A Farewell Banquet

Sea Circle Calendar, 1510, waters near Foosha Village in the East Sea.

"This is the Goya Kingdom. We'll rest here for a while." Standing atop a net of ropes, Shanks gazed toward the coastal village in the distance and spoke calmly.

"Rest?" Louis looked at Shanks, thoughtful. Was the point to bring the Nika Fruit here?

Shanks had probably planned to give it to Roger's son, hoping he could gain the power of Nika.

In the end, Garp's grandson, Monkey D. Luffy, accidentally ate the fruit.

Of course, it was also possible that after talking with Luffy, Shanks had felt he was more likely to awaken that form which hadn't appeared in eight hundred years.

At least, Louis thought Ace's heart harbored a slight darkness because of his parentage, making him less pure. Perhaps he wouldn't be able to awaken the Nika Fruit.

Whatever the case, it was inevitable that the Red-Haired Pirates would stay here for quite some time.

Louis, however, had no intention of staying. Neither training nor passing the time here suited him.

After some thought, Louis turned to Yelena beside him and said gravely, "Yelena, let's get off the ship here!"

"Okay." Yelena answered decisively.

Though she had spent a long time aboard this ship, she always remembered that she and Louis weren't truly Shanks's companions.

So she had no reason to hesitate.

Wherever Louis went, she would go too.

At the small harbor in Foosha Village, Louis told Shanks, who was playing with some children, that he and Yelena had decided to leave.

"What?" Shanks was taken aback.

"Louis and Yelena are getting off the ship?"

Shanks's unthinking remark caused quite a stir on deck.

"Louis and Yelena are leaving...?"

"Has time really passed that quickly?"

"Without even realizing it, the time has come for you to leave?"

Uta had been walking along the railing with her arms outstretched. At his words, she froze, her mind awash with thoughts. For a moment, her body seemed to lose its balance along with her emotions, and she fell from the railing.

Fortunately, Beckman, who had been keeping an eye on her, caught her securely and gently set her down on the deck.

"Uta, are you all right?"

Uta seemed not to hear Beckman. She stared blankly at Louis and Yelena, surrounded by the crew.

She instinctively reached out toward them and opened her mouth, wanting to ask them to stay. But Louis's words came back to her.

"We're only passing through. Our beliefs and goals are different, and sooner or later, we'll have to part."

After a long while, Uta lowered her head. In the end, she didn't ask them to stay. She had already understood: Louis and Yelena weren't members of the Red-Haired Pirates.

Their parting was inevitable.

Behind her, Beckman watched Uta hold back her urge to ask them to stay and felt greatly relieved.

"It's too soon. Yelena needs to be observed for a while longer!" Hongou frowned.

He stepped forward and explained to Louis and Yelena that Yelena's condition would need to be checked again in a month.

Yelena frowned at that. She felt that she had fully recovered, and the pain she used to suffer was gone.

After a moment's thought, Louis asked, "A month? Then we'll sail around the nearby waters and come back for another checkup in a month."

Shanks suddenly understood. "I see. You don't want to stay on this island, so you're leaving early?"

"More or less."

Hearing that, Shanks said no more.

Over the years, he had come to understand.

Perhaps he hadn't thought things through back then. Keeping Louis here would have affected him too.

In essence, it was no different from Shanks worrying that the New World would affect Louis.

(Here's a patch for a reader who thought Shanks's actions had affected Louis too. I wonder if they're still reading.)

Fortunately, Louis hadn't been affected by him, which filled Shanks with relief and gratitude.

So Shanks wouldn't ask them to stay. Louis and Yelena had only ever been passing through.

Then he turned to look around at everyone, clapped his hands, and called out, "In that case, let's throw a grand feast before we part!"

Everyone was taken aback and exchanged glances.

Soon, the deck rang with cheers again.

"Woo!"

Although Yelena was already quite familiar with the Red-Haired Pirates' feasting tradition, this time she still found it baffling.

"We'll see each other again in a month. Is a feast really necessary...?"

Lucky Roo took a bite from a giant meat bone and grinned. "That's a different matter. It'll be another feast!"

Yelena: "??"

That night, everyone gathered at a tavern in Foosha Village.

Louis and Yelena joined the Red-Haired Pirates and everyone else for a feast inside the tavern.

At a round table, Shanks raised his cup and clinked it against Louis's tea.

"Louis, after Yelena's checkup, will you head straight for the Grand Line?"

Louis replied calmly, "We'll visit the Four Blues first. Once I enter the Grand Line, one thing after another will come up, and I might not have much time to see the world."

Besides, Louis realized he had been swept up by the sea's allure and hadn't thought things through.

It wasn't just Louis who needed to grow stronger. His people on Sky Island also needed time. Facing the World Government too soon would do more harm than good.

Also, since he was already in this world, he could try recruiting some companions or seeking suitable allies for the future.

The powerful Oni Clan, the Buccaneer Tribe, who had suffered a similarly tragic fate, and hidden powerhouses in the non-affiliated countries of the Four Blues were all worth seeking out.

Hearing that, Shanks seemed to think of something and glanced discreetly at Uta.

"The Four Blues?"

He thought about how he and his crew would soon enter the Grand Line and venture into the world's most dangerous sea. With his current strength, he couldn't guarantee that he would be able to protect Uta.

Then he looked toward Beckman, who was sipping his drink. The two exchanged a glance.

Elsewhere, Lucky Roo, Yasopp, and the others, already drunk, had started teasing a little kid who had somehow slipped in.

As they played around, the black-haired boy kept turning to look at the wings on Louis's back, his face full of confusion.

Noticing the boy's gaze, Louis turned to meet it and regarded the young Luffy thoughtfully.

Beside him, Yelena stroked Uta's hair, gently comforting her. "What's wrong, Uta?"

"Don't be sad. Everyone experiences many partings in life. This parting will make us look forward even more to meeting again."

Uta looked up, revealing her purple eyes. Her gaze shifted back and forth between Louis, Yelena, Shanks, and the others.

Louis turned to look at Uta, who radiated sorrow. For a moment, he fell silent too.