The newborn dawn spread across Batallia Island.
Three days had already passed since the night Garp came to take someone.
Over those three days, in order to protect Rouge's safety, Ross moved his residence to her place and stayed in the master bedroom every day to guard her closely.
Three days later, Ross and the others packed their things and prepared to leave.
Rouge gently closed the door to her home. She did not look back at the small building that carried more than twenty years of her memories, instead walking firmly toward Ross and placing her hand in his outstretched palm.
Behind her lay the past, a past she no longer needed to bear.
What she held in her hand was her new future.
"Set sail!"
Ross brought Rouge back to the ship, where Stella had long since settled Ace in. Everything was ready, and they could depart for the ancestral homeland of the Jaygarcia Family as soon as they returned.
The ship slowly left the harbor. Ross found Rouge at the bow, holding Ace in her arms. The sea breeze gently brushed her cheeks, and beneath her sunhat, her face was filled with a radiant smile.
"Your first time at sea?"
Rouge looked out over the vast, boundless ocean and smiled. "Yes, my first time in twenty years. Is this the view pirates yearn for? It doesn't look all that special."
"Actually, the scenery at sea is never particularly special."
Ross stood beside Rouge, gazing with her at the blue expanse. "No one likes looking at unchanging scenery. Whether pirates or explorers, they're all chasing the surprises that suddenly appear out at sea."
"Like that pirate ship?"
Rouge looked into the distance, the corners of her lips curling up with a playful expression.
At some point, a pirate