“Join my pirate crew.
Come to sea with me, Law!”
Law’s emotions were complicated.
For some reason, the corners of his eyes felt moist.
In his vision, Kane’s figure blurred slightly, and a phantom image of Corazón slowly materialized beside him.
[You are free now, Law!]
Corazón’s face was so clear, his smile so warm.
Law’s shoulders trembled.
He could no longer hold back the tears.
Corazón’s figure scattered in the wind.
Kane’s face grew clear again, filling his entire field of vision.
Law lowered his head.
His body trembled — it looked almost like a nod.
“You…
what’s our crew called?”
“Hohahaha!” Kane released Law’s hand, reached under Law’s hat, and gently ruffled his hair.
“Ghost Hand Pirates, of course!”
“The townspeople need some quiet time.
We should head home.”
Kane pulled his hand back and turned toward the outskirts of town.
Law’s hair was a mess.
The smudge on his forehead was almost gone, and the tear tracks at the corners of his eyes had been wiped clean as well.
Seeing Kane walk away, Law straightened his snow leopard hat and followed.
The shadow beneath the brim covered most of his face — but the corner of his mouth curled upward.
Under the moonlight, snowflakes fell.
Kane stood at the front door, took a deep breath, and pushed it open.
BANG!
“Hohaha!
Boys, I’m back!”
“Brother Kane!”
“Big brother’s back!
Do I look cool?”
“Big brother, thank you for the gifts!
I’ll study hard and learn to draw maps!”
This time, it was not met with silence.
The three little ones came running over.
Bepo wore a brand new orange diving suit, clutching books to his chest, tears streaming down his cheeks — his gratitude written all over his face.
Shachi wore an off-white diving suit, holding his Skillful-grade katana, giving a cool pose with his thumb pointing at his new sunglasses.
Penguin also wore an off-white diving suit.
He set his baseball bat against the wall and ran over, standing behind Shachi and Bepo.
“Now this feels right!”
Kane spread his arms wide, laughing heartily.
Law slipped out from behind him, looking utterly exasperated.
“This guy has formed the Ghost Hand Pirates.
We’re setting sail soon.” Law pointed at Kane, but before he could finish, the three little ones burst into chatter.
“Really?
I want to go too!”
“Big brother, I want to join the Ghost Hand Pirates!”
“Brother Kane, my navigation skills aren’t great and my charting is only so-so, but I still want to join.
Please take me with you when you set sail, I’m begging you…”
Law’s composure shattered instantly.
This was nothing like he had imagined.
Can’t you guys show some restraint?!
Kane hadn’t even extended an invitation yet, and you’re all already tripping over yourselves to get on board.
That just makes him look stupid!
Especially you, Bepo!
What’s with all the self-doubt?!
“Hohaha!
Good!
Lots of spirit!”
Kane walked past the three little ones, entered his room, and quickly returned to the hall.
Under the eager gazes of the group, Kane spread his arms high above his head and unfurled the pirate flag that had been stored away for over a year.
A standard skull.
A vicious demonic hand gripping the skull’s face, burning with purplish-black ghost fire.
In the skull’s eye sockets, flames of the same color blazed.
Above the skull floated multiple abstract shadowy figures.
“OHHHH!”
“Alright!”
Through the crack in the door, Wolf watched this heartwarming scene.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Silently, he offered his sincere blessings, then turned and walked away.
Kane noticed.
He handed the pirate flag to Shachi for them to admire, then walked alone into Wolf’s room.
Law watched from behind.
After a moment’s hesitation, he stayed where he was.
“Law, Brother Kane brought you a gift too!
Look!” Bepo picked up a wrapped bundle and brought it over to Law.
Inside the room, Wolf was tinkering with parts at his desk.
He turned at the sound of footsteps, speaking before Kane could:
“First of all — what you did was exactly what I would have chosen.
There’s nothing wrong with it.”
“Secondly, you’re about to set sail.
As a senior, let me give you one piece of advice.”
“Since you’ve chosen to be a pirate, be prepared to fight and kill — and be prepared to bear the consequences.”
“At sea, life and death are the most ordinary things.
If someone kills you one day, don’t regret it.”
“So stop thinking about Buck.
Don’t carry any unnecessary psychological burden.”
“Finally — Buck’s death buries my shameful past.
That’s not a bad thing.
This is the perfect chance for me to start a new life!”
Wolf emphasized “new life” and stared straight at Kane.
“People change over time.”
“Knowledge, experience, and interactions with others — all of these can change a person’s way of thinking.”
Wolf listened quietly.
Kane paused for a moment, then continued solemnly:
“But I promise you — no matter how I change, I will never become a pirate like Buck.”
“Old man, rest assured.
One day, you’ll be proud of me!”
“Kakakaka!
Then I’ll be waiting for that day.
Don’t keep me waiting too long, Kane!”
“Then you’d better stay alive and take care of yourself.”
With that, the heavy weight on Kane’s heart was lifted.
He felt relieved — and couldn’t help but extend the invitation once more.
“Old man, why not come to sea with us?”
