I immediately pulled Captain Gun back into my shadow before extending a hand toward Hina and Galdino.
The next instant, a wave of darkness enveloped the three of us as the infernal scenery of the coliseum vanished around us.
In less than a second, we reappeared on the beach of the island where everything had begun.
At that same moment, all across the world, the broadcast screens connected to the tournament abruptly shut off with a sharp burst of static, officially signaling the end of the very first Philoctetes Cup.
The moment our feet touched the warm sand again, a figure suddenly dashed forward at full speed.
"Galdino!"
Marianne sprinted across the beach before literally throwing herself at the former Baroque Works agent.
Caught off guard, Galdino staggered backward and fell sitting directly into the sand, Marianne tightly clinging to his neck.
"You're alive! I thought you were really going to die this time!"
The man in question grimaced slightly from the impact.
"H-Hey… easy there, you little maniac… I've still got several ribs reminding me that damned three-headed dog exists…"
But despite his words, I could clearly see the genuine smile spreading across his face as he awkwardly raised one hand to pat the young girl on the head.
If I had to describe their relationship…
I'd say Galdino resembled that eternally cynical, arrogant, and ridiculously cowardly older brother who constantly complained about everything…
While Marianne perfectly embodied the sweet, quiet, slightly mischievous younger sister who somehow always managed to slip past all of his emotional defenses.
Honestly…
It was an oddly heartwarming duo.
A few meters away, Krieg stood watching the scene with his arms crossed, not interfering, simply letting out a quiet sigh.
I then turned my head toward Hina.
I didn't even need to speak.
Our eyes met for a few seconds.
She understood immediately.
"Hina assumes our cooperation ends here."
I simply nodded.
"You survived, obtained your reward, and fulfilled your role. For now, we have nothing left to discuss."
She remained silent for several seconds before letting out a sigh.
"Hina hates admitting that she has absolutely no way to handle this situation."
A faint amused smile appeared on my face.
"That's probably the conclusion a lot of people are reaching right about now."
She shook her head.
"Hina must file her report immediately."
Without waiting any longer, her body suddenly vanished.
Soru.
I followed her movement with my eyes.
More than five hundred meters away from the beach, several Marine ships were already waiting, an entire squad nervously watching Don Krieg without daring to intervene.
The moment she landed, I immediately saw her pull out a Den Den Mushi.
Probably to contact Marine Headquarters directly.
I could already imagine Akainu exploding in rage.
But honestly…
I couldn't care less.
My attention finally returned to Galdino and Marianne, who had just gotten back to their feet.
Galdino adjusted his glasses while Marianne continued staring at the infernal ring on his finger with pure fascination.
I walked toward them calmly.
"Good. Before I take you to discover your new home, I still need one last favor."
Galdino immediately raised a suspicious eyebrow.
"I don't like it when you start a sentence like that."
I deliberately ignored the comment.
"I want you to build something for me."
Marianne tilted her head slightly.
"What kind of thing?"
I turned toward the massive beach stretching along the island.
Then I pointed at a wide section of sand near the water.
"A sign."
A few seconds of silence followed.
Galdino blinked.
"…A sign?"
"Not just any sign."
I crossed my arms.
"I want a massive one. Big enough so that anyone arriving here immediately understands the rules."
His expression became more serious.
"You want to turn this island into a gathering point…"
I smiled.
"Exactly."
I turned toward both of them.
"This beach will serve as the gathering point for the next tournament in three months."
I then raised a finger.
"And I want the message to be perfectly clear."
My gaze hardened slightly.
"No violence on this island before the tournament."
A faint dark aura began vibrating around me.
"And if anyone still decides to ignore the warning…"
Small black cracks briefly appeared in the sand around my feet.
"I'll personally deal with the offenders."
I smiled coldly.
"Pirates, Marines, or Nobles… no exceptions."
Marianne swallowed nervously.
Even Galdino adjusted his glasses uneasily.
"You know… sometimes I forget just how terrifying you can be."
"That is precisely the effect I'm going for."
A few seconds later, Galdino raised his hand.
An enormous quantity of white wax immediately began pouring out around him.
But this time…
I noticed the difference immediately.
His new ring was glowing faintly.
The wax looked denser.
More stable.
As if even the crushing heat of the sun could no longer affect it.
Once the base had been created and the letters added, Marianne used her talent for painting to give it style.
Her colors began spreading over the still-malleable wax while Galdino sculpted the entire structure with surgical precision.
At the very top, the black-and-blue emblem representing my organization was deeply engraved.
Then finally…
This island had officially become the first neutral territory of Hades' Coliseum.
I stared at the finished creation for a few seconds before smiling.
"Magnificent."
Galdino crossed his arms proudly.
"Obviously. I'm an artist, after all."
Marianne gave a thumbs-up with an innocent smile.
"I helped too."
I looked at the massive sign one last time.
