playful banter, fell silent as soon as he laid eyes on the fruit. His eyes widened in awe.
This wasn't the first time he'd seen a Devil Fruit, but no matter how many times he encountered one, it always left him marveling.
"Damn, this thing is ugly," Connie muttered under his breath.
"Boss… this is…?" he asked, still staring at the fruit in disbelief.
Luffy picked up the Devil Fruit, giving it a casual shake before tossing it toward Connie.
Connie barely managed to catch it, his hands fumbling slightly as he tried to process what had just been thrown at him.
"Don't overthink it," Luffy said nonchalantly. "It's not a powerful fruit. Just an ordinary Zoan-type—the Bear-Bear Fruit, Model: Brown Bear.
You can eat it yourself or give it to one of your subordinates. Consider it a reward for finding talent for the Marines."
Connie's jaw practically dropped.
"Brown bear?! Boss, are you kidding? Brown bears are top predators in nature!"
But then he thought about it a bit more—Luffy had the Thunder-Thunder Fruit, one of the strongest Logia fruits out there.
Compared to that, yeah… a Zoan fruit like this probably did seem ordinary.
"No, no!"
Connie shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He stared down at the Devil Fruit in his hands, his mind swirling with hesitation.
Unlike some Marines who relied solely on their swordsmanship or physical skills and were reluctant to eat Devil Fruits, Connie had seriously considered it.
He'd even fought tooth and nail with Cook over an Ancient Zoan-type fruit—the Dragon Dragon Fruit—Model : Carnotaurus before.
But… now, holding this fruit, he wasn't so sure.
In the end, it was just as Luffy had said.
Meanwhile, Tama's dramatic fainting spell had made her an instant celebrity at the Marine Academy from the very first day she arrived.
From the teachers to the students, everyone knew her name.
Tama, once she woke up and realized what had happened, was mortified.
Even though she was still young, she fully understood just how embarrassing it was to faint in front of the person you admired the most—Vice Admiral Luffy.
If she could've, she would've run straight back to her room at the orphanage, buried herself under a quilt, and never come out again.
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