On the shores of Swallow Island—
Law, Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi stood side by side, staring unblinkingly at the Traveler as it raised its sails and departed.
To all four of them, Arashi's appearance still felt like an unreal dream.
Especially for Law.
He had never imagined that Arashi would be a friend of his benefactor Corazon, nor had he expected Arashi to come all the way to the North Blue to find him, help him develop his Devil Fruit, and teach him physical combat, swordsmanship, and both types of Haki.
And after accomplishing all of that, Arashi left as quietly as he had arrived.
Not far away, Hawkins sat atop a large rock.
After watching the Traveler disappear into the distance, he suddenly turned toward Law.
"What's next?"
he asked in his deep, steady voice.
"Are you planning to set sail as well, Captain of the Heart Pirates, Trafalgar Law?"
"Hm?"
Law's eyes narrowed slightly.
He turned toward Hawkins.
Truthfully, Law had never completely lowered his guard around him.
Aside from Old Wolf, his master Arashi, and his three companions, he trusted no one.
Not even Hawkins, despite the fact that they shared the same master.
"Who knows?"
After staring at Hawkins for a moment, Law countered with a question.
"If we meet again on the seas in the future, will you be my enemy?"
"I just performed a divination."
Hawkins glanced at the tarot card in his hand and shook his head.
"Unfortunately, it appears that we won't have any interaction for quite a long time."
After a brief pause, he suddenly pointed at the nodachi resting on Law's shoulder.
"If I'm not mistaken, that's the cursed blade Kikoku, isn't it?"
Law ignored the question completely.
Instead, he turned and began walking away.
"Farewell, Captain Hawkins."
"How cold."
Watching Law leave, Hawkins blinked.
Then he stood up.
"See you in the Grand Line, Trafalgar Law."
The moment he finished speaking, the Hawkins Pirates' ship emerged through the waves and rapidly approached Swallow Island.
Seeing the vessel arrive precisely on schedule, Hawkins nodded in satisfaction.
A hundred days ago, after deciding to become Arashi's disciple, he had sent all of his crew away and instructed them to return after one hundred days.
He hadn't expected them to be so punctual.
As he watched the ship rapidly approach shore, a faint smile appeared on his pale face.
Before the vessel had even fully docked, he leapt directly onto the deck.
"Captain!"
The moment Hawkins landed, one of his crew members hurried over.
"We need to leave immediately! That damn Drake is chasing us again!"
The instant he heard the name Drake, Hawkins's eyes widened.
"What happened?"
"I only told you to come pick me up. How did you manage to attract Drake here too?"
"We don't know either!"
The pirate looked helpless.
"It might have something to do with the unrest in the Kingdom of Hauting."
"The Kingdom of Hauting is in turmoil?"
Hawkins paused briefly.
Then he suddenly looked toward the direction where the Traveler had vanished.
His brows immediately furrowed.
"Not good."
"The Traveler seemed to be heading toward the Kingdom of Hauting."
He turned sharply.
"Move! Set sail immediately and catch up to the Traveler!"
At Hawkins's command, the pirate ship immediately turned and raced toward the route Arashi had taken.
Two hours later—
Aboard the Traveler, which was rapidly cutting across the sea, Perona was once again overflowing with excitement now that a new journey had begun.
"Arashi, Arashi!"
"Where are we going this time?"
"The Kingdom of Hauting."
Arashi set down the Eternal Pose and asked,
"Robin, do you know anything about it?"
As he spoke, he looked toward Robin.
Dressed in a light-colored Lolita outfit, Robin radiated youthful energy.
Truthfully, this style suited her perfectly.
When Arashi had first met her in the West Blue, Robin's clothing had been far more mature and completely mismatched her age.
Of course, that wasn't really her fault.
Her circumstances at the time hadn't allowed her much choice.
Now that she was traveling with Arashi and no longer had to spend every day hiding and fleeing, she finally had the freedom to dress however she wished.
After all, she wanted Arashi to see the most beautiful version of herself.
Only Arashi.
"I do know a little, Mr. Arashi."
Robin didn't seem embarrassed by Arashi's attention.
She walked over and sat down beside him before beginning her explanation.
"The Kingdom of Hauting was once considered one of the stronger nations in the North Blue."
"However, in recent years it has become increasingly chaotic."
"The root cause of that chaos was the nation known as the White Town—Flevance."
Robin continued calmly.
"The country became famous because of the Amber Lead deposits beneath its soil, which created the unique sight of pure white forests and land."
"Amber Lead was also an extremely valuable resource."
"However, the World Government concealed the truth."
"Once mined, Amber Lead poisoned those exposed to it and caused Amber Lead Syndrome."
"The toxins accumulated over generations, causing the lifespan of each successive generation to grow shorter and shorter."
"Those afflicted could only watch as their skin and hair turned increasingly white before eventually dying in terrible agony."
"The disease wasn't contagious."
"But neighboring nations, deceived by the World Government's lies, feared infection and completely sealed off Flevance."
"Citizens attempting to flee to other countries for treatment were shot on sight."
"Eventually, war broke out."
Robin paused briefly.
"The Kingdom of Hauting was one of the nations drawn into that conflict because it bordered Flevance."
"After becoming involved in the war, various factions took advantage of the situation and infiltrated Hauting."
"The resulting instability has continued to this day."
"Impressive."
After listening to Robin's explanation, Arashi smiled and nodded.
"As expected of Robin."
"The girl who became an archaeological genius at the age of eight."
"You even know the major historical events of the North Blue."
Then he added,
"Though there's one thing you probably don't know."
"Trafalgar Law comes from that very nation known as the White Town."
"His entire family was killed during that conflict."
"Huh?"
Robin blinked in surprise.
"Trafalgar Law is from Flevance?"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, a series of thunderous explosions erupted from the sea behind the Traveler.
Before Arashi and Robin could react, Perona came running over excitedly.
"Arashi! Arashi!"
"It sounds like the Marines are chasing pirates again!"
"Is that so?"
Arashi stood up and walked to the edge of the deck.
Picking up a telescope, he looked toward the distant sea behind them.
The moment he raised it to his eyes, the distinctive scarecrow pirate flag of the Hawkins Pirates entered his vision.
"Holy crap."
"What is going on with that guy?"
"How has he gotten targeted by the Marines again?"
Muttering in confusion, Arashi shifted the telescope toward the warship relentlessly pursuing Hawkins.
The moment he saw the figure standing on the Marine vessel's deck, he blinked blankly.
Then he sighed helplessly.
"Alright."
"Those two really are mortal enemies."
The pirate ship chasing through the waves was none other than the Hawkins Pirates.
And the warship pursuing them was being led by none other than Drake.
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