With the black blade Shusui now in his possession, El's final objective for this year was complete.
Next, all that remained was to find a suitable location and begin a three-year closed-door retreat.
El looked down at the corpse of Shimotsuki Ryuma resting quietly inside the coffin and fell into thought.
No matter what, Ryuma was Kuina's ancestor.
Given their current relationship, Koushirou would almost certainly become one of El's fathers-in-law in the future. By that logic alone, El and Ryuma were already connected.
More importantly—
El had taken Shusui.
He could not allow Ryuma's remains to continue suffering humiliation at the hands of Gecko Moria, stored like an object in cold storage.
After a brief moment of decision, El resolved to take Ryuma's body with him.
Later, he would ask Nami to cremate it using her Devil Fruit ability and return the ashes properly.
Carrying the coffin out of the castle, El returned to the cemetery area.
Near the terrifying ravine carved earlier, he quickly spotted four young girls standing beside a fallen figure.
In addition to his three companions, the fourth was naturally Perona, who had already woken up.
"Nii-san, is that Shusui?"
"That sword looks amazing… the black scabbard matches your clothes perfectly!"
The moment El returned, Carina and Nami immediately noticed the black blade at his waist.
They stepped closer, eyes shining as they examined it carefully.
"It really is the black blade—Shusui."
Placing the coffin gently on the ground, El removed both swords from his waist.
He handed Shusui to the two girls for a closer look—
Then returned Wado Ichimonji to Kuina.
Only after that did El finally turn his gaze toward Perona.
Perona—only fourteen years old—already wore her signature twin ponytails. She was dressed in a custom-made black princess gown with red shoes, giving her a refined, almost noble air.
She had not yet grown into the gloomy, non-mainstream "Ghost Princess" she would become at twenty-three in the original timeline.
At this stage, Perona had not spent years terrifying intruders with Negative Hollows, crushing hundreds of pirate crews annually, and building up overwhelming self-confidence.
What stood before El now was still—
A girl with the lingering inferiority of an orphan,
someone who had been treated as a monster since childhood simply because she could create ghosts.
Even after being taken in by Gecko Moria, she had grown into a shy otaku girl—
someone who preferred hiding in her room and playing with zombie dolls when left alone.
When Perona met El's eyes, she flinched.
Her gaze darted away, her head lowering as she avoided looking at him directly.
El sighed inwardly.
Beating Gecko Moria half to death had clearly terrified her.
After all, to Perona, Gecko Moria was her father.
And in every child's heart, a father was their greatest protector.
To her, El—who had crushed that protector—was nothing short of a Demon King.
If Perona was to truly integrate into their crew, the fear in her heart had to be resolved first.
El softened his expression and offered her a gentle smile.
"Carina and the others already explained the deal to you, didn't they?"
"…Yes."
Perona lifted her head briefly, then lowered it again, speaking in a small voice.
"As long as you don't hurt Moria-sama… I'll go with you."
"Then," El said warmly, stepping forward,
"welcome to the crew, Perona."
He rested his hand lightly on her head—just a few centimeters higher than hers—and spoke slowly.
"The pirate world is cruel. The winner takes everything from the loser. I believe you've already learned that during your years with Gecko Moria."
"But the pirate world is also very simple."
"Conflicts and hatred can be resolved through battle."
"As long as you become our partner, you're our family."
"This doesn't sever your bond with Gecko Moria."
"When we return to the Florian Triangle, or if we encounter Thriller Bark again in the future, you're free to talk to him."
"And if he's not convinced…"
El smiled faintly.
"Then we'll just fight again."
"As long as you're my family, I won't kill Gecko Moria."
"If he ever encounters trouble in the future, I don't mind helping him."
"Our relationship might even shift—from enemies… to friends… or allies."
Words, when used properly, were a powerful art.
The pure-hearted Perona was quickly moved.
She raised her head again, eyes shining as she smiled timidly.
"R-Really…? Then… let's do a pinky promise."
El chuckled, nodded, and extended his little finger.
Perona eagerly hooked hers around it.
"A promise that won't be broken for one hundred years."
"…This feels familiar."
Nami watched quietly, then smiled.
"Wasn't it like this with us… last year?"
Carina laughed softly.
"First read memories, understand personality, then prescribe the perfect words."
"Which girl could resist Nii-san when he talks like that?"
Watching Perona's fear dissolve under El's calm words, Nami and Carina saw reflections of their own past selves in her.
Though they had once been "tricked" by El—
Their smiles now were filled with warmth.
Being tricked by him had been the greatest fortune of their lives.
Otherwise, who knew which pirate ship they might have ended up on in East Blue—
doing chores, risking their lives for scraps, stealing treasure for others.
As for Nami—
She didn't even know when she would have awakened from her nightmare.
Being tricked by El had been no different from being tricked into happiness.
Kuina also smiled faintly.
She was different from the others.
She had chosen to leave her family and friends behind for the sake of her dream—
and followed El out to sea.
But now, after leaving everything behind—
She had gained a lover.
Before going to sea, Kuina's dream had been simple:
To become the world's strongest swordsman.
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