The space of the Blood Prison Scroll faded like the receding tide. The warm light of the side hall and the familiar voices of people flooded back in.
Barrett's burly figure appeared somewhat stiffly at the doorway. He seemed out of place in the warm, tear-filled chaos of the side hall. His eyes swept over the room with caution and a hint of confusion.
Barrett was such a complicated person.
When his gaze passed over the man smiling brightly, his pupils contracted sharply.
Roger...
Barrett's lips moved. But in the end, he didn't ask anything. He had countless questions about why Roger was alive and why he looked younger. But they all just turned into a low grunt. He pushed all his shock and confusion back down. Barrett was the type of person who didn't meddle.
Some things didn't need to be asked. As long as this person was still here, that was enough.
(Isn't that a kind of pure love???)
"Barrett!" Roger was the first to notice him. He laughed and spread his arms, walking over and slapping Barrett's hard armor without hesitation. "Yo! Long time no see!"
Marx also wiped his tears and came over, punching Barrett's shoulder. Then he froze.
"Damn, that's hard." His hand started to swell visibly. Feeling embarrassed, he shouted at Barrett with shark teeth. "You bastard! Where were you just now?! How could you miss this?!"
Shanks and Buggy also threw themselves at Barrett, one on each arm. Even though Barrett looked disgusted.
"Uncle Barrett! You scared us!"
"Yeah! We thought you got beaten up by Big Brother Rhett and went to hide again!"
This unguarded warmth and acceptance melted the coldness around Barrett a little.
He shifted his shoulders awkwardly, trying to shake the two kids off. In the end, he just gave a grunt in response.
He had never seen himself as "family" to the Roger Pirates. But this genuine, unforced longing... To put it bluntly, in the original story, he hadn't stayed long enough. Given more time, even a stone would dissolve.
Rhett stood a little further away, watching. His usual lazy smile was gone. He took a deep breath and stepped to the center of the room.
Everyone's attention turned to him.
Rhett's gaze slowly swept over everyone present. Roger, Rouge, Marx, Shanks, Buggy, Barrett... These were his most important bonds, the family and partners he would entrust with everything.
Then, to everyone's surprise, Rhett slowly and seriously bowed to them all.
It was a heavy gesture coming from him.
"Hey, Rhett, what are you..." Roger stopped smiling.
Rhett straightened up.
"Everyone," his voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone clearly, "I have something very important I must do. I need to leave for a while. It might be a long time. It might be short. I don't know."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone again, lingering on Roger and Rouge.
"During the time I'm gone," his voice carried a request, "my kingdom, the Blood Dawn, the people who depend on my protection... and my most important family and friends..."
His gaze finally fell on Barrett. But his words were for everyone.
"...I'm counting on all of you."
The room was silent.
Everyone understood what Rhett had meant when he talked to Barrett about "protection." They understood the weight of this bow.
This wasn't an order from the "Mist Lord." It was a man, before a long journey, entrusting what he treasured most to those he trusted most.
Roger was the first to react. He stepped forward and grabbed Rhett's shoulder, shaking him firmly.
"Kuhahaha! Don't say stupid things! Your family is our family! Go!"
"Exactly!" Marx pounded his chest. "We've got this! Even if we're not as strong as you, we can call people! We'll get Rayleigh and Jabba back, hehehe."
Shanks and Buggy jumped up and down, promising, "We'll protect everyone!" For a moment, the two captains who ruled the seas became the apprentices they had been on Roger's ship.
Barrett stood with his arms crossed, watching. Finally, he let out a loud grunt.
"Hmph! Enough talk! I said I'd do it, so I'll do it!"
Rhett looked at everyone. The last of his worries finally faded.
"Good." He shrugged easily. "Then I'll... go make some big news for you."
With that, his figure began to blur. Blood mist slowly spread.
"Wait for me."
Rhett's figure had already become translucent.
Just as the farewell was at its peak, just as everyone was immersed in their promises and the slight sadness—
"Rhett!"
A gentle voice, but with undeniable authority. It was Rouge.
Rhett was in the middle of a cool exit.
"Uh... Rouge? What is it?"
Rhett was confused. Rhett asked.
Rouge walked up to him.
"I won't try to stop you. But let me ask you something. Is this extremely urgent? The kind where you have to leave right this second, without a moment's pause, saying goodbye and then gone?"
Rhett was confused. That was a long sentence. But he answered honestly.
"What? No, not really. I just need to check something. It's something I have to do eventually..."
Before he could finish, Rouge reached out and grabbed one of his ears.
"Ow, ow, ow! Rouge! Easy! Easy!" The man who had just been bragging to Barrett instantly bent over, begging for mercy.
"Rouge, what's wrong? I didn't trick Ace into drinking. That was Roger."
"There's more?"
Roger: ???
Rouge gave Roger a gentle look. One meaning — my brother is more important. You wait.
Roger: It's over, everyone.
"Rouge, listen! It was Shanks and Buggy who started it! I just joined in!"
"There's more? Shanks and Buggy?"
Shanks & Buggy: "You bastard captain! What are you talking about?! We didn't do anything!"
Roger shouted back with shark teeth. "Do you think I did?!"