Looking at Kin'emon kneeling on the ground, clutching a charred corpse and weeping bitterly, the members of the Straw Hat Pirates fell silent.
Faced with this father who had lost his child, they truly did not know how to comfort him.
After a moment of silence, Sanji walked over to Kin'emon, crouched down, and asked, "What do you plan to do next?"
If the other needed any help, he wouldn't mind lending a hand.
"I don't know."
Kin'emon spoke without looking up. "I don't know what I should do either."
The young master was dead. Did his own existence still have any meaning?
Hearing this, Sanji sighed quietly. It seemed the death of Momonosuke had hit this man harder than he had imagined.
"But you still have to make some decisions," Sanji said, glancing at the small figure in Kin'emon's arms. "For example... choosing where to bury him."
At these words, a noticeable change flickered in Kin'emon's eyes.
Seeing this, Sanji patted Kin'emon's shoulder, signaling him to think it over carefully, then walked over and sat on a nearby rock, waiting for him to make a final decision.
However, it seemed this guy wouldn't be able to decide anytime soon.
Meiser shook his head at the sight, then turned his gaze toward the Marines. Seeing they were still far away, he spoke up, "Everyone, there's something I need to tell you."
Hearing Meiser's voice, the others instinctively looked his way.
"What is it?" Luffy asked curiously.
"It's about Moria."
As soon as he said this, the eyes of those who didn't know immediately lit up.
Had Meiser found Moria's location?
If so, that would be great!
"Did you get accurate information on where Lord Moria is?" Perona asked excitedly.
Meanwhile, Kin'emon's ears twitched slightly at this moment, a thought surfacing in his mind.
'Moria?'
Why did that name sound somewhat familiar?
"More or less."
Meiser recalled what Shakky had once said and explained, "Based on the available intelligence, the probability of Moria being in the Land of Wano is very high."
After saying this, Meiser paused briefly before continuing, "Of course, that's assuming he's still alive."
If that guy was still alive, there was a chance Hundred Beasts Kaido had taken him back to the Land of Wano.
If he was dead, then...
"Lord Moria is definitely still alive!" Perona exclaimed passionately. "I believe he's absolutely still alive!"
She absolutely refused to believe Lord Moria could be dead!
How could a man like that possibly die?
"Yeah, I believe he must still be alive too," Nami comforted her.
Whether it was true or not, they had to proceed with the goal that he was alive; otherwise, Perona wouldn't be able to bear it.
Comforted by Nami's words, Perona's emotions visibly stabilized somewhat.
Luffy then spoke up, "Since we already know where he is, that makes things easier."
"Luffy..."
Perona glanced at Luffy, who was grinning at her with a toothy smile, and pursed her lips, unsure what to say for a moment.
"Anyway, our target is Kaido too, right?" Luffy said with a laugh. "So we definitely have to go check out the Land of Wano."
"Mmm... thank you..."
"We're comrades, after all," Luffy said seriously.
Luffy had already accepted Perona, so there was no need for such formality!
The others nodded in agreement, clearly sharing Luffy's sentiment.
"Comrades..."
After scanning the expressions of everyone in the Straw Hat Pirates, a flicker of emotion appeared in Perona's eyes, and that earlier feeling resurfaced in her heart.
Comrades...
She hadn't expected that she, someone temporarily staying with the Straw Hat Pirates, would be regarded as a comrade by everyone.
Lord Moria, I...
"Can someone explain what's going on?" Law frowned.
They had mentioned Moria earlier, but no one had explained the situation to him, so he was still unclear about the details.
However, he felt it was necessary to understand the circumstances now—at the very least, he needed to know whether this would affect his plans.
"I'll explain," Meiser said, glancing at Law. "Perona set out to sea to search for traces of Moria. That's why I said what I did earlier."
Upon hearing this, a look of surprise crossed Law's face. No wonder he had found this woman named Perona somewhat strange earlier—it was because of this.
So... Straw Hat-ya agreed to ally with him to deal with Kaido for this reason too.
Thinking this, Law nodded and said, "Then it seems our goals have been aligned from the start."
