"On the night of the full moon, we will meet again, I will bring you Bink's Sake."
"Brook! Brook!!!"
Amid the low, sorrowful melody, Labu ran faster and faster.
She wished she could sprout wings, to reach him in an instant.
"Sing out loud, song of the sea, life is short, and the tides are ever changing..."
The desolate tune echoed across the hillside.
Brook curled into himself, his skeletal frame radiating loneliness as he sang. A song that once carried joy when he taught it to Labu had now turned heavy with grief.
Perhaps the song had never truly been joyful.
It was only because the one singing it refused to surrender to sorrow that it once sounded bright.
"Yohohoho, yoho..."
Memories flooded his mind, every moment with Labu making the song grow deeper, heavier.
"Yohohoho, yohohoho, yohohoho!!!"
Suddenly, from behind him, a trembling yet excited voice joined in.
"Yohohoho, yohohoho!!"
"Labu!!"
Brook spun around, his hollow eyes wide with shock and overwhelming joy.
A small figure rushed forward and threw herself into his arms.
"Don't leave me again, okay, Brook!"
Brook held her tightly, dropping to one knee as her tears soaked into his bones.
"Labu, I..."
Decades of loneliness in the Florian Triangle, years of silence, hesitation even after reuniting with old companions, all of it melted away the moment he met her.
"I won't. I will never leave you again."
The soul flames in his eyes burned brightly.
"This is my promise to you."
Just like the promise he made to Laboon long ago.
Even death could not break it.
Death was a boundary for ordinary people, not for him.
...
Not far away, Shirogai sat casually on the grass, a faint smile on his face.
Beside him, a wild pig roasted over a bonfire, its fat sizzling and dripping into the flames, releasing a rich, mouthwatering aroma.
Drip, drip.
The scent filled the air.
"Oink!"
Fatty returned from the forest, dragging a thick branch in his mouth. He dropped it beside Shirogai, then stared at the roasting pig with shining eyes and drool pooling at the corner of his mouth.
He had lived with Labu for so long that he barely remembered he was a pig.
At this moment, however, instinct spoke louder than sentiment.
"Oink! Oink! Oink!"
He dashed back into the forest enthusiastically.
"Go on, bring more wood. It will be ready soon."
Shirogai snapped another piece of firewood and tossed it into the flames, completely at ease.
"Ahhh!!!"
Suddenly, Labu's scream echoed from nearby.
"Ahhh!!!"
Brook's panicked voice followed immediately after.
"Fatty!!!"
The two froze, staring at the roasted pig.
Their expressions shifted into pure horror.
"No!!!"
Shirogai glanced between the roasted pig and the devastated pair, blinking once.
"I can explain."
"Wuwuwu, Fatty, your death smells so... no, it is too tragic!"
Labu collapsed to her knees, crying loudly.
"Oink!"
A black blur rushed out from the forest.
Fatty appeared, branch still in his mouth, staring at Labu in confusion.
What just happened?
Why was she crying?
...
"Wow!!!"
Labu, Brook, and Fatty stared in amazement as three airships descended from the white clouds into the Blue Sea.
"Is this the airship I will ride? That is amazing! Dad, it can really take me to the sky!"
Labu tugged excitedly at Brook's hand.
Brook crouched down, his empty eye sockets fixed on her like a worried father.
"You must behave when you reach Sky Island. The school there will teach you many things. It is alright if you have not studied before, do not feel inferior. Dad will come visit you soon..."
His voice trembled.
"I will miss you..."
Shirogai, standing nearby, twitched slightly.
For someone without tear ducts, Brook cried impressively well.
"I will be fine, Dad. Do not worry."
Labu, however, was calm.
She had already endured loneliness before. Knowing this was not abandonment, but a step toward her future, she accepted it quickly.
If anything, she was the one comforting him.
...
The airship docked at the island's shore.
Before it fully settled, a man in an Air Force coat slid down a wax path toward Shirogai.
Galdino, now the Air Force Marshal, arrived with eyes filled with excitement.
"Sir, I am here. You finally called for me!"
Shirogai smiled faintly.
"You have done well."
His tone carried quiet approval.
"Galdino, you have exceeded my expectations. You are more suited to this position than I imagined."