A Ship of His Own

"Sorry, but I'm one of the Seven Warlords now. I can't join your crew."

Jinbe sighed. He could tell that everything Rune had done on Fish-Man Island was meant to recruit him. But Jinbe was still one of the Seven Warlords. Joining a pirate crew would bring trouble to Fish-Man Island.

And he couldn't just "die" like Kuma had.

"At most, the Seven Warlord system will be abolished within two years. When that time comes, I hope you'll join my crew."

Rune smiled faintly. He could see Jinbe's hesitation and roughly understood what he was worried about.

"No matter when it is, my crew will always welcome you."

After speaking with Jinbe, Rune turned and boarded the Thousand Sunny. Shirahoshi jumped aboard as well, then slipped into the large fish tank Rune had prepared for her beforehand. Later, Rune planned to find a shipwright and build a ship with an area that belonged to Shirahoshi alone.

Watching the Thousand Sunny depart, Jinbe remained where he was for a moment before turning away as well. His status as a Seven Warlord allowed Fish-Man Island to remain free from Marine threats. That was still very important to Fish-Man Island.

And what Rune had said—that the Seven Warlord system would be abolished...

If that day truly came, then he would join Rune's crew.

"Is that Jinbe really that important? Why does Rune look so down?"

Bonney sat beside Yamato, looking at Rune in confusion. She had thought Rune had gone all the way to Fish-Man Island for that beautiful mermaid.

But it seemed that his real target had been Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea?

"Having a companion he wanted fail to come aboard must be pretty important to him."

Yamato smiled. "Still, we gained another companion on this trip back. Maybe that'll cheer him up a little?"

"I don't get him."

Bonney could not be bothered to think that much. She planned to find something to eat. Nothing was more important than a meal.

"Lord Rune..."

After boarding the Thousand Sunny, Shirahoshi spent most of her time in the fish tank. She was a mermaid, after all, and preferred staying in the water.

Besides, the Thousand Sunny had not been modified yet, and Rune had no intention of altering Luffy's ship for the sake of his own crew. Once they docked this time, Rune planned to contact a shipwright and build a ship of his own.

"Shirahoshi? What is it?"

Rune looked at Shirahoshi and smiled slightly. He subconsciously reached out and stroked her soft hair.

Rune had practically no resistance to cute girls who looked so timid and delicate. Of course, he did not intend for anything to happen between him and Shirahoshi. The future was still far too uncertain.

"Can... can I drink this?"

Shirahoshi held a can of beer in her hands. She had often seen Rune and Yamato drinking it. But after she came aboard, Rune had never given her any, not even during meals.

Shirahoshi had always been curious about everything, so naturally she wanted to try it. Holding the can of beer, she looked at Rune cautiously.

If she really could not drink it, she would just have to beg Lord Rune again.

"Uh... if you want to try it, sure. But it doesn't taste very good."

Rune blinked. As a pirate, he had only learned to drink in order to fit in. He himself was not particularly interested in alcohol.

Besides, with his current physical condition, he would hardly get drunk anyway. After forming his own crew, Rune had rarely drunk alcohol.

Yamato, however, seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, so Rune sometimes drank with her.

"Then why does Lady Yamato always drink it...?"

"Hmm... how should I explain it? Personal taste, I guess?"

Rune smiled faintly. "You can have a taste. If you think it tastes bad, just give it to me. This is called alcohol. Some people really like it, while others do not care for it at all. Then there are people who feel sick just from smelling it."

"Is that so...?"

Shirahoshi blinked and curiously opened the can. She brought her nose close and sniffed it, and her lovely face immediately scrunched up.

"I'd better not try it. This smell is so strange..."

Looking at the foaming beer, Shirahoshi immediately lost the courage to drink it. Rune, meanwhile, laughed heartily, took the beer from her hands, and drained it in one gulp.

"Next time we dock, we'll buy some cola to keep on the ship. I think you'll like how cola tastes."

Rune said it casually. After leaving Fish-Man Island, there was not much to do for the time being. And if he wanted to build his own pirate ship, he would need to find a reliable shipwright.

"Kuma, have you been to Water 7?"

Rune remembered that Luffy's Thousand Sunny had been built there. If he wanted a better pirate ship, Water 7 was definitely the place to go.

With Luffy's connections, perhaps he could even ask Iceburg, the disciple of that legendary shipwright, to build his ship.

"You're going there? I can take everyone there."

Kuma still wore his usual genial smile. These days, he had little to do. He no longer had to worry about Marine threats, and he could live together with his daughter Bonney. Ever since leaving the Marines, Kuma had found that it seemed like the world had never rained at all.

"Yes, I'm planning to build a ship of my own. It's been a long time already. Once Luffy reunites with his companions, we'll have to part ways."

Rune smiled faintly, while Luffy beside him said nothing. Luffy was grateful to Rune—not only had Rune saved him, he had saved Ace as well. And Luffy greatly admired Rune's way of doing things.

But because he knew Rune could never join his crew, Luffy had never asked him to become a crewmate.

"Are we going now?"

"Let's go now. There's nothing to do lately anyway."

Rune smiled faintly and reached out to take Shirahoshi's hand. Shirahoshi's pretty face flushed red. It felt a little strange, but she did not want to disappoint Rune.

As an enormous paw-shaped bubble enveloped the ship, the Thousand Sunny appeared directly in the waters near Water 7. To avoid causing trouble for Water 7, Rune activated the Thousand Sunny's "coating" and submerged the ship beneath the water. Then, wrapped in the "coating" and using the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, the group quietly entered Water 7.

"Luffy, I'll leave finding a shipwright to you."

Rune did not know anyone in Water 7, nor did he know Iceburg or anyone from Galley-La. Contacting a reliable shipwright was something Luffy would have to handle.

However, Rune did not have much savings right now. If he wanted to build a more formidable ship, he would need to get some money first.

"Leave it to me."

Luffy did not say much. As time passed, he also understood that it would not be long before he had to part with Rune and the others. But when that time came, it would also be the day he reunited with his companions.

It was not as though he was sad about it.