Words lack the emotion of a voice. Was Woonan sincere or lying? The text alone couldn't say. But that was irrelevant now. Reading it, they felt he was truly content with his life.
His final words were encouragement to a friend.
What expression he wore, what silence he held here, they wished to know. Unconfirmable now. But surely, he smiled.
Usopp sniffled, rubbing under his nose.
Luffy stared solemnly at the wall, Nami bowed her head in sorrow.
A quiet moment settled.
Years past, yet they felt his end, the air touching their skin. That alone stirred indescribable emotions.
A loud sniff broke the silence.
Tobio moved slowly, wiping tears, grabbing Iwakura's pants with a near-sobbing face. Eyes down, but Iwakura looked at him gently.
"Grandpa… I'm sorry. I never tried to understand you, mocked the oden stand, and acted selfishly."
"Don't worry. No need to apologize."
Wiping his eyes, Iwakura shifted the flag to his left hand, placing his right on Tobio's shoulder.
Crouching to meet his gaze, he looked at him warmly and spoke.
"Listen, Tobio, live as you see fit. Like my friend did, live without regrets. I'll always be watching."
"Ugh, Grandpa…!" Tobio rubbed his eyes harder.
Stroking his head, Iwakura turned, sitting cross-legged before Woonan's remains.
How many years since they'd faced each other like this?
No sadness now. No need for tears.
Pulling the oden pot close, he placed it before him.
With a bright expression he hadn't shown in years, he smiled and spoke to his friend.
"Woonan, you hear me? Been a while since we talked like this."
No reply. That was fine.
With the pirates and his grandson watching, Iwakura spoke.
To his lifeless friend's remains, wishing he'd hear, as if speaking to himself.
"Just watch. Like you achieved your dream as the golden pirate, I'll become the world's greatest oden vendor. So it'll be a while before I join you. Haha, sorry about that."
Grinning, he called without looking back.
"Straw Hat. You said you were hungry, right?"
"Yeah."
"Eat this oden for him, will you?"
"For real?"
"He can't eat anymore. Make him regret never tasting it—eat it heartily. It's that good."
"Got it."
Luffy sat cross-legged beside Iwakura.
Opening the pot, he saw the oden had gone cold—not the same as at the stall.
Unfazed, Luffy grabbed a piece and ate.
Delicious.
That single word sufficed; no others needed.
No embellishments required. With a beaming smile, Luffy declared.
"Delicious! Your oden's the best, old man!"
"Hmph, obviously. I haven't run an oden stand for decades for nothing."
"Shishishi. Then you'll have no trouble being the world's best. Feed me again then."
"Yeah. When you've sailed the world."
Watching Luffy eat with a grin, Iwakura's smile deepened.
Coming here was worth it. He felt it sincerely.
Tobio, watching their backs, smiled too, his feelings shifting.
Not the same as before.
Usopp slapped his back firmly.
"Your grandpa's incredible. The one man a legendary pirate believed in his whole life."
"Yeah… I'll think it over a bit more."
"Think what?"
"Pirate or oden vendor, I don't know yet. But I've decided—I'll live a life with no regrets. Like Grandpa and Woonan, a proud man."
"Heh, same here. Someday, I'll be the proudest, bravest warrior of the sea!"
Tobio's resolve echoed, and Usopp, fists clenched, voiced his own.
Sadness faded; their spirits were bright. Hope for future voyages surged, strength welling up.
As their voices echoed in the small room, Nami alone looked down, expression dark.
Gold doesn't laugh. It's just like any stone.
The words, now understood, stuck in her mind, replaying despite her resistance.
A universal truth—nobody's seen gold laugh.
That made it painful.
Clutching herself, she shrank in the darkness.
A forgotten smile resurfaced.
In that moment, she alone stood outside their circle.
Then, the Baby Den Den Mushi in Usopp's pocket sounded. He'd kept it after contacting Kiri, not returning it to Nami.
Before anyone noticed, Nami's expression returned to normal.
Usopp pulled it out and answered.
"Hey, Kiri? Usopp here, what's—"
"L-L-Luffy-san! It's me, Coby! We're in big trouble!"
The voice wasn't Kiri, Zoro, or Silk—a stranger to Usopp. Panicked, clearly unsettled.
Luffy, hearing it, quickly finished the oden and stood.
Hurrying to Usopp's side, he peered at the Den Den Mushi and replied.
