"Sky King"? A Talking Crow?

After a farcical chase.

At the edge of the cliff, Luffy finally grabbed Karmon, who had been trying to run away, with his freely stretching rubber arm.

"Let me go! You damn pirates!"

After struggling in vain, Karmon finally calmed down under Nami's "gentle" treatment.

"All right, don't move."

Nami crouched down with a first-aid kit and carefully bandaged the wound on Karmon's forehead, which was covered in dark lines, tying it into a neat bow.

"All right, that should do it."

The fierce rare beasts that had surrounded them earlier now gathered around.

The Lion-Headed Pig even moved closer, extending its wet tongue to carefully lick Karmon's face, its eyes full of concern.

"You're really popular, Mr. 'Guardian God.'"

Watching this scene, Nami couldn't help but laugh.

"So all this time, you've been using these strange-looking animals and the legends here to scare off those cowardly pirates, right?"

Usopp added curiously from beside her.

"Hehehe! But this is the first time I've ever seen someone stuffed inside a chest! So cool!!"

Luffy lay on the ground, poked the green chest around Karmon's body, and laughed. "That look is so stylish!"

"How could that possibly be the case?! Idiot!!"

Karmon's face darkened as he roared at Luffy, spittle flying everywhere.

"I've been stuck in this chest like this, living alone on this deserted island, for a full twenty years! It's because I can't get out!!"

"Twenty years?!"

Nami, who had been sorting through her bag, covered her mouth in surprise when she heard that number.

Usopp, listening intently nearby, felt his throat grow dry.

"Twenty years... That's hard to imagine."

He took out a canteen from his bag, poured himself a cup of clear water, and was just about to bring it to his lips.

Whoosh.

A slender hand suddenly reached over and casually snatched the cup away.

Gulp.

Victor drained it in one go, wiped the corner of his mouth, and said with a smile, "Thanks for the treat. I was just thirsty."

"Hey!! That was my water!!" Usopp shouted furiously. "You bastard, Victor!"

Victor shrugged and ignored his protest.

Usopp sighed, then could only turn back to Karmon helplessly and say, "You've been like this for twenty years? That's amazing. You actually managed to keep going."

Karmon's gaze became somewhat lonely. Looking out at the distant sea, he spoke in a low voice.

"Yeah... My hair and beard grew into this wild mess. I haven't spoken to another human being for twenty whole years.

"Whenever the dead of night came, that loneliness... could you understand it?"

Everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere grew heavy.

"Sounds idiotic."

Luffy suddenly picked his nose and broke the mood with an indifferent expression.

"What did you say?! You little bastard!" Karmon instantly snapped, so angry he looked ready to bite someone.

"Yaaawn—"

Just then, a long yawn drifted over.

"So this is where you were. You really made me look for you."

Zoro rubbed his sleepy eyes, carried his swords over his shoulder, and sauntered over.

He glanced at the second cup of water Victor had just poured and casually snatched it away.

Gulp, gulp.

After finishing it, Zoro let out a satisfied breath. "Ah, I'm alive again."

"Hey!! That was my second cup of water!!" Usopp collapsed to his knees in despair.

Only after drinking did Zoro lower his head, his gaze finally landing on Karmon on the ground.

In an instant, his eyes widened like bells, and he jumped backward.

"Ah!! What is this thing?! Did a chest turn into a monster?!"

"Could you have noticed sooner?!" Nami couldn't resist punching Zoro on the head. "Is your reaction time taking a lap around the ocean?!"

Victor smiled. "Idiots are always half a beat slow."

"Simply put, after twenty years of growth, this old man's body has completely fused with the chest. What a fascinating human anatomy."

"What? So he can't be pulled out?" Luffy asked in surprise, tugging on Karmon's face.

"Owowow! Stop pulling!" Karmon cried.

"This is practically a work of God," Usopp added as he stared at the perfectly fitted chest.

At those words, Karmon snorted.

His voice sank. "No, this isn't a work of God... It's a work of fate."

Then he raised his head, his somewhat cloudy eyes examining the young people before him.

"But who exactly are you people? You don't seem like those greedy, cruel pirates from before."

Luffy straightened up, adjusted his Straw Hat, and flashed his trademark confident smile.

"I'm Luffy, the man who's going to become the Pirate King! I'm going to get One Piece!"

