"Elegia? You mean that vanished kingdom of music?" Crocus looked taken aback.
He didn't expect that ruined nation—'destroyed' years ago by the Red-Haired Pirates—to suddenly be brought up.
"As for Elegia... I think the Rumbar Pirates gave me an Eternal Pose for it. But it's been so many years, I can't say for sure if I can still find it."
With that, Crocus got up and walked into his room to start digging.
Nami, who was fiddling with the Log Pose she just obtained, caught the similar-sounding term.
She looked up. "What's an Eternal Pose?"
"An Eternal Pose is like a permanently fixed Log Pose. It always points to the exact same island, and its direction never changes," Cain explained. He turned to Luffy, his tone growing heavy. "Sorry, Luffy. I have to leave the ship for a while."
"What's going on, Cain?" Nami asked urgently.
Zoro and Sanji had noticed something was off about him too.
"You've been distracted this whole time. What happened?" Zoro asked in a low voice.
Cain shook his head and looked firmly at his captain. "There's someone just as stubborn as you, and she's heading down a road of no return. I have to go pull her back, so..."
"Okay." Luffy didn't wait to hear the rest of the explanation.
He chose to trust his brother, agreeing without the slightest hesitation.
Crocus stepped back outside carrying an hourglass-shaped compass and tossed it to Cain.
"Catch."
The carved surface bore the mark of Elegia.
It was exactly what Cain needed. He caught it steadily, his fingertips brushing the cool glass.
Though weathered by age, the needle still pointed true.
"So that's an Eternal Pose? It looks different from a Log Pose." Nami leaned in for a closer look.
Crocus smiled. "Of course. Since it only ever points to one destination, there's no need to make it a wearable bracelet."
Cain tightened his grip on the wood, his fingers tensing, his gaze hardening with resolve.
Not long after, the massive steel gates inside Laboon ground open.
Crocus guided the Going Merry as it sailed smoothly out of the island whale's stomach.
"Well then, goodbye, everyone." Cain turned and waved from the shoreline.
Luffy grinned and waved back.
Nami saw the heaviness hiding in Cain's eyes, but said nothing to stop him. Zoro and Sanji had no objections, their captain had already made the call.
Only the freshly awakened Usopp threw himself at Cain's leg, bawling and refusing to let go.
"DON'T LEAVE US WITH THESE MONSTERS!"
"That won't do, Usopp." Cain smiled softly, looking down at the sniper. "You're going to become a brave warrior of the sea, aren't you? You can't do that if you're always relying on a bodyguard."
Usopp sniffled, slowly letting go of Cain's trousers.
He wiped his nose, nodded hard, and shouted, "THAT'S RIGHT! FROM NOW ON, I WON'T RELY ON ANYONE ELSE, CAIN!"
Seeing Usopp regain his spirit, Cain didn't linger.
Pale orange flame clouds ignited beneath his boots, lifting him steadily into the sky.
Crocus watched the figure recede into the clouds and sighed. "Your pirate crew is very different from most of the ones I've seen."
"Well, of course! I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King after all!" Luffy grinned, staring up at the clouds with a bold, unbreakable smile.
Hearing those words, a quiet ripple stirred in Crocus's heart.
'Could he... be the pirate we've been waiting for all this time, Roger?'
...
High above the ocean, a pink glow erupted around Cain.
In a flash, he transformed into a massive dragon, tearing through the sky toward Elegia.
Riding flame clouds in his human form was too slow. Only in his full beast form could he hit maximum velocity.
As the freezing wind whipped past his horns, he locked his sights on the horizon.
'Wait for me, Uta.'
His thoughts drifted back, rewinding eleven years to the sleepy shores of Foosha Village in the East Blue.
-Flashback
At that time, the Red-Haired Pirates' galleon had just docked at the harbor to restock.
It was a pleasant, breezy afternoon.
"LUFFY! DON'T CLIMB SO HIGH, IT'S DANGEROUS!" A young Cain stood at the base of the tree, clutching a book as he shouted upward.
