Aaron's Laughter

Apis glared angrily at Wo. She set the bundle on her back down, then charged at Wo, intending to kick him away.

"Ah~" At that moment, Aaron suddenly fell from above and crashed straight into Apis.

Bang!

Tsk tsk, such a tragic sight that I could barely bear to look.

"Ah!" Apis screamed as she was sent flying backward. Behind her was solid rock—if she hit it, she would probably explode on the spot, right?

But Apis was a little girl. How could the author possibly let her explode?

Whoosh!

A hand suddenly reached out from around the corner and caught Apis.

"Ah! That was close, that was close!" Luffy caught Apis, then slowly stepped out from around the corner.

"Ugh... it hurts..." Apis said tearily, clutching her head.

"Er..." The force of an impact was mutual. While Aaron sent Apis flying, he was also thrown backward and slammed hard into the wall. Yet Aaron was remarkably sturdy; even his clothes were undamaged. He shook his head, then inadvertently caught sight of Dragon Lord again. His eyes widened sharply and his mouth opened as he prepared to start another round of screaming.

"Whoa!" But someone had already shouted before him.

Aaron turned and saw Luffy standing at the corner, staring inside in shock.

"Luffy? What happened?" Nami's voice came from around the corner as well. She slowly walked over, and when she saw the enormous creature in the cave, her eyes instantly grew as large as quail eggs. Her mouth fell open, moving unconsciously. "It... it really exists!! A Thousand-Year Dragon really exists?!"

"That's amazing! It's alive! Nami, look, it's alive!" Luffy did not care whether it was a Thousand-Year Dragon or not. He set Apis down and excitedly climbed all over Dragon Lord.

"Don't do that! Don't do that!" Seeing Luffy treating Dragon Lord this way, Apis anxiously shouted uselessly from below.

"Mm... Luffy, why are you here?" Only then did Aaron come back to his senses. Looking at Luffy bouncing around atop Dragon Lord, he called out. By now, he was not screaming so much at the sight of Dragon Lord.

Well, Aaron had only been playing around.

"Huh? Aaron, why are you here?" Hearing Aaron's voice, Luffy finally lowered his gaze and spotted Aaron sitting on the ground.

"Wo brought me here... Right, where's Wo? Wo! Wo!" Aaron called out, then saw Wo facing Dragon Lord's head, his eyes fixed straight on the dragon as if he were doing something. "Wo, what are you doing over there?" As he spoke, he walked over and picked Wo up.

"Meow!" Idiot! I haven't finished talking yet! Put me down, you mere test subject!

Wo struggled violently, nearly kicking Aaron over.

Thud!

Well, he had kicked him over.

"Bwahahaha! Wo, you're really interesting!" Seeing the interaction between Wo and Aaron, Luffy clutched his stomach and laughed.

Then Luffy looked at Dragon Lord again. He bent down and touched the large bump on Dragon Lord's head. Ignoring Apis's weak tugging from behind, he smiled and asked, "Where did you come from?"

He stared into Dragon Lord's eyes, and the smile on his lips gradually faded. They looked at each other silently for a long time before Luffy nodded and said calmly, "I see. You want to return to your hometown."

"Hm?" Hearing that, Apis stared at Luffy in shock. Her grip on his shirt loosened without her realizing it. She stepped forward and looked at Dragon Lord too, then said to Luffy, "Dragon Lord is willing to be friends with you. He says you're a good person."

Then Apis turned to Aaron, her expression strange. "Dragon Lord says your companion Wo is an amazing fellow. I hope you'll treat him well."

"Huh?" Aaron scratched his head, then looked down at Wo, who was ignoring him. Rubbing his forehead, he said somewhat sheepishly, "Of course I'll treat him well. Wo is my friend, after all!"

"Meow!" Wo shot Aaron a sidelong glare, then turned his head away.

Who's friends with a test subject like you! A mere test subject dares call himself friends with this prince!

"But Luffy, how did you know Dragon Lord's wish?" Apis asked, her expression full of curiosity.

"A feeling," Luffy said.

"A feeling?!" Apis found that answer hard to believe.

"You're the one who knows so much."

"No, it's because I ate the Whisper-Whisper Fruit," Apis replied. "That lets me hear what animals are thinking."

