Not long ago, Jinbe had told everyone about the great deeds of the fish-man Fisher Tiger.
Yet now, the group had truly found themselves standing inside that very piece of the past.
"I cannot say for certain what caused this. I only remember being swallowed by a strong light, and when I came back to my senses, I was already in Mary Geoise," Jinbe said with a frown, his tone full of confusion.
"It was Sabo who used his ability together with Observation Haki at the first possible moment to sense our presences and gather everyone here one by one. But…"
Koala paused, glancing behind Luffy.
"The Pirate Empress caused a bit of a disturbance."
"Fortunately, Sabo arrived in time and prevented things from getting worse, but we still need to be careful. If we change history, it may become troublesome," Jinbe added in a solemn voice.
The place where Hancock had woken up was the very cell where she and her sisters had once been imprisoned.
When she saw her younger self bound in chains and covered in wounds, along with her trembling sisters, she had been instantly consumed by rage.
She kicked the chains apart and secretly took her younger self and her sisters away, only nearly being discovered by the patrol guards in the process.
Thankfully, Sabo arrived in time and protected them, bringing them here.
"I never expected that I would return to this nightmare of a moment," Hancock said with lowered eyes, burying her head tightly against Luffy's shoulder.
"Even if I do not wish to remember these painful memories, as long as Luffy is beside me, there is nothing I fear…"
As she spoke, she hugged Luffy's arm even tighter, her eyes filled with dependence.