Luffy swung his legs from a high branch, pouting. "No way! Grandpa hits way too hard! I'm not gonna listen to him and I dont want to become a Marine!"
Just as he finished complaining, Luffy caught sight of a massive galleon approaching the harbor.
His eyes lit up like fireworks. "That's... a pirate ship?!"
Before the words even left his mouth, Luffy jumped straight out of the tree.
"WAIT, LUFFY—OOF!" Cain had no time to react.
He rushed forward to catch the boy, only for Luffy to land butt-first right onto his face, knocking them both into the dirt.
Luffy scrambled up and dusted himself off, already sprinting toward the docks.
"Sorry, Cain! A pirate ship's docking! I'm gonna go look!"
"PIRATES ARE DANGEROUS, LUFFY! WAIT!" Cain paused.
'Pirates? Could it be Shanks?'
He didn't even stop to rub his aching nose. He snatched his book off the grass and sprinted after his brother.
The moment he spotted the familiar skull and crossbones with three red scars, he knew at once.
It really was the Red Force.
By the time Cain reached the harbor, Luffy was already squaring off against a young girl standing on the gangway.
"You're pirates?" Luffy glared up at her, his voice dripping with suspicion.
The girl arched a brow and smirked as she spoke with a bright and cheeky tone.
"Yeah. Got a problem with that? If you do, go ahead and say it so Uta—the daughter of Captain Shanks—can hear it!"
"PIRATES SHOULD GET OUT OF OUR VILLAGE!" Luffy shouted without a shred of restraint.
Cain, who had just skidded to a halt nearby, nearly had a heart attack!
His mind raced. He had been a loyal manga reader in his past life, but he knew nothing about Luffy and Uta's actual first meeting.
That part of their childhood was never shown in the main manga canon!
He never expected their introduction to be so openly confrontational.
He knew the Red-Haired Pirates wouldn't hurt a kid, but he couldn't help sweating over his reckless little brother.
Uta scowled, planting her hands on her hips. "WHAT, YOU WANT TO FIGHT?!"
"Don't do that, Uta." "Don't do that, Luffy."
Two voices rang out at the exact same time.
Shanks stepped slowly out of the ship's cabin, while Cain darted forward to shield Luffy.
Cain couldn't read Shanks's true intentions. From the truth behind the Gum-Gum Fruit to losing his arm to the Lord of the Coast, the man was an enigma.
Cain couldn't let Luffy make a bad first impression.
"And you are?" Shanks's sharp gaze fell on Cain.
Cain clenched his fists and shouted right back.
"I'M HIS OLDER BROTHER! IF THERE'S A PROBLEM, TAKE IT UP WITH ME!"
Even though his heart pounded, he stood stubbornly in front of his little brother.
Something about that fierce protectiveness struck Shanks deep in his kokoro.
The pirate suddenly burst into loud, booming laughter. "Bwahahaha! Relax, kid, we aren't here to fight. Besides, this village has a lawman who's not easy to mess with. My name is Shanks, and I'm the captain of this ship."
"If you try anything weird, I won't let you—MMPH!" Luffy started to yell another provocation, but Cain spun around and clamped a hand tight over his mouth.
"Why won't you let me talk?! They're pirates!" Luffy muffled, struggling to break free.
Cain sighed helplessly.
He smacked Luffy on the back of the head, grabbed him by the neck, and forced the boy into a deep apologetic bow, inwardly screaming at what a troublesome idiot his brother was!
"Sorry, sorry! Please excuse us. My name is Chad Cain, and this idiot is my younger brother, Monkey D. Luffy," Cain apologized sincerely.
Shanks smiled, resting a hand on the young girl's head. "Now that they've introduced themselves, Uta, it's your turn."
Uta lifted her chin and spoke, her voice sweet and clear.
"My name is Uta. I'm Shanks's daughter... and the musician of this ship."