Time passed, and before long, Cain's group had reached the middle of the mountain.
"Ah! A ghost!"
"AAAAH! A hairy monster!"
"Oh, what a cute bear—wait, why is there a human face coming out of its mouth?!"
Uta had clearly been frightened more than once along the way. By now, she had practically curled herself into Cain's arms, both hands clutching tightly at the front of his clothes as she muttered with lingering horror.
"Okay, now I finally understand why that gorilla you described scared you so badly. An animal with a human face sticking out of its mouth is just wrong…"
Cain gently patted her back and followed her gaze toward the unfortunate Gifter Bella had just frozen into an ice sculpture.
"It's all right, Uta. These are just members of the Beasts Pirates. You've probably seen most of them before."
"I know, but—Cain! Behind you!"
Uta had barely begun to relax when her eyes suddenly widened again. Her fingers clamped around Cain's arm.
"Behind me?"
Cain had deliberately turned off his Observation Haki, so he genuinely had no idea what was there.
The moment he turned around, a deathly pale face rose almost directly behind his head.
Blood dripped from its mouth. Its eyes had rolled back until only the whites remained, yet the corners of its lips were twisted into a horrible grin.
Then a long, mournful voice drifted straight into Cain's ear.
"I died so horribly—"
Cain's fist moved entirely on instinct.
BAM!
His punch landed squarely in the middle of the ghostly face.
"I'LL DEFINITELY BE BAAAACK—!"
The creature sailed through the air in a perfect arc and vanished into the dark forest.
Cain tightened his arm around Uta and slowly exhaled.
"Whew. That almost got me."
He stared in the direction the thing had disappeared.
"What the hell was that, though? Why did that guy only have a head?"
"See, Cain?! There really might be ghosts here!"
Uta shrank farther into his arms, her voice still trembling.
Cain thought for a moment, then lit one of the small sparklers they had bought earlier. Tiny sparks blossomed in the darkness, and he placed the little light carefully into Uta's hand.
"Ghosts aren't necessarily that scary."
He smiled.
"Remember Brook? Technically speaking, he's already dead, but he isn't nearly as frightening as people would imagine."
"And Merry too. In a way, it's basically a spirit that developed its own consciousness. You never get scared when you're around either of them."
Uta lowered her eyes toward the faint glow of the sparkler and slowly lifted her face away from Cain's chest.
Now that he put it that way, her shoulders really did loosen.
"…You know, that actually helps."
She smiled.
"Thanks, Cain."
"You idiot. You don't have to thank me for something like that."
Cain affectionately ruffled her hair.
Then his voice dropped, and he leaned closer.
"Although I do know another way to make you feel less scared."
"Hm?"
Uta blinked up at him curiously.
"Go on."
"It's simple."
Cain grinned.
"Uta, can you make me a gorilla costume?"
…
Elsewhere in the forest—
"Damn it. Can't believe that brat got me."
The flying head Cain had just punched away was, in fact, Queen.
Without the burden of his body, Queen had discovered that being reduced to a giant head actually made him surprisingly mobile and perfectly suited to scaring people during the Test of Courage.
In reality, it was less a matter of being suited for the job and more that he literally had nothing else he could do. His body was still elsewhere under the effects of Seastone, so this was the only activity available to him.
"Whatever. Let's see where the other group is."
Queen muttered to himself, then spun his long braid like a helicopter rotor.
The braid whirred rapidly and carried his head toward another mountain trail.
Not long afterward—
"So flying heads really do exist! Take this, you monster!"
BAM!
Queen was sent flying again.
…
"Hm? What was that?"
Ace looked up after hearing a heavy impact somewhere in the distance.
Then he shrugged.
Whatever.
He had something much more important to focus on.
A mischievous grin spread across his face as he imagined Cain's expression when he finally scared the hell out of him.
Then Ace glanced down at the furry bundle Yamato was holding.
"By the way, I know I said we should disguise ourselves as gorillas, but where exactly did you get that fur?"
Yamato shook out a thick piece of dark-brown hide, then pulled out two curved tusks and began testing how they would fit into the costume.
"Don't worry. I borrowed it."
She smiled proudly.
"Look, I even got teeth! Pretty thorough, right, Ace?"
"…Yeah. Definitely thorough."
