It took a month to travel from the Forbidden Zone to Elba, mainly because the group had quite a few burdens to carry. Still, they managed to bring everyone back to Elba safely.
Whether they were people who had lived in the Forbidden Zone for years or those captured by the sand bandits, everyone was overcome with emotion and wept tears of joy upon entering Elba.
Law, naturally, didn't join in that atmosphere. Standing to the side, he noticed Salin letting out a quiet sigh of relief. Perhaps she had taken the responsibility upon herself, and now that it was lifted, she felt much lighter.
Gel quietly approached Law, seemingly wanting to talk to him about something. But given the current mood, it wasn't the right time to bring it up.
Among the rescued captives, Millia kept glancing toward Law, but he pretended not to notice and simply left with Salin, distancing himself from the group that had finally returned to human civilization.
"Why are you following us?"
Law turned to look at Gel, who was silently trailing behind them, and spoke bluntly. By now, he had already removed his mask.
Since he had already brought Gel out of the Forbidden Zone, their deal was complete, and they now owed each other nothing.
Gel pressed her lips together and said nothing. Being called out so directly was embarrassing… after all, she was the one stubbornly following him.
'But this guy really had no manners.'
Buhara, on the other hand, acted as if it had nothing to do with him. He had bought a large bag of insect hotpot from a street vendor and was happily munching away. At this point, he might even like the dish more than the locals.
Salin's gaze shifted between Law and Gel, a faint smile flashing in her eyes, "Junior, that's no way to behave. You can't treat a girl like that… you'll never find a partner at this rate."
Then, she turned to Gel and said warmly, "I have plenty of spare rooms at my place. If you don't mind, you can stay for a few days before leaving."
"Okay!" Gel's face brightened. She had been worrying about how to stay close to Law to ask him about poison fusion, and Salin's kind offer was exactly what she needed.
"There aren't any rooms left. A few of them have been turned into storage by Sabro. If she goes, there won't be anywhere for her to stay." Law interjected.
Gel gritted her teeth and glared at Law, feeling like she was being deliberately targeted.
Salin rolled her eyes at Law and said, "We can just clear them out, can't we?"
"But those storage rooms are full of your… uh, I mean, your belongings. Are you really willing to throw them away?" Law almost misspoke and quickly corrected himself.
"Since when do you care about that?" Salin raised her hand, pretending she was about to smack him.
"You're not a Yuri, are you?"
Law flinched slightly and muttered under his breath.
"What did you say?" Salin had heard the word 'Yuri', but she didn't understand what it meant.
"Nothing. I'm going ahead first. You still remember the way, right?" Law had no intention of explaining and immediately dashed off. Buhara, seeing this, followed after him.
Salin glanced at her surroundings and exhaled softly, murmuring, "I could find my way back even with my eyes closed."
Then, without paying any more attention to Law, who had already vanished, she turned to Gel with a gossipy smile.
"Uh…?" Gel felt a slight chill under that knowing gaze.
You… have feelings for Law?" Salin's fox-like smile was filled with gossip.
"No way!" Gel's eyes widened, and she waved her hands frantically.
"Ohhh~" Salin stared at her with deep interest.
"…"
Seeing Saillin's reaction, Gel felt extremely frustrated, 'I really didn't!'
…
Law and Buhara arrived at Sabro's shop first. On the way from the entrance to the store, Buhara had already finished his insect hotpot.
By the time they reached the shop, he grabbed a spider from the stall and started munching on it.
Sabro, who had been dozing in his chair, suddenly snapped his eyes open.
His fan instinctively rose, about to smack Buhara, but he stopped mid-swing when he recognized them.
"You're finally back," Sabro said with a yawn, giving them a sidelong glance, "I thought you two died in the Forbidden Zone."
"Is that any way to talk? I brought you a huge surprise!" Law shook his head.
Sabro's expression changed drastically, his voice almost cracking as he urgently asked, "Did you find it?"
"Hand it over." Sabro stretched out his hand, his eyes fixed intently on Law.
"It'll be delivered to you automatically in a bit. Just wait here. I'm going to see Linne." With a flick of his Nen, Law teleported past Sabro.
"What do you mean?"
Sabro reacted quickly, spinning around to glare at Law, who was already climbing the stairs.
"Just wait patiently."
Law flashed a mischievous grin, leaving Sabro utterly baffled.
Once upstairs, Law headed straight to Linne's room.
The door opened, and a gaze immediately locked onto him.
Law looked over to see Linne sitting upright on the bed, 'Her back injury must have healed.'
"Is your back injury healed?" Law walked over and took a seat on a nearby chair.
Linne nodded slightly and asked, "You went?"
"Yeah." Law grinned and said, "Got some good loot and learned a lot too."
"Then we'll continue training tonight." Linne said calmly.
Law thought for a moment. Since his next plans would take some time anyway, there was no harm in keeping up his training, so he agreed.
Then, Law began recounting his experiences in the Forbidden Zone, like the bizarre creatures in the mountain paths and the ant colonies on the grasslands, all of which captivated Linne, even stirring a hint of nostalgia in her expression.
Perhaps, listening to Law's stories, she was reminded of the days when she used to travel and adventure with Netero and the others.
About twenty minutes later, an utterly disbelieving shriek suddenly erupted from downstairs, sounding like a girl being cornered in an alley by a burly man.
"Pfft-"
Law knew exactly what was happening and couldn't help but laugh.
"What's going on?"
Linne frowned slightly. Without using En, she had no idea who had just arrived at the shop.
"Salin is back," Law said with a grin.
"Huh?" Linne was genuinely surprised.
…
That night, Law cooked a feast for everyone. At Saillin's invitation, Gel also stayed over, though the unfortunate task of clearing out a room for her somehow fell to Law.
Sabro sat next to Salin, looking completely distracted. Every few minutes, he'd reach out and poke her, making her roll her eyes. She couldn't believe that even after all these years, her brother hadn't changed at all. But the biggest issue was…!
"Why haven't you settled down yet? Do you want our family line to end with you? First thing tomorrow, you're going out to find a partner. I'm giving you seven days to get a wife, and then we're putting the baby-making plan into motion."
Salin slowly set down her chopsticks and spoke to Sabro with utmost seriousness.
"Cough-!" Sabro nearly choked to death.
Linne's eyes narrowed to slits, while Buhara and the others froze mid-bite.
"At his age… can he even still do it?" Law muttered under his breath.
Sabro heard him and immediately hurled his bowl and chopsticks at Law, only for Law to stop them midair with his Nen and set them gently back down.
"Since Master Linne is here, we can have her officiate the wedding." Salin shot Law a glare before turning back to Sabro.
"Sister, please... don't mess with me like this." Sabro said miserably, 'How was I supposed to find a wife and get married in a week?'
"What? You've lived this long, and there's not one person who's ever had a crush on you?" Salin frowned.
Sabro's lips twitched as he pointed at himself, "Look at me. Who'd even want this?"
A flicker of sadness passed through Salin's eyes. She had never slacked in her Nen Training, so she still looked to be in her thirties, while Sabro appeared to be in his sixties.
'It was probably because of me.'
"The fat aunt next door." Law said offhandedly.
"Go to hell!" Sabro said angrily.