Chapter 37: "King of the Sky"? A Talking Crow?
After a farcical chase...
At the edge of the cliff, Luffy, relying on the flexibility of his rubber arms, finally caught Gaimon, who was trying to escape.
"Let me go! You bastard pirates!"
After a period of futile struggling, Gaimon finally quieted down under Nami's "gentle" offensive.
"Alright, stop moving around."
Nami squatted down, holding a first-aid kit, and carefully bandaged the wound on Gaimon's forehead—who had lines of frustration all over his face—tying a beautiful bow.
"Yosh, that does it."
The Rare Animals that had been fierce just moments ago now gathered around.
The Lion-headed Pig even stepped forward, extending its wet tongue to carefully lick Gaimon's face, its eyes full of worry.
"You're quite popular, Mr. 'Guardian Spirit.'"
Watching this scene, Nami couldn't help but say with a light laugh:
"It seems that until now, you've been using these strange-looking animals, along with the local legends, to scare away cowardly pirates, right?"
Usopp, standing nearby, added curiously.
"Hehehe! But this is the first time I've seen a person stuffed in a box! So cool!!"
Luffy lay on the ground and poked the Green Treasure Chest on Gaimon's body, laughing as he said, "This look is really stylish!"
"How is that even possible?! You idiot!!"
Gaimon's face was covered in black lines as he roared at Luffy, spit flying everywhere:
"I've been stuck in this box like this, living on this deserted island for a full 20 years! It's because I can't get out at all!!"
"20 years?!"
Nami, who was organizing her backpack, covered her mouth in surprise upon hearing that number.
Usopp, listening intently nearby, felt his throat go a bit dry.
"20 years... it's truly hard to imagine."
He took a water bottle out of his backpack and poured a cup of clear water, just about to bring it to his lips to moisten his throat.
*Swish.*
A slender hand suddenly reached over and snatched the water cup with extreme naturalness.
*Gulp.*
Tatsuya drank it all in one go, wiped the corner of his mouth, and said with a smile, "Thanks for the treat, I just happened to be thirsty."
"Hey!! That was my water!!" Usopp shouted in exasperation, "You bastard Tatsuya!"
Tatsuya shrugged, ignoring his protest.
Usopp sighed and could only look back at Gaimon helplessly, lamenting:
"It's been like this for 20 years? That's really impressive, that you were able to endure it."
Gaimon's eyes grew somewhat lonely as he looked at the distant sea, his voice low:
"Yeah... my hair and beard have grown into this wild state. I haven't spoken to a human for 20 whole years.
"In the dead of night, that kind of loneliness... can you understand it?"
Everyone fell into silence; the atmosphere grew heavy.
"Ah, like an idiot."
Luffy, however, suddenly picked his nose and broke the atmosphere with a flat expression.
"What did you say?! You brat!" Gaimon instantly lost his cool, looking like he wanted to bite someone.
*Yawn—*
Just then, the sound of a long yawn drifted over.
"So you guys were here, you really made me look for you."
Zoro rubbed his sleepy eyes, carrying his sword on his shoulder as he walked over slowly.
He glanced at the second cup of water Tatsuya had just poured and snatched it away naturally.
*Gulp, gulp.*
Zoro finished the water and exhaled with satisfaction, "Ah, I'm revived."
"Hey!! That was my second cup of water!!" Usopp collapsed to his knees in despair.
Having finished the water, Zoro finally looked down, his gaze landing on Gaimon on the ground.
In an instant, his eyes widened like copper bells, and he jumped back:
"Ah!! What is this thing?! Has a box become a spirit?!"
"Notice him sooner!!" Nami couldn't help but punch Zoro on the head, "Is your reaction time so slow it has to loop around the ocean once?!"
Tatsuya said with a smile, "Idiots are always a beat behind."
"To put it simply, after twenty years of growth, this old man's body has completely fused with this box. It's truly a miraculous human anatomy."
"What? You mean he can't be pulled out?" Luffy tugged at Gaimon's face in surprise.
"Ow, ow, ow! Stop pulling!" Gaimon cried out.
"This is practically a masterpiece of God," Usopp added, looking at the perfectly fitted box.
Hearing this, Gaimon gave a cold snort.
His voice lowered: "No, this isn't a masterpiece of God... it's a masterpiece of fate."
Then, he looked up, his somewhat cloudy eyes scrutinizing the young people before him:
"But who are you people exactly? You seem different from those greedy and brutal pirates from before."
