Afterward, Camearra made no demands for food or special accommodations. She simply requested a key to one of the guest rooms, then carefully gathered the unconscious Daigo in her arms and headed upstairs.
"Will Camearra... do anything harmful to Daigo?" Chu Zihang asked worriedly, watching the dark warrior carry her prize away.
"Don't worry about it," Gustave reassured him with a pat on the shoulder. "You heard what she said to him earlier. Daigo will be safer with Camearra than anywhere else in the universe. She's obsessed, not malicious."
He stretched casually. "Eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty, and live life as usual. No point worrying about cosmic love triangles."
Just as Gustave prepared to return to his gaming session, his Den Den Mushi began ringing. The caller ID showed Garp's distinctive features.
"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me, Gustave?" Garp's voice practically shattered the communicator's speaker.
"Gah!" Gustave yanked the device away from his ear, wincing. "I can hear you perfectly fine—no need to shout!"
"Did you see that massive light show in the sky earlier?" Garp demanded.
"I saw it," Gustave replied carefully. "Was wondering what could cause something like that. Do you and the Marines have any idea what happened?"
While others might pretend to know when they were clueless, Gustave preferred feigning ignorance when he knew too much. This wasn't about protecting Camearra and Daigo from the World Government—it was about protecting the World Government from Camearra. Despite their many flaws, completely annihilating them would harm countless innocent people caught in the crossfire.
"I was hoping you'd have answers, Gustave. Since you don't know either, never mind."
The line went dead with typical Garp abruptness.
"That stubborn old goat," Gustave muttered, pocketing the Den Den Mushi.
"Uncle Gustave! Uncle Gustave!" Three familiar voices approached at high speed, accompanied by the sound of running feet.
"I'm right here—no need to yell," Gustave replied. Apparently, excessive volume was a Monkey family trait that manifested early in life.
"Uncle Gustave, what happened just now?" Luffy skidded to a halt, breathing heavily with Ace and Nami close behind. "The villagers said they saw two giants fighting near our ship location!"
The boy's genuine concern for the Bamboo Staff's safety was touching.
"Nothing to worry about," Gustave assured him, thumping his chest confidently. "Don't you trust in my strength by now?"
"See? I told you Brother Gustave and everyone would be fine," Nami said, bonking Luffy on the head for emphasis. While she didn't know the full extent of Gustave's abilities, Bell-mère had made it clear that both he and Po were incredibly powerful. That was enough for her complete faith.
"Yeah, okay," Luffy replied with obvious relief.
"Don't get too comfortable," Nami warned, grabbing both boys by their collars. "There are still tons of oranges left to harvest, and you promised to help!"
"Wait, why am I getting dragged into this?" Ace protested as Luffy's grip prevented his escape. "You're the one who made promises to Nami!"
"I don't care about the details!" Luffy declared with typical logic. "If I'm suffering, you're suffering too!"
Despite Ace's helpless protests, Nami successfully conscripted both boys for continued agricultural labor, marching them back toward the orange groves like a tiny general commanding her troops.
Once the youngsters departed, life aboard the Bamboo Staff returned to its peaceful routine—gaming, napping, and practice.
Meanwhile, in the guest room, Camearra had done nothing inappropriate to the unconscious Daigo. Such behavior went against her nature—when he returned to her, it would be of his own free will, with full knowledge of their shared history.
After gently placing him on the bed, she dampened a washcloth and began tenderly cleaning his face.
"Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this moment?" she whispered, her voice carrying the weight of geological ages. "In that cursed abyss, I counted every single day that passed. Thirty million years, Daigo. Thirty million years of darkness."
Her fingers traced his peaceful features with infinite gentleness. "Throughout that entire imprisonment, I thought about you constantly. Every day of my seal, I would relive our memories together."
Tears began falling onto Daigo's face as her voice grew hoarse with emotion. "Why did you leave me in the first place? Even if you wanted to embrace the light, why couldn't you take me with you? I don't care about light or darkness—I only care about you."
She leaned closer, her voice breaking. "You know what's killing me? I don't want to hurt you, but when you transformed... I couldn't help remembering that terrible moment when I was sealed away. I'm so afraid of returning to that dark place, yet I also yearn for the day when light finally comes."
"I'm sorry," she sobbed against his chest. "I shouldn't have hurt you. I'm so sorry."
Camearra pressed her ear to his heart, listening to the steady rhythm that proved he was truly alive, truly with her again. Gradually, exhaustion overcame her vigil. For the first time in thirty million years, she allowed herself to sleep, curled protectively around the man she'd never stopped loving.
In his unconscious state, Daigo heard whispered voices calling to him from the depths of memory. He strained to understand the words, struggled to open his eyes, but remained trapped in darkness.
Suddenly, the fragmented memories triggered by Camearra's transformation began reassembling in his mind. The pieces were scattered and incomplete, but gradually formed a coherent vision.
An ancient city reminiscent of classical Greece, its streets filled with people wearing expressions of genuine happiness and contentment. Then the scene shifted violently—the city in ruins, the earth itself crying out in agony, a dark giant rising from the flames to howl at the heavens.
Another transition revealed a massive battlefield where countless giants and monsters clashed in desperate combat, the entire planet serving as their arena of destruction.
Finally, the chaotic visions settled on a peaceful scene beneath a laurel tree. A man rested his head on a woman's lap, speaking softly with his eyes closed while she listened with a loving smile. Everything radiated perfect tranquility.
Daigo found himself walking toward the tree, desperate to see the figures more clearly. The journey seemed to take forever, each step requiring tremendous effort, but eventually he drew close enough to examine their faces.
The woman was unmistakably Camearra, though younger and radiating happiness instead of the bitter pain he'd witnessed.
When he turned to the man, fog obscured the features completely. Yet something about the figure felt incredibly familiar, as if Daigo had known him for lifetimes.
He reached out to clear the mist, desperate to see the man's face—
The dream shattered like glass, memory fragments scattering back into chaos. Daigo plummeted through an endless void, falling toward some unimaginable darkness.
"No! No!" He jerked awake with a strangled cry, his body drenched in cold sweat.
The movement instantly roused Camearra, who took in his terrified expression with immediate concern.
"Don't be afraid," she whispered, pressing her face against his and wrapping him in her arms. "I'm here. I'll always be with you—forever and always..."
Her soothing voice gradually dispelled the nightmare's grip. This time, though she remained awake, Camearra didn't move away. She simply held him close, feeling the rhythm of his breathing and standing guard against whatever darkness might try to reclaim him.
For now, having him safe in her arms was enough.
Support me at [email protected]/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.