The Feast

"Those are two truly remarkable boys... I never expected to see the Flame-Flame Fruit and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit here..."

Watching the flames flying in from afar and the lightning surging toward them, Rayleigh looked at Roger, who had appeared beside him, and exclaimed in amazement.

"Yeah... The two of them remind me of those three youngsters in the Marines..."

Rayleigh immediately understood who Roger meant.

After all, the Roger Pirates had crossed paths with the Marines quite often. Those three young men who had suddenly emerged in the Marines, quickly made names for themselves, and grown as strong as monsters despite their young age had given them a real headache.

Just then, the two figures descended from the sky and landed without ceremony on the Waver where Roger was standing.

Everyone in the Roger Pirates stared at the two boys who had suddenly appeared within their encirclement, their faces full of astonishment.

"Captain... What is this...?"

Gaban, standing beside Roger, asked in confusion.

Roger was just about to answer when he suddenly remembered that he did not seem to know the names of the two youngsters either. He then said,

"These two boys will be staying with the Roger Pirates for the next few days. Why don't you two introduce yourselves?"

At that moment, Ye Mu truly felt as though he had walked into a tiger's den. In his view, the people who had all been legendary figures in the story of One Piece were now standing vividly before him.

Rayleigh, Gaban, Bullet, Kozuki Oden, Crocus, Shanks, Buggy, Nekomamushi, Duke Inuarashi, and many others.

There were more than a hundred of them!

So this is the Roger Pirates!

He was astonished inside, but calmly introduced himself.

"My name is Ye Mu... This is my younger brother..."

"Enel..."

After the humiliation he had suffered in front of Roger earlier, Enel had learned from his shame and was now eager to redeem himself. He took the initiative to give his name.

"Ye Mu, Enel..."

Roger savored the two names, then suddenly turned to everyone and said cheerfully,

"Since we have new friends, then according to our rules..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the slightly tense atmosphere instantly became lively. Everyone excitedly echoed him.

"A feast... A feast..."

"Oh... Oh... Long live the captain..."

The boisterous atmosphere left Ye Mu and Enel in a daze for a moment.

After all, they had lived together in isolation from the outside world for the past five years. They had never experienced such a lively atmosphere, let alone one prepared to welcome them.

"Is this what being a pirate feels like...?"

Enel murmured as well.

After that, under Gan Fall's guidance, everyone piloted the Wavers to a flat stretch of ground. By then, night had fallen, and the feast began...

Under the night sky, somewhere in the Upper Yard,

A bright bonfire, the aroma of malt liquor, and tempting roasted meat filled the air.

As the rhythm of Binks' Sake rang out, everyone sang merrily and raised their cups in a toast.

Although this was Gan Fall's territory, Gan Fall himself seemed out of place, like a guest. The people of the Roger Pirates, on the other hand, acted like the hosts, singing and dancing in celebration.

Enel had originally been somewhat reserved, but under the care of this group of overly familiar people, he quickly got drunk and began acting wildly. He showed off his Rumble-Rumble Fruit abilities, his entire body crackling and flashing with electricity.

The people around him also played along enthusiastically, their eyes gleaming with starry admiration.

Ye Mu, by contrast, sat alone, out of place as he drank juice, ate delicious food, and watched the performance.

Not far away, Roger and Rayleigh sat together, but their eyes remained fixed on Ye Mu. After finishing a cup of wine, Roger asked Rayleigh,

"What do you think of those two children?"

Rayleigh thought for a moment before saying,

"The boy called Enel isn't much different from Shanks and the others, but that young man called Ye Mu is far too mature and calm for a child..."

Roger seemed to understand. He said meaningfully,

"Although I can't hear his inner voice, I can sense that this child has tremendous ambition. Do you know why he came to find us today?"

Rayleigh shook his head. Roger did not keep him guessing. He drained the wine in his cup and said,

"He wants me to teach him Haki..."

That might have seemed perfectly ordinary, but after encountering the famous Roger Pirates, an eleven-year-old could have made many other requests. Yet he had specifically asked to learn Haki. That alone proved how deeply this child yearned for strength.

"Haki? Such a young child already wants to learn Haki? He already has such a powerful Devil Fruit..."

"Yeah. That's why this child is truly extraordinary. What was I thinking about at his age? Hahahahaha..."

But Rayleigh knew that Roger was not laughing so happily and agreeing to the two children's request solely for that reason.

Sure enough, Roger continued,

"Do you know what this child called me when I first met him?"

"???"

Rayleigh was taken aback. Roger's answer immediately afterward shocked him even more.

"The future One Piece..."

"!!!"

Rayleigh had not yet recovered from his shock when Roger continued laughing.

"He called me the One Piece, yet there wasn't the slightest trace of surprise in his eyes, as if I were just an ordinary person. And this child seems to know that I don't have long to live..."

"!!!"

"Hahaha, of course, that's only my guess. Maybe I'm just imagining things. After all, who in this world could know the future...?"

But Rayleigh could not help taking it seriously. His expression turned solemn. After thinking for a moment, he abruptly rose and walked toward where Ye Mu was sitting.

Roger was startled when he saw this.

"Hey, Rayleigh, what are you doing? Wait..."

"Yo, kid, how are you?"

Rayleigh carried his wine over and sat down beside Ye Mu. Roger hurried over after him, but fortunately, Rayleigh's next words kept Roger from becoming too nervous.

"Everyone else is drinking. Why are you drinking juice?"

Ye Mu glanced at Rayleigh, who was sitting beside him, and casually replied,

"I'm not of legal drinking age. Besides, you probably won't be staying on Sky Island for long. I don't want to waste my time learning Haki because I got drunk!"

Ye Mu's answer greatly surprised Rayleigh. His maturity and the calmness in his eyes made it impossible for Rayleigh to regard him as a child. Remembering what Roger had just said, he finally could not hold back.

However, under Roger's pleading gaze, he put it rather tactfully.

"I... I have a friend... He has a very serious illness. I wanted to ask whether you know of any way to cure him..."

After saying this, Rayleigh nervously and expectantly waited for Ye Mu's answer.

He swore that even when facing Rocks alongside Roger, he had never been this nervous.

Then he saw Ye Mu shake his head.

"No..."

In an instant, disappointment filled Rayleigh's heart, and even Roger's expression changed slightly.

Even though he was the future One Piece, if there were a way to keep him alive, who would willingly choose death?

It was truly heartbreaking to watch a hero grow old.

But Ye Mu's next words made both their hearts rise again.

"I'm not a doctor, so I don't know anything about treating illnesses or saving lives. However, I do know of three things in this world that might be useful... At the very least, they should be able to slow the illness down..."