Ace stared at the strangely familiar tusks.
"Though gorillas don't normally have those."
He had a fairly good idea where they had come from.
He wisely said nothing.
Once Ace and Yamato disappeared into the darkness, Black Maria slowly emerged from the bushes nearby.
She walked over to Jack, who was curled miserably in a corner, and crouched beside him. With a sympathetic expression, she gently patted his shoulder and whispered something reassuring.
Jack was wrapped in a crude garment Black Maria had woven from spider silk.
His shoulders shook as he quietly sobbed.
The dark-brown fur coat he had always been so proud of had been completely stripped off by Yamato and turned into a gorilla costume.
She had taken his tusks too.
Jack the Drought, one of the mighty All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates, could now do nothing but hide in the shadows and cry.
…
Garp, meanwhile, was still being scolded by Sengoku.
Whenever the two were together, Sengoku inevitably ended up being the one who had to worry about everything.
"You can't just punch every single thing that jumps out at you! What if you actually hurt someone?!"
"Relax, Sengoku."
Garp waved him off.
"Don't forget, I've got my pirate radar."
"And besides, that thing just now was a flying head. It obviously looked like some kind of monster."
"How was I supposed to know how strong it was without hitting it?"
"This is a Test of Courage, not your personal collection of punching bags!"
A vein bulged on Sengoku's forehead as he grabbed Garp by the collar.
"Turn off your Observation Haki."
"And turn off that ridiculous pirate radar too."
"If you keep doing this, I'm leaving."
"Whoa, whoa! Fine, fine!"
Garp immediately raised both hands.
"I'll turn it off! Don't leave!"
He agreed quickly enough, but internally, Garp had one small problem.
Observation Haki could certainly be turned off.
The so-called pirate radar was not actually a switchable ability.
Just then, rustling came from the bushes on both sides of the trail.
Garp and Sengoku stopped at the same time and exchanged a look.
Something was coming.
Cold air suddenly spread in every direction.
Thick icy mist swallowed the mountain path, reducing visibility to only a few feet.
Low animal growls echoed through the fog.
Two enormous black silhouettes rushed past, one on either side.
Both Garp and Sengoku had kept their promise and disabled Observation Haki, which meant they now had to rely entirely on their eyes and instincts.
Garp grinned.
Now this was more like it.
Finally, something that looked worth being scared by.
The icy fog grew thicker.
Then both shadows lunged out at once.
Several screams immediately erupted.
"GORILLA!"
"GRANDPA!"
"NEW SPECIES!"
The monsters that had burst from the fog were none other than Cain and Ace, each dressed in a crude gorilla costume and intending to scare the other.
Unfortunately, they had barely emerged before Garp's overdeveloped reflexes took over.
One grandson was caught in each hand.
Neither even had a chance to struggle before Garp slammed their heads together.
BAM!
As the fog cleared, Garp finally looked down.
"Oh."
He grinned.
"They're just my grandsons."
He cheerfully released both of them and even rubbed their heads while offering a sincere apology.
Cain and Ace, however, had far more important concerns than complaining about being hit.
The real problem was the old man standing happily in front of them.
To be fair, none of this would have happened if they hadn't deliberately turned off Observation Haki.
"GRANDPA! Why are you here?!"
"Weren't you supposed to be busy?!"
Faced with both grandsons shouting at him, Garp casually dug a finger into his ear.
"I got curious, so I came to have a look."
He shrugged.
"What? I'm not allowed to enjoy an event?"
Then he shook his head in disappointment.
"Still, I've been here this long and nothing has really gotten my blood going."
Cain and Ace screamed internally.
'Of course not! What kind of ghost or monster could survive even one round against you?!'
Then Garp's eyes settled on the crude gorilla suits the two of them were wearing.
His eyebrow rose.
"What exactly are you two dressed like that for?"
His expression became suspicious.
"Were you planning to scare me?"
Cain and Ace instantly froze.
Their survival instincts kicked in at exactly the same time.
Both immediately raised one hand and pointed straight at the other.
They were just about to explain that they had intended to frighten each other when their eyes moved sideways and noticed the accusing finger aimed directly back at them.
Fear instantly became shock.
Shock became betrayal.
And betrayal became contempt.
Cain stared at Ace's hand in disbelief.
