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"Of course, Luffy won't give up. He'll rise again and keep moving forward. That's how he's always been, even as a child. I'm sure of it."
Dadan's gaze was fixed on the scene where her counterpart had screamed Luffy's name, urging him not to give up.
This moment touched her heart once again, adding to the dozens of other scenes that had already moved her deeply.
"Yes, Dadan-san, there's no way Luffy would give up that easily! His crew is still waiting for him."
Little Hancock clenched a small fist, speaking as if she were Luffy's own little cheerleader.
Hearing Little Hancock's words, Shakky spoke up, "Oh~ speaking of Luffy's crew, I feel like I haven't seen them in ages. I bet their reactions to what happened to Luffy will be quite interesting."
"Goodness, that's true. It's been so long since the crew was last seen... All of this started when Kuma separated them from each other."
Gloriosa remembered Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and the others at that moment.
"Given how much they love and are attached to their captain, they must be devastated by what happened to him."
Dadan nodded in agreement after hearing that.
...
Far away from the Calm Belt, in a hidden part of Jaya Island within a sea cave, Blackbeard's pirate ship was concealed from view.
"Zehahaha! It seems things are still looking grim for Straw Hat. Who would've thought he'd lose not just one brother, but two!"
"A Pirate King who couldn't save any of his brothers. Zehahaha! What kind of Pirate King will you be, I wonder?"
Teach laughed wickedly after catching up on all the flashback scenes involving Luffy, Ace, and Sabo. He enjoyed how the events were tied together, showing how much Luffy loved his brothers, especially Ace, who grew up with him.
"Am I supposed to feel sad about these childish stories? How ridiculous. The Pirate King left his son to a Marine hero, who then passed the responsibility to an old mountain bandit. Hehe~ No way a boy raised in those circumstances will live long."
Shiryu spoke with sarcasm.
"It's ironic to see a child from a noble family, with all the wealth and authority, yet he found no peace until he died on the path of a pirate. As a King who becomes a pirate, I truly feel sorry for such a noble child. Jihahaha!"
Avalo Pizarro laughed after licking the last drop of sake from his lips.
Of course, his words were mocking Sabo.
"Well, he was just a kid, and now he's dead. It would've been a pain if he stayed alive and came back for revenge against me for his brother's death. Zehahaha~ No, maybe that would've been interesting to see."
...
The Moby Dick proudly emerged from the calm waters of the Calm Belt, leaving behind an endless fog as it re-entered the Grand Line, where stormy winds and rain welcomed her back.
"That rat tricked us, didn't he? Gurarara, I wonder where he's hiding. Should we ask the hunters for help?"
The rat Whitebeard spoke of was, of course, Teach.
"Do you want me to contact the hunters, Oyaji?" Marco asked.
Requesting a search from the hunters was the only way to find a needle in a haystack, given they had the resources needed. But as a great pirate crew, it would cost them a lot of berries to have the hunters work for them.
"Not yet. We have enough time to search. Teach won't keep running for the rest of his life. The day may come when he'll walk up to our door himself."
"What's this... oh, this red-haired boy never ceases to surprise me."
Whitebeard smiled.
"Oyaji..." Marco was also stunned.
"This is Sphinx... my homeland... and this... my grave?"
At that moment, Whitebeard and his sons felt complex and mixed emotions as they witnessed this scene in the manga.
...
•———•———•———•———•
Chapter's Events:
—————————
[Meanwhile, in a far-off land… This is the latter half of the Grand Line… The New World.]
"Red-Hair... I don't know how to thank you enough..."
Marco and Shanks stood before a cemetery, where many bodies had been laid to rest, marked with their swords and weapons. But the two most prominent and beautiful graves belonged to Edward Newgate and Portgas D. Ace.
"No need for any of that... He may have been my enemy, but Whitebeard was a man worthy of respect."
"Even Sengoku understood that."
"Anyway, we ought to get going..."
After doing all he could for Whitebeard and Ace, Shanks was about to leave.
"Right... Thank you again."
Marco didn't forget to thank him once more.
If it weren't for Shanks, the Whitebeard Pirates would have been finished with no chance of rising again.
After bidding farewell, Shanks walked through a clear path amidst a large crowd of pirates and island residents. At that moment, he spoke to himself internally.
(Luffy... This must be terribly hard on you... I was shocked to hear about Ace's final actions...)
(It's as though he were Captain Roger himself... There were times I wished the captain would run, or even cry.)
(Listen, Luffy. It's through experiencing both victory and defeat, going wild and shedding tears, that a man truly grows.)
(Don't be afraid to cry...!! Make it through this!!!)
•———•———•———•———•
Shanks's words and his remarkable demeanor left the Whitebeard Pirates speechless at that moment.
Marco wiped away a small tear that had formed at the corner of his eye, moved by the warm emotions of the moment.
"I never expected Red-Hair to have such a character. It seems he took care of everything, from transporting the corpses to burying them and even decorating the graves."
"What a man..."
"Gurarara! I never expected to see the day when I, Whitebeard, would see my own grave. Not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine this."
Whitebeard laughed heartily, shocking even his sons beside him.
"Certainly, seeing your funeral and grave in such detail is a shocking thing, Oyaji."
Jozu seemed to be wondering about his father's true feelings at that moment.
"Well, it's not that shocking since I know I'll die one day. But seeing my grave, that's impossible. It only happened because of the One Piece manga. Gurarara! Now, do I let fate run its course, or do I continue chasing down the cause of all this to avoid that fate? I wonder."
"Shanks's words to Luffy made me realize so many things I hadn't noticed before..."
"What a man, he seems more mature than Roger himself! Gurarara!"
...
Baterilla Island:
Inside an art store, Roger's Pirates, including Roger himself, were watching Shanks with complex emotions at that moment.
"Man, your counterpart did a great job, even if he was late to the war."
"Those words your counterpart gave to Luffy, who's going to hear them, I wonder? Why doesn't he go tell him directly? Luffy needs to hear that now more than ever!" exclaimed Buggy.
"That's right, those are strong words of comfort. Luffy would really feel supported if he heard them from Shanks in such difficult times," added Gaban.
"What can he do? He doesn't have teleportation powers, you know."
Shanks was annoyed by his comrades' sarcastic remarks about his counterpart at that moment.
But he refocused on the chapter's content. The words of his mature self carried much more depth than that.
They had the power to help even him, the younger version of Shanks in the manga.
"It's truly comforting to see that the one who buried my son Ace was you, Shanks..."
Roger smiled as he said that.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 806: I Still Have My Friends!
Chapter 807: The Arrival of Rayleigh!
Chapter 808: Usopp and Chopper's Reactions.
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