The Knocking Inside the Straw Hat

"Don't put it back on."

The moment Lin Qi's words were transmitted into the Luffy Den Den Mushi, Luffy's hand, which was reaching for his Straw Hat, stopped halfway.

"But this is my hat."

"I know, you can let Nami hold it first."

Will she beat it up?

Why would I punch a hat?!

Nami held the brim of her hat through her handkerchief, while Zoro held his sword sheath across Luffy's chest to prevent him from lunging at her again.

There was nothing hidden inside the Straw Hat, and the old red ribbon had not been removed; only a few dark marks from seawater were visible on the top of the hat.

Usopp brought his ear close, but pulled it back after only getting it half an inch away.

"There really was someone knocking inside. Three times, paused for a moment, then three more times."

"I heard it too."

Chopper lay on the deck, holding a stethoscope to the top of his hat, his ears bobbing to the beat inside.

"The tapping sound came from inside the grass stalks; each one made a sound, but they all sounded differently."

How can the grass rustle?

Sanji squatted down beside her, and as soon as he reached out his hand, Nami immediately raised her hat.

Don't touch it, who knows if it might get you caught up in it too.

"Nami- san, I just wanted to protect Luffy's hat."

Protect yourself first and don't cause trouble.

Lin Qi looked at the narrow piece of paper on the table. Luffy's name was still surrounded by watermarks, and the stroke in the square was not written.

The upside-down cup on the computer screen moved slightly, revealing a section of red arc below.

"Vegapunk, did you see that?"

"I see it. The red line on the screen is in the same position as the red ribbon on the Straw Hat; it's using the Straw Hat to create a loop."

Can it be cut off?

"Every time you open your mouth, the first thing you ask is whether it can be dismantled."

"Because every time you explain something, you end up having to dismantle it in the end."

"This time, we can't touch the hat's structure. The Echo has been hidden for twenty-two years, and it has also occupied the wear and tear records of the grass stalks. Cutting any one of them may result in the loss of a piece of information."

Luffy squatted down in front of Nami.

"Then don't cut it."

"Do you need to tell me?"

"Give me the hat, I want to listen to it."

"No."

Nami.

"Your chest was crackling just now, who knows what will happen if you put it back on?"

It didn't hurt me.

"It'll be too late to talk about it once you're injured."

Luffy hugged his knees, his gaze following the movement of the Straw Hat.

"When Shanks handed it over to me, he didn't mention that anyone lived inside."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.

Lin Qi pushed the narrow piece of paper under the lamp.

Have you heard of this before?

"I've heard the sea."

"You're at sea every day, what clue is hearing the sea?"

I heard that when I was a child.

Luffy covered his head with his palm, showing everyone where the Straw Hat should be.

"When I sleep, I put my hat over my face, and someone inside laughs, sometimes even telling me to run."

Garp's voice squeezed through the naval lines first.

Why have you never told me this before?

I thought Straw Hats could talk.

"Whose Straw Hat can talk?!"

My meeting.

When you were little, you used to say that meat would call you over!

"Meat is naturally like that."

Nami pushed the Den Den Mushi a little further away.

"You two, grandfather and grandson, stop arguing. Luffy, is that laughter the same as Roger's?"

"I've never met Roger."

His image was projected onto the Sky Screen.

Luffy tilted his head and thought for a while.

"No the same."

The Sengoku took over the naval route.

What's different?

Roger laughed even louder, and the man in the hat would cough halfway through his laughter.

Mo'er reached for the water bowl at the long table, A Hui brought it to his lips first.

The old man coughed twice after taking a sip.

A Hui took the bowl away.

You've heard that laugh before.

"I've heard of it."

"Who?"

"The people on the Transport Ship."

A Hui put the bowl back, the bottom of the bowl hitting the table, spilling water in a circle.

You just said he doesn't have a name.

The shipping label wasn't filled out.

"Not writing it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

He wouldn't tell me.

"How many times have you heard him laugh?"

"Seven days, once a day."

The bandage that had just been wrapped around Mo'er's waist started to bleed again. The doctor reached out and pressed it, but he didn't try to stop it anymore.

"The cabin had no windows, and he didn't know day or night. He laughed after hearing each Future Echo."

What are you laughing at?

"On the first day, he heard about the Paramount War."

Lin Qi looked up.

