Sabaody Archipelago.
Night pressed down over the Bubble Islands.
The streetlights at the corner were dim. Massive Yarukiman Mangrove roots twisted along both sides of the road, while transparent bubbles slowly rose from the ground and burst soundlessly in midair.
In the distance, the curtain to Shakuyaku's Bar had already been lowered.
On the street, only Shanks and the cloaked figure stood facing each other.
The hood was pulled low, but Shanks recognized him at a glance.
Some people could never be mistaken, no matter how many years, positions, identities, or even entire seas lay between them.
Saint Shamrock looked at Shanks.
"You still came."
Shanks smiled. The smile was as casual as usual, but it held little ease.
"You came to Sabaody yourself to wait for me. I assume it wasn't just for small talk?"
Saint Shamrock did not answer.
He glanced toward Shakuyaku's Bar some distance away.
Even through the curtain, he could sense several faint but vigilant gazes within.
"Your crew is alert."
"They've always been dependable."
Shanks spoke calmly, as though it were only natural.
To him, companions had never been mere accessories.
They were another kind of fate he had grasped with his own hands after choosing the sea.
Saint Shamrock fell silent for a moment, then said flatly, "I came this time for personal reasons."
Shanks's gaze shifted slightly.
"Personal reasons?"
Those words sounded especially ironic coming from a member of God's Knights.
People of the Holy Land were used to speaking of bloodlines, power, order, and duty...
But they rarely spoke of personal reasons.
Saint Shamrock looked at him.
"The Holy Land has several important plans coming up."
"One of them will involve the Giant Realm."
At those words, the smile on Shanks's face faded slightly.
The Giant Realm—Elbaf.
It was no ordinary