Gaban

"There's no need to dwell on the past."

Having received a positive answer, Sauron put Robin back on the ground and didn't make things difficult for his old friend.

Although I can't reconcile with him immediately, at least knowing the truth allows me to slowly let go of the estrangement.

"My name is Ulquiorra Cifer, and I am Robin's captain. I am deeply grateful for your help to my companions many years ago."

Cifer slowly stepped forward and thanked him earnestly, but his face seemed somewhat out of place in this situation.

Thank you so much!

Nolan, Shirahoshi, and the others all bowed deeply to him, and even Lucci sincerely lowered his proud head.

"No, that's not true! I should be thanking you all for being Robin's support!"

Sauron felt like an incompetent parent and quickly returned the gesture with a deep bow.

"Alright, there's no need for such formalities. You are all my most important 'family'!"

Robin, with one arm around Cifer and the other patting Sauron, interrupted the exchange of thanks.

"That's right! You're all my good friends! Come on, come on, hee hee hee hee hee~"

Laughing, Sauron was happy that she had found a reliable companion.

"We've known each other for a while now!"

Lilith walked up to him with her head held high, revealing her bright white teeth.

"Who are you..."

Sauron scratched his head, unable to recall ever having met such a human girl.

"I am Vegapunk!"

"Huh?!"

Sauron's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Hehe~

Lilith, who is unable to do evil, enjoys the feeling of others being startled by her identity, as if she is teasing them.

Amidst laughter and banter, Sauron led the group into the giant library that seemed to be rooted in the bend of a tree.

"These, could they be...?"

Looking at the books, which were even bigger than himself, Robin felt a strange sense of familiarity.

"That's right! I asked my friends to help me bring back all the books from Ohara. They are the treasures of human civilization, and also your treasure, Robin!"

Sauron spread his arms wide, seemingly showing off his cleverness.

"The reason the books have become so big is all thanks to Librarian Biblo. He is Paramecia Grow-Grow Fruit and can make the books brought to the library suitable for us giants to read!"

Seemingly noticing Robin's confusion, he pointed to the sky above the library, where the Fukurou librarian was standing on the roof beam watching everyone.

"Wow, that's amazing! Do you have any books about medicine?"

Chopper hopped and skipped around in front of the bookshelves.

"There definitely will be."

"By the way, shall we go back for dinner first? The two chieftains and the giants are waiting for us~ Mr. Sauron, why don't you come along too!"

Robin picked him up, and was about to look for books together when Gulz reminded him that they had been here for quite a while.

"Let's go eat!"

Hearing this, Chopper felt his stomach start to rumble, and he grabbed Robin and started to leave.

"The Mist Ship is quite nice, but it's a bit slow. Let me handle it this time!"

With Sauron by their side, the group returned to the ship. Just as Gulz was about to start the Mist Ship, Nolan spoke up.

She simply flicked her finger, and the entire ship floated in the air, then flew back in the direction it had come from at several times the original speed.

In just a few minutes, they were back at the port, and the group reappeared in front of the giants.

"They're back, let the feast begin!"

Dorry and Brogy were already starving. The moment they saw everyone, they raised their glasses and officially began this feast.

"So delicious!"

Chopper chewed on the roasted meat in his mouth, his eyes beginning to sparkle.

"Unfortunately, Bonney, that troublemaker, didn't come."

Lilith has rarely had time to eat on her own since the beginning, but now that York is no longer needed, she is naturally indulging in it all.

Perhaps because she inherited Vegapunk's feelings for the bear and Bonney, she felt it was a pity that they hadn't come.

"It's alright, since we're friends, you're welcome to come anytime! Elbaf welcomes you!"

A giant wearing a helmet overheard their conversation, took a big gulp of wine, and then spoke up.

"That's right, that's right! That kid Heilding is the one who recently became the new king of Elbaf!"

Dorry patted him forcefully on the shoulder from behind, completely disregarding his status as king.

"It's all thanks to the help of Captain Straw Hat and his crew. You are their good friends, so naturally you are my Heilding too!"

Heilding had just unified the Elbaf a few days ago with Luffy, and then, several years later, he replaced his father as the new king.

His half-brother left Elbaf with the Straw Hat Pirates because of a promise.

"It's quite lively today~ Would you mind if I came down for a drink?"

Just as everyone was enjoying their meal, an old man with white hair wearing a straw hat suddenly appeared out of nowhere, leaped up, and landed in front of Cifer and the others.

"Hey~ The 'Mountain Eater' is here too!"

"Uncle Ashan, come and have a good drink!"

Clearly, the giants had a good relationship with the newcomer, as one of them even poured him a bowl of wine and handed it to him.

"First Red-Haired, then Straw Hat Kid, and today even the most renowned Black Winged Great Demon of the new era has arrived. Elbaf is truly poised to reclaim its former glory!"

The man downed the wine in his bowl in one gulp, then looked at Cifer with a sharp gaze that belied his decrepit old age.

"I think you're well aware of my other purpose in coming here, aren't you, Gaban, the former left-hand man of the Pirate King?"

Cifer put down the food in his hand and looked him in the eyes for the first time.

"A crewmate of the Pirate King?! This guy is such an amazing guy after all!"

As soon as Cifer finished speaking, Chopper was so surprised by the unassuming old man in front of him that he almost choked.

"The left and right hands are all things of the past. Now I'm just an old man abandoned by the times. On the contrary, I've heard a lot about you."

Gaban only briefly touched upon his past before moving on to the Cifer.

"Since you know me, that makes things easier. I want to know if what I'm looking for is actually here?"

Cifer was too lazy to beat around the bush with him and got straight to the point.

"As expected, it's all for obtaining the final key to Raftel Tale, isn't it? The last Road Poneglyph!"

Gaban smiled and said it.