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Bell-mére never expected a day like this would come, one where she'd be forced to choose.
Especially since this decision was as difficult as it could get.
It would be a lie if she said she didn't want both Nami and Nojiko to be her daughters… but if it was at the expense of someone else's happiness, she didn't wish for it.
She knew about Rob's strange ability to steal destinies, though she didn't know every detail. He had explained that Sanji and Reiju, his children with Sora, had their fates taken by force from their real father and made his own. But the primary condition was that the mother had to be the "original."
In her case, Bella wasn't the original mother, nor was Rob the real father. So, if she chose the option she secretly wanted in her heart, Nami might not even be the result—she could end up with a completely different child…
Rob hadn't told her these truths, but she'd deduced them herself. After all, she had a mind to use and was no longer the teenage girl, she'd been when she first met Rob.
"What about Nojiko?" Bell-mére asked the most important question in her heart before making a choice.
Nami hadn't been born yet, but her biological mother sat directly across from them. Sooner or later, Nami would be born… but what about Nojiko? Where was she? Especially since, according to the manga timeline, she was two years older than Nami.
Upon hearing that, Rob smiled and looked in another direction.
His gaze fell on a small family—a man and his wife. The man had dark skin and purple hair and looked quite handsome, somewhat resembling Admiral Zephyr in his youth. His wife had fair skin and soft blue hair; they looked like a well-matched couple.
Looking at the swelling belly of the wife, it was clear it wasn't from weight gain but rather an advanced stage of pregnancy.
Seeing this small family enjoying the manga, Bell-mére fell into deep thought, but a moment later, she understood the essence of the situation without Rob needing to say anything.
"Nojiko…?" she asked in disbelief, her eyes on the woman's belly.
"That's right, this is Nojiko's family. They only married two years ago," Rob's eyes gleamed. Using his 'mangaka eyes,' he could easily see the web of fates tied to the secondary character developing inside the woman's womb.
He'd discovered this long ago, and given that they lived within his sphere of influence, investigating them had been easy without them even suspecting.
"So, have you decided? What will your choice be? No need to worry, we can even take the fate of Nojiko's family, although she's only three months away from being born," Rob said calmly.
Hearing that, Bell-mére was shocked by the ruthless power of this insane ability, but she said nothing, sinking deeper and deeper into thought.
She was sure Rob wasn't testing her; he was genuinely willing to take the children of others just for her sake, doing so out of genuine love and devotion.
But would something like this truly make her happy?
With a sigh, Bell-mére spoke sadly, "I can't accept this, I just can't. I'll be happy as long as I can see Nami and Nojiko born safely and have carefree, happy childhoods—unlike what happened in the manga…" The moment she said this, she felt a heavy burden lift from her shoulders.
In all honesty, she had wanted to be the biological mother of both Nami and Nojiko… but at whose expense? She didn't want to steal someone else's child through a loophole in strange powers.
Hearing this, Rob sighed. He wasn't like Bell-mére; he had taken the Vinsmoke Judge's children… he even took Oden's daughter, his friend… but did he feel any regret?
Not at all. He did whatever he wanted. If he wanted something, nothing could stop him, not even himself.
But for Bell-mére, it was different.
Rob looked deeply at Bell-mére, smiling before saying, "Alright, it's okay. Blood ties don't matter. For Nami and Nojiko's families, you'll be the true mother of their children. They'll be very happy to have you live with them. Besides, this doesn't mean we won't have real children someday, my dear."
As he said this, he gently hugged her… Words alone weren't enough to convey this desire; only a hug could confirm it.
Without a doubt, as soon as she felt Rob's support, Bell-mére's emotions overflowed, and she wept.
It wasn't easy to give up the chance to bear Nami and Nojiko… not even for someone as kind-hearted as Bell-mére.
…
"Nami… I wonder how she'll be in two years…"
"I bet she'll mature a lot~"
Sara smiled as she watched Nami's scene in the manga, recalling the past—her tears, her plea for help from Luffy… and her determination to learn more about the world's weather to improve her navigation for Luffy and the crew.
Sara was Nami's biological mother, but she wouldn't know this for another two years. Her fiancé hadn't even proposed yet.
"Hmph! That fool Iyam! Why hasn't he come back from the sea yet… today is the first manga day in years that he hasn't come to the art store because of work."
Iyam was her fiancé, and he was a fisherman. The prosperity and peace at sea, with hardly any pirates around, allowed the fishing trade to flourish.
…
"Did someone important arrive? It seems the store goddesses are in a bit of a panic…"
Novak asked casually when he noticed that his order had been wrong. He'd ordered wine, but they'd served him cola… Did they think he was Franky?
Novak was Nojiko's father, though he didn't know it yet.
"Bahaha! Cola is much better than wine! You're about to become a father; won't you stop getting drunk already?"
Elen laughed, saying this, truly wishing her husband would stop drinking.
…
•———•———•———•———•
Chapter's Events:
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[Grand Line, Kenzan Island.]
{"Roll up!! This is one spectacle you don't want to miss!!"}
{"Behold this astonishing figure! A skeleton, through and through!!"}
{"With these bizarre single-jointed arms!! Could there be a stranger being in this vast world?!"}
Inside a large, steel cage, Brook, lost in thought over the newspaper, was surrounded by a crowd of long-armed people.
"Hold it!! You're trying to trick us, aren't ya, ya damn comedian!!"
Since Brook was sitting motionless, people thought he was just a dead skeleton.
{"Excuse me?! Is there a problem?!"} The host was perplexed.
"Well, look at it! It's not moving at all!!"
"This is just an ordinary model or something!!"
{"What?!"} The host started sweating.
Meanwhile, Brook was deep in thought, holding the newspaper.
(Luffy-san has made up his mind…)
(In that case, I must act as well…)
Suddenly, he looked at the angry crowd outside the cage, among whom were people who had brought him here, urging him to move.
(You looked at me without the slightest hint of fear and invited me to join your crew…) Brook remembered the moment when Luffy had asked him to join his crew.
(You have no idea… how much joy that brought me after fifty long years of aimless drifting upon these seas…)
(You cannot imagine how glorious the sight was to my eyes… The fifty years spent praying for a miracle had truly been answered…!!)
•———•———•———•———•
Ohara:
Seeing this scene moved Brook. Memories deeply engraved in his bones resurfaced.
Despite being in this miraculous store where he could heal flesh, blood, and tears, form a healthy heart, and regain the internal organs he'd lost, he couldn't heal his heart from the hidden wounds and sorrows.
The art store couldn't heal the wounds of a soul that had sunk into hell once; even a long time wouldn't change that.
"But Luffy did…" Brook wiped away the silent tears that trailed down his cheeks.
Yes, for him, Luffy and the Strawhat crew had completely healed the wounds of his counterpart self's soul, letting him enjoy life once more.
After meeting Luffy and the others, Brook's spirit finally escaped the true hell, the hell of loneliness… regardless of the afterlife from which he'd escaped thanks to his devil fruit power.
"Yohohoho!"
Seeing his counterpart make a 40-degree movement only to collapse the next moment, Brook burst into laughter.
And that's exactly what happened with all the readers watching this scene, both inside and outside the art store.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 822: Robin's Determination. Franky's Luck.
Chapter 823: For Luffy.
Chapter 824: For the Sake of the Captain, Zoro Gives Up His Pride!
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