Chapter 52: The Captain

Ten minutes later.

Both Zoro and Sanji had bright red, pinched ears, with a distinct palm print left on each of their faces. With tear-filled eyes, they crouched by the courtyard gate, desperately trying to fix the sign with glue.

"There are so many tiny pieces, how is it even possible to finish this!"

"Don't you dare blame me when you were the one who insisted on chopping it up with a sword!"

"Then why didn't you mention that you were the one who kicked it to pieces in the first place!"

Seeing that another argument was about to break out, Zeff inside the house casually glanced over in their direction, instantly scaring the two brats out of their wits. They buried their heads and went back to working furiously.

"They seem to be quite obedient to you nowadays, Old Man Zeff." Nono chuckled softly as he sat across from him.

"You flatter me."

Kouzuru brought over a tea tray, poured a cup for everyone, and said apologetically, "I'm not the kind of person who can be stern, and these two kids are simply too unruly. Most of the time, I can only rely on Mr. Zeff to step in and discipline them."

Zeff didn't reply. His attention was completely captivated by the mechanical leg Nono had just pulled out. He turned it over in his hands, playing with it for a while before clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Such miraculous craftsmanship. I have no idea how something like this could even be made... Lord Nono, will this really fix my leg?"

"Why not try it right now?"

Nono picked up his teacup with keen interest.

He was also quite eager to see whether this mechanical leg, once belonging to a budget-constrained cyborg, could actually help Zeff return to his peak condition.

"Alright!"

Zeff had been waiting for those exact words. Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the mechanical leg with one hand, reached down with the other, and firmly twisted his wooden peg-leg off!

Nono was quick-witted enough to cover his two younger sisters' eyes just in time. *Splat*—in an instant, a gush of blood spurted from the stump, only for a grinning Zeff to brutally shove the mechanical leg right back into place...

"Ugh..." Kouzuru watched, his heart skipping a beat. "Mr. Zeff, actually, we could have just called Granny Violets over to perform a proper leg replacement surgery for you..."

"No need, I've always been hot-tempered and couldn't possibly wait, haha!"

Zeff laughed loudly. Meanwhile, Nami and Nojiko forcefully pried open Nono's large hands, peeking out with intense curiosity through his fingers just in time to witness the titanium-silver mechanical limb undergo a bizarre transformation. Dozens of silver threads suddenly burst forth from the metal joints embedded in the flesh, rapidly extending outward to both sides.

Within a matter of seconds, the cross-section of the knee was completely mended, making the entire mechanical leg fuse seamlessly and perfectly with the upper half of his thigh.

"Wow!!" Nami and Nojiko let out synchronized gasps of wonder. "That's amazing!!!"

Kouzuru was also startled, instinctively glancing at Nono.

This kind of technology was simply too over-the-top, completely unheard of. No... perhaps there were still people in this world capable of such feats.

Could it be that during his travels out at sea, Lord Nono had accidentally crossed paths with that mysterious sage?

"Ooh-ooh-ooh!!!"

Zeff's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. Feeling the long-lost surge of strength returning to his limb, he started jogging back and forth across the tatami mats. From one end to the other, he ran back and forth a dozen times, growing more and more exhilarated with every stride.

Suddenly, unable to contain his excitement, he let out a roar, spun around, and delivered a fierce kick toward the wooden post standing in the courtyard!

Boom!

The wooden post, deeply embedded in the ground, was instantly uprooted. It shot forward like a cannonball, carrying immense destructive force right toward the two brats crouching by the gate, sending them screaming high up into the air—

Thud!

Like a pair of kites with snapped strings, the two boys flew seven or eight meters away before crashing hard into the same cypress tree. Their heads tilted to the side, and they slumped against each other's shoulders, passing out cold.

"…Er."

Feeling the strange, sidelong glances of everyone present, Zeff's weathered face turned red. He awkwardly scratched his head and said, "I really didn't mean to target those two brats. It's just that I haven't stretched my legs in so long, and I got a bit carried away and failed to control my strength."

