The moment Sabo left with the Revolutionary Army, Shiki, who had been crouching in the corner of the ship, immediately exploded.
He shot in front of Cain, grabbed him by the collar, and roared, "BASTARD! YOU'VE BEEN DRAGGING THIS OUT FOREVER, SO WHERE THE HELL ARE MY SWORDS?!"
"Uh, about that…" Cain's eyes flickered.
He unconsciously glanced toward the package in the corner of the cabin, as well as the long staff wrapped in bandages beside it, his tone carrying a trace of guilt.
Shiki had sharp eyes.
He instantly caught that tiny movement and flew straight toward the package, reaching out to open it.
"Aha! I knew you hid them!"
Cain had no intention of giving him that chance and immediately activated Human Path.
Shiki's Observation Haki triggered a warning, and he instinctively twisted his body, throwing a punch into the air.
But he hit nothing.
When he turned back, Cain was already holding the bandaged staff in his hand, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed look.
"I don't really want to say this either, but I still have to explain—"
Cain paused, avoiding Golden Lion's burning glare.
"Your swords don't exist anymore. They're my weapon now.... This thing in my hand."
As he spoke, Cain unwrapped the bandages around the weapon and showed it to him.
"BULLSHIT!" Shiki trembled with rage, pointing at the weapon as he roared, "THAT BROKEN STICK IN YOUR HAND DESERVES TO BE CALLED MY SWORDS?!"
"Yeah."
Cain nodded apologetically, though there was not much guilt in his voice.
"I melted them down and reforged them into a weapon made specially for me."
"You bastard! What the hell did you do to them?!"
Shiki stared at the weapon, heartbroken enough to stomp his feet—though he did not actually have feet.
"That's not even the same thing anymore!"
"I'm sorry, but my strength really is pretty ridiculous."
Cain looked completely honest, with even a hint of pride in his expression.
"They couldn't endure my power, so after being remade with my special forging method, they've already taken my shape. There's no way to return them to how they used to be."
He paused, smacked his lips, and added,
"I was a little clumsy when I first started forging, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly."
"They really were two good swords. Their toughness and flexibility were both excellent. When I bent them, hammered them, and fused them together, every strike rang out loud and clear."
"After all, every swing of my hammer carried plenty of force, and every blow landed right on the most important point. The sparks that flew out were really something."
Every word Cain said made an image appear in Shiki's mind.
His two beloved swords, months ago in a place he could not see, being struck and abused again and again by a massive hammer!
And every ring of metal sounded like a cry for help, while he could do nothing, like a useless husband.
Cain shook the weapon in his hand, his tone carrying a bit of a boast.
"And besides, they probably don't want to follow you anymore, right? The rule among pirates is that good things belong to the strong. You're no match for me now, and I can give them a better experience."
"YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Shiki was completely enraged.
Air currents surged around him, and his furious roar shook the deck.
Fortunately, Shanks noticed the commotion and quickly walked over, preventing the two from actually fighting.
Cain instinctively covered his mouth, hoping Shanks had not heard the strange things he had just said.
If Shanks ended up with some weird impression of him and refused to approve of him and Uta, that would be truly terrible.
In the end, Shanks stepped in and persuaded Shiki.
He convinced him to have Cain forge two swords specially for him as an apology.
Shiki remained deeply suspicious.
He stared closely at the weapon in Cain's hand, and after confirming that Cain really had forged it himself, he began observing it carefully.
"Hm? This weapon of yours could clash with Garp, so I suppose the forging technique isn't bad."
Shiki's tone suddenly shifted, becoming forceful again.
"Make me two good swords tailored to me, and I'll forgive you."
"Well… although it'll take some time, it's not impossible."
Cain rubbed his chin, his gaze drifting as if he were calculating.
"Time is fine. I can wait."
Shiki restrained his temper and pressed on, his tone still far from friendly.
"How long?"
Cain thought for a moment, then slowly said,
"Mm. If it's short, maybe two or three years. If it's long, a decade or so."
"YOU BASTARD! WHY DON'T YOU JUST WAIT UNTIL I'M DEAD BEFORE MAKING THEM?!"
Shiki's roar exploded again, and he charged at Cain.
"Good idea!"
"Good my ass!"
…
After another round of negotiation, both sides finally agreed that Cain would hand Shiki the finished swords in two years.
Cain's only condition was that this idiot was not allowed to attack the East Blue again.
On the other side, Ace had clearly finished talking things through with Yamato and slowly walked out of the cabin.
Seeing that everything had been handled, Cain said goodbye to Ace.
He also waved at Shanks, signaling that he would take good care of Uta.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he spoke again.
"Oh, right, Shanks. I'll apologize to you on behalf of my old man and Luffy."
After saying that, Cain pressed his hands together and revealed a meaningful smile.
Shanks was left completely confused, unable to understand where that apology had come from.
Ace still wanted to ask him to stay, but Cain told him the meeting place for four days later.
Then he transformed into a giant dragon and flew away.
After all, Uta was still waiting for him on the Sabaody Archipelago. He could not keep her waiting too long.
Yamato gazed in the direction Cain had flown off, then poked Ace on the shoulder.
"Now I can't go back to Wano, so I'll have to wander the seas. Let me stay with your pirate crew."
Ace smiled and answered,
"You're welcome anytime."
Ace's side had settled down, but trouble soon broke out on Shanks' side.
Several of them stood inside the cabin, staring at one another.
The kitchen was empty!
Not a single bit of food remained.
Even the storage room only had a few torn burlap sacks left, lying flat and empty in the corner.
"Didn't we restock our food not long ago? Did someone steal it?" Shanks looked toward Lucky Roux beside him.
"How could that be?" Lucky Roux hurriedly waved his hands. "I bought the supplies myself! Before we set off, everything was packed full. Besides, we're an Emperor crew. Who would have the guts to come here and steal food?"
Marco, who noticed what was happening, walked over and suddenly spoke.
"Now that you mention it, those things the Pirate Empress was feeding Luffy earlier… weren't from you guys?"
"What? Luffy ate it?"
Shanks froze.
"How did he get it? Is there any left?"
Marco shook his head, indicating that not a single bite remained.
Luffy had eaten it all!
"Wait, wasn't he asleep the whole time? He can eat while sleeping?" someone asked in confusion.
"Seems possible. I can do it too," Lucky Roux added.
"Lucky, stop making things worse," Shanks said helplessly, waving him off.
Then he suddenly remembered Cain's meaningful smile before leaving, as well as that strange apology with no explanation.
At once, everything became clear.
He sighed and said to the others, "Anyway, let's find a nearby island and dock first. Restocking food is the priority. Everyone search again and see if there's anything we missed."
Not long after, someone shouted, "FOUND FOOD! BUT…"
Everyone gathered around and looked.
There, lying all alone on the floor, was a single carrot!
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