Abente Heim

Yelena looked somewhat surprised. A peaceful smile appeared on her face, no longer pale and sallow.

She didn't say that she and Louis didn't need rescuing. Instead, she bent down and silently stroked Uta's smooth, flowing hair.

Seeing this, Shanks' smile widened. He quietly put the treasure chest away. "All right. I'll give it to you when you come back."

The next moment, Shanks froze again.

"Louis is back, but..." He looked up at the sky, surprise showing on his face.

"Is he really setting sail in such a unique way?"

The others were confused by his words, but they looked up at the sky too. In the end, only Yasopp and Beckman showed their astonishment.

But soon, the others began to notice something.

High above them, a patch of white cloud grew larger and larger in their field of view. Louis's Haki gradually entered their perception, too.

"Good heavens!" Gabu's eyes widened.

Yasopp rested his flintlock rifle on his shoulder and raised an eyebrow, marveling, "Now that's an incredible idea..."

As the cloud descended, Louis came into view.

His golden hair fluttered in the wind, and his broad white wings were slightly spread. Paired with his handsome, masculine features, they gave him a unique charm.

After a long while, Lucky Roo swallowed the meat he'd been chewing and blurted out, "If he had a halo over his head, I wouldn't believe anyone who said he wasn't a Seraphim Fruit user."

Lime Jones chimed in beside him.

"Can't argue with that."

Before long, the enormous cloud drew close to the sea. Louis stepped off the land and came to stand beside them.

A flash of astonishment crossed Yelena's eyes. Unable to resist, she stepped forward and reached out to touch the flawless white cloud.

"So this is the Island Cloud you mentioned?"

"The Cloud Island that can float in the Cloud Sea and house thousands of people?"

Uta stood beside her, her eyes sparkling.

Louis nodded and explained, "There wasn't a suitable sailing ship in Foosha Village, so I went up into the sky, found some Island Cloud, and cut off a piece."

There were very few patches of Island Cloud above the East Sea. It had taken Louis quite a while to find one. He'd cut off a piece and infused it with Life Force, turning it into a living thing.

Uta crouched on the Island Cloud and poked it, marveling at the sensation beneath her fingertip.

"How amazing!"

"Louis, are we going to adventure on the Island Cloud?" Uta turned to him, excitement and anticipation in her eyes.

Louis shook his head. "No. The Island Cloud is only a temporary tool. Later, I'll use it as a storehouse that follows above us."

Yelena was busy moving Louis's belongings, along with her own, onto the Island Cloud. Curious, she asked, "Why?"

"Isn't the Island Cloud better?"

Louis smiled and gave an inscrutable answer. "I guess adventuring on the sea, riding the waves on a sailboat like everyone else and braving the storms, has more of that adventurous spirit to it!"

The Red-Haired Pirates nodded in agreement. The Island Cloud was certainly novel, and it could help them avoid many dangers at sea. But they'd also miss out on a lot.

Yelena and Uta nodded, lost in thought.

To brave the dangers that countless people at sea went out of their way to avoid was considered an achievement. Was that the kind of ease that came with being strong?

The two of them said no more and quietly placed their belongings on the Island Cloud.

Soon, they had loaded everything they needed for the voyage. All three of them boarded the Island Cloud and turned toward the Red-Haired Pirates on shore.

The Island Cloud gradually rose into the sky.

Louis's gaze passed over all those familiar faces. He waved and smiled. "Thanks for taking care of us, Shanks. All of you!"

Beside him, Yelena quietly bowed to Hongou and the others. "I'm deeply grateful for saving my life..."

Shanks took off the Straw Hat he almost never removed. Gone was his usual goofy air; he carried himself like a powerful man.

He smiled. "Follow your ideals and goals. Don't be afraid, and never turn back."

"Never forget why you started."

"The future will be your New Era!"

Uta wore a bright, playful smile as she waved goodbye to her family. "Shanks, everyone, wait until we make a name for ourselves!"

The others froze. Shanks couldn't keep it together for a moment. He covered his face with one hand, then couldn't resist teasing her. "You'd better not make a name for yourself too soon!"

On the Island Cloud as it drifted away, Uta grew furious. Her eyes flashed as she raised a fist in warning. "Shanks...!!"

At the edge of the shore, Shanks smiled fondly. "Uta."

"Hm?" Uta froze and tilted her head, puzzled by her adoptive father's unusual expression.

"Don't catch a cold, okay?"

His gentle, affectionate voice came on the sea breeze, lifting the hair from Uta's forehead and revealing her other eye.

Uta stood there in a daze, tears glistening in her purple eyes.

But the next moment, she wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve, put on a brave face, and gave her adoptive father a firm nod, though she could barely make out his features now.

"Yeah!"

A long while later, at the edge of the shore,

Beckman came to stand beside Shanks and gazed quietly out at the sea. "We'll finish that business within a month, then head back to the Grand Line?"

The others silently lowered their heads.

They knew what Beckman meant.

Hongou drew a deep breath and stepped forward. "For the follow-up examination, I can contact Louis with a Den Den Mushi and have him find someone to examine Yelena."

"..."

Shanks gazed into the distance, his eyes deep, as the sea breeze lifted his red hair.

Faced with his crewmates' painful suggestion, he smiled. "I don't want to betray Uta's trust."

With that, Shanks turned and headed for Foosha Village.

As he walked, his deep gaze fell on the mountains beyond the village.

Far out on the boundless sea, a white Island Cloud drifted with the wind.

At that moment, Louis and the two women were gathered inside a Cloud Cave carved out of the Island Cloud.

The Cloud Cave contained several rooms, laid out to resemble the cabins Louis and the others had occupied aboard the Red Force.

"There seems to be enough room here for an entire ship..." Yelena looked around, astonished.

After a while, Yelena sat down across from Louis and looked him in the eyes. "What are you going to name this Island Cloud? It's going to be here for the long term, right?"

Louis fell into thought.

But soon, he remembered his other name and slowly spoke a single word:

"Abente Heim."

"That's what we'll call it!"

Yelena blurted out, "What a strange name..."

Uta nodded beside her, clearly agreeing with Yelena.

"It is pretty strange."

"I suggest you think carefully before naming the ship!" Without realizing it, Uta had already started thinking like a crewmate.

But soon, Uta's expression grew serious, and she posed a question to Louis, who was studying a sea chart on the table.

"Louis, do we have enough Beli to buy a ship?"

"I don't think so," Yelena answered before he could. She didn't remember either of them having any money.

"..."

Uta looked at the two of them, wanting to say something but holding back.

In the end, she gave up thinking about it and laid her head on the table.

After thinking it over, Louis realized it was a question worth considering.

But soon, he came up with a solution.

He reassured them, "Don't worry. I already have a plan."

"A plan?" Uta looked surprised. She didn't understand why buying a ship called for a plan.

Yelena instinctively asked, "What plan?"

Louis drew a seagull emblem on the table, then explained to the two bewildered women:

"First, we'll steal a warship and take it for a spin!"

"We'll figure out the rest later!"