"Halt! Stop running!"
"Put those two children down!"
"Damn it! How does this guy in the straw hat run faster than a dog?!"
An idiot wearing a yellow straw hat was sprinting ahead, clutching two children under his arms. Behind him, a large swarm of relentless Marines gave chase, turning the originally peaceful and serene streets of Loguetown into utter chaos.
"You Big Glutton, why are you running?!" The silver-haired little loli, clamped under the dazed captain's armpit, shouted, fearing the world wasn't chaotic enough: "You're so strong, and you can stretch—wouldn't it be over if you just sent them flying?"
"No way, if I did that, my grandpa would kill me!" Luffy shook his head, sweat pouring down his face, and said with a trembling voice, "I was nearly killed by that man several times when I was little!"
(Is that really your biological grandpa?) x2
Although Luffy was carrying two little ones while fleeing, the well-trained Marines behind him simply couldn't catch up. In fact, the distance was gradually widening, a testament to his freakish physical constitution.
"Turn left at the intersection ahead, take the small path."
"That way is the downtown area, there are local Marines on guard. Go the other way."
Guided by the "Navigation System" that was Sherlock, Luffy led the pack of Marines scurrying all over the place. He was as agile as a monkey; the gusts of wind generated by his dodging and weaving blew the siblings' silver and black hair upward, causing a certain loli to shout in excitement.
"Those Marines probably think Lisanna and I are your hostages, so they don't even dare to open fire."
Seeing that the pursuing Marines were no longer in sight, Sherlock, who was clamped under Luffy's other arm, calmly smoothed his messy hair. "By the way, Luffy, do you remember when you set sail?"
Luffy paused for a moment. "It was when I was seventeen."
"What year was that in the Age of the Sea Circle Calendar?"
"............" The dazed captain thought hard for a while, then admitted quite shamelessly, "I forgot."
Hearing this, Lisanna rolled her eyes, while Sherlock looked as if he had expected this. He continued to ask, "Then do you know the year you were born?"
"Oh, that. I remember it was 1503." Luffy grinned. Although he was an idiot, he had miraculously remembered this because it was used when the three ASL brothers exchanged sake cups to determine seniority.
"1503? Are you an idiot, Big Glutton?" Lisanna looked at the dazed captain with a strange expression. "It's only just turned 1502 this year. Even if you remember wrong, you can't be that far off!"
"Is that so? I understand." Sherlock fell silent, his fair little face showing a maturity inconsistent with his actual age.
The silver-haired little loli looked confused. "Hey, hey, hey, what do you understand, Sherlo......"
Lisanna wanted to continue, but she was stunned by the scenery before her. At the same time, Luffy stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide open.
Unnoticed until now, the city block ahead was shrouded in a thick, multicolored fog. The rainbow mist was so dense that one could only faintly make out the outlines of buildings within it. Under the sunlight, it emitted a rainbow-colored氤氲, dreamlike and illusory, like a fairyland.
"So beautiful!" Little stars twinkled in Lisanna's beautiful big eyes.
"This mist..." Sherlock paused, then asked the dumbfounded Straw Hat boy, "The Rainbow Mist you mentioned before—did it look like this?"
Luffy nodded. "That's right. After entering that mist, my ship lost its direction, and when I woke up the next day, I was here."
"Is that so? That really is a magical fog."
The black-haired little shota gazed at the Rainbow Mist before him, pondered for a moment, and said faintly, "Put us down, Luffy."
"Huh? Oh." Although he didn't know why, Luffy obediently did as told.
"If I'm not guessing wrong, this patch of rainbow-colored mist is here to let you go back." Sherlock patted non-existent dust off his clothes, then reached out and pointed forward. "Walk into this mist, and you should be able to return to your crewmates."
"Really?!" Luffy was instantly overjoyed. He grabbed Sherlock in a bear hug and exclaimed excitedly, "That's awesome! Little Sherlo, you really are a good person!"
Releasing the black-haired little shota who had just been issued a 'Good Person Card,' Luffy turned and ran toward the Rainbow Mist. He couldn't wait to see his crewmates.
"Wait! Luffy!" Sherlock suddenly called out to stop him.
The dazed captain stopped in confusion. "Is there something else? Little Sherlo?"
"Hmm... Luffy." Sherlock hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and asked the question that had been weighing on his mind: "That crewmate of yours named 'Sherlo'... what kind of person is he exactly?"
"Sherlo?" Luffy scratched his face. "Him? He's a very reliable partner. He wears glasses, and he can eat a whole lot—he's a Big Glutton!"