Luffy stood up straight, adjusted his straw hat, and revealed his signature confident smile:
"I'm Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King! I'm going to get the One Piece!"
"Wh-what?!"
Gaimon's face was full of terror, as if he had heard something forbidden, "Pirate King?! Are you guys planning to enter that Grand Line?"
"Yeah, that's right! We even have a sea chart!"
Luffy smiled and pulled out that somewhat crumpled sea chart from his chest, spreading it out before Gaimon like showing off a treasure.
"Look! We're very well prepared!"
"Idiot! Don't underestimate the Grand Line!"
Gaimon shouted excitedly, "That place is hell! The Great Pirate Era began 20 years ago, and countless pirates have died there. The One Piece is still just a legend..."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but lean in curiously, staring at the complex nautical chart.
"Hmm... what is this drawing?" Gaimon frowned, looking left and right.
"Hmm? Box-old-man can't understand it either?" Luffy blinked.
"Ah, it's too complicated, I can't understand it at all! Hahaha!"
"Hahaha! Me neither!"
The two looked at each other and actually started laughing like two idiots at the same time.
"Give it here!!"
Nami, unable to take it anymore, snatched the sea chart back and carefully put it away.
"Is this a conversation between two pirates? How embarrassing!"
"Hee hee hee! It's fine, we'll find the One Piece anyway!" Luffy laughed lightheartedly.
Looking at Luffy's cloudless smile, Gaimon couldn't help but fall into thought.
At this moment, in this young boy, he seemed to see his younger self.
"Ah... to one day seize a dream and venture into the world... that's what we thought back then, too.
"It was that passion that completely changed our lives..."
"Wh-what's the story behind that..." Usopp asked curiously.
Gaimon looked up at the blue sky, his thoughts drifting back to a long time ago:
"Twenty years ago..."
He briefly recounted how he came to this island and how he climbed the cliff to find the legendary treasure.
Finally, he told the tragic tale of how he accidentally fell into the box and was left behind by his companions.
"Since then, the treasures on top of that cliff have never left my mind.
"I became a monster and scared away many pirates. Just like that, I've been lonely, guarding my treasure! That treasure belongs to me!"
As he spoke, Gaimon's face was covered in tears.
"Yeah, that definitely belongs to Old Man Gaimon!" Luffy nodded seriously.
"Mr. Gaimon, I understand!"
Luffy stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and pointed at the massive rock pillar soaring into the clouds in the distance.
"Since you can't get up there, we'll go get those treasures for you!"
"Y-you guys..."
Looking at this group of teenagers he had just met, Gaimon was so moved that tears and snot flowed together.
To the side, Tatsuya leaned against a tree trunk, watching this scene and sighing helplessly.
As a transmigrator, he naturally knew that those boxes were actually empty.
This was destined to be a sad ending, but perhaps, it was also a form of release.
...
A moment later.
The group arrived beneath the massive stone pillar located in the center of the island.
This stone pillar pierced the clouds, its surface smooth and steep; ordinary people couldn't possibly climb it.
"It's so high..." Usopp looked up, his mouth wide open, his hat nearly falling off.
Next, to hide his fear of heights, he immediately raised a finger proudly and issued orders to Luffy:
"Luffy! I am the Vice Captain... no, I am Sogeking! Captain Usopp orders you to go get the treasure chests! I'll cover you from down here!"
*Splat.*
Just as he finished speaking.
A lump of warm, sticky stuff fell from the sky, hitting the top of Usopp's head with pinpoint accuracy and sliding down his goggles.
It was a lump of bird droppings.
"Gwaa—!!"
Immediately after, a clear and mocking cry came from the sky:
"Idiot! Long-nosed idiot! Gwaa!"
"Eh?!!!"
The whole crew was instantly shocked and looked up.
"Is there someone else up there?!" Nami said in surprise.
Gaimon looked at the black shadow circling in the sky and shook his head, his expression grave:
"No... that is the overlord of this island's sky, a strange bird I call the 'King of the Sky'..."
"King of the Sky?"
Tatsuya narrowed his eyes, his red pupils constricting slightly; with his excellent vision, he saw the black shadow clearly.
It wasn't some giant bird of prey, but a slightly large Crow with feathers as black as ink.
But the look in this Crow's eyes was full of human-like mockery.
"Oh? A talking Crow?"
The corners of Tatsuya's mouth curled up, a thick sense of interest flashing in his eyes.
He clearly remembered that this Crow was not in the original plot.
"Interesting... it seems that on this island, besides empty boxes, there are other surprises."