Night had fallen, and the palace of Kaito was lively and filled with laughter—especially with the addition of Conis and Yamato.
When Conis first arrived, she was a bit shy. But with Yamato's naturally open and cheerful energy, she gradually relaxed, and after dinner, she even played her beloved harp for everyone.
Gion listened in surprise—she had never once heard her student play before. Nudging Kaito playfully in the side, she teased,
"Looks like I'm benefiting from your presence this time. I didn't even know Conis could play the harp."
Kaito chuckled.
"The first time I met her, she was playing it. She's got real talent for music."
"Then how could you bear to have her join the training program?"
"That's up to her to decide."
"Hmm... Still, I think she should just stay here. This palace is big enough, isn't it?"
Gion winked and made a funny face at him.
Kaito reached out and gently tapped her nose. Just then, Conis's music came to a graceful end.
Everyone immediately clapped—none louder than Yamato, who was cheering so enthusiastically that Conis looked like she wanted to hide.
Conis walked slowly up to Kaito, bowed slightly, and said softly,
"Kaito-san, it's already late. I should be heading back..."
Gion discreetly smacked Kaito's lower back, but he, ever the straightforward one, replied earnestly,
"Yeah, you're right. You should head back."
A faint disappointment flickered in Conis's eyes, though she was still happy tonight. After all, aside from Kalifa and the others, few were ever allowed into Kaito's palace.
She nodded and was about to leave when Yamato suddenly shouted,
"Then let me walk you back! Your performance tonight was amazing—I loved it!"
Yamato had clearly had too much to drink. Her cheeks were flushed red, and she was slumped against Kalifa's shoulder, waving her arms lazily.
Kalifa pinched Yamato's cheek affectionately and said softly,
"Forget it. Look at you—you can barely stand."
Then she looked up at Kaito. Before she could say anything, Kaito waved his hand.
"All right, all right. There's no way I'd let Conis walk back alone. I'll escort her myself."
Conis's eyes widened. The surprise hit her so hard she froze for a moment, unable to process it.
It wasn't until Kaito patted her shoulder that she came back to her senses, following him stiffly like a wind-up doll as they left together.
This time, Kaito didn't teleport her. Instead, he chose to walk her all the way to the dormitory gates.
At that hour, most of the trainees were washing up. When they spotted Kaito and Conis outside through the windows, they froze—their toothbrushes and towels dropping from their hands.
After a brief stunned silence, a chorus of shrieks erupted from the dorm. Conis turned beet-red and looked like she wanted to bury her face in her chest.
Kaito, on the other hand, was calm as ever. Come on—he'd seen planets explode before. What was a little gossip compared to that?
He smiled gently at Conis.
"All right, I'll stop here. Any farther and they won't let me in."
But Conis, without thinking, blurted out,
"Actually... if Kaito-san wanted to go in, no one would stop you!"
Then she giggled, realizing how that sounded.
Kaito seized the moment to tease her.
"Oh? You wouldn't stop me either?"
Conis hesitated, then looked up at him with serious eyes.
"No, I wouldn't."
"Oh? And why's that?"
"Because Kaito-san is the king who saved the world. This world already belongs to you."
"Uh... That sounds kind of like something a Celestial Dragon would say."
"No way! Those people can't compare to you at all—they're bad people!"
Conis clenched her small fists, afraid he might not believe her, and added earnestly,
"It's not just me, you know. Everyone thinks so. Even Secretary Kalifa says it all the time in the papers!"
"Kalifa, huh... Heh, that's just like her."
After escorting Conis back, Kaito returned to his palace and found Kalifa, telling her what happened.
Kalifa shrugged with a faint smile.
"Boss, don't you think that kind of belief helps stabilize the world? Most people now share a unified faith."
Kaito nodded approvingly.
"Hmm... You did well. You really know how to use public opinion."
"As long as you're pleased, boss~"
...
East Blue, Foosha Village
It was the day Luffy would set sail. But only Dadan and Makino came to see him off—the rest of the villagers stayed behind.
They couldn't understand why, in an age like this, Luffy still insisted on becoming a pirate.
Over the past few years, even his father, Dragon, had often returned to visit him, but he'd never managed to change Luffy's mind.
In the end, Dragon could only let him go. He hadn't really been around as a father anyway, and he didn't feel he had the right to interfere with his son's dreams.
Makino sighed the whole way as she walked Luffy to the shore. She really didn't want him to become a pirate.
Luffy didn't seem to care whether anyone came or not. No one knew what he'd gone through, but compared to a few years ago, he seemed... calmer now.
When they reached the small boat at the water's edge, Luffy turned to Makino and Dadan with a bright smile.
"Makino-san, Dadan, this is where we say goodbye."
Dadan stepped forward and patted his shoulder. There wasn't much she could do except wish him smooth sailing.
Makino, however, made one last desperate attempt.
"Luffy, this isn't the Great Pirate Era anymore. Think it over again. Wouldn't joining the Navy be better?"
Luffy shook his head. Staring at the vast sea, he said firmly,
"No! Becoming Pirate King has always been my dream—I won't give it up! And I'm going to rescue Shanks!"
"But Shanks was captured by Kaito-sama! You can't possibly fight him!"
"Makino-san, please don't say any more. I've already decided—and I'm not that easy to beat anymore!"
His hair stirred though there was no wind. Wisps of white smoke began to rise faintly from his back, and his whole aura changed in an instant.
Makino frowned. To be honest, she didn't like this version of Luffy. He felt... different, like someone else entirely.
The strange state didn't last long. The white smoke faded, and Luffy exhaled sharply—it seemed he couldn't maintain it for long.
Without another word, he jumped into his small boat and sailed off toward the horizon, never looking back.
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