That evening, Senga's palace was bustling with activity, especially with the arrival of Conis and Yamato.
Conis was a little shy when she first arrived, but under the Yamato of Yamato, who was very outgoing, she gradually opened up and even played her best harp for everyone after dinner.
Gion was quite surprised, because as the instructor, she had never heard Conis play the harp before. She pointed at Senga's waist beside her and teased,
"I'm really lucky to have you with this. I had no idea Conis could do this."
Senga said with a smile,
"When I first met her, she was playing this. Her musical talent is definitely not low."
"Then are you still willing to let her participate in training?"
"It still depends on her."
"Hmm, but I think we should let her stay. This palace is quite large, isn't it?"
Gion Senga winked and made a funny face.
Senga reached out and playfully touched her nose, and just then, Conis stopped playing.
Everyone immediately burst into applause, with Yamato clapping the loudest, making Conis a little embarrassed.
Conis slowly walked up to Senga, bowed slightly, and began to speak.
"Brother Senga, it's getting late, I should go back..."
Gion secretly patted Senga on the lower back, but Senga responded very straightforwardly.
"Yes, then you can go back!"
A hint of disappointment flashed in Conis's eyes, but she was already very happy tonight. After all, apart from Kalifa and the others, not just anyone could enter Senga's palace.
She nodded, then prepared to leave.
Yamato suddenly shouted,
"Then let me see you off. Your performance tonight was absolutely fantastic! I really enjoyed it!"
She had drunk quite a bit today; her face was flushed. Now, the alcohol was taking effect, and she was leaning against Kalifa, waving her arms idly.
Kalifa affectionately pinched Yamato's cheek and said softly,
"You should just give up, you're already in such a drunken state."
After speaking, she looked up at Senga, but before she could speak, Senga waved his hand and said,
"Alright, how could I let Conis go back alone? Let me take care of getting her there!"
Upon hearing this, Conis's eyes widened in surprise. The joy was so sudden that she was momentarily stunned.
It wasn't until Senga came over and patted her that she snapped out of it a little, and then followed Senga away like a robot.
This time, Senga didn't teleport with Conis directly, but instead chose to walk slowly with her to the dormitory entrance.
It was the students' time to wash up, and when they looked out the window and saw Senga and Conis outside, they were stunned, dropping their toothbrushes and other items to the ground.
After a brief silence, a loud scream erupted from the dormitory building. Conis was so embarrassed that she buried her head in her chest.
Senga remained completely calm. He was joking; what hadn't he experienced? He'd even blown up a planet. What was this little incident?
He smiled at Conis and said,
"Alright, I'll stop here. You can't come any further."
Conis, however, said something that seemed to come out of nowhere.
"Actually, if Brother Senga wants to go in, those people definitely won't stop you!"
After saying that, she couldn't help but laugh, and Senga seized the opportunity to tease her.
"Oh? You don't know how either?"
Conis paused for a moment, then looked up at Senga with a serious expression and said,
"Won't!"
"Oh? Why?"
"Because Brother Senga is the king who saved the world, this world originally belonged to you!"
"Um, this sounds a bit like the Celestial Dragons' stuff."
"No way! How can those people compare to Brother Senga? They're all bad people!"
Conis clenched her small fist, and fearing Senga wouldn't believe her, she added,
"It's not just me, everyone thinks so, even Secretary Kalifa has often said this publicly in the newspapers!"
"Kalifa... Heh, as expected of her!"
After taking Conis back to her dormitory, Senga returned to her palace and found Kalifa, telling her about it.
Kalifa shrugged and said nonchalantly,
"Boss, don't you think this is more conducive to world stability? After all, most people now have a unified belief."
"Hmm, you did a great job with this; you're very good at using public opinion!"
"As long as the boss is satisfied~"
East Blue, Foosha Village
This was the day Luffy sail, but only Dadan and Makino came to see him off; none of the other villagers showed up.
Because they can't understand why Luffy is still so determined to set sail and become a pirate in this day and age.
In recent years, Luffy's father, Dragon, has often come back to visit him, but he has never been able to change Luffy.
Left with no other choice, Dragon could only decide to let it go. After all, he, as a father, hadn't spent much time with his son, and he felt he had no right to interfere with Luffy's thoughts.
Makino sighed all the way to the shore as she Luffy there; she really didn't want to see Luffy a pirate.
Luffy didn't care whether anyone came to see him off or not. No one knew what he had been through, but compared to a few years ago, he seemed a little more composed now.
Reaching the small boat on the shore, Luffy turned and smiled at Makino and Dadan, saying,
"Sister Makino, Dadan, let's leave it here."
Dadan stepped forward and patted Luffy on the shoulder; all she could do was wish him a safe Luffy.
Makino, on the other hand, was making a final effort, earnestly persuading him...
"Luffy, this isn't the Great Pirate Era anymore. You should think about it carefully. Wouldn't it be better to join the Marines?"
Luffy shook his head, looked up at the sea, and said resolutely,
"No! Becoming the One Piece has always been my dream, and I will never give up! Also, I must rescue Shanks!"
"But Shanks was captured by Senga, how could you possibly be his match!"
"Sister Makino, please stop talking. I've made up my mind, and I'm not so easily defeated now!"
Luffy's hair moved without wind, and white smoke trails faintly rose from his back, instantly changing his entire demeanor.
Makino frowned. To be honest, she didn't like Luffy at all; she felt like he had become a completely different person.
Luffy's state didn't last long. After the white smoke dissipated, he let out a light breath, indicating that he couldn't maintain this state for much longer.
Without saying another word, he jumped onto his small boat and sailed away into the distance without looking back.