(Big Glutton? You actually dare to say that? Why does it sound so contradictory coming from your mouth?) Lisanna retorted silently in her heart.
Sherlock, however, breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself: (Looks like that Sherlo isn't me. After all, my appetite is so small. And no matter how much of an idiot he is, he shouldn't fail to recognize what his own crewmate looked like as a child. Even if I take a step back and assume the worst, even if I become a pirate later, I wouldn't board a 'pirate ship' captained by this funny guy!)
Ahem, one can only say that Sherlock was too young back then...
Unaware of the rather rude thoughts in their minds, Luffy waved his hand, grinned with a brilliant smile, and then ran into the thick rainbow-colored mist, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"Eh? Strange. It was only a split second, but why do I suddenly feel like that Big Glutton has already run to a place very, very far away?" Lisanna tilted her head and asked her brother, "Sherlo, do you think we'll ever meet him again?"
"Although he's a Big Glutton, he really is a very interesting person."
"Who knows?"
Just then, Sherlock had a sudden thought and asked curiously, "Lisanna, if you could travel through time, where would you want to go?"
"Eh? Travel through time? If I could travel through time, I'd probably go back to when the Pirate King was still alive and ask him for an autograph..."
"Fine, I should have guessed. You Pirate King superfan."
Sherlock looked defeated.
"Hehe..." Lisanna stuck out her tongue playfully. "But actually, traveling through time and all that doesn't have much meaning."
A breeze blew past, dispersing the Rainbow Mist ahead. At the same time, Lisanna's beautiful silver hair danced in the wind, looking incredibly elegant.
"Because no matter how many years traverse, I will still be your big sister, and you will still be my little brother. That will never change."
Sherlock was stunned. He quietly looked at his older sister, who wore a gentle smile, and said faintly:
"Idiot."
"Woo... so annoying. Sherlo, you usually stick so strictly to etiquette, so why can't you show some respect to your own sister?"
Ignoring the silver-haired little loli who was already puffing up with anger, Sherlock turned around and walked away. However, in the instant he turned his head, a warm smile suddenly appeared on his usually indifferent little face, fleeing as quickly as it came.
"Let's go home. We didn't say goodbye to Mom when we left; she must be worried now. Sigh... it's just a pity about that 27 million Berries. That Hero of the Marines really showed up at the right time."
"Hero of the Marines? Who?"
"It was that tall Marine just now. That was Luffy's grandpa; he's the one who caught the Pirate King... Hey, Lisanna, where are you going? Hey, stop right there! What are you doing, you idiot?!"
Layers upon layers of black lace were gorgeous yet understated. Metal chains looped around the little girl's impossibly slender waist. She wore a black shawl, appearing very dignified. Her exposed skin revealed a slightly sickly pallor due to long-term malnutrition, which, combined with Little Robin's faint melancholy and that indescribable dark temperament...
Elegant, gorgeous, dark, eerie.
Unparalleled!!!
'Clothes make the man, just as a saddle makes the horse'—this saying is very true.
When Little Robin, who usually wore rough cloth clothes, changed into a fastidiously crafted Lolita dress, it was as if a chemical reaction occurred, radiating an astonishing charm.
I fear that if Little Robin walked down the street right now, passersby wouldn't even recognize this cute Gothic Lolita as the [Monster] they all despised.
Speaking of which, Sherlock had originally taken Little Robin out to eat. But when they passed this clothing store, the Warlock suddenly stopped in his tracks and began playing a real-life version of Love Nikki, getting more enthusiastic as he went.
After trying on several outfits, Sherlock finally settled on this darker style of clothing. After all, it matched Little Robin's temperament perfectly.
(But, I feel like something is still missing...) Gently pushing up his glasses, Sherlock scrutinized Little Robin carefully, his brows slightly furrowed. That burning gaze made a certain freshly minted Gothic Lolita feel uncomfortable all over.
His gaze shifted downward. When Sherlock looked at Little Robin's straight and snow-white legs, his eyes instantly lit up.
(Really now, how could I forget this?)
"Do you have black stockings here?" The Warlock asked the clothing store owner, who was already kneeling before the big spender, with a calm face.
Poof~~~~ Little Robin's cheeks instantly turned bright red.
(I feel like Sherlock has awakened some terrible attribute... I remember reading in a book that this seems to be called... Lolicon?) Little Robin, having evolved into a Gothic Lolita, silently retorted in her heart.
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my pa-treon:
pat reon .c-om/windkaze