Somewhere in the world…
Thousands of people had probably already decided that they would be present for the next tournament.
From the beach, I could still see the Marine ships far in the distance, cautiously keeping their distance throughout the entire broadcast.
Several soldiers were now staring at the enormous freshly completed wax sign while others were already transmitting their reports through Den Den Mushi.
I let out a faint smile.
They had their show…
Now it was time for me to get back to my own business.
Without giving them one last glance, I opened a shadow portal behind me and motioned for Marianne and Galdino to follow. Galdino immediately adjusted his glasses suspiciously.
"I sincerely hope the word home doesn't involve an island full of giant monsters or an active volcano."
Marianne let out a soft giggle as she grabbed his arm.
"It can't be worse than a three-headed demonic dog."
Galdino instantly paled.
"Never say things like that. Ever."
We stepped through the portal and, a few seconds later, the scenery changed completely.
We found ourselves standing atop a lush green hill overlooking an island bathed in peaceful sunlight.
Several villages could be seen in the distance, surrounded by carefully maintained fields. The place radiated an almost unreal tranquility compared to the chaos consuming the rest of the world.
Lamini.
The island I had recently liberated.
Marianne immediately stared at the landscape in wonder.
"It's… beautiful…"
Even Galdino remained silent for several seconds, visibly unable to hide his surprise at seeing a place untouched by violence or tension.
I simply crossed my arms.
"You'll be living here with Marianne from now on. The next tournament depends entirely on the sign you just built… so technically, you have three months off."
For several seconds, Galdino froze.
Then suddenly his legs gave out beneath him.
He dropped to his knees in the grass, slowly lifted his eyes toward the sky, and his voice almost trembled.
"Three months… nobody's going to try to kill me… no suicidal missions…"
Marianne smiled softly.
"No Baroque Works."
He placed both hands over his face.
"I think this is the happiest day of my life…"
I let out an amused laugh.
"Enjoy it. After that, your real work begins."
He immediately raised one finger.
"I categorically refuse any mission involving dragons, gods, or giant multi-headed dogs."
I simply smiled.
"I make no promises."
His resigned sigh nearly made me laugh even harder.
I finally turned toward Marianne.
"Take care of him."
She immediately nodded with her usual calm smile.
"I'll handle it."
Satisfied, I opened a second portal.
"Good. See you later."
A few seconds later, I reappeared back on the previous beach where the Marine ships were still visible on the horizon.
This time, Don Krieg was still standing there with his arms crossed exactly where I had left him.
I gave him a simple nod.
"We're heading back."
We crossed through another portal and reappeared inside the enormous tunnel carved through Red Line, our temporary secret base.
The rocky walls still bore the marks left behind by the crew's intense training sessions.
I took a deep breath as I removed my necklace, and a wave of light enveloped my body.
My black clothes vanished, my hair returned to its natural color, and within seconds…
Sora ceased to exist.
Beside me, Don Krieg—who had also put his own necklace back on—was in turn engulfed by a mass of liquid shadow.
His imposing golden armor slowly disintegrated, his body changed shape, and a few seconds later…
Krieg no longer existed either.
In his place stood Kratos.
The powerful sentient Heartless the entire world had just discovered.
He observed his new body for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"It still feels strange changing appearances this quickly."
I simply shrugged.
"You'll get used to it."
Without wasting any more time, we stepped through one final portal leading directly to Heartless Island. We appeared discreetly in a quiet part of the island while, in the distance, several Heartless continued carrying out their daily tasks and the Earth Titan calmly kept expanding the territory.
I immediately went to find Luffy and quickly spotted him sitting on top of a building, devouring an absurdly massive chunk of meat.
The moment he saw me, he jumped down to the ground.
"Ah, Jordan! You went off and had fun without us again?"
I pointed toward Kratos standing behind me.
"I recruited someone… or more accurately, he's one of my Heartless."
Luffy tilted his head, stared at the former Krieg for a few seconds, then immediately grinned.
"He looks strong. I like him."
I pointed at Kratos.
"He wants to join the crew."
"Okay."
As usual, no surprise, no questions.
A perfectly normal response coming from Luffy, once again proving how much he trusted me, but I silently promised myself that I'd let the captain make the decisions about future recruitments.
Still, I immediately added:
"But in our crew, everyone contributes to daily life."
Kratos frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"You can't just fight. You need a useful specialty too."
Silence settled for a few seconds as his gaze shifted toward the many buildings currently under construction.
Slowly, fragments of his old pirate memories resurfaced.
Ship maintenance.
Repairs.
Hull work.
Construction.
Finally, he lifted his head.
"I'll learn woodworking."
I simply nodded.
"Good choice."
Luffy instantly gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
"Great!"
Kratos then looked around.
"Who can teach me?"
I pointed toward a figure further away, a sturdy middle-aged man handling several wooden planks near a newly built workshop.
Hector.
