At first, Luffy didn't notice the tiny golden bracelet. It wasn't until he pressed his fingers against it and felt a sudden wave of weakness that he realized the truth—it was a seastone shackle in disguise.
What surprised him even more was the craftsmanship. To create something so small and intricate out of seastone, there was only one place in the world capable of such work: the craftsmen of Wano Country.
"Damn, Doflamingo really went to extreme lengths to keep tabs on Mansherry," Luffy muttered, frustration lacing his voice.
He quickly explained his findings to Leo, who stepped forward hesitantly and poked the bracelet with his finger. Almost immediately, Leo, a user of the Sew-Sew Fruit, felt his strength drain away.
"This… this is seastone!" Leo exclaimed in disbelief. "I thought it was just a new piece of jewelry the princess picked up. I never imagined it was the reason for her illness!" Turning to Mansherry, he asked with concern, "Princess, why didn't you say anything before?"
Mansherry, her eyes glistening with tears, responded weakly, "I… I didn't know. Doflamingo's men gave me some strange water to drink, and I passed out. When I woke up, I felt weak and sick all over. I thought it was because of the medicine. I noticed the bracelet, but I thought it was pretty and didn't think much of it."
Seeing her tearful expression, Leo sighed, massaging his temples in frustration.
"No wonder the princess couldn't use her Heal-Heal Fruit powers," Leo muttered. "We've been treating this like some mysterious illness, but it's been the bracelet all along!"
Luffy shook his head in disbelief. "So all this time, this is what you thought was a 'serious illness'?"
Leo and the others hung their heads in shame, unable to meet Luffy's gaze.
"Now that we know the cause, the solution should be straightforward," Luffy said. "Leo, can you open this thing, or should I handle it?"
Leo crossed his arms and pretended to think deeply for a moment before declaring, "Can't open it!"
"Why do you sound so proud about that?!" Luffy snapped, his patience thinning.
With a sigh, Luffy carefully lifted Mansherry's tiny arm to examine the bracelet more closely. After a moment, he noticed that it didn't have a keyhole. No wonder they couldn't unlock it, Luffy thought.
"This little problem won't stop me," Luffy said confidently. He decided to use his Armament Haki's internal destruction technique to break the bracelet. It wasn't the easiest solution, but it was an opportunity to test his mastery over the skill.
"Leo, step back," Luffy instructed. He pinched the bracelet delicately between two fingers and concentrated.
His fingers were quickly coated in a dense layer of Armament Haki, and he began channeling the Haki into the bracelet. At first, there was no visible change, but Luffy didn't let up. After a few tense moments, he heard a faint cracking sound.
"It's working!" Luffy thought, though the bracelet remained intact apart from a nearly invisible crack.
Encouraged, Luffy continued, pouring more Haki into the bracelet. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he focused on the intricate task. Finally, after several minutes, a sharp snap echoed through the room. The bracelet split cleanly in two.
"It worked!" Luffy grinned triumphantly. "Did you see that, Mr. Kaido?!"
He couldn't help but mentally thank Kaido for being his unintentional teacher in perfecting this technique. However, his victory was short-lived.
A rapid beeping sound caught Luffy's attention, and his grin disappeared.
"No way… there's a bomb in this thing?!" he exclaimed.
Reacting quickly, Luffy moved Mansherry to his left hand, shielding her with his palm. With his free hand, he gripped the broken bracelet and coated his palm with an extra-thick layer of Armament Haki.
"Be careful! It's a bomb!" Luffy shouted.
Before the dwarfs could react, a loud BANG filled the room.
The explosion sent a shockwave through the small chamber, startling the dwarfs. Despite its intensity, Luffy remained unscathed. The thick layer of Haki absorbed the brunt of the explosion, leaving his palm only slightly singed.
For Luffy, the experience felt no more threatening than a firecracker going off in his hand. He stared at the remnants of the bracelet, his expression a mix of irritation and disbelief.
"Those guys are ruthless," Luffy muttered.
The dwarfs, however, were utterly shaken. They had never imagined their enemies would go so far as to plant a bomb in a piece of jewelry.
Mansherry, who had been trembling in Luffy's protective grasp, cautiously peeked out from between his fingers. Her wide eyes fell on Luffy's hand, which was still smoking slightly from the explosion. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she began to sob uncontrollably.
"Woo woo woo~ That was so scary~~~!" she cried.
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