"Pretty much," Meiser replied.
This time, Law simply nodded and didn't pursue the topic further.
Since he now understood the specifics, there was no need to dwell on it.
Then, he turned to Luffy and said, "Straw Hat-ya, can we leave now?"
"The pursuers will be here soon."
If possible, he didn't want to confront Doflamingo or Vice Admiral Smoker right now—it wouldn't do them any good.
"Alright."
Luffy nodded, then turned to Merry and said, "Merry, go ahead and bring out the Thousand Sunny."
Better to get the pirate ship out first; whether they leave or not is another matter.
Law sighed inwardly. Why was he so stubborn and unwilling to listen to advice again...
"Oh, got it~" Merry nodded.
With that, Merry turned and flew toward the sea, quickly retrieving the pirate ship from the Sealing Scroll and placing it on the water.
"Boom!!"
The massive pirate ship landed on the sea, instantly sending huge splashes of water into the air.
"All done~" Merry clapped her hands.
After finishing this task, Merry used the wind to carry herself back to the group and said, "Sanji, do you need me to bring the rest of the stuff onto the ship?"
As she spoke, Merry glanced at the food that was still being heated.
Hmm, I'm a bit hungry.
I'll grab a snack once we're back on the ship.
This time, Sanji did not immediately answer the question. Instead, he glanced at Kin'emon and asked, "Kin'emon, we're about to leave. Haven't you made a decision yet?"
If this guy still intended to stay here and wallow in self-pity, then there was no need for them to linger any longer.
After all... they had things to do as well.
Upon hearing this, Kin'emon fell silent for a moment before standing up, still holding Momonosuke's body, and said, "Please take me with you."
If the Straw Hat Pirates' goal truly was to return to the Land of Wano, then he had a reason to leave this place with them.
After all... the young master needed to be buried in the Land of Wano!
Seeing this, Sanji breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then let's go."
"Merry, could you please take these things back to the ship?"
The food was almost fully heated and could be eaten as soon as it was brought back.
As for the pots, pans, and utensils?
These could still be used, so they shouldn't be wasted.
"Okay!"
Merry nodded in response, then turned around and used her ability to bring all the items back to the pirate ship.
The others followed along, heading toward the pirate ship.
Once they returned to the ship, Sanji took some of the food and walked over to Kin'emon, saying, "Eat something first."
Kin'emon didn't speak, merely looking up at Sanji.
Seeing this, Sanji sighed and said, "Although I don't know what you plan to do, you still need to fill your stomach, right?"
"Otherwise, you won't have the strength for whatever comes next."
Hearing this, Kin'emon glanced at the food placed before him, then lowered his head and said, "I... am deeply grateful!"
With that, Kin'emon raised a hand, grabbed the food, and began eating, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.
Sir Sanji was right—he still had to bring the young master back to the Land of Wano for burial, so he couldn't starve to death here.
He... he had to eat with all his might!
Seeing this, a gentle smile appeared on Sanji's face. As long as he was eating, that was enough.
As for what Kin'emon would do after eating his fill... that wasn't something Sanji needed to worry about.
"Merry, bring me a bottle of sake," Zoro said while eating.
Eating without a bottle of sake just didn't feel right.
"Okay!"
"Here you go."
Merry obediently took out a bottle of sake from her small pouch, which she had obtained from Ryugu Palace, and said, "This is sake from Ryugu Palace."
As soon as she said this, Zoro's eyes immediately lit up.
Great, this was exactly what he liked.
Law, however, looked at the sake in Merry's hand with some surprise and said, "Ryugu Palace?"
If he remembered correctly, Ryugu Palace was where the royal family of Fish-Man Island resided, right?
Had the Straw Hat Pirates been there?
"Yes, we have some connections with the royal family of Fish-Man Island," Meiser nodded and said.
Law showed a look of surprise. It was unexpected that the Straw Hat Pirates could even have ties with royalty.
Just then, Kin'emon spoke up, "Everyone of the Straw Hat Pirates..."
Hearing this, everyone immediately turned their attention to Kin'emon, curious about what he was going to say.
"You plan to go to the Land of Wano, right?"
