Chapter 498: Ren's Exhaustion, and Hancock's Second Flight
Boa Hancock's expression was a masterpiece of conflicting emotions. Her lips were caught somewhere between a suppressed laugh and a gasp of disbelief, her wide, ruby-red eyes shimmering with a dazed, almost vacant light. The entire effect was utterly surreal.
The others merely spared her a passing glance before turning away, not bothering to comment.
"I guess you can only say, as expected of the Shopkeeper," Ace mused, a hint of awe in his voice. "To be able to make even the Pirate Empress this... compliant."
Ren sighed, not looking up from his book. "I feel like you always manage to focus on the strangest details. Speaking of which, Rayleigh, are you really planning to train that boy, Luffy?"
Rayleigh gave a firm nod. "His strength is far too lacking. In the New World, anyone who tries to get by on passion alone ends up 'retiring' in Impel Down."
The name alone was enough to make Ace shudder. "Impel Down..." he murmured, his voice tight. "I never want to see that place again in this lifetime."
"Just how dreadful is this prison you call Impel Down?" Lucifer asked, leaning forward with a curious frown. "Even my Hell isn't that... absurd."
Her comment piqued Nami's interest. "Eh? Miss Lucifer, does that mean the treatment in Hell is actually good?"
Aoandon considered this for a moment, her lantern casting a soft, ethereal glow. "In our realm, the process is quite... structured. We have the Black and White Impermanence who guide the souls, judges who pronounce their sentences... one must pass through the Ghost Gate, walk the Road to the Yellow Springs, cross the River of Oblivion and the Bridge of Helplessness, and finally, drink Granny Meng's Soup of Forgetfulness. It's a lengthy affair, but for the truly wicked, our Hell is a place of deep terror."
Nami nodded slowly, processing the information. "That does sound terrifying. Thankfully, I've never done anything truly evil... The money I stole was from terrible pirates, and it was all to save my village. That shouldn't count as being a bad person, right?"
"That wouldn't condemn you," Aoandon replied thoughtfully. "At worst, you would walk across the middle of the Bridge of Helplessness. If you perform many good deeds, you might even be permitted to walk along the upper path. Personally, I do not consider you an evil person."
Nami let out a visible sigh of relief.
"We don't have so many steps," Pandemonica interjected softly, polishing a glass with careful care. "As for why it's not 'absurd'... there are three reasons."
"And what are those?" seven voices asked in near-unison.
"First, some who arrive are simply killed on the spot. Second, some are fed to Cerberus. And then there are the others..." Her voice dropped, taking on a clinical chill. "They either suffer eternal torture, die a final death, or become one of the enslaved skeletons. In short, they never leave."
A collective gulp echoed around the counter. Good heavens. It was straightforward, but terrifyingly so. Wasn't that a bit too extreme? At least give them a chance to repent!
Lucifer tilted her head. "Eh? Is it really that involved? We have accumulated quite a few slaves over the years... I believe they are all handed over to Lady Judgement's care."
Pandemonica's expression became pained. "Boss... if they're handed over to Lady Judgement... her chains can whip a god to death."
Another wave of silent swallowing. 'Chains that can kill a god?'everyone thought.'We want those! That's horrifying!'
"Must you all discuss the particulars of hell in front of an old man?" Rayleigh said with a weary smile. "It's a bit cruel, don't you think?"
Despite his words, he showed no trace of fear, calmly enjoying the last of his meal. As he had noted, dawn was approaching. Hancock, having finished her food long ago, remained seated with her head bowed, a silent, ignored statue.
Finally, after draining his fifth bottle of wine, Rayleigh set his chopsticks down. His plate was immaculate, wiped clean of every last morsel. He had eaten with a refined grace that stood in stark contrast to Ace's earlier ferocity.
Rayleigh glanced at the younger man. "You, kid. I imagine you don't have a single Berry to your name after that escape from Impel Down, do you?"
Ace's mouth twitched. Rayleigh just shook his head, pulling a heavy pouch of coins from his coat and placing it on the counter. "Shopkeeper Ren, this will cover the boy's meal as well. Assuming you haven't raised your prices, this should be enough, correct?"