Zoror and Sanji offered no protests, remaining completely silent, which clearly meant they accepted the old man's excuse.

"It looks like it'll take some time for you to get used to it," Nono said, sipping his tea with a faint smile.

"Indeed."

Zeff bent down and gently stroked his alloy mechanical leg as if it were a priceless treasure. "It's back. I can feel it—that familiar sense of control has returned, and it's even stronger than it used to be... Wait, what does this button do?"

"Don't!" Nono's pupils constricted as he shouted a hasty warning.

But it was already too late. Zeff, acting like a curious toddler who had just received a new toy, didn't wait for an explanation and pressed the button straight down with a sharp click.

Boom!

The very next instant, a massive burst of steam erupted from Zeff's leg. His entire body shot upward like a rocket, instantly smashing through the ceiling and rocketing toward the azure sky—

The remaining people inside the house raised their heads blankly, staring at the tiny, rapidly vanishing black speck high up in the firmament.

A long while later.

The tiny speck finally began to grow larger in their field of vision, accompanied by the faint, heart-wrenching wails of Zeff echoing from above—

Nono let out a soft sigh and set down his teacup.

He stood up from his seat, vanished from the spot with a soft *swish*, stepped through the hole in the roof onto the shingles, and looked upward to gauge the direction before employing Moon Walk to meet him halfway.

...

A few minutes later.

Zeff sat on the tatami mats with a dazed expression, his clothes disheveled, and his hair and braided mustache still stubbornly pointing straight up in defiance of gravity.

"Fun?"

Zeff nodded vigorously.

"Never played with anything like that before?"

Zeff shook his head repeatedly.

"Then at least wait until I finish introducing the features before you go pressing random buttons, you old fool!"

Nono slammed his hand onto the table in exasperation. Giving Zeff a glare, he pointed at the two buttons located near the Achilles tendon.

"See? You've already tried the first one. It releases a massive burst of gas, allowing you to dash hundreds of meters in an instant. I'm not entirely sure what its maximum limit is, but it consumes a massive amount of stamina, so use it sparingly."

"As for the second one, you can adjust it yourself to release fierce currents of electricity or roaring flames that wrap around your leg to amplify your destructive power. It also requires stamina consumption."

"Oh?" Zeff's eyes lit up. "Doesn't that mean I can use it to ignite stove fires and cook? I'll never run out of a fire source again!"

"…Actually, that sounds about right."

Nono was stunned for a moment before snapping back to reality, baring his teeth in rage as he bellowed, "Drop that chef's intuition of yours right now! This gadget is meant for increasing combat capability; using it to light a stove for cooking is way too overkill!"

"Hahaha, I was just making a joke!"

Zeff grinned broadly. As he laughed, his expression gradually settled, and he looked up at Nono across from him with a serious gaze.

"Lord Nono, you first saved my life, and now you've gone out of your way to thoroughly fix my leg... Something this incredible couldn't possibly be bought for hundreds of millions of Berries, and it's not even a matter of money. You probably couldn't find a second one anywhere across the entire ocean."

"I will deeply engrave this kindness in my heart!"

The old man took a deep breath, suddenly bowing forward until his forehead touched the tatami mat, and said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, since the promise made a year ago has been fulfilled, it officially takes effect starting right now. From this day forward, I am a crew member under your command!"

"Over the next few years, I will do my absolute best to quickly adapt to this leg and train hard to improve my strength, ensuring that when we finally set sail together in the future, I won't become a useless dead weight!"

Nono hadn't expected this sudden turn of events, and it took him quite a while to process it.

Looking at the old man before him, a grin gradually spread across his face as he reached out and helped Zeff up.

"It looks like I finally have a formal crew member—and a proud one at that! Not only do you possess incredible leg techniques, but you also have extraordinary culinary skills! I'll be counting on you from now on."

"Your praise is enough to make me blush. It's clearly me who needs you to show me the ropes—"

Zeff raised his head, met Nono's gaze, and broke into a wide grin, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "Captain."