Rocks still did not turn back. His waving arm froze in midair. His hand slowly closed, thumb and index finger lightly forming a circle.
The other three fingers opened toward the sky, forming an "OK" gesture.
Tears and snot had long since covered Loki's entire face. His smile was brilliant, and tears kept flowing from beneath the bandages, sliding down his cheeks.
Only this time... it was not because he was sad.
It was because he was happy.
His gaze followed those departing backs, as if he wanted to carve that gray-white scene into his mind with his eyes.
He looked forward to the day that promise would be fulfilled.
He looked forward to becoming a member of the Rocks Pirates.
He looked forward to standing beside those backs, becoming one of them, and using his own hands to help Rocks ascend to the highest throne.
Ahead, in the gray haze, the backs of Rocks, Ron, Whitebeard, and Linlin gradually moved farther away.
The remaining light of the Underworld outlined their figures in blurry shapes, as if they were walking into a painting that had not yet been completed.
Loki wiped the wet traces from his cheeks with force. He stared ahead, his gaze fixed on the row of figures walking almost side by side.
"One day, there will be a place for me there too, right? I will wait for you, King of the World."
In the New World, at a port on a certain island, sunlight spread across the stone ground, stretching the shadows of docked ships and pedestrians long and thin.
The Kuja Pirates' ship had just entered the port when everyone on deck noticed something was wrong.
There were too many pirate ships moored at the harbor. Pirate flags of all sizes fluttered on the masts, as if someone had temporarily held a pirate gathering here.
Normally, unless a pirate crew was powerful enough not to fear being surrounded by the Marines, they would not choose to dock at a port. It was too conspicuous and too easy to be targeted.
To reduce unnecessary trouble, most pirates landed at hidden corners of the coast.
But the port before them was as lively as a market.
Those who did not know better might think they had gone to the wrong place and arrived at Hachinosu.
"I-it's the Kuja Pirates!"
Someone on shore shouted first, like a stone dropped into calm water.
Soon, pairs of eyes turned at once, landing on the ship as it approached the dock.
Then the crowd seemed to ignite. Many people began squeezing back, surging toward the harbor's edge as cries rose one after another.
"Shakky!"
"Shakky!"
"Gloriosa!"
A shout different from the others popped out from the crowd, carrying an especially stubborn enthusiasm.
"Bro," someone beside him immediately patted his shoulder. "This is Shakky's fan zone. If you're here for Gloriosa, can you find your own corner to shout in?"
"What kind of joke is that?!" The man retorted righteously, his voice growing even louder. "Gloriosa, I love you!!"
"Screw your mother." Several people nearby turned at the same time, eyes unfriendly. "Beat him up!"
Tap, tap, tap.
A series of light footsteps came from the deck of the Kuja Pirates' ship.
Shakky appeared beside the railing. Both hands rested on the guardrail as she leaned forward slightly, her casual gaze sweeping over the crowd of heads on shore.
The noise at the port fell silent for a beat.
Then, as if reignited, it erupted into an even hotter commotion than before.
She only stood there and did nothing. Yet the faint, seemingly absent smile on her face was already enough to make the hearts of most men on shore skip out of rhythm.
"How rare." Shakky's voice was neither loud nor soft, drifting lightly over the port. "So many pirate crews gathering here... Are you planning something big?"
Gulp.
A man closest to the port swallowed hard and turned to the person beside him in disbelief. "Hey, did you hear that? Shakky was talking to me!"
"Screw you." The man beside him immediately snapped back. "Stop flattering yourself! She was clearly talking in my direction! Shakky's tone... was so gentle..."
"Tch."
Another man in the crowd crossed his arms and sneered. "What daydream are you fools having? Shakky would never look at low-class goods like you."
Facing the port's rising replies and arguments, Shakky's smile did not change, but the light in her eyes shifted slightly. Not a single answer was what she wanted to hear.
"Looks like you really did just happen to come here."
Suddenly, a woman's voice came from the crowd. It was not loud, but it happened to pass through the messy shouts and clearly reach Shakky's ears.
Shakky followed the sound. On the other side of the group of men on shore stood a woman.
She was tall and voluptuous, with outstanding looks. Standing among those pirates, she was like a rose blooming in a patch of weeds.
"It's not really anything major. Ron, the man called the Cold-Blooded Butcher on the sea and publicly recognized as the strongest pirate rookie in recent years, has left the Rocks Pirates. He's recruiting partners on this island right now," the woman said.
Shakky's fingers paused on the railing.
The Rocks Pirates?
Ron left the Rocks Pirates?
How long had he even been aboard? Why? Had Annika left with him?
Those questions flashed through Shakky's mind like a row of lamps lit by the wind, bright for a moment and gone the next.
But her face did not show much change. She looked at the young woman who had spoken again, the corner of her mouth carrying a faint smile. "So, Alice, are you also interested in him recruiting partners?"
Alice clearly froze for a moment. She had not expected Shakky to know her name, but after thinking about it, it was not strange.
As a pirate, as long as one had done something unfavorable to the World Government, being wanted was only a matter of time. It was natural to be remembered.
Alice smiled with composure. "Not exactly interested in his recruitment. I just happened to be here and came to take a look at this so-called strongest pirate rookie, the Cold-Blooded Butcher."
When Ron was mentioned, Shakky's gaze drifted for an instant. She remembered their first meeting. That young man had stood on the deck of the Rocks Pirates, and when facing her appearance, he had shown no unnecessary emotional fluctuation.
That had been the first time in her life she had met someone like that. He had not avoided her gaze, had not sized her up. It was as if she were only an ordinary ornament.
"You seem to know him," Alice said, noticing the brief change in Shakky's eyes. Her tone carried curiosity.
Shakky withdrew her thoughts. Her gaze returned to Alice, and her tone carried a light, lingering quality. "I met him once aboard the Rocks Pirates. He is a very strange person."
Alice tilted her head slightly and replied, "Men are not strange at all. Lustful, bloodthirsty, full of hostility. The title Cold-Blooded Butcher suits him perfectly."
Shakky paused. Wait...? Lustful? Hostile? Were they talking about the same person?
Wait...!
The more Shakky thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong.