"That's right. What else could it be? Anyway, I refused."
Luffy now understands exactly how Robin had felt back then.
Faced with the terrifying intimidation of the World Government, Robin hadn't wanted to drag them down.
And Luffy didn't want to drag his comrades down because of Ace either.
Back then, driven by sheer hot-blooded impulse, they had turned Enies Lobby upside down. In the end, if it hadn't been for Garp and Aokiji, their crew might not have made it back.
Now Ace had been locked up in Impel Down a place as notorious as Enies Lobby, perhaps even more terrifying. Good fortune wouldn't necessarily favor them a second time.
Luffy agreed with what Kuma had said.
His own strength might be able to hold his own against the Admirals.
But what about his comrades?
They needed strength.
What they needed even more was time.
After all, only about two months had passed since they set sail from the East Blue. Luffy had effectively compressed those two months into two years of experience. But Zoro and the others were different.
He felt that this was something a mature captain needed to consider.
"All right."
Robin didn't press further, but the doubt in her eyes didn't fade.
She reached out, gently pulled Luffy's head toward her, and rested it on her soft, warm lap. "Since you don't want to talk, then don't. But right now, you don't need to eat meat you need rest."
"Eh? I still want to eat."
Luffy struggled slightly, trying to sit up. "And really, I'm fine."
"You don't want to eat."
Robin's tone carried an unquestionable gentleness. Her hand lightly brushed Luffy's cheek—cool to the touch, yet oddly soothing to his restless nerves. "You need rest. No matter what's happened, I'll be here."
She pressed him back down.
Robin's observational skills were extremely sharp.
Though she didn't know exactly what had happened, she could sense that Luffy's mind was under immense pressure.
Luffy fell silent for a moment, but Robin's hand continued to gently soothe him.
His constantly tense nerves finally seemed to find a temporary harbor where they could rest.
The faint scent of books and flowers that always lingered around Robin filled his senses. His eyelids grew heavy.
The cumulative effects of consecutive battles, the side effects of the shadows, and the shock of hearing about Ace's capture—all of it came rushing in like a tidal wave.
His struggling weakened. Eventually, under that reassuring touch and presence, he closed his eyes.
His breathing became even and deep. He fell into a sound sleep.
Robin looked down at the sleeping profile of the young man in her lap. A few strands of black hair had fallen across his face.
Her hand continued to gently stroke Luffy's cheek, smoothing the furrow between his brows. She spoke softly:
"Sleep well, Captain."
No matter what happens, we will walk with you.
Her life had been tightly bound to Luffy's ever since Alabasta.
While Luffy slept, Sanji and Zoro quietly slipped away from the banquet and made their way to the ruins where Luffy and Kuma had spoken earlier.
"If there wasn't a fight, then something definitely happened."
"And the way those injuries on Luffy disappeared so quickly there's definitely something strange about that."
Sanji and Zoro had coincidentally arrived at the same place.
They were walking side by side. Actually, it hadn't started that way. Sanji had been leading the way, but after just a short while, he turned around and Zoro was gone.
That idiot had gotten lost again. How could anyone get lost following someone?!
"Cook, look over there." Zoro looked ahead and spoke in a low voice.
Sanji lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. "Yeah, I see it."
"What is it?"
"Don't know. But it's probably nothing good."
They saw the massive, translucent paw-shaped bubble floating in mid-air. They could feel the terrifying, oppressive energy contained within it. Their faces turned grim.
Just then, a deep voice sounded from behind them:
"That is part of the physical and mental pain and fatigue your captain has been enduring."
The two spun around. Kuma had somehow returned and was standing silently beside a large boulder. Moria was still lying unconscious at his feet.
He seemed to have just finished a Den Den Mushi call.
He had originally come back to eliminate the paw-shaped energy. He hadn't expected to find these two.
Pop.
Kuma raised his hand and waved it lightly at the massive pain bubble in the air. Two fist-sized smaller bubbles separated from it and floated slowly toward Sanji and Zoro.
"Do you want to experience for yourselves what your captain has been going through lately?" Kuma's voice betrayed no emotion.
Sanji and Zoro said nothing.
They were on guard against Kuma.
This guy was a Warlord an enemy!
Feeling the powerful aura emanating from Kuma, Zoro had already drawn his swords.
"You are strong. But not strong enough."
Leaving those words behind, Kuma swatted Moria away with one hand, then swatted the pain bubbles away
as well.
Then—
A massive paw-shaped bubble suddenly appeared on the sea horizon. It released a tremendous energy shockwave, like a tsunami.
"Looks like that guy wasn't lying."
Sanji walked over to the pain bubble. Even looking at it made his heart race. "Luffy's pain, huh? Marimo, what do you think?"
"I want to know how much our captain has endured for us."