'You were going to scare me?! Ace, you bastard! Do you even see me as your little brother?!'
Ace glared right back.
'You little shit! You were going to dress up as a gorilla and scare your big brother?! You clearly still need discipline!'
Garp simply watched the two brothers silently accuse each other with their eyes, completely confused.
Then Uta, Bella, and Yamato emerged from the other side of the trail.
Yamato, utterly oblivious to the danger, happily answered Garp's question for them.
"I know!"
"They were trying to dress up as human-faced gorillas, just like the ones they saw when they were kids!"
"When they were kids…"
Garp rubbed his chin.
Then his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Oh!"
He slapped one fist into his palm.
"Now that you mention it, isn't this the forest you and I arranged together, Yamato?"
"It was too dark, so I didn't notice at first."
Garp looked around, and inspiration immediately struck him.
"Perfect!"
"Those little monsters earlier weren't interesting enough."
He grinned at Cain and Ace.
"How about we play Marines and Pirates instead? Just like when you were kids."
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
Cain and Ace immediately waved both hands.
"Oh?"
Garp slowly looked the two gorilla-clad grandsons up and down.
A playful gleam appeared in his eyes.
Then the corners of his mouth curved into a smile that sent chills down both their backs.
"Well then…"
Garp's entire expression suddenly changed.
"Woooow!"
He pointed at them dramatically.
"Would you look at that! Human-faced gorillas!"
"Must be a brand-new species!"
Cain and Ace stared at him in horror.
Garp continued enthusiastically.
"I remember another gorilla years ago that looked exactly like me."
"It was always beating the hell out of my poor grandsons."
"Shame I could never find it again."
His grin became dangerously bright.
"But seeing you two reminds me of how angry that thing made me."
Garp brought both fists together with a heavy THUD.
"Looks like it's finally time to avenge those poor kids."
Cain and Ace exchanged a glance.
Both swallowed.
"That excuse is way too forced!"
And besides, you were the damn gorilla!
Naturally, neither was stupid enough to say the second part aloud.
They exchanged one look of absolute understanding.
Then shouted at the same time.
"RUN!"
Cain scooped Uta into his arms and sprinted up the mountain.
Ace's wheelchair couldn't possibly handle the trail at that speed, so he ripped one of the bandages from his injured arm and flung it forward.
It wrapped around Cain's neck.
Using Cain's momentum, Ace allowed himself, the wheelchair, and Yamato to be dragged along behind.
Cain's eyes nearly rolled backward as the bandage tightened around his throat, but he didn't dare slow down.
Behind them, Garp's fists repeatedly missed by inches.
Of course, he wasn't genuinely trying to hurt anyone.
His future granddaughter-in-law was right there, and Ace was still recovering from surgery.
Garp was only playing.
Sengoku trailed farther behind, staring at the chaotic grandfather-and-grandsons chase with increasing disbelief.
Even though he could clearly tell Garp wasn't using his full strength, the scene still looked horrifying.
For the first time, Sengoku truly understood why every one of these children had grown up and become pirates.
If this was how their grandfather had "trained" them, who in their right mind would grow up obediently wanting to join the Marines?
The thought irritated Sengoku enough that he eventually joined the chase himself, running after Garp.
And so the entire group raced up and down the mountain amid screams and laughter, with the occasional yelp whenever someone narrowly avoided a fist.
Quite a few Gifters hidden along the route were also caught in the chaos.
At this point, the event was far more exciting than the simple Test of Courage Yamato had originally planned.
Uta, in particular, had no complaints whatsoever.
She was held securely against Cain's chest throughout the entire chase, which made the experience considerably more enjoyable.
Bella sat happily atop Cain's head with her mouth open, enjoying the wind rushing past her face.
Eventually, they reached the highest platform ordinary visitors could safely access.
It wasn't technically the summit of Mt. Fuji—the volcanic crater rose farther above them—but this was as high as people could reasonably climb.
Garp finally stopped chasing them.
He planted both hands on his hips without even breathing hard and laughed.
"That was pretty thrilling!"
Cain and Ace silently disagreed.
'Thrilling for us, maybe.'
Still…
It was supposed to be a Test of Courage.
And their courage had certainly been tested.
Yamato wheeled Ace aside and helped him remove the thick fur coat and tusks he had been using for the costume.