"So that's how you knew a huge storm was coming back then." Remembering Apis's warning at the time, Nami suddenly understood.

"Yeah! The seabirds told me!" Apis said with a smile.

"Hey, hey!" Aaron made his presence known at the perfect moment. "Then can you tell what Wo is saying? He's always losing his temper lately, and I don't know what to do."

"No." Apis shook her head and looked at Wo. "I can't hear his whispers at all."

"Huh? Why not? Aren't you a Devil Fruit user?"

"Yeah, but I just can't understand him," Apis said helplessly.

"That's really strange..." Aaron rubbed his head in confusion.

"Hmph!" Listening to their conversation, Wo snorted coldly.

How could the power of some treasure of the sea possibly see through this prince, who bears the aura of the deep sea?

Wo then looked at Dragon Lord. "Old man, is your request for me to help you return home? I can only do my best with that. I'm not very confident I can accomplish it." (Beast Speech)

"I'm too old. I can't quite remember where my home is anymore," Dragon Lord said sadly. Then he looked at Wo. "That isn't what I want to ask of you. Besides, with your little body, even if you found my homeland, how could you possibly take me there?"

"You dare look down on me?!" Wo glared furiously at Dragon Lord.

"I want you to help that girl," Dragon Lord said slowly, paying no attention to Wo's expression.

"The girl? That young two-legged creature?" Wo glanced at Apis and saw her looking at him strangely. He could not help letting out an irritated roar.

"Yes," Dragon Lord said, his gaze toward Apis full of affection.

"Fine. How am I supposed to help?" Wo asked Dragon Lord.

"I don't know..." With that, Dragon Lord closed his eyes and said no more.

After all, Dragon Lord was already too old.

"You don't know how I'm supposed to help?! Give me a standard, or do you believe I won't move a muscle? Hey! Hey!" Wo shouted. Seeing that Dragon Lord ignored him completely, he said helplessly, "Honestly... who makes such a shameless request!"

"Fine! Then I'll take him back! I'll take him to Lost Island!" Luffy said with a laugh.

"Lost Island? Didn't they say that island had already sunk?" By the time Wo and Dragon Lord finished talking, Nami and the others were also nearing the end of their conversation.

"Dragon Lord says that island will rise again, but he can no longer remember where it is," Apis said. "Dragon Lord got separated from his companions and became so listless. I really want to take him back to his hometown. Dragon Lord often says that if he returns home, he'll regain his spirit. So I have to help Dragon Lord find it!"

Apis spoke softly, but everyone present could hear the determination in her words.

"Fine! Then I'll take him back! I'll take him to Lost Island!" Luffy said with a smile.

Hearing Luffy's words, Dragon Lord opened his eyes and stared at Luffy for a while before slowly closing them again.

Wo was instantly annoyed. This guy actually dared ignore this prince! If you weren't about to die, I'd definitely make you regret it!

"Luffy, did you even hear what Apis said? Lost Island doesn't exist at all!" Nami said, holding her forehead. She knew Luffy was acting on a whim again.

"If even the legendary Thousand-Year Dragon exists, then Lost Island definitely exists too!" Luffy declared firmly.

"That's impossible. How could an island that isn't even on the map exist?" Nami said.

"That's exactly why we have to go find it," Luffy said.

"Um..." Aaron made his presence known at the perfect moment again. He looked at the bag Apis had brought and sniffed it hard. Drool unconsciously ran down from his mouth. "Can I eat a few of the buns in there?"

"No! Those are for Dragon Lord!" Apis refused decisively.

"Oh! There are meat buns too? I didn't get nearly enough earlier! Give me some too!" Seeing the bag, Luffy began drooling as well.

"I said no! They're all for Dragon Lord!" Seeing Luffy like that, Apis quickly shielded the bag and watched Aaron and Luffy warily.

"Come on... can't you give me a few?" Knowing from Apis's expression that he probably would not get any buns, Luffy reluctantly withdrew his hand and complained a little.

"There'll be lots more when we get back. These are all for Dragon Lord!" Apis said, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on Aaron and Luffy.

"That's true. Nami, Aaron, let's go. We'll head back and eat buns, then once we're full, we'll search for the legendary Lost Island!"