Our main shipwright.
Kratos took a deep breath before finally starting to walk toward him, already focused on what would now become his new place within our group.
"I suppose my new life begins here…" he murmured before quietly heading toward the old carpenter's workshop.
I watched him leave for a few seconds, satisfied to see another new piece gradually joining the organization I had been building since arriving in this world.
Yet just as I was about to follow Luffy back toward the center of the village, I suddenly felt his hand rest against my shoulder.
I turned my head slightly and immediately realized something was different.
His usual goofy smile had vanished, replaced by an unexpectedly calm expression, almost mature.
A rare seriousness that only surfaced in those moments when his captain's instincts naturally took over.
"Jordan… after everything you've done recently…"
He was obviously talking about my worldwide stunt with the coliseum.
"I think we can finally start traveling freely through North Blue… and do what you promised Law."
I remained silent as he continued speaking, still not looking directly at me.
"I can tell you've been hiding a lot of things since the very beginning. You always think before speaking, you're constantly careful about what you say… and I feel like you spend all your time holding certain things back…"
He paused slightly.
"Like you're afraid of making a mistake."
My expression grew a little more serious as he finally looked up at me.
"But me…"
His voice remained calm.
"I want you to feel as free as I want to be."
He gently pressed his fist against my chest, his eyes filled with a sincerity so genuine it was almost disarming.
"I want you to be yourself with us…"
He held my gaze.
"No secrets…"
A small pause.
"No holding back."
Silence abruptly fell around us.
For several seconds, I remained perfectly still while his words echoed inside my mind.
Ever since arriving in this world…
I had constantly acted with caution.
My incomplete knowledge of the future, made unreliable because everyone here was different from what I remembered.
My almost constant double life through Sora's identity.
And the complicated feelings I had developed toward the new friends I had found here.
And yet… from the very beginning… Luffy had never forced me to talk.
He had never tried to uncover my secrets.
He had never doubted me, not even for a single second.
A strange warmth slowly rose within my chest before a genuine smile finally appeared on my face, far more honest than the ones I usually wore.
I gently raised a hand and placed it on his shoulder in return.
"You're right… Captain."
I let out a quiet laugh before turning my gaze toward the horizon, toward all of North Blue still waiting to be explored.
"I think I've spent way too much time trying to control everything… anticipating every problem… always thinking several moves ahead."
My smile slowly widened as a new excitement began rising inside me.
"I want to reveal myself to the rest of the crew. No more pretending… no more half-measures."
I finally turned toward him with a far wilder smile.
A far more authentic one.
"So let's make North Blue tremble."
Luffy stayed silent for half a second before his usual massive grin immediately returned.
"Shishishishi! That's exactly what I wanted to hear!"
he declared before suddenly wrapping his arm around my neck and dragging me by force toward the center of the village.
"Now come on! Sanji made food!"
I awkwardly tried to pull free while he kept walking without slowing down.
"Luffy… you're choking me."
He didn't slow down at all.
"That's not true."
I grimaced.
"You are literally choking me."
His smile didn't move an inch.
"You're exaggerating."
My vision was already starting to blur.
"I'm seriously running out of oxygen."
He shrugged without letting go.
"It builds character."
I rolled my eyes while he kept dragging me like nothing was wrong, but I managed to tickle him hard enough to make him let go before I shot into the air while he chased after me, laughing loudly.
As we approached the village square, I could already hear Usopp shouting about some kind of upgrade for little Merry, who was looking at him with eyes full of anticipation.
Nami was complaining about the food budget… before suddenly flashing a bright smile and leaping upward, where I caught her princess-style as she immediately wrapped her arms around my neck.
Sanji was passionately defending the honor of his dishes while serving food alongside Elise, while Kazuki laughed at his usual antics.
Bell-mère, Nojiko, Hector, and Kratos arrived at the same time, while I spotted Koby and Alice approaching hand in hand with smiles on their faces.
Zoro, Kuina, and Charles were nowhere to be seen, probably off training somewhere.
Law, Lami, and their crews were missing too, so I leaned toward Nami's ear and whispered softly.
"Nami… should we put on a little show to call everyone over?"
"Of course… but I want you all to myself later. I'd like to talk to you,"
she said, sounding slightly shy as she raised her staff toward the sky.
"Anything you want,"
I answered with a radiant smile before launching three fireballs high into the air.
Once they reached enough altitude, Nami fired bolts of lightning at them, causing them to explode into magnificent showers of brilliant light.
As I watched the display…
Maybe Luffy had been right from the very beginning.
I had spent far too much time preparing for the future…
Calculating.
Controlling.
Planning every outcome.
But from now on…
I was finally going to live this adventure alongside them fully.
(Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, I started writing yesterday but wasn't sure how to conclude it, so I decided to leave you all with a little bonus. Back to North Blue in the next episode, and I'll also post the image of the sign in French ^^)