"W-What?!"

Karmon's face filled with horror, as if he had heard something forbidden. "Pirate King?! Are you going into the Grand Line?"

"Yeah, that's right! We've got a sea chart!"

Luffy grinned and pulled a somewhat crumpled sea chart from his clothes, spreading it out before Karmon as if showing off a treasure.

"Look! We're well prepared!"

"Idiot! Don't underestimate the Grand Line!"

Karmon shouted excitedly. "That place is hell! The Great Pirate Era began twenty years ago, and countless pirates have died there. One Piece is still only a legend..."

As he spoke, he couldn't help leaning closer out of curiosity, staring at the complicated nautical chart.

"Hmm... What is this supposed to be?" Karmon frowned, looking it over from side to side.

"Huh? Even Chest Uncle can't read it?" Luffy blinked.

"Yeah, it's too complicated. I can't understand any of it! Hahaha!"

"Hahaha! Me neither!"

The two looked at each other and began laughing like a pair of idiots.

"Give me that!!"

Nami finally lost her patience, snatched the sea chart back, and carefully put it away.

"Is this really a conversation between two pirates? How embarrassing!"

"Hehehe! It's fine. We'll find One Piece anyway!" Luffy said with a carefree laugh.

Seeing Luffy's completely unclouded smile, Karmon couldn't help falling into thought.

At that moment, he seemed to see his younger self in the boy.

"Yeah... One day, we'd seize our dreams and venture out into the world... That's what we used to think too.

"That passion completely changed our lives..."

"W-What happened?" Usopp asked curiously.

Karmon raised his head and looked toward the azure sky, his thoughts drifting back to long ago.

"Twenty years ago..."

He briefly told them how he had come to this island and climbed the cliff in search of the legendary treasure.

Then, how he had accidentally fallen into a chest and been abandoned by his companions.

"Ever since then, the treasures up on that cliff have never left my mind.

"I became a monster and scared off many pirates. And so, I kept guarding my treasure alone! That treasure belongs to me!"

As he spoke, tears streamed down Karmon's face.

"Yeah, that really does belong to Uncle Karmon!" Luffy nodded seriously.

"Mr. Karmon, I understand!"

Luffy stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and pointed at the towering stone pillar in the distance.

"Since you can't get up there, we'll go get those treasures down for you!"

"Y-You guys..."

Karmon looked at these young people he had only just met, tears and snot pouring down his face from emotion.

Victor leaned against a tree trunk nearby, watching the scene with a helpless sigh.

As a transmigrator, he naturally knew those chests were actually empty.

This was destined to be a sad ending, but perhaps it was also a kind of release.

A moment later.

The group arrived beneath the massive stone pillar at the center of the island.

The stone pillar pierced the clouds, its surface smooth and steep. An ordinary person simply couldn't climb it.

"That's so high..." Usopp craned his neck upward, his mouth hanging open so wide that his hat nearly fell off.

Next, in order to hide his fear of heights, he immediately raised a finger proudly and began giving Luffy orders.

"Luffy! I'm the vice-captain... No, I'm Sogeking! Captain Usopp orders you to go get those treasure chests! I'll cover you from down here!"

Plop.

The moment he finished speaking.

A warm, sticky lump fell from the sky and struck Usopp squarely on the head, sliding down over his goggles.

It was a lump of bird droppings.

"Caw—!!"

Then a clear, mocking cry rang out from the sky.

"Idiot! Long-nosed idiot! Caw!"

"Huh?!!!"

Everyone was instantly stunned and looked up.

"Is someone up there?!" Nami asked in surprise.

Karmon looked at the black shadow circling in the sky, shook his head, and spoke gravely.

"No... That's the ruler of this island's skies, a strange bird I call the 'Sky King'..."

"Sky King?"

Victor narrowed his eyes, his red pupils contracting slightly. With his exceptional eyesight, he saw the black shadow clearly.

It wasn't some enormous bird of prey, but a slightly larger crow with feathers as black as ink.

Yet the crow's eyes were filled with distinctly human-like amusement.

"Oh? A talking crow?"

Victor's lips curled upward, and intense interest flashed through his eyes.

He clearly remembered that there had been no such crow in the original story.

"Interesting... It seems this island has surprises besides empty chests."