Chapter 58: The Severed Arm Hypothesis
East Blue - Dawn Island - Roy's Home - Night
The hour was late, but one light was still on in the quiet village. Inside the old house, an oil lamp cast a warm glow on the wooden table.
Rook sat on the sofa, smoking his pipe and quietly reading the newspaper. Erin sat beside him, nervously glancing out the dark window, a cup of hot tea steaming in her hands.
"I wonder why the boys aren't back yet?" she murmured.
"Be patient," Rook said calmly, exhaling a puff of smoke. "The brat called on the Den Den Mushi, didn't he? When has he ever broken his word?"
As if on cue—
FWOOSH!
A spatial ripple, a flash of light, and three figures appeared in the middle of the living room.
"We're home!" Luffy yelled, bouncing in first, his face still streaked with barbecue grease.
Ace followed right behind, carrying his small cloth bag. "Grandma! Grandpa! I brought you the wind chime, and some sea-cow meat!"
Roy was last, his usual playful grin softened. "Dad, Mom. I'm back."
Erin shot up, her eyes immediately welling with tears as she rushed to hug him. "You brat! What took you so long! You finally remembered to come home!"
She held him tight for a moment before turning to fuss over Ace and Luffy, checking them for injuries. "Roy actually let you two fight pirates..."
"Are you hurt? Did you eat properly?"
"We were awesome!" Luffy puffed out his chest. "We beat a whole pirate crew and had a huge banquet!"
Erin, caught between laughter and tears, looked back at Roy. "It's just... good to have you home. I was so worried..."
Rook set his paper aside, his face stern. "Coming home this late. What's the meaning of this?"
Roy scratched his head, his voice apologetic. "Sorry, we got held up by some... business." He looked at his parents. "I... actually have to head out again. I need to leave the kids here with you for a bit."
"Now?!" Erin's eyes widened. "It's so late! Can't it wait until morning?"
Rook frowned. "You're not off to cause more trouble, are you, brat?"
Roy just smiled, patting his mother's hand. "Don't worry. There aren't many people in this world who can beat your son."
He paused, a sly look in his eye. "And even if I find one I can't beat... they'll never be able to catch me, bwahahaha~"
"You!" Erin chided, though her eyes were shining with pride.
"You brat," Rook snorted. "No matter how strong you are, remember: safety first."
"I know, Dad."
Roy turned, his form already shimmering as he prepared to warp, his voice floating back. "I'll be back soon."
The room was quiet for a moment.
"He's still the same," Erin laughed softly.
"He gets it from you," Rook grumbled, glancing at Ace and Luffy, who were already making a mess. "And these two are cut from the same cloth."
"Heh heh~" the boys grinned sheepishly.
Erin sighed, then smiled at them. "Are you two hungry? Grandma will heat up some food."
"Hungry!" Luffy immediately shouted, his hand in the air.
Ace, meanwhile, took the delicate wind chime from his bag. "Grandma, I bought this for you at Marineford. They said it brings good luck."
Erin's eyes welled up again as she took it. She gave it a gentle shake.
Ting-a-ling—
The clear, bright sound filled the room, washing away the night's fatigue.
"It's beautiful," she whispered. "You silly boy, remembering to bring your old grandma a present..."
Rook walked over, looking at the chime with a soft expression, though he just snorted. "At least you learned some manners. Guess we didn't raise you for nothing."
"If you like it, Grandpa," Ace said, "I can get you a custom-made pipe, just like Instructor Zephyr's..."
"Kaff-koff-koff—!" Rook nearly choked on his pipe smoke. "That's... well. A thoughtful gesture, boy!"
"You're blushing, Grandpa!" Luffy pointed.
"Shut up!" Rook snapped, whacking him on the back of the head.
Erin just laughed and brought out a huge platter of hot stew and rice.
"Eat! Eat! While it's warm!"
"WAAAAH! MEAT!" Luffy dove at the table.
Rook walked to the window and hung the chime. As the night breeze blew, the ting-a-ling sound mixed with the sounds of laughter and eating.
He looked out at the stars. "Those brats... they've really grown up."
High in the sky, over the East Blue.
Roy was a blur, a comet of light streaking across the night, each warp crossing dozens of nautical miles.
His "Justice" coat snapped in the wind, his eyes cold and sharp, fixed on the distant outline of an island.
"In the original story, Shanks lost his arm two years ago... saving Luffy."
"But Luffy wasn't in Foosha Village. I took him. And the timeline is two years later."
He frowned, a deep unease settling in.
"Shanks should have already had the Nika Fruit... but he never found a new 'vessel' for it."
"So why... why would he suddenly lose his arm now? This is all wrong."
A fragmented, half-forgotten "memory" from his past life surfaced—a wild fan theory.
A theory that Shanks's arm had been "marked" by Imu or the Five Elders, a tracking device, a way to monitor him, a chain to keep him in check. A weakness that they could use to teleport him back to the Holy Land at any time.
And that if he ever wanted to be truly free... he would have to cut it off himself.
"If that's true..." Roy's eyes flashed, like lightning in the clouds.
"He didn't 'lose' his arm saving some random person. He severed it."
"He sacrificed it... for his freedom."
"To cut his ties with the Holy Land, to escape their surveillance, and to finally become a truly 'uncontrollable' force."
"So, he's finally making his move. Did the Nika Fruit finally find a new host? Or is this a cover for another plan?"
"Or... has he finally decided to betray the World Government?"
Roy's form blurred, accelerating, a white-gold streak in the night.
"I can't just guess."
"I have to see it for myself. I have to know what's really going on."
He shot toward the Kingdom of Satzl. The place where Shanks lost his arm. The beginning of the mystery.
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