Sanji and Zoro looked at each other. They both saw the same resolve in the other's eyes.
"Let's try it."
Without hesitation, Zoro reached out and touched one of the bubbles.
"Let's try it."
Almost at the same moment, Sanji touched the other.
The instant their fingers made contact with the strange paw-shaped bubbles—
"GUH—!"
"HRK—!"
Both men let out simultaneous grunts. Their bodies shook violently, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, or as if being sliced by countless blades.
Fine cracks split open on the surface of their skin. Muscles convulsed uncontrollably. Intense agony crashed against their nerves and will like a tsunami!
It wasn't just physical pain—it was mixed with extreme mental fatigue, the backlash of forcibly developing abilities...
In just a single moment of contact, both men collapsed to one knee, drained of all strength. They gasped for breath, their clothes instantly soaked with cold sweat.
The pain bubbles dissipated as they touched them.
When the two returned to the banquet, everyone was terrified, thinking enemies had attacked again.
Chopper ran over in a panic to treat them.
But even Chopper's superb medical skills couldn't fully understand these bizarre injuries.
When Luffy woke up—
He saw Chopper treating Sanji and Zoro, both wrapped in bandages with pale faces.
"Huh? What happened to you two?"
Luffy rubbed his eyes, sat up from Robin's lap, and asked in confusion. "Were there more enemies? Who did this to you?"
Sanji and Zoro exchanged a glance and, with perfect understanding, started making up nonsense.
"Ah, nothing. I went into the forest earlier to look for ingredients and accidentally fell." Sanji blew a smoke ring, his eyes wandering.
"Yeah. Ran into some really fierce beasts." Zoro crossed his arms and added with a completely serious face.
Both excuses were more ridiculous than the last.
Luffy looked at them suspiciously, then looked around. Not seeing any powerful enemies, he didn't press further.
Who knew maybe the two had just gotten into another fight because they couldn't stand each other.
That kind of thing happened all the time.
After Luffy woke up, the banquet atmosphere gradually came to an end, accompanied by Brook's melancholic violin playing.
When the final piece ended, Brook lowered his bowed and tilted his skull slightly, as if bidding farewell to the years he had been trapped in the fog.
The long period of having his shadow stolen was finally over.
Luffy, meanwhile, went over and sat directly on a nearby piano stand.
After Robin's reassurance, he had clearly recovered somewhat.
At least he wouldn't lose his head and rush off impulsively.
But before that—
"Yo, Brook."
"Luffy-san!"
Brook quickly turned around, his hollow eye sockets facing Luffy. "Thank you so much! If not for you and everyone else, my shadow would probably still be in Moria's hands."
"It was everyone's effort."
Luffy grinned broadly, cutting off his thanks. He swallowed the meat in his hand in a few quick bites and asked, "Brook, what are you planning to do now?"
"I want to fulfill the promise with Laboon."
Brook's hand tightened on his violin. His knuckles made a faint clicking sound. "It's already been fifty years. I want to complete that promise for my crewmates."
"I figured. But going back to Twin Capes from here seems really far and really troublesome. So here's the thing—why don't you come on our ship?"
He had been planning this ever since they first met Brook.
Now, at the tail end of Nakama Day—
Brook was stunned. His skull tilted. "Come on your ship?"
"That's right. Our voyage is to circle the entire Grand Line. By the time we make it all the way around, we're bound to see Laboon again. When that happens, we can all go see it together!"
Luffy's original goal had been to find ten crewmates.
Now it seemed like they already had a whole ship full—probably more than ten.
But whatever.
The joy of being a pirate was setting out on adventures with comrades you took a liking to.
Brook suddenly remembered the condition Luffy had asked him to agree to earlier—that after getting his shadow back, he would agree to one request.
Could it be that he had been planning this all the way back then...?
Just then, Nami and Usopp walked over.
Nami had known from the moment they first met Brook that Luffy had his eye on this.
"Come with us to see Laboon."
"Yeah, yeah! Luffy's been going on about how the ship still needs a musician ever since the day he set out to sea. Now he's finally found one!"
Nami added, "He invited Uta before, too. Too bad Uta turned him down."
Who was Uta?
But it didn't matter anymore.
Brook looked at this group of people standing before him. If he had tears, they would have been streaming down his face. But he was just bones.
He raised his hand and adjusted his top hat. Though he had no tears, his voice had taken on a thick, nasal tone:
"Yohohoho! What an honor. I am deeply grateful!"
He bowed deeply. "If you fine people don't mind an old bag of bones like me... Monkey D. Luffy-san, please allow me, Brook, to join the Straw Hat Pirates! Let me spend the rest of my life—no, even if I'm nothing but bones—offering you the most beautiful music, as we complete this great voyage together!"
***
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