Kin'emon's Despair: Young Master... Is He Dead?

Watching the children walk towards the enormous house with Nami, Usopp's face showed a hint of admiration as he said, "To think they could build such a large house in such a short time..."

As expected of Xi Yan.

"With his abilities, isn't it normal for him to be able to do something like this?" Zoro laughed.

"That's true," Usopp said with a smile.

That man was, after all, the legendary Blood-Eyed Ninja!

So it's really not surprising that they were able to do something like this.

Just then, a commotion came from afar, which immediately caught Usopp's attention.

"What's going on?" Usopp asked, walking over. "What are you arguing about?"

"Kin'emon is alive!" Brook exclaimed excitedly, looking at Usopp. "He's not dead!"

Usopp:???

Not dead?

What's the meaning?

Is it possible to survive being exposed to that kind of deadly Poisonous Gas?

With this thought in mind, Usopp walked to the other side of the stove and then noticed Kin'emon lying on the ground, panting heavily.

"He's really not dead!" Usopp exclaimed in shock.

Why is that?

Didn't Caesar say that contact with that Poisonous Gas would be fatal?

Why Kin'emon alright?

Luffy, standing to the side, looked at Kin'emon in surprise and said, "So you can be immune to toxins too!"

That's Lihai!

"Immune toxins?"

Kin'emon paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I do not possess such ability..."

Before he could finish speaking, his expression immediately turned ferocious, as if he had just thought of something.

"Momonosuke, wait for me!" Kin'emon shouted excitedly, "I'm coming to find you!"

What a blunder... a complete blunder!

Unexpectedly, he actually killed the young master with his own hands...

Thinking of this, Kin'emon shed painful tears.

"Calm down, Kin'emon," Usopp said. "The one you killed earlier wasn't your son!"

"Really?!"

Kin'emon, as if grasping at a last straw, immediately exclaimed excitedly, "That dragon really isn't Momonosuke?!"

If that's really the case... that would be wonderful!

"Of course not," Usopp said. "Zoan Fruit users revert to human form after being defeated, but that dragon didn't, so he can't be your son."

After saying that, Usopp paused for a moment, then continued, "Besides... if the other person really is your son, why doesn't he acknowledge you as his son?"

It's impossible for the other party to become completely unrecognizable after turning into an animal.

That's obviously impossible!

After all, Zoan Devil Fruit User do not lose their rationality after transforming!

"Yes... you're right!!"

As if he had figured something out, Kin'emon murmured, "If that person really is Momonosuke, he will definitely acknowledge me."

Since there isn't one, it means the other person isn't Momonosuke!

Thinking of this, Kin'emon relaxed completely.

Then, he turned to Brook and said, "Speaking of which, Lord Corpse mentioned this to me before, but I was too agitated at the time, so..."

"I apologize, Corpse Lord."

"Yohohohoho~"

Brook chuckled and waved her hand, saying, "It's alright, I understand how you feel, so don't worry about it."

He understood why Kin'emon had become the way he was, and naturally he didn't blame him.

"That's good."

Kin'emon breathed a sigh of relief. If he could, he didn't want to offend these people, after all... they had saved his life.

Then, as if noticing the situation on the island, Kin'emon looked shocked and said, "Where... where is this?"

Is this still Punk Hazard?

Could it be that the Straw Hat Pirates took him away while he was unconscious?

No, he hasn't found Momonosuke yet, he can't leave!

"This is Punk Hazard," Usopp said.

Kin'emon:???

Upon hearing Usopp's words, Kin'emon immediately stopped what he was doing and looked at Usopp with a face full of question marks.

What does it mean to say that this is Punk Hazard?

Isn't Punk Hazard a unique island where Ice and Fire Island coexist?

But this is clearly a ruin now.

"I know you don't want to believe it, but..." Usopp hesitated for a moment, then continued, "It's the truth."

"What is going on?"

Kin'emon excitedly grabbed Usopp's shoulder and said, "Long Nose Lord, why did you say this is Punk Hazard?"

If this really is Punk Hazard, then why has it become ruins?

"It's a long story," Usopp sighed. "A lot happened after I fell unconscious."

Seeing that Kin'emon's expression had become even more agitated than before, Usopp quickly said, "Simply put, this island experienced a terrible explosion not long ago."

"It was precisely because of this massive explosion that this place was reduced to ruins."

By the end, Usopp's expression had become complicated.

Because he knew what that meant.

Under those circumstances, Kin'emon's son could not have survived.

After all... the island almost disappeared...

If it weren't for Xi Yan, they would have died too!

"Impossible!" Kin'emon roared excitedly, "How could there be such a terrible explosion?"

You must be lying to me, right?

Please, please, he must be lying!

otherwise...

Usopp fell silent upon hearing this. How could he answer that question?

Seeing Kin'emon, Sanji sighed and then silently lit a cigarette for himself.

After finishing this task, Sanji exhaled a smoke ring and said, "Kin'emon, it's true."

"That explosion was terrifying; we were almost killed too..."

If Xi Yan hadn't been here, they would all be dead!

Upon hearing this, Kin'emon glanced at Sanji, then at the others who remained silent, and immediately understood.

These people... were not lying.

The young master... he's really dead?!

"How... how could this be..."

Kin'emon, in despair, released his grip on Usopp's hand and said, looking utterly lost, "Why did this happen?!"

what to do?

If the young master dies... what will he do?

Did he commit seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment)?

He who let his young master die here truly doesn't deserve to live on.

Seeing Kin'emon's seemingly despondent expression, Brook paused for a moment before saying, "Mr. Kin'emon, don't be so pessimistic."

"Maybe... your son survived somewhere in the research institute?"

Although the explosion was terrifying, who knows if the research institute had any explosion-proof equipment?