Uta pulled Cain in the opposite direction and personally removed his gorilla disguise.
"There."
She straightened the parts of his clothes that had been wrinkled by the fur.
"Much better."
"Uta, I…"
Cain hesitated.
He had been about to apologize.
Garp's sudden appearance had completely derailed the event, and in the end, it hadn't exactly been the frightening romantic evening he had imagined for her.
But Uta smiled before he could finish.
"Things went a little differently than planned, but I had a lot of fun tonight, Cain."
Cain looked at her bright, untroubled smile.
The apology died before leaving his mouth.
Instead, he smiled back.
Then—
WHOOSH!
A firework shot high into the night sky.
At its highest point, it burst into a brilliant shower of golden light.
A second followed.
Then a third.
One after another, fireworks exploded overhead, their crisp booms rolling across the mountain while brilliant colors illuminated the landscape.
The warm light fell across everyone's faces, wrapping the laughter and screams from the mountain trail in a gentle glow.
"The fireworks finally started."
Cain looked upward and smiled.
Uta reached out and took his hand.
"Yeah."
Her voice softened.
"At least this time we're not too busy to watch them."
"Ahaha…"
Cain instantly remembered what the two of them had been doing during the previous fireworks display.
His face grew warm.
"That time was just… kind of…"
Uta turned toward him and looked directly into his eyes.
"I liked it."
"Huh?"
"Anything I do with you, I like."
Uta turned fully toward him, holding both his hands as she smiled.
The shifting colors of the fireworks reflected across their faces, bathing them in soft light.
Cain looked at her illuminated smile and found himself smiling too.
He stepped closer and threaded his fingers through hers.
"Yeah."
"I love you too."
"That's cheating."
Uta pouted playfully.
"You were supposed to say you like me."
"I was the one who said love first."
"No, no. If we're talking about love, I definitely loved you before you loved me."
Uta stared at him.
Then her eyes narrowed.
"Cain. Pervert."
Cain blinked.
"What? Why?!"
"Because if you loved me before I fell in love with you…"
Her smile became wicked.
"…doesn't that mean you already liked me when I was a little girl?"
Cain froze.
"Uh… I-I…"
There was absolutely no correct answer.
Uta burst out laughing.
"But I don't hate it."
Her expression softened.
"I love you, Cain."
She rose onto her toes and leaned toward him.
"I love you too, Uta."
Cain lowered his head and wrapped one arm around her waist.
As the final and largest firework exploded across the sky, the two kissed beneath the shower of brilliant light.
For a moment, it almost seemed as though the entire display had been arranged specifically for them.
Bella floated quietly nearby.
She covered her eyes with two little cloud hands—
then immediately spread her fingers apart and peeked straight through them at her parents.
"Shameless…"
…
Not far away, Yamato lifted Ace out of his wheelchair and excitedly looked toward the fireworks overhead.
"Ace! Ace, look! Fireworks!"
Her eyes shone with curiosity.
"But why do they come out in different colors if they're all made from fire?"
Ace was deeply embarrassed by being carried like this, but he still answered while blushing.
"It depends on the metals they put inside."
"I've never really studied it, but I remember that under certain conditions, even my own flames can change color."
"Really?!"
Yamato immediately became even more excited.
"I want to see! Show me sometime!"
"Yeah, yeah. Whenever I have time, I'll make as many different-colored flames as you want."
Yamato happily hugged him tighter.
Ace immediately cried out.
"Ow, ow, ow! Gentle! Gentle!"
"Ah! Sorry!"
…
Garp stood nearby, quietly taking in both scenes.
On one side, Cain and Uta were kissing beneath the fireworks.
On the other, Yamato was holding Ace in her arms and practically bouncing with excitement.
Garp smiled with deep satisfaction.
Then, almost unconsciously, his gaze drifted toward Sengoku.
Sengoku was staring thoughtfully at the fireworks when he suddenly felt an extremely suspicious pair of eyes settle on him.
His neck stiffened.
Slowly, he turned.
Garp was looking at him with a meaningful smile.
"Wait."
Sengoku immediately took half a step backward.
His expression became intensely wary.
"What are you looking at me like that for?!"
Then he pointed at Garp with absolute determination.
"I am not kissing or hugging you like those idiots!"