"Actually, you and Shakky overpaid quite a bit last time," Ren said mildly.
"Eh? But I've always felt your dishes are worth every bit of the price," Rayleigh insisted. "Besides, consider it a fee for rescuing this young man. This is more than fair."
Ren didn't argue, simply returning his attention to his book. Just then, Hancock shot a venomous glare at Rayleigh, who was completely baffled by it. 'Her again?!'he thought.'What did I do this time?!'
Ignoring the Pirate Empress, Rayleigh turned to Ace. "Come on, Ace. Let's go. It's time we headed back. Luffy will be overjoyed to see you."
Ace closed the book he'd been reading and stretched languidly. "That was an unexpected ending. What happened to the hero, Shopkeeper?"
"He was crippled," Ren answered without looking up. "Then he killed the Demon King."
"Eh? As expected of a hero!" Ace declared with a grin.
Both Lucifer and Nami felt their lips twitch. 'Yep,'they thought in unison.'He's going to be single for life.'
"Mr. Ren! I will definitely return!" Hancock suddenly declared, her voice filled with resolve.
"Mm, you're welcome back anytime."
"I'm leaving now!"
"I see that. Little lady, you're blocking the door. Rayleigh and Ace don't dare to pass."
"Then I'm really... Eh?! Not again?! Pandemonica!!! I'll remember this!!!!"
Hancock's indignant shriek faded as she was once again unceremoniously ejected from the restaurant, sailing through the doorway in a perfect arc.
Rayleigh and Ace both shot Pandemonica a look of deep gratitude. Ace let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Mr. Shopkeeper! Thank you again! I won't tell anyone about this place lightly!"
Ren offered a silent nod in return. After Rayleigh led Ace through the now-unobstructed doorway, Ren finally let out a long, weary sigh. "All the guests who came tonight... they're all connected, aren't they?"
The remaining patrons paused. After a moment of thought, they realized he was right. The threads of fate had woven a tight, almost outrageous circle within these walls.
Ren's gaze drifted to the corner. "Miss Kazami, you seemed to be enjoying the show tonight."
Yuuka Kazami, who had been silently observing, gave a slight start. She had indeed found the evening's events highly amusing, but she was certain she hadn't shown it.
Nearby, Yakumo Yukari, who had been lost in thought ever since the topic of world connections had come up, finally stirred. Seeing the sky outside already lightening to a pale blue, she smiled. "Well, Yuuka, it's about time we headed back, too."
Yuuka Kazami glanced at her companion and nodded. After settling their bill, Yukari paused at the threshold, her fan hiding a playful grin. "Mr. Shopkeeper, we'll be taking our leave now. See you tomorrow night!"
Without waiting for a reply, she and Yuuka vanished into the pre-dawn light.
Ren let out another, deeper sigh of relief. The night was finally over. Any longer, and even he would have started to feel the strain.
"What's wrong?" Lucifer teased, her crimson eyes glinting. "You get tired, too?"
"It's mental exhaustion," Ren admitted, rubbing his temples. "After all, who would have thought a simple restaurant could cause seismic shifts in an entire world?"
Nami tilted her head. "So, Shopkeeper Ren, you're mentally exhausted because the shop unintentionally interfered with and changed the course of a world?"
"No," he corrected her. "I'm just mentally exhausted because I suspect the shop has other, even more mischievous ways of pulling people here in the future. ultimately, I'm just a restaurant owner. All I need to do is cook. As for what happens to other worlds... I can help an individual, but I can't save an entire world. I'm no hero."
Lucifer's mouth twitched. "You're surprisingly devious... I'm starting to suspect this shop is your creation after all."
A faint smile touched Ren's lips. "So... Lucifer, you still don't believe me?"
"I... I... I just don't!" she retorted, her face suddenly flushing a brilliant shade of red.
Pandemonica, Nami, and Aoandon all stared at the Queen of Hell in confusion. If you don't believe him, then you don't believe him. Why are you blushing?
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