Because Old Wolf had read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, he knew about the abilities of the Op-Op Fruit.
The fruit's ultimate ability was the Perennial Youth Surgery, a procedure capable of granting eternal life.
A power like that was bound to make the entire world covet it.
Now that Arashi had appeared and immediately identified Law's ability, how could Old Wolf not be wary?
Arashi naturally understood what the old man was thinking.
His appearance had been far too sudden.
Combined with how extraordinary Law's Devil Fruit was, Old Wolf's caution was completely understandable.
So Arashi didn't bother explaining himself.
Instead, he stood up and said calmly,
"Old man, it's not good for you to talk too much in your current condition."
"Get some rest."
With that, he took Perona and Robin and left the room.
Only after watching the three depart did Old Wolf quietly let out a sigh of relief and gradually calm down.
At that moment, Law suddenly opened his eyes and swiftly sat upright.
"Captain!"
Seeing Law wake up, Bepo and the others immediately rushed over.
"I... what happened...?"
Law looked around the room, then abruptly stood up.
"Where are they?!"
"They went outside."
Bepo answered weakly before adding,
"And Old Wolf is awake too."
"Law!"
Before Law could continue, Old Wolf called out to him.
"Come here."
Law immediately refocused and walked quickly to the bedside.
Looking at the boy standing before him, Old Wolf's eyes were filled with concern.
"I never imagined... you were the user of the Op-Op Fruit."
"This is troublesome, Law."
After a brief pause, he continued,
"Years ago, I read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. I still remember the Op-Op Fruit clearly."
"It possesses an ability known as the Perennial Youth Surgery."
"It can grant someone eternal life."
"Because of that power, your future won't be easy."
"Anyone who knows about the Op-Op Fruit will desire it."
"And now that you've eaten it, you yourself will become the target."
"No matter who finds you in the future, if they ask you to perform the Perennial Youth Surgery, never agree."
"The price of that surgery... is the user's life."
"What?!"
Law's eyes widened instantly.
Shock flooded his face.
At the same time, the words of the benefactor who had once protected him with his life echoed in his mind:
"Once you eat the Op-Op Fruit, be prepared to make enemies of the Marines, pirates, and even the World Government."
"Now do you understand what kind of power you've obtained, Law?"
Old Wolf's voice sounded weak.
"Remember what I've said."
"Unless it's for someone you're willing to give your life to protect, never perform the Perennial Youth Surgery for anyone."
Law remained silent.
Instead, he turned his head and looked out the window.
Outside, Perona was happily exploring the island.
She was especially fascinated by Old Wolf's inventions.
Every now and then she would pick up some strange gadget and run over to bombard Arashi with questions.
Robin, meanwhile, was laughing nonstop at Perona's bizarre curiosity.
Watching the strange trio, Law felt strangely confused.
Even though Arashi had knocked him unconscious with a single slap, he had never sensed any malice from any of them.
Especially that self-proclaimed traveler.
For some reason, Arashi gave him the absurd feeling that he already knew everything about him.
More importantly—
When he looked at Arashi, he saw traces of the benefactor who had once saved his life.
And that was exactly why he felt so conflicted.
Still, after hearing what Old Wolf had revealed about the ultimate ability of the Op-Op Fruit, he quickly suppressed those thoughts.
If what Old Wolf said was true—if the whole world desired his power—
Then he couldn't trust anyone easily.
Thinking this, he withdrew his gaze and nodded slightly.
"I understand, Old Wolf."
"Good."
Old Wolf nodded.
"Now leave me alone for a while."
"I need some sleep."
With that, he slowly closed his eyes.
Law said nothing more.
He led Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi out of the room.
Then the four of them squatted outside the house, quietly watching Arashi and his companions wandering farther and farther away.
Because he was worried something might happen to Old Wolf, Law didn't follow them.
Instead, he remained outside the house the entire time.
Without realizing it, night fell.
After spending the day exploring the island, Arashi and the girls returned to the Traveler.
Following dinner, everyone headed back to their rooms and went to sleep.
Back in his own cabin, Arashi felt a headache coming on.
The current Law carried too many painful memories.
He wasn't the type to trust people easily.
Under those circumstances, trying to take him as a disciple through normal means was practically impossible.
Some unconventional methods would be necessary.
Beat him into submission?
No.
That definitely wouldn't work.
In the original story, this guy had strapped himself full of explosives and gone to confront Doflamingo when he was only ten years old.
An absolute little monster.
Violence wasn't going to solve this.
Try Corazon's approach and emotionally heal him?
Also impossible.
Touching people's hearts wasn't exactly Arashi's specialty.
The more he thought about it, the more troublesome it seemed.
For the first time, Arashi felt that 3,000 Travel Points might be harder to earn than expected.
Forget it.
He'd just treat this as a normal stop on Swallow Island.
As for the mission—
He'd let nature take its course.
With that thought, Arashi stopped worrying and simply went to sleep.
Meanwhile—
Outside Old Wolf's house.
Law, Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi sat in a neat row.
After seeing the lights aboard the Traveler go out, they all looked at one another in confusion.
"Captain."
Penguin suddenly stood up and rolled up his sleeves.
"If we're worried about that traveler, how about we tie them up tonight while they're sleeping?"
"Yeah!"
Shachi immediately jumped up as well.
"I don't believe they're travelers at all!"
"They must be after the captain's Devil Fruit!"
"Captain, just give the order!"
"No! No! No!"
Bepo instantly panicked and waved his paws frantically.
"That won't work!"
"That traveler is really strong!"
"We're no match for him!"
Clearly, the sight of Law being casually knocked out had left a lasting psychological scar on Bepo.
In his eyes, Arashi could wipe them out without even trying.
Which, to be fair, was completely true.
"Oh right!"
Suddenly, Bepo's eyes widened.
He jumped to his feet and looked toward Law.
"I just remembered!"
"That traveler said something!"
"He said he wanted to take Captain as his disciple!"
"Huh?!"
Penguin and Shachi stared at him simultaneously.
"Take Captain as his disciple?!"
Even Law was caught completely off guard.
His face filled with confusion.
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