"That's right." Luffy nodded without hesitation and said, "One of my goals is indeed to go to the Land of Wano and defeat Kaido."
It wasn't just for Perona—it was also for him to become the Pirate King!
So... he had to defeat Kaido!
"Then, please take me with you." Kin'emon lowered his head and said, "I want to bring the young master back."
No matter what, the young master should be laid to rest in the Land of Wano.
"Young master?"
Sanji instinctively furrowed his brow and said, "Isn't this your son?"
How did he become the young master?
The others shared the same confusion—what was this about a young master?
Hearing this, Kin'emon hesitated, unsure whether he should reveal the matter.
But considering that Momonosuke had already passed away, Kin'emon knew there was no need to keep hiding it.
Besides, these people were indeed trustworthy, so it wouldn't hurt to tell them some things.
With that in mind, Kin'emon said, "It's a long story."
Their story was too complicated to explain in just a few words.
"Then let's leave this place first before talking." Law glanced at the island of Punk Hazard and said, "Otherwise, we might run into pursuers."
Hearing this, Merry looked at Luffy, asking whether they should set sail now. "Law is right." Nami also spoke up, "Staying here any longer might lead to an encounter with pursuers or Smoker."
If possible, she didn't want to run into that group.
"Smoker?"
Zoro's head immediately filled with question marks—what did that old chain-smoker have to do with this?
Could it be that guy was coming here?
"Yeah, that guy is heading this way right now." Nami nodded and said, "So let's leave this place first."
As for where to go next... they could decide once they were back on the open sea!
This time, Zoro simply nodded without saying anything more.
"Then let's set sail!" Luffy nodded and said, "We'll leave this place first."
Although he didn't know why that guy was coming here, running into the Marines was always troublesome, so it was better to leave first and talk later.
"Roger!"
Upon receiving the order, Merry immediately activated her ability, turning the pirate ship around and swiftly sailing toward the distant sea.
Seeing this, Kin'emon's eyes widened in astonishment.
"This little girl can actually pilot the ship with her ability?"
How did she do that?
Could this little girl also be a ninja?
Meanwhile, a hint of envy flashed in Law's eyes as he thought to himself: So this is the ability of a Ship Spirit...
What an enviable crewmate.
"Merry is a Ship Spirit." Usopp explained, "So she can use her ability to control our pirate ship."
"Ship Spirit?"
Several question marks popped up above Kin'emon's head—what was that?
"Just think of it as an extraordinary existence."
"I see."
Although he didn't quite understand what it was, Kin'emon felt it was impressive.
"Now you can tell us, right?" Franky said.
At the moment, Franky really wanted to know what was going on with Kin'emon.
This "young master" business... clearly wasn't normal.
"This matter begins with the Land of Wano," Kin'emon said. "We were all once people of the Land of Wano, but due to Kaido, we were forced to leave."
"And Momonosuke... is the son of the shogun of the Land of Wano."
By the end, a clear look of sorrow had appeared on Kin'emon's face.
At that moment, he thought of Oden-sama.
Even though Oden-sama had given everything to help them escape, he himself had failed to protect the young master...
The thought made Kin'emon so pained that he wished he could die right then and there.
But when he thought of what he still had to do, he forcefully suppressed that urge.
If he died, the young master's body would never make it back to the Land of Wano, so he couldn't die just yet.
"I never imagined your identities were so special," Sanji remarked in surprise.
The son of the shogun of the Land of Wano?
That's quite a high status.
"Yes."
Kin'emon said, "It is precisely because of our special status that we had to conceal our names. Otherwise, we risked being hunted down by Kaido's men."
"So... I apologize to all of you."
At the end, Kin'emon bowed his head and offered an apology.
"It's fine, we understand your reasoning," Sanji said, waving his hand dismissively.
After all, hiding their identities was simply to avoid being pursued by Kaido, so it wasn't really a big deal.
"But is it safe for you to reveal it now?" Chopper asked.
"I believe none of you will leak this information. Besides..." Kin'emon cast a sorrowful glance at Momonosuke's body and said, "The young master is already dead..."
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