Wolf waved his hand, beaming with a bright smile: “Kakakaka!
I’ll stay here.”
“Either way, I love this island.
And I love the people in town.”
“Inventing whatever I want, taking the occasional stroll through town — this life suits me just fine.”
“As for pirate adventures — I’ll leave those to you brats!
Kakakaka!”
That night, a feast was held at Wolf’s house.
Everyone made a racket until the first ray of morning sunlight streamed through the window.
They all collapsed in the hall without any regard for dignity.
Wolf lay on the soft sofa.
Kane lay on the floor, Bepo leaning against his shoulder, while Law claimed the fluffy Bepo all to himself.
Shachi and Penguin lay side by side like the good brothers they were, their katana and baseball bat placed within arm’s reach.
A week later, Wolf settled accounts with the merchant captain at the harbor, preparing to pay the final balance.
Sheriff Rad of the town arrived with a large group of able-bodied men to help receive the supplies.
Sacks of grain were unloaded from the ship.
The townspeople beamed with joy, their hearts full of happiness.
In Happy Town, Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin ran through the streets and alleys, running errands for the townspeople.
The town no longer looked like ruins.
Row after row of houses stood in neat formation.
The houses were simple, but they already had the warmth of everyday life.
The town’s outline was gradually becoming clear again.
Of course, there was an important detail worth mentioning.
The reconstruction of Happy Town and the supplies needed for the townspeople’s daily lives were all generously provided by Wolf.
That backer was none other than Kane.
He had taken out his freshly saved small goal — 200 million Beri — to help the people of Happy Town.
In other words, Kane’s small goal was gone.
200 million Beri — completely spent!
200 million Beri — completely spent!!
200 million Beri — completely spent!!!
Kane had originally planned to use buying a ship as an excuse to leave 100 million Beri with Wolf for the old man’s future expenses, while keeping 100 million for the pirate crew’s startup funds.
Now it was all gone!
At night, Kane would often wake up from his dreams.
Each time, he would run outside, raise his face to the snowy night sky, and let out a mournful howl — the word “NOOOO” echoing across the snowy plains.
Of course, he never once regretted helping the townspeople.
After all, the people of Happy Town were good folk — warm, friendly, hardworking, and willing to lend a hand.
When they saw someone in trouble, they wouldn’t hesitate to help.
Not just Kane — they treated Wolf, Law, Bepo, Shachi, Penguin, and all kinds of travelers the same way.
So Kane had no qualms about emptying his savings to help the townspeople.
Good people who helped others with all kinds of everyday matters — now it was Kane’s turn to give back.
Though that didn’t mean he couldn’t also feel the pangs of loss after his savings were wiped out in one go.
The two feelings coexisted perfectly fine.
(Kane: My savings!
My small goal!
NOOOOO——)
At the outskirts of town, Kane and Law carried several bags, walking through light snow toward the edge of the island.
“Ahead is Minion Island.”
Law stepped forward and stood beside Kane, nodding slightly.
Rubeck Island, Swallow Island, and Minion Island — three islands connected as an archipelago.
Come to think of it, in his previous life Kane had thought Minion Island and Swallow Island were two separate islands separated by sea.
It wasn’t until he transmigrated that he realized the truth.
After the initial surprise, Kane had quickly accepted reality.
There was logic to it after all.
A year ago, Corazón had brought Law to Minion Island, stolen the Ope Ope no Mi and fed it to Law.
Then Corazón had activated his Nagi Nagi no Mi ability, silencing Law’s voice, allowing Law to escape successfully to the neighboring Happy Town.
Let’s trace what happened next.
At the time, Law had suffered a devastating emotional blow.
With no one to rely on, he had braved the blizzard and finally fled to Happy Town.
Here was the key point: Law had run to Happy Town on foot that year.
No one had carried him.
And there was no boat a child his age could operate.
If Minion Island and Swallow Island truly were separate islands separated by sea, Law would never have made it to Happy Town.
He would likely have failed Corazón’s last wish, stared helplessly at the sea, and frozen to death on the shore…
They entered Minion Island.
Their positions swapped — Law now walked ahead to lead the way.
Snowflakes fell.
The journey was silent — until Law stopped.
“We’re here?”
Law didn’t speak.
He nodded, opened his bag, and took out fruit and cookies as offerings.
He crouched down and began arranging them.
Beside him, Kane took out an incense burner, incense sticks, paper money, and other items, setting them up as well.
“Corazón, I’m leaving.
I’m going to sea with Kane.”
“Don’t worry — Kane isn’t Doflamingo.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have agreed to board his ship.”
“As for Doflamingo — I’ll kill him myself.
I’ll avenge you!”
Even if I’m not strong enough, it’s okay.
Kane will help me.
Thinking this, Law stole a glance at Kane, who was solemnly placing incense sticks and hadn’t noticed him.
He quietly let out a breath.
“Finally — I’m going to pursue my own freedom.
I’m going to become a great doctor, just like my father.”
“Thank you.
Thank you for everything you did for me.”
“Thank you…”
“Corazón…
I miss you so much…”