"Coby? You're that Coby?"
"Y-Yes! The cowardly Coby from Shells Town!"
"What're you doing here? Weren't you a Marine? Man, feels kinda nostalgic—"
"No time for that! Escape, quick!"
Despite the long-awaited reunion, Coby was frantic. Luffy tilted his head.
"What's up? You sound freaked."
"We've joined up with Kiri-san's group, but it's bad! Somehow, we're being chased by Vice Admiral Garp… your grandpa, Luffy-san!"
"What!? Grandpa's here!?" Luffy gaped.
The others shot suspicious looks, especially Usopp and Nami.
Luffy's grandfather—a topic never raised.
His demeanor shifted, visibly rattled.
Beyond surprise, it was rare to see him so scared. Why the change? Confusion spread.
The cave's air grew tense, shifting rapidly.
"What's with you, Luffy? You're pale," Usopp said.
"Grandpa's on this island…!" Luffy muttered.
"Kiri-san's message: get back to the ship and prep to sail! Luffy-san's the target, so they're leaving the island fast!"
"Alright! Let's run! Hurry!" Luffy bolted for the exit.
Never so terrified, he skipped explanations, desperate to flee.
Naturally, Usopp and Nami froze, baffled.
Nami grabbed Luffy, demanding answers.
"Wait, Luffy! Why do we need to run? It's your grandpa, right?"
"My grandpa's a Marine. Always nagging me to join up."
"That's it?"
"And his punches hurt like hell! I'm rubber, but those work."
"Hurt through rubber?" Nami asked, incredulous.
"Judging by Luffy's reaction, this guy's terrifying. To scare someone as strong as Luffy like this…" Usopp trailed off.
The unprecedented shift shook them. Anxiety spread.
Luffy, restless, stomped in place, itching to leave.
No calming him, so Usopp and Nami sighed, resigned.
"Looks like we gotta escape, or he won't stop," Usopp said.
"How scary is this grandpa?" Nami wondered.
"No choice. We're going. What about you two?" Usopp asked, turning to Iwakura and Tobio.
They weren't pirates. This might be where they parted.
Woonan was here.
They couldn't leave him seated like this.
As expected, Iwakura looked at him.
"I'll stay a bit. Gotta bury Woonan. Sitting in this dark place must be tough. I want to take him somewhere the sun shines."
"Makes sense. See you later—dunno when," Luffy said.
"Yeah. Be careful," Iwakura replied.
The Den Den Mushi had dozed off, call ended. Usopp pocketed it.
As Iwakura moved to see them off, Tobio called to Luffy.
Despite his rush, Luffy turned.
"Luffy, thanks. I'm rooting for you guys. I know you'll be fine—become the Pirate King, okay?"
"You bet!" Luffy grinned.
"And get along with your grandpa. I know it's rich coming from me."
"Y-Yeah…" Luffy's face tensed again.
Tobio chuckled, shaking his shoulders.
Done talking, Luffy, impatient, started up the stairs. Usopp and Nami followed, waving to Iwakura and Tobio in a brief farewell.
"See ya, you two! Let's meet again!" Luffy called.
"Be careful coming down the mountain. No more help from us," Nami added.
"Feed us oden again. Free, if you can!" Luffy grinned.
"Hmph, pay next time, you freeloaders!" Iwakura shot back.
"See you all! Come back for sure!" Tobio yelled.
Bidding farewell in the cave, the three raced up the stairs to the surface.
From the high mountain, they scanned the island.
Only now did they notice a Marine warship docked—diagonally opposite the Going Merry, the farthest point.
No immediate danger to the ship, it seemed.
But Marines were already on the island. Coby's call confirmed it.
Even without knowing Garp deeply, urgency was unavoidable.
"There's the Marine ship…" Nami murmured.
"Wait, Garp as in Vice Admiral Garp? So Luffy's his grandson?" Usopp realized.
"Yeah, what kind of family did you grow up in?" Nami asked.
"Hardly saw Grandpa. He was always busy with work. Mostly lived with my brothers and Dadan's crew," Luffy explained.
"If he says it, it's probably true," Usopp said.
"Yeah, he's bad at lying," Nami agreed.
Given Luffy's nature, lies were obvious. They'd seen it before.
His fear was genuine too.
Meeting this man could be unpredictable.
With bad premonitions, they started down the mountain.
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