What exactly did you hear?

"Some people are calling for Ace, some are saying he can't die, and you read out the four options."

Luffy stood up.

The scabbard on the deck rose, and Zoro blocked his way.

"Then what?"

He asked me if people in the future would all like to use other people's lives as the basis for their questions.

Lin Qi gripped the corner of the narrow piece of paper, remaining silent.

Mo'er continued, "The next day, he heard you giving names and a group of children banging cups, and he said the person who set the questions wasn't so bad after all."

What about the third day?

"Roger's laughter."

The sound of a teacup hitting the table came from Garp's side.

"Does he know Roger?"

He insulted Roger.

What are you cursing about?

"They say Roger threw out a sentence, and he died easily, but those left behind had to bear the consequences."

Sengoku asked, "What is that person's relationship with Roger?"

"I asked him, and he said he owed Roger a life."

Roger saved too many people.

He also said that Roger owed him a name.

The static from the Den Den Mushi drowned out a few breaths.

Lin Qi flipped the narrow paper back; the name boxes were still empty, with only Luffy and Roger listed on either side.

"When did the Echo in the Straw Hat go in?"

"Before the Transport Ship sank."

"Who put it in there?"

"I only saw him grab onto an old plank that was floating by. His Straw Hat was hanging on the edge of the plank. He touched the brim of the hat, and three sounds came from inside."

Luffy squeezed past Zoro's sword sheath.

"Is that my Straw Hat?"

"Twenty-two years ago, it belonged to Shanks."

Shanks has heard of it too?

"You'll have to ask him."

Lin Qi caught another Den Den Mushi.

The Red Hair Pirates' route remained open, but no one spoke for a long time.

Shanks, stop pretending to be offline.

"Not installed."

Shanks' voice came through the Den Den Mushi; there was no sound of a banquet nearby, and no one was making a fuss.

How much do you know about the Straw Hat?

I knew it would make a sound.

Luffy leaned over the microphone.

Why didn't you tell me?

"Because it calmed down above your head."

"It wasn't quiet; I always heard it when I was a child."

You didn't say that.

I thought hats could talk.

A soft murmur came from Shanks's side, too brief to turn into a laugh.

That's your answer.

Nami put the hat into the wooden basin and lined it with a dry cloth.

"Shanks, what was the first thing you heard?"

Don't go to Loguetown.

"You went."

"If the captain is going to die, of course I have to go."

What about the second sentence?

Leave the hat behind.

Luffy looked down at the wooden tub.

"You didn't leave any either."

"Captain Roger gave it to me."

"You gave it to me later."

"Um."

"Why?"

Shanks did not answer immediately.

Lin Qi saw that the inverted cup on the computer had moved a little further, revealing three grass stalks below the red line, all bending in the same direction in sequence.

Mo'er raised his index finger, which couldn't straighten.

"It's clearing the waterway."

Vegapunk saw it too.

"The three grass stalks correspond to the three old routes in the Calm Belt; only the middle one is still passable."

Lin Qi asked, "Is the destination north of Amazon Lily?"

No, the finish line is still moving.

The Straw Hat in the wooden tub rattled three times.

This time, Luffy's chest didn't make a popping sound.

A line of old, blackened characters slowly emerged from the inside of the red ribbon.

Nami held the hat up to the Den Den Mushi.

The text was so worn that only a few broken strokes remained in the first half of the sentence, but the end was still legible.

[If the Straw Hat hears a multiple-choice question again, give it to the person who wants to stay.]

Luffy and pressed down on the brim of his hat.

"Shanks, did you give me the hat because of that?"

"No."

Why is that?

"Because you said what the captain said."

"I need to find a group of partners who are just as good as you guys?"

"The sentence after that."

Luffy recalls for a moment.

"I'm going to become the Pirate King!"

"Right."

Another round of knocking came from inside the Straw Hat.

After the third strike, a fourth strike was added.

Mo'er propped himself up on one side.

The fourth click is not a confirmation.

What is that?

"Request acceptance."

The old characters on the red ribbon receded to the side, revealing a gap that had been stitched together.

Shanks finally spoke.

"Luffy, don't untie that line."

"Why?"

"Ten years ago, the night before I handed you the Straw Hat, it uttered its last words in my hand."

"What did you say?"

"When the child who wears hats grows up, let him choose for me."