"My name is Gaimon."
"Do you know the bitterness of living alone on this deserted island for twenty years while being stuck in a box?!"
Last time, Kaito Sakamoto and Luffy encountered a strange man trapped in a box on the deserted island. After his self-introduction, they found out his name was Gaimon.
Kaito admitted he couldn't recall much about him; he knew the person but not the name.
...
"What do you mean you survived alone on a deserted island for twenty years?!"
Nami exclaimed in shock.
Luffy, being Luffy, reacted differently.
"He's such an idiot."
Kaito nodded in agreement. It was really sad, but he did look like an idiot.
"Bastards! I'm going to kill you!!!"
Gaimon shouted, addressing the two unsympathetic idiots.
"Sigh, after more than twenty years, my hair and beard have grown so thick that even my eyebrows have grown together."
Gaimon sighed. It was impossible to say he hadn't felt lonely after twenty years. Finally meeting Luffy and the others made him vent some of his feelings.
Luffy suddenly appeared next to Gaimon, stepping on the edge of the box, trying to pull him out by grabbing his head with both hands.
Although he meant well, Gaimon almost cried out in pain.
"It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!!"
"Stop! Please stop!!"
Gaimon shouted.
Since he couldn't pull him out, Luffy gave up.
"This box is really stuck."
Gaimon let out a breath of relief. "Sigh! After twenty years, my bones have grown attached to the box. Not only can I not get out, but if the box disappears, I'll disappear with it."
"By the way, how did you end up on this island?" Nami asked.
"You said you're pirates?" Gaimon replied, unsure if it was a proper response.
"Yeah, and we have a partner watching the ship," Kaito nodded.
"Pirates, huh."
"I used to be a pirate too. I really miss those days, carefree at sea searching for treasures. It was exhilarating."
"Do you have a treasure map?"
Gaimon thought Luffy was also out at sea for treasure, so he asked if he had a treasure map.
"I have a map of the Grand Line."
"I want to find 'ONE PIECE,'" Luffy declared boldly.
Gaimon was shocked, just like everyone else who had heard this.
Luffy showed Gaimon the map. "Which one is the 'Grand Line'?"
"Eh, you don't know, old man?"
"Because I can't read the map at all, hahaha."
"Hahaha, I see!"
Nami and Kaito shook their heads. Was this what pirates should be saying?
Nami stepped forward, took the map, and explained the layout of the pirate world to the two of them.
"There are two ocean worlds in this world."
"The continent that divides the seas is called the Red Line."
"The sailing route that circles the world from a small town to the Red Line vertically is called the 'Grand Line.'"
"I see."
After Nami's explanation, Luffy sighed, and Kaito doubted that Luffy really understood.
As a senior pirate, Gaimon shared that he had previously met people who returned from the Grand Line; they all looked as if they had lost their souls.
He warned Luffy and the others not to underestimate the Grand Line, as it was known as the graveyard for pirates.
But Luffy remained optimistic. Problems arise to be solved, and there would always be a way to overcome them.
...
"So, getting back to the point, what does this have to do with why you're stuck on this island?" Kaito redirected the topic.
"It's somewhat related."
"Twenty years ago, I was also a pirate, and I came to this island with my crew."
"We searched for three days but found no treasure. When it was time to leave, I noticed a small hill we hadn't explored, so I told my crew to wait for me on the ship."
"I struggled to climb up, and indeed, I found five treasure chests at the top."
"But fate had me slip and fall, getting stuck in the box below. When I woke up, my crew had already left."
Gaimon recounted his story, unsure if it was bad luck or good luck.
He fell from a hillside and didn't die, but instead got stuck in a box for twenty years.
...
Nami, with her keen sense for money, immediately suggested they help Gaimon retrieve the treasure.
At the foot of the hill, Kaito and Luffy stretched their arms using their rubber fruit powers and quickly reached the top.
Kaito remembered what this was about.
Looking at the five treasure chests, he didn't move, standing at the edge of the cliff.
Luffy excitedly opened each chest one by one. His excitement dimmed a little each time, but he still smiled as he approached the cliff's edge.
"There are treasure chests! Five of them! Hahaha."
Luffy shouted joyfully.
Gaimon and Nami urged him to throw the chests down, but Luffy unusually refused.
"I won't!"
"What! What do you mean?! Luffy! Kaito, you tell him!"
Nami shouted, the treasure was right in front of them; there was no reason not to take it.
Gaimon, however, shed tears.
"Indeed."
"You two kids are good people."
"I had a suspicion but didn't want to admit it."
"Those five chests are empty, right?!"
When Gaimon shouted this last line, tears streamed down his face.