If there were such a thing, wouldn't the other person have survived?

"You... you mean?!"

Kin'emon suddenly looked up at Brook, his expression excited, and said, "There's a possibility that Momonosuke is still alive?!"

"That's possible."

Usopp opened his mouth as he listened to their conversation. He really wanted to say that such a thing was unlikely, since the research institute had basically been destroyed.

But he swallowed the words back down his throat.

Because... he couldn't take away a father's hope.

Thinking of this, Usopp sighed silently.

"Then I'm going to find him!" Kin'emon said excitedly, "I'm going over there to find him!"

Regardless, he needed to confirm whether his young master was still alive!

If he were still alive, that would be the time when he is most needed!

'Wait for me, young master, I'm coming to save you right away!' Kin'emon roared in his heart.

With that thought in mind, Kin'emon turned and ran off into the distance, clearly intending to go check out the research institute.

"Wait a moment!"

Sanji grabbed Kin'emon's arm, forcefully stopping him.

"Sanji, what are you going to do?"

"Are you just going to go like this?" Sanji pointed in the direction of the research institute ruins and said, "Although there's not much Poisonous Gas left over from the explosion,... without knowing the exact location, do you think you can find anyone?"

"What should we do then?" Kin'emon asked anxiously.

We can't just do nothing.

If the young master were to die because of this... he would never be able to forgive himself!

"Of course, I'll try to help you rescue them," Sanji said calmly. "It would be best to first check if there are any unusual architectural features inside the research facility, such as bomb shelters or something similar."

"Then let's go find Caesar," Usopp said, glancing at Caesar. "After all, that guy knows the situation inside the research institute best."

"Yes, that's what I meant too."

After speaking, Sanji paused for a moment, then glanced at Caesar, who was bound by Seastone Handcuffs, and continued, "Of course, it would be even better if we could get information about your son's whereabouts from Caesar."

This way, they wouldn't have to wander around the ruins of the research institute like headless flies.

"That's right, you're right."

Forcing himself to calm down, Kin'emon said, "It would be best if we could confirm Momonosuke's location."

This way, we can rescue the young master as quickly as possible.

With that thought in mind, Kin'emon drew his Katana and walked step by step toward Caesar.

"Um?"

Caesar, who was thinking about how to escape, suddenly shuddered and asked in confusion, "Why do I suddenly feel a bit of danger?"

Is it just my imagination?

Thinking of this, Caesar subconsciously looked around and then noticed Kin'emon walking towards him silently, holding a sword in his hand.

Caesar:!!!

No, what do you mean?

Is this guy here to kill him?

Thinking of this, Caesar cried out in terror, "Hey, what are you trying to do, you warrior?"

"Hey, Straw Hat, aren't you going to do anything about this?"

He's a very important hostage!

Luffy didn't answer, he just glanced at him and looked away.

Caesar:???

No, what do you mean?

"Tell me."

Kin'emon held his sword to Caesar's neck and asked, "Where is Momonosuke?"

Caesar was stunned when he saw the knife to his neck.

What the heck Momonosuke? Where is he?

Who is Momonosuke?

Seeing that Caesar did not answer the question, Kin'emon thought he didn't want to talk about it, so he widened his eyes and said, "Tell me!"

Where is Momonosuke?!

"First you have to tell me, who is Momonosuke?!" Caesar exclaimed in horror. "And could you please put the sword away? I can't Elementalization right now!"

If his hand had even slipped, he could have died!!

"Momonosuke is my son!"

"But I don't know your son!"

Upon hearing Caesar's terrified voice, Law instinctively turned to look at Caesar's situation, then frowned.

"What's the meaning?"

Xi Yan, who had also noticed the situation, said, "Perhaps it's to get some information from Caesar."

"Don't worry, with Luffy around, they won't really kill Caesar."

Several of his companions were with Kin'emon, so it was impossible for him to actually kill Caesar. Therefore, Xi Yan had nothing to worry about.

Seeing what Xi Yan had said, Luo didn't say anything more.

However, his eyes did not leave his gaze; he remained fixed on the situation in the distance.

"How could you not recognize him?" Kin'emon said with a ferocious expression, "You've seen him before!"

Someone told him personally that Caesar had seen his son!

But I...

Before Caesar could finish speaking, he felt the knife at his neck move slightly, which startled him so much that he immediately screamed.

"Let me think about it! Let me think about it!" Caesar cried. "Give me some time!"

Seeing that Caesar seemed to be relenting, Kin'emon gently moved the sword away, which relieved Caesar.

"Looking for my son... looking for my son..." Caesar thought to himself, annoyed. "There are so many kids in the research institute, Who Knows which one is his son!"

That despicable samurai!

Wait a minute... a samurai?

As if he had just realized something, Caesar's eyes immediately lit up.

"I know who you're talking about!" Caesar said. "You must be that brat with the samurai hair."

"Yes, it's him."

Kin'emon's heart leaped with hope, and he asked, "Do you know where he is?"

If he knew where the young master was, he would rescue him as quickly as possible!

"Have no idea..."

"Um?"

"Wait!" Caesar shouted again as he saw the knife approaching once more. "Let me think!"

Is this person sick?

Why would you hand me a knife without warning?

That could kill you!

After mentally shouting a few times, Caesar began to ponder the information about that brat again.

After a moment, he said, "If I remember correctly, that kid always seemed to refuse to eat candy..."

Although the reason is unknown, the little devil was indeed spared from the poison.

"That's great!" Usopp said. "After all, that candy is poisonous!"

In this way, Kin'emon's son would not need to worry about being poisoned.

This is really good news!

Kin'emon breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that his young lord had always adhered to the principles of being a samurai.

Well done, young master!

In this way, you won't fall for this villain's poison!

Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on Kin'emon's face.

As expected of his young master!