"Heh heh, Gerd..."

  In the depths of Impel Down—

  The door to Level 5.5 was firmly sealed shut.

  Gerd’s boldook El by surprise.

  "I don’t care. Before, we were all a bit too young, so I let it go... but now that Linlin’s always around, it's hard to keep things discreet without making her suspicious!" She gave El a firm push, gazing down at him with frustration. Sitting beside him, she huffed, "If I waited any lohose other little temptresses would have snapped you up!"

  "Don’t think I haven’t noticed the odd closeness between you and Nef, Stussy, and Lillian—oh, and Sally’s definitely been in on it too!" Gerd had noticed the subtle ges between El and some of the other women—the quiet familiarity that had growween them retly.

  No matter how much they tried to hide it, the sighere: flushed gnces, longing gazes they thought went unnoticed.

  "You know I have a duty to revive the Lunarian race," El replied with a small ugh. Meeting Gerd’s ear gaze, he spoke calmly, "It’s just not possible for it to be only you and Linlin..."

  She ched her teeth, brows furrowing as she growled, "I k… El, you’re a man with a wanderi!" Her eyes fshed with determination. "Fihen, but I want to give you a few giant babies too!"

  "Wait, why giant babies?" El raised an eyebrow, amused by her enthusiasm but not pulling back. Testing her resolve, he added with a hint of curiosity, "You do realize I’m Lunarian..."

  He didn’t delve into her thoughts with Observation Haki—stantly reading people’s minds was tedious and, holy, unappealing. It was more fulfilling to see people’s natural reas without trolling every aspect of a retionship.

  "Ah? Well…" Gerd’s face turned red at his question, but she leaned in close, and with a deep breath, whispered about the strange dream she'd had after drinking too much that night.

  "Oh, so that's what it was..."

  Uanding dawned in El’s eyes, and he ughed gently, meeting her gaze with warmth. "The king of giants, huh? If the children ied the strength of the giant race, that would be remarkable..."

  Of course, he wasn’t wishing for purely giant offspring, but for children with Lunariaage who could match or surpass giants in size and lifespan.

  Gerd’s cheeks flushed a deeper red. With a hint of defiance, she huffed, "Hmph, in my dream, I couldn’t keep up with Linlin. But in real life, I’ll make sure to have miant babies than her!"

  "Well, you’ll have to try hard for that!" El’s eyes sparkled with humor, a smile f on his lips. He was amused by her determination.

  She probably had no idea just how extraordinary Linlin’s stitution was.

  "Wouldn't it be amazing if it happened right away?" she mused dreamily.

  "If you do get pregnant, remember, a big belly will make things tricky. Fighting, traveling... it all gets a lot harder," El cautioned with a chuckle, a gentle reminder.

  "What?" Gerd drew herself up proudly. "I’m a giant, remember? We’re not as fragile as humans!"

  "And besides," she added, "I’m a Soul-Soul Fruit user. Once I’m pregnant, I’ve got ways to help the baby grow faster!"

  "The Soul-Soul Fruit, huh?" El raised an eyebrow, surprised. "I guess that might actually work since a child and mother are so closely ected during pregnancy."

  "But be careful; don’t force things," he warned. "We don’t want any risks with the baby’s health."

  "Rex, I won’t overdo it," she grinned fidently, full of certainty. "I’d only enhahe baby’s nourishment a bit, nothireme. Maybe instead of the usual nine months, it’ll take three or five, but no harm done!"

  "And we’ve got Nef and Dr. Kureha, too. They che things to make sure everything’s safe!"

  Her thoughts drifted back to Sally’s earlier remarks, and she muttered with a smug grin, "I bet Sally’s gonna flip when she finds out. Cursing me, huh?"

  "Hmph, then Linlin and I will take turns monopolizing you, El—she’ll be so envious!"

  El could only shake his head, amused and exasperated by Gerd’s petitiveness. With a griook her up on her challenge, moving forward with lighthearted determination. "Alright, you—time to put you in your pce!"

  "Wait, El..."

  Caught off guard, Gerd’s eyes widened. She hadn’t fully caught her breath from their st spar, but El didn’t pause, holding her close.

  "Onward!"

  ......

  "M, El-sama!"

  The day, at dawn.

  Though El had restrained himself somewhat, mindful of his partner’s limits, Gerd—possessing the robust stitution of a giant and the potent Soul-Soul Fruit ability—recovered quickly. This led terly pulling El into another “m workout” right at daybreak.

  By the time the two, fully refreshed, had washed up and appeared in the main hall of Level 5.5, Mos, Barry, and Ryan had already been waiting for some time.

  "Damn..." Sally muttered, grittieeth as she gnced over at the radiant Gerd. Seeing her looking so invigorated only made Sally ch her jaw in irritation.

  "Hehe, Sally, what’s with the dark circles?" Gerd asked, feigning i curiosity.

  "Don’t get cocky!" Sally retorted, rolling her eyes and turning away. Of course, she had no actual dark circles, but her frustration was undeniable.

  "Alright, that’s enough bickering…" El rolled his eyes and lightly tapped Sally’s cheek, giving her a knowing, private signal meant just for the two of them.

  "Well, I’m the bigger person here; I won’t stoop to Gerd’s level!" Sally’s mood instantly brightened, and she fshed a grin.

  "Hmph, I’m a giant, so my tolerance only be bigger than yours!" Gerd replied proudly, lifting her .

  The two exged a few more pyful barbs but quickly let the matter drop.

  "Sally, I’ll leave the step to you. The records room should be on the first floht?"

  "No need. I had Uthan assist me yesterday, and I’ve already gottehing we need!" Sally handed a file to El with a triumphant smile.

  "That fast?" Gerd asked, surprised.

  Sally gave a soft, mog ugh, as if to say, "You think I’d be this quick for no reason?"

  "These are the records of all the Devil Fruit users imprisoned on each level," she expined with a smile, putting aside her banter with Gerd. "As for the inmates on Level Six, I’ve doted them iail, whether or not they’re fruit users."

  "I’ve also marked a few key individuals who might be worth recruiting. Of course, that decision ultimately rests with you, El-sama."

  "Impressive!"

  El gnced over the dot, seeing the detailed records: names, ages, personalities, Devil Fruit abilities, prisoner ID numbers, cell locations... all meticulously categorized, with even brief profiles for crity.

  He gave her a thumbs-up and praised her without reservation: "Well done, Sally. You’re a truly invaluable member of the Fallen Angel Pirates. Thank you for your hard work!"

  Bleam