Boom, boom, boom!
Calm Belt, Amazon Lily.
"Ahhhhh~~~!!!"
As giant trees fell and rocks flew, Luffy, who had been venting his anger after waking up, collapsed weakly to the ground.
"Ughhhh~~~"
"What Pirate King—"
If it weren't for Roman, he would have died at the hands of that poison man in Impel Down; if it weren't for Roman, he wouldn't have been able to save Ace from the execution platform. But... but...
A punch through the chest, so fast that Luffy didn't even have time to react.
His brother Ace fell to the ground, and he was saved by Roman...
"I'm too weak! I'm too weak!!"
"I can't protect anything! What kind of man am I—"
"Luffy, my brother."
Jinbe, who was recovering with Luffy, walked over and looked at Luffy, who had smashed the rocks on the ground.
"Go away! Don't bother me!"
Facing the heartbroken Luffy, Jinbe calmly shook his head.
"No, I have to watch over you, I can't let you hurt yourself again."
"This is my body, I can do whatever I want with it..."
"And what about Ace? Ace's life was his own. Even if he died, it was his own choice!"
"Shut up!"
"If you say that again, I'll punch you!"
"If that makes you feel better—"
Whoosh!
Turning around, Luffy threw a punch. Facing Luffy's fist, Jinbe's eyes sharpened.
"Even though I'm also injured, I'm confident I won't lose to you now."
Boom, boom—
Sure enough, after a few moves, Luffy, who was also seriously injured but lacked Jinbe's experience and mindset, was knocked to the ground!
"Is there nothing left in your eyes?!"
"Those enemies who shattered your confidence, strength, and your 'brother' as a goal, did they really destroy your world?"
"So you can't see ahead anymore, and your heart is being eaten away by regret and remorse—"
Jinbe, being a 44-year-old man who had experienced countless joys and sorrows, had encountered situations like Luffy's before, so:
"I know you're in pain, Luffy!"
"But don't focus on what you've lost, what's lost will never come back!"
"Think carefully, what do you still have? What is still worth protecting, worth fighting for?"
Facing Jinbe's words, Luffy slowly extended his fists, each finger representing:
Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook, and...
Snap,
A white figure folded its wings and descended from the sky, making Luffy's eyes instantly blur with tears.
"I still have my friends!!"
"Ughhhh~~~ Roman~~~!!!"
???
Facing Luffy, who was crying loudly in his arms, The White Knight held back his urge to say, "Don't wipe your snot and tears on me," and patted his shoulder.
"Alright, alright, are you that excited to see me?"
"Roman! Ace, Ace he—"
Oh, it's about Ace.
But:
'Ace... no, Essa. Should we tell Luffy that you're still alive?'
'...No,' the masked acting captain of the Whitebeard Pirates shook his head. 'Thinking back, I was too reckless. I wasn't a good brother at all, and now...'
'Anyway, keep it a secret for me.'
'I believe Luffy will come out of his sadness and surpass me!'
"It's okay, Luffy."
The White Knight flipped his hand, and a 'paper phone' appeared in his palm. — Luffy's previous one had been shattered in the fierce Summit War.
"Luffy!!"
"Luffy—"
"Luffy,"
"Luffy, pull yourself together!"
"You still have us..."
"..."
In an instant, various voices came from the paper phone, all expressing the same meaning.
"Luffy, we all know..."
"Luffy!! Why didn't you call us?"
"Where are you? I'll come to you right away—"
?!
"Ahem, wait a minute!"
The White Knight coughed, "Zoro, don't get excited, let's talk calmly, don't set sail!"
???
"Are you looking down on me?!"
Facing Zoro's words, the previously lively 'chat group' fell silent. On Kraigana Island, Zoro's forehead veins bulged! Just wait, I'll—
"Hey, you're going the wrong way, that's the direction to the ruins of the Kingdom of..."
Perona's voice came from the paper phone.
...
"Ahem, that was just a mistake..."
"Alright, you don't need to say more. We understand!"
"...What do you understand?!"
"Zoro, admit it..."
The White Knight ignored Zoro's argument and handed the paper phone to Luffy.
"Luffy,"
"Do you need the crew to gather at Sabaody Archipelago?"
Sabaody—
Kizaru, who easily toyed with the Straw Hat crew, and Kuma, who slapped them away one by one... If we meet them again, with our current strength...
"No!"
"Everyone listen, I'm giving a 'captain's order':"
In an instant, the arguing paper phone fell silent.
"Our strength is not enough to face the increasing dangers. Everyone train for two years! We'll regroup and head to the New World after two years!"
"This is not a pause, but preparation for better adventures!"
In response to Luffy's words, the Straw Hat crew was silent for a few seconds:
"Phew~~~"
"No problem, let's do it."
"I always said Luffy is the strongest—cough, nothing..."
"Since it's the captain's decision, we have to follow it."
"Wait a minute! What about me?!"
Sanji's desperate voice came through, "You all have such good environments, why am I surrounded by okamas?! It's not fair, I—"
From the past few days of 'chatting,' everyone had a good understanding of each other's situations:
Zoro was with a gothic loli, Usopp had food everywhere to eat, Chopper was studying medicine in a big library, Franky was learning in Vegapunk's old lab, Robin was freeing slaves with the Revolutionary Army, and Brook was... being watched...
As for Roman and Nami?
Better not mention it.
Overall, everyone was in a good place, able to use their skills. Except:
"No way, Roman, you have to guide me! I'll swim out of this hell!"
Facing Sanji's determination, The White Knight calmly replied.
"That's impossible."
!
"But, a group of newcomers will join you soon."
"New... newcomers? Who are they?"
"Okamas."
!!
"But among them is our friend, I'm sure you'll get along well."
"Friend? Who is it—"
"Bon,"
?
"Bon Clay."
"Isn't that still an okama?!"
Click,
With Sanji 'muted,' the world was quiet.
"Hahaha,"
Luffy laughed, wiping tears from his eyes, "Sanji is so unlucky~~~"
"Serves him right, pervy cook!"
"Yeah, Sanji can 'quit' his habits..."
"..."
If you have the guts, don't mute me, you dog admin!!
"Sorry,"
Luffy stood up and bowed to Roman and Jinbe.
"Sorry for worrying you!"
After all this time, everyone had gotten used to their environments. This conversation was just to help Luffy get over Ace's death.
"Hehehe, don't worry, I'm back on my feet! Because:"
"I'm your captain!"
As a captain, he couldn't let his crew see him so weak. A captain who makes his crew worry is not a good captain, even if he has to smile through tears!
That's the Luffy we know...
Splash—
From the sea nearby, a white-haired old man with glasses jumped ashore.
"Oh dear, getting old, not as strong as before."
While sighing, he took off his clothes, revealing a muscular body, and started 'humblebragging' in a calm voice.
"Just swam here through a storm, feeling a bit tired..."
Wow, the triathlon champion of the pirate world has arrived.
Swimming across the Calm Belt, where can't he go?
"Uncle Rayleigh!?"
Facing Luffy's surprised voice, Rayleigh wrung out the seawater from his clothes.
"Luffy, my young friend, I guessed you'd be here. Winning the heart of the Empress so quickly, you truly are the man who will become the Pirate King!"
"Uncle, why are you here?"
Facing Luffy's question, Rayleigh got straight to the point.
"I know a good place for training. Luffy, my young friend, do you want to give it a try?"
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