"Okay..." Aaron replied, wiping the drool from his mouth. Then he ran over and picked Wo up. "Let's go, Wo. We'll be able to see Dragon Lord again later. Let's go back for today. Be good, don't make trouble... Wo, stop moving! You'll fall like this! Hey, hey, hey! Ah!" Aaron was knocked over by Wo again. Wo had successfully scored a double kill!

"Meow!" What do you mean by that? Are you coaxing a child?! I, Gree, am not a child! I'm not!

What Wo hated most in life was being treated like a child.

Though he was one...

"Yo! Aaron, you're back!" Seeing Aaron behind Luffy, Sanji raised one of his curled eyebrows in greeting. "Want a meat bun?"

"Yeah! Thanks, Sanji!" Aaron nodded vigorously. After watching Sanji and the others leave the room, he turned his gaze toward the old man at the side, who was still rambling even though he had actually fallen asleep. Smiling, he said, "I didn't expect Grandpa Village Chief to still be so energetic..."

"The seventeenth generation of the royal family..." "Village Chief!!!"

Aaron suddenly shouted, cutting off the village chief's rambling. He smiled and said, "Long time no see, Grandpa Village Chief."

"You are..." The village chief looked at Aaron unhappily, but Aaron seemed somewhat familiar. His brows furrowed. "...Who was it again?"

"I'm Aaron, Aaron, Village Chief! I even ate meat buns at your house that time!" Seeing his expression, Aaron reminded him helplessly.

"Aaron..." The village chief repeated the name. His tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, and he looked at Aaron in realization. "Oh, it's you! That kid with the bizarre laugh who annoyed an entire ship of soldiers!"

"Er... Village Chief, is that all you remember about me?" Aaron had been quite happy to see an acquaintance.

"Of course! Your laugh was so unique that it was impossible to forget!" The village chief nodded solemnly.

"Huh? Aaron, what kind of laugh is that?! Give us a laugh!" Usopp had just woken up from his nap when he heard the village chief's words. His curiosity immediately flared up as he stared at Aaron pleadingly.

"Er... are you sure?" Aaron scratched his head and asked uncertainly.

"Of course! A laugh an old man remembers for so long must be incredibly unique!" Usopp said confidently.

"Er... then wait a moment. I haven't laughed like that in a long time. Aunt Makino won't let me laugh that way..." Aaron thought for a while, cleared his throat, gathered himself for a few seconds, then began his performance.

"Hahahahaha~ Hahahahaha~ Hahahahaha~ Ahahahahaha~"

His laughter rang like silver bells, yet seemed as though it would continue forever without pause. It flowed like a babbling stream, splashing endlessly as if it would never cease. It rustled like leaves in the wind, continuous and unbroken, piercing straight through the ears.

Like orioles leaving the valley, like swallows returning to their nests—pleasant and melodious, with echoes that lingered.

Aaron's laughter was very pleasant, but paired with lungs that seemed never to need a breath, it took on a uniquely devilish quality.

Yes, there was something called auditory fatigue.

There was also something called noise pollution.

And yes... there was something called Aaron's laughter.

Thus, Usopp listened to Aaron laugh for a full half hour. By the time the Straw Hats came inside, foam was spilling from his mouth and he had passed out.

There was no helping it. No one could stop him!

As for the old village chief—

The rambling old village chief had left the room the moment Aaron started laughing. Before leaving, he shut the windows and locked the door from the outside.

Yes... let us mourn for Usopp for three seconds.

"Whew! That felt great!" Aaron let out a long breath, saying refreshedly.

He had not laughed so freely in a long time.

Then Aaron noticed Usopp lying on the table, foam spilling from his mouth. He was immediately shocked. "Usopp, what's wrong with you?!"

He grabbed Usopp by the shoulders and shook him repeatedly.

"Aaron..." Usopp opened his eyes slightly and pointed at Aaron with a trembling hand. "Your aunt... was right!" Then his finger went limp, and he passed out completely.

"Er..." Aaron scratched his head. Looking at the unconscious Usopp, he opened his mouth to say something, but anxious shouts from the villagers suddenly came from outside.

"Village Chief, this is bad! The Marines are here!"

.