Side Story: Various Factions (5)

East Blue.

Cocoyasi Village.

"The Straw Hat Pirates has been disbanded for a while now, why hasn't Nami come back yet... Could she have been kidnapped by some bad guys on the way?!"

On the beach, a man whose face was covered with stitches looked at a newspaper from more than ten days ago and muttered to himself for what seemed like the hundredth time, pacing back and forth on the sand.

Although he kept telling himself not to overthink, the thought of his "precious daughter" possibly drifting alone in the New World made him restless.

"Don't worry too much, Gen ~ Nami is very smart, and besides, before her bounty was canceled, she was Great Pirate with a bounty of hundreds of millions~"

Behind him, a playful girl jumped up and lay on Gen's back to comfort him.

"Wait... what's that?!"

Suddenly, Gen put down Nojiko on his back, took out a pair of binoculars from his pocket, and kept turning them to look at the black dot on the sea surface that kept getting bigger.

"That ship... it's the Straw Hat Pirates's Thousand Sunny! Could it be that Nami has returned?!"

After clearly seeing the ship heading in this direction, Gen became excited.

He had seen that ship in the newspaper more than once; it was once one of the symbols of the "Pirate King"!

"Why are you waiting here so early? Were you waiting for me? Gen ~ Nojiko ~"

As the ship slowly approached and finally docked in front of them, they finally heard the familiar voice they had been longing to hear.

"Nami ~"

As she leaped down, Nojiko immediately rushed over and hugged her sister tightly.

Although she tried to reassure Gen not to worry, she herself was also waiting for news of her sister every day.

"We weren't waiting here for you to come back! We just happened to be out for a walk and ran into you on your way back!"

Gen, who was being hypocritical, turned his head away, denying her teasing words, but the newspaper in his hand revealed his true thoughts.

"Let's take a walk~"

Nami covered her mouth and smiled, not exposing him.

"Nami, I'll leave your things here. I've been away for several years, and I'm going home!"

After greeting Ken and Gen, Usopp, with his Long Nose, carried the boxes and bags filled with treasure to the beach and then said goodbye to Nami.

Goodbye, Usopp!

As Nami watched Usopp board the Thousand Sunny again, turn around, and leave, she waved her little hand vigorously.

After this parting, who knows if we will ever meet again?

Nami's eyes were slightly red; she was bidding farewell to the most beautiful years of her youth as a girl.

"So much treasure... Nami, what are you planning to do next?"

Nojiko approached and weighed the treasure in her hands, discovering that the treasure she had brought back was enough to buy the entire island and still have some left over.

"Let's go home and grow oranges!"

In the sunlight, her smile was radiant, and she answered without the slightest hesitation, as if she had already thought of the answer beforehand.

Baratie.

Inside the restaurant, Sanji's Wanted Poster from various periods are displayed in any slightly conspicuous place.

The guests at each table would occasionally point to the wall, discussing the Pirate King's left hand while enjoying their delicious food.

"Seriously, Straw Hat Kid was called the Pirate King for only a couple of days before he joined the Marines. Where did Sanji go?"

As the chefs cooked, they began the familiar topics that had been running through the past few days.

"I heard he's already married. Maybe he's traveling the world with his wife. After all, he's so powerful now, there's nowhere they can't go!"

Chef Zeff stroked his thick, long beard that parted and curled to the sides, and said without hesitation.

"Hahaha~ That seems to fit Sanji's style quite well~"

This answer caused the chefs to burst into laughter, and several chefs who were tossing the wok almost lost their grip on their pots.

"So, he's not coming back, right?"

A question from an unknown person plunged the once cheerful kitchen into silence.

"He has his own life to live, and we should support him whatever choices he makes. That's what 'family' is all about!"

Zeff took it all in stride and patted the man on the shoulder.

Sanji was like a son to him, and like family to some of the people of the Baratie.

But he was unwilling to let these feelings become something that bound Sanji.

"That makes sense."

Everyone felt relieved and continued to focus on cooking.

"No... something's wrong! Someone's causing trouble outside!"

At that moment, a waiter rushed in anxiously, panting heavily, to report to Zeff and the others.

"Looking for trouble? It's been a long time since I've encountered a guy like this."

Zeff frowned and was about to walk outside.

"Wait a minute! A lot of fierce-looking guys have come outside. It would be best if everyone went out together! That way, we can at least look out for each other!"

The waiter stood in front of Zeff, his face filled with panic, as if the Krieg Pirates were attacking again.

"Boss Zeff, let's go take a look together!"

"That's right! We, the Baratie, are not to be trifled with!"

The chefs responded immediately, putting aside their work and following Zeff.

"Alright, let's take a look together."

The latter simply nodded, and then, led by the waiter, the entire group walked out of the kitchen and headed towards the person who had caused the "trouble."

No one noticed that the waiter walking at the front was desperately trying to suppress the urge to smile.

"That person is..."

"There's no mistake! A man like that would actually come to a small place like this..."

Inside the restaurant, the guests were talking quietly, their eyes all turning toward the man and woman dining in the direction Zeff and his group were heading.

"You've finally arrived, but what's with the food being so awful? This will drive away customers."

After the chefs stood in front of him, the man kept putting delicious food into his mouth while making various comments on the dishes on his plate.

"Does the guest have any good suggestions?"

Stopping the chefs who were about to step forward, Zeff asked the elegant man with a serious expression.

"Just a suggestion..."

The man calmly took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Although this restaurant is a bit small, a bit old, and the owner is a bit unsophisticated, if we could have a good chef and pastry chef, things might change. What do you think?"

"What a shameless guy, but there are some things I still need to say..."

Welcome home.

At the lighthouse of Twin Capes.

"This is my adventure with my new companions; they're all amazing people!"

A skeleton dressed in a suit is half-lying on the beach, slowly closing the diary in its hand.

A giant whale with scars all over its head, but bearing the flag of the Straw Hat Pirates, is nestled on the shore, its eyes slightly narrowed, as if it can understand his words.

As the sun slowly sets, its afterglow falls upon the two, and the loneliness of the past seems like a dream.

More than fifty years later, they fulfilled their promise.