Morning sunlight filtered through paper screens, painting everything gold.
Arlo lay on his futon, watching dust motes drift in the air. His body screamed for more sleep, but his mind was already calculating. Seven years until God Valley. Seventeen until Oden leaves. Twenty-one until Orochi made his move in canon.
Numbers were solid. Reliable. Unlike everything else.
A soft knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Arlo-kun? Are you awake?" Sachiko's voice carried that familiar lilt—part teasing, part genuine concern. "Or are you pretending to sleep again?"
"I'm awake, Sachiko-nee."
The door slid open. Sachiko entered carrying a breakfast tray, her morning kimono simple but elegant. Steam rose from miso soup and grilled fish, catching the light.
Her smile made something in his chest twist uncomfortably.
Genuine. Radiant. Completely unguarded.
"I thought my little brother might be hungry," she said, settling beside him with practiced grace. "You've been sleeping later. Growing boys need proper rest, you know~"
That playful tone. Like she was sharing a secret joke.
Why does she care this much?
The thought came unbidden. Everyone wanted something. Everyone had angles, motivations, benefits they were seeking—
Except the memory fragmented there. Static. Like a corrupted video file skipping frames. He'd been thinking about... what? His old life? The laboratory? But the details felt wrong somehow. Too crisp in some places, blurry in others. Like a photograph with selective focus that didn't make sense.
"Arlo-kun?"
He blinked. Sachiko was watching him with mild concern.
"Sorry. Still waking up."
"Mmm, I can tell." She tapped his nose lightly, grinning. "You get this serious look when you're thinking too hard. It's very cute."
Cute. He was five years old. Of course she thought he was cute.
Except part of him—the part that insisted he was an adult, that he'd lived another life, that he understood how the world worked—bristled at being treated like a child.
Even though he couldn't quite remember why he felt that way.
"I miss Mother and Father," he said, deflecting.
Sachiko's expression shifted. Not anything dramatic, but the playfulness dimmed slightly. She pulled him into a hug without hesitation.
Arlo tensed. Then his body relaxed despite his confusion.
"I miss them too," Sachiko whispered against his hair. "Every single day. But you know what? We have each other. And that means everything."
Why? The question burned in his mind. What did she gain from this devotion? People didn't give unconditionally. There was always—
The memory stuttered again. A lab coat. Radiation warnings. But the emotional context didn't connect properly. Like reading words in a language he couldn't quite translate.
"Thank you, Sachiko-nee."
She pulled back, ruffling his hair affectionately. "Now eat before it gets cold. I didn't bribe the cook with extra sake for nothing~"
They ate in comfortable quiet. Sachiko occasionally made observations about the weather or upcoming estate business, her tone light and conversational.
"Oh! I heard something interesting from the merchants yesterday." She took a delicate sip of tea. "Apparently there's a pirate making waves in the New World. Rocks D. Xebec, they're calling him. Gathering quite the notorious crew."
Arlo's attention sharpened. "Rocks?"
"Mmm. The merchants were complaining about unsafe shipping routes. Very dramatic about it too." She giggled. "Though I suppose losing cargo would make anyone dramatic."
"Is he dangerous?"
"Probably very. But we're safe in Wano." Sachiko reached over and booped his nose again. "My curious little brother. Always asking questions like a tiny scholar."
Not that little anymore. Not that innocent.
But again, the thought felt disconnected. Like his mind was trying to access files that had been corrupted or encrypted wrong.
"Father always said knowledge was important," Arlo offered.
"He did." Sachiko's smile turned fond. "You really are his son. Though you're much cuter about it~"
After breakfast, Sachiko had estate business. Arlo retreated to his private courtyard.
Training.
Arlo closed his eyes and pushed his awareness outward. Observation Haki unfurled like invisible threads, touching everything within range. Servants in the main house. Guards at the perimeter. Birds. Insects. The living pulse of the entire estate
<
Good. Not good enough.
He held out his hand, focusing on that intangible force—willpower, conviction, the manifestation of dreams and determination. Imagining it flowing through his arm, concentrating in his palm, hardening into something tangible—
His fingertips flickered black for few seconds.
<
Fifteen days. Most people took years.
Well, I'm not most people.
Another memory fragment. A wheel spinning in darkness. Essences. Powers. A cosmic entity speaking in riddles. But the sequence felt rehearsed. Like lines in a play he'd memorized without understanding the plot.
Arlo pushed the confusion aside and continued training. His body didn't tire easily—Ancient Giant physiology saw to that. Even at five years old, his stamina was absurd.
An hour passed. Then two.
The physical training grounded him. Made sense. Unlike the tangled mess of his thoughts and memories.
Evening came. Sachiko insisted on formal dinner in the main hall.
They sat across from each other at the low table, servants bringing dishes in careful succession. It reminded Arlo they were nobility. Wealth. Influence. Responsibility.
"You've been distracted lately," Sachiko observed. Not accusatory. Curious. "Penny for your thoughts?"
"The future. What kind of person I want to become."
"Oh?" She set down her chopsticks, tilting her head with genuine interest. "And what kind of person is that?"
Good question.
"Strong. Strong enough to protect what matters."
Sachiko hummed thoughtfully. "Father used to say something similar. That real strength was having choices. Not being helpless when things went wrong." She reached across the table and took his hand. "But you know, Arlo-kun, strength isn't carrying everything alone. It's also letting people help. Letting people care about you."
Her grip was warm and Absolutely certain.
"That's what big sisters are for, after all~" The playful tone was back. "To spoil their adorable little brothers and make sure they don't grow up too serious."
Arlo felt something crack. Some wall he'd built without realizing.
"I know. Thank you."
Sachiko squeezed his hand gently, smiling with that complete, unguarded affection.
They finished dinner quietly. Content.
Later, in his room, Arlo stared at the ceiling.
He replayed Sachiko's words. Her expression. The absolute certainty when she said she'd always be there.
Is this what family is?
He tried to remember his previous life's family. But the memories were... wrong. Too perfect in some places. Too empty in others. Like a movie set with detailed props but hollow walls.
I don't deserve this.
The thought came with surprising force. Was he really her brother or was he an impostor? Someone wearing this body, living this life?
But the logic felt circular. Incomplete. Like a proof with missing steps.
Maybe I could be worthy of it.
That thought felt more real. More solid.
<
You're getting philosophical, Raphael.
<
Sure.
<<...Affirmative.>>
Arlo smiled in the darkness. His mind drifted to Sachiko's mention of Rocks D. Xebec. Building his crew. Growing stronger.
According to his knowledge—and wasn't it strange how that knowledge felt simultaneously certain and unreliable?—Rocks would visit Elbaf again soon.
Very soon.
Raphael, activate long-range surveillance. Alert me the moment Rocks approaches Elbaf.
<
Perfect.
When Rocks arrived, Arlo would be watching.
And then everything would change.
End of Chapter 4
Next: A legend walks among giants. Arlo witnesses power of the legends. And Raphael proposes something impossible...