Cassie did not move. Furious white sparks ignited in the depths of Neph's eyes.
But it was Jet who broke the silence first:
"What do you mean, what?! Do you expect to drop that bomb on us and continue eating as if nothing happened?! What do you mean, you are going to die?! Why?! Who is going to kill you?! How do we prevent it?!"
It was probably the first time Sunny saw the infamous Soul Reaper Jet lose her composure. Well... disregarding the days she was crawling around their raft trying to eat him.
But she had been much calmer even then.
Nephis opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. Eventually, she simply pointed to Jet.
Cassie nodded.
"What Master Jet said!"
Sunny blinked a few times and put a confused expression on his face.
"I mean... yes? Do you expect me to let all this food go to waste? And I mean dying by "going to die". A terrible Nightmare Creature is going to kill me. As for preventing it... ah, there's no point, really. It is what it is."
He reached for his tea and shook his head:
"I don't get it. Why are you guys making a scene?"
He basked in their comical expressions for a few moments, and then exploded with laughter.
"Oh... oh, sorry... damn! I think I am starting to understand Effie better. This is really fun!"
Gulping down the tea, Sunny smiled and looked at his companions with mirth in his eyes. By now, they were thoroughly dumbfounded.
He sighed.
"Listen... I did not tell you before, but this whirlpool is actually a whirlpool of time. Time moves in a circle on this island, meaning this day repeats itself over and over."
They stared at him silently.
"What I mean to say is that all of us have been reliving the same day ever since arriving at Wind Flower. I'm just the only one who remembers the previous ones. I've died a few dozen times already trying to get us out... and I'll definitely die many more times before we finally escape this hellhole."
His teeth gleamed in a cavalier grin.
"What, did you think that dying would actually kill me?"
Since his companions seemed to be having trouble with comprehending the nature of the time loop, Sunny explained it again, this time in detail. He wasn't hurried, and did not forget to thoroughly enjoy Neph's breakfast in the process.
Luckily, Sunny already had rich experience of having this conversation, so he did it again with ease.
His mood was quite good.
When he was done, Nephis, Cassie, and Jet glanced at each other.
After a few moments of silence, Nephis asked:
"So although you are indeed going to die soon, you'll come back to life at the start of the next... revolution? Every time?"
Sunny nodded.
"Exactly!"
She looked down and took a deep breath.
When she spoke again, her voice sounded strange:
"So what you mean to say is that... we can kill you right now, and you'll be fine tomorrow?"
Sunny scratched his head.
"I guess so. Although it's a weird way to put it."
Nephis nodded, as if coming to a decision.
Then, she looked at Cassie and Jet.
"So, we're in agreement? He has to be killed, right?"
Cassie and Jet nodded seriously.
"Yes. Of course."
"Let's not make it quick..."
Sunny blinked, this time out of sincere surprise.
"Uh... what? What do you mean, kill me?"
Jet smiled leisurely as she slowly rose to her feet.
"Why are you making a scene? We'll just kill you a little. For education purposes."
Suddenly, a cold chill crept up his spine.
Cassie and Nephis were standing up, as well.
"W-wait... wait a minute! This has somehow gone terribly wrong. It was just a little joke! Today is supposed to be my day off, okay? Don't do anything rash!"
A small smile appeared on Neph's face, with dangerous sparks dancing in her eyes.
"You don't have to worry... we won't rush..."
His five shadows observed the scene with a mix of disdain and pity. A few of them shook their heads dejectedly.
'Why are they so angry?!'
After a moment, the shadows winced.
...Loud sounds of something heavy crashing into the floor resounded from the mess deck of the Chain Breaker for a while after that.