"Vahn! You're really here~!" exclaimed Riko, waiting near the entrance of Utopia with its other residents. A few were out on overnight or multi-day expeditions, but after more than a year inside, most chose to remain close to home and return at night using Waypoints.
Dismounting from the back of his transformed clone, which he had been riding with Bonney sitting in front of him, Vahn caught Riko, Prushka, and Mitty as they pounced on him. The appearance of the fluffy and fragrant Narehate hadn't changed since he last saw them, owing to their biological immortality, but Riko had shot up to around 145cm, making her around the same height as Tatsumaki without her heels. Fortunately, the latter wasn't present, lest she get annoyed that Riko was developing in places she had stalled in her twenties.
"How have the three of you been?" asked Vahn, sporting an affectionate smile as he set the trio down and habitually caressed the heads of Mitty and Prushka. He could have produced a third arm to caress Riko's as well, but having his senses linked between six perspectives made it difficult to create and control additional extraneous limbs.
Beating Riko to the punch, Prushka raised and balled her hands into tiny fists, exclaiming, "I miss Papa, but I'm happy to see Papa Two after such a long time! Let's all take a bath and sleep together like before!"
"A sleepover doesn't sound too bad..." affirmed Vahn, his smile cramping as Bonney, after hearing Prushka's remark, narrowed her eyes and stared daggers at him.
Piggybacking off Prushka's words, Mitty confided, "I also miss Reg, but I don't think it was a mistake to come here. We've all gotten much stronger in the past year."
"That's right...!" exclaimed Riko, her green eyes glistening as she mirrored Prushka's guts pose and proclaimed, "This place is awesome! Not only are there a buttload of unique places and environments to explore, but there's basically an infinite number of plants, animals, and insects to discover and catalog! You have to let me show you my notes and sketchbook...!"
"I would be happy to," affirmed Vahn, nodding as he shifted his right hand from Prushka's to Riko's head, causing her to close her eyes and beam. At the same time, he surprised many of those present by reverting his clones to their original forms to greet and interact with those who approached to welcome him and his passengers' return. Kakashi wasn't too happy to see that Fran had been riding on his clone's back with Ghislaine, but he didn't make a fuss as the group from his world, consisting of Obito, Rin, Asuma, Guy, Kurenai, and a few others from their generation gathered to welcome her and greet Vahn—some for the first time...
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Though there wasn't much to see, Vahn couldn't help feeling impressed as he was given a tour of Utopia while ascending the spiraling stairs and platforms encircling and built into its trunk, serving as the foundation for residences and communal facilities. The structure closest to the bottom was a spacious dining hall where shared supplies were kept, and as they moved higher, they passed a surprisingly well-equipped hospital ward, a somewhat messy library, the boys' living quarters, a shared bath that ran to Utopia's center, and then the girls' living quarters. Even higher, Faputa had created a nest and private bath for herself within Utopia's canopy, but there was no direct access to it.
Pausing the guided tour outside the bath's entrance, Riko, staring up at Vahn with a starry-eyed, expectant smile, explained, "Boys usually use the bath between 7~10 PM and aren't allowed to access the girls' dorm without risking exile, but I don't think anyone would mind if you came up and stayed the night."
"Wouldn't that be inappropriate and a bit unfair to the boys...?" asked Rin, raising her hand and smiling sheepishly as the gazes of seven Sisters and many others looking forward to spending time with Vahn snapped to stare at her.
"It would be," affirmed Vahn, earning himself several frowns and sighs of relief as he added, "Rules are important, especially those that have been agreed upon by the majority in a society. I'm glad an exception was made to allow me to enter Utopia despite my status as a grown-up, but I should return to my own encampment soon."
"Wait, you're not going to stay here?" asked Bonney, instantly adopting a deep, frustrated frown.
Meeting Bonney's gaze, Vahn nodded and calmly affirmed, "I entered the training room to improve myself, not interfere in the training of others. I'll set up a Waypoint to facilitate travel between our bases before I go, but it wouldn't be appropriate for me to stay here."
"Tsk...of course you're not going to stay..." muttered Bonney, frowning as she approached the platform's edge and dropped off the side despite the ground being more than a hundred meters below. A loud crash was heard roughly three seconds later, the result of gravity in the biome being twice the standard, but thanks to her B-Rank Strength and Constitution, Bonney wasn't harmed in the slightest.
'She's still so temperamental...' noted Vahn, standing on the platform's edge and exhaling exasperatedly from his nose as he observed Bonney's retreating figure with Riko to his right and Wendy to his left.
(She would benefit greatly from therapy, but I'm not sure she would be receptive to Misla or anyone close to you offering it) stated Sis, sharing in Vahn's exasperation. They both understood why Bonney was the way she was, but that didn't make the pink-haired Pirate's self-centeredness any less mentally or spiritually diminishing.
'Do you think reuniting her with her mother would help...?' asked Vahn, conversing with Sis while simultaneously interacting with those around him. He had considered reviving Bonney's mother, Ginny, on more than one occasion, but since the pink-haired mother and daughter had never really known each other and it would set a troublesome precedence, he was hesitant to act.
(It could) confirmed Sis. (*But it could also make her feel even more confused. From what I've observed, the essence of Bonney's behavioral issues is that she views herself as a strong, independent woman and an adult. She would doubtlessly be happy to be reunited with her mother, but once the initial excitement and relief wore off, she would almost certainly wonder why you reunited them. And the answer she's most likely to settle on is that you took pity on her or concluded that she needed her mother to address or fix her behavior.*)
'Which would make her even more frustrated...' sighed Vahn, resisting the urge to do so outwardly as he agreed to Riko's insistence that he stay, at the very least, for dinner. Prushka reacted with disbelief and hurt when he politely declined to join her and several other girls for a bath, but she was quick to recover when he ruffled her hair and announced that he would be fulfilling gift requests as belated birthday presents...
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After saying his goodbyes, Vahn returned to the waterfall clearing via the Waypoint that had been established nearby. It hadn't been that long since his departure, but the clearing now had four charming, two to three-story cottages with red or blue-tiled gabled roofs, arched windows that opened outward, and two to five brick chimneys. The largest building resembled a fantasy tavern or inn, serving as the main residence, while the other three buildings were a forge, a school, and a boarding house.
fwoom
Before Vahn could fully take in the changes to the clearing, a silver Magic Circle appeared to his right. From within, Grayfia appeared with a narrow-eyed smile, her hands holding her pregnant belly as she greeted, "You've returned. Welcome back," in her characteristically cool and pleasant tone.
Feeling his chest swell at the sight, Vahn couldn't help but smile from ear to ear as he approached the breathtaking, silver-haired Devil, his hands replacing hers atop her belly as they exchanged a kiss. Then, with barely three centimeters separating their diametrically tilted faces, he muttered, "You look more beautiful every time I see you..."
"That's because you fill me with your love every day..." teased Grayfia, seizing the initiative to give Vahn several more kisses, prompting him to slide his hands from her belly to her sides. He felt a powerful compulsion to grab her butt and draw her closer, but with her pregnant belly between them, Vahn held her like he was holding priceless porcelain, his grasp firm but careful...
After nearly three minutes of kissing and caressing each others' bodies, Grayfia withdrew from Vahn's lips, seductively licked her own, and softly remarked, "I'm delighted you're here, but I wasn't expecting you back so soon. Did Bonney say or do something to upset you?"
"I can't conceal anything from you..." sighed Vahn, his smile softening and gaining an undertone of awkwardness.
"Nor should you try~" hummed Grayfia, giving Vahn another peck on the lips before stepping back from him and stating, "Venelana-sama and Rias-sama are on duty tonight. Though, I would be happy to discuss the matter at length if you'd prefer my company."
"I will respect the schedule and arrangements you've made as a group..." expressed Vahn, reaching up to caress the left side of Grayfia's face with his hand as he affirmed, "But you will forever be my preferred company..."
"Lucky me..." muttered Grayfia, placing her hand over Vahn's and leaning into his palm with closed eyes. She frequently thought back to the time it was just the two of them in Invirtua, but since she believed Vahn should be allowed to grow without fetters, she took solace in the affirmation she was special to him...
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Ding!
Waking to the sound of a priority message notification, Vahn, sandwiched between a sleeping Venelana and Rias, the two beauties clinging naked to his body, reluctantly opened his chat interface. Surprisingly, the message wasn't from Bonney but from one of Dr. Vegapunk's Satellites, the blonde-haired half-Giantess representing his greed and indulgence—York.
[Hey, you poopy-headed jerk. What's this I hear about you giving Lilith a chess piece that allowed her to become a complete being? The seven of us are the same person, so you shouldn't play favorites just because you find her attractive. I have breasts, too, you know? And mine are waaaaaay bigger.]
[It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, driven by curiosity] responded Vahn. [More to the point, what purpose would you have for a King Piece? If you only desire one because Lilith received hers, I'm afraid that isn't a compelling enough reason.]
[Laaaaame] responded York, quickly tacking on [I'll let you climb inside me or shove things into my body.]
[You're only giving me more reasons why you shouldn't receive a King's Piece] stated Vahn, asserting [You should take better care of your body. Because if you become a complete being, you might only have the one.]
[There has to be something I can say or do for you to convince you] said York. Then, following a brief pause, she added [If it's just her appearance, I can upload my consciousness to a more compact form like Lilith's. If you come by, we can design it together.]
[That aside, you haven't told me what you would do with a King's Piece] stated Vahn. [As far as I'm aware, you never leave your personal lab and room. And with a small army of robots at your beck and call, what use do you have for a Peerage?]
[To eventually become King or Queen of my very own world] stated York, catching Vahn a little off guard. He was aware of how obsessed York was with wealth, status, and power due to his knowledge of canon One Piece, but since the current her had never been exposed directly to the Celestial Dragons or the Agents of CP-0, he didn't expect her to harbor such grand ambitions.
[It's no secret that I'm the old man's greed] appended York. [I can't help but want everything I can get my hands on, so just tell me what I need to say or do to persuade you. There must be something, or else you truly are playing favorites.]
'She's serious...' noted Vahn, taking several seconds to deliberate before proposing [Then make or inspire a hundred friends or real, living people. It might not seem fair that I gave Lilith a King's Piece for free, but if life were fair, you wouldn't have anything to aspire to or flaunt over others. Prove to me that you have what it takes to become a King, and I will support you in becoming one.]
[It would be much easier if you grew to my size and just went to town on me] complained York. [But if that's your condition, I accept it. Just watch. I'll make a hundred friends in no time.]
[And, as long as you seriously regard them as friends, I will happily grant you a King's Piece] affirmed Vahn, smiling knowingly as York didn't send a follow-up message for several seconds. She wouldn't have much difficulty getting a hundred people to recognize her as a friend, but as an aspect of greed, she typically regarded people in terms of their usefulness. Viewing others as true friends or allies...such a concept was completely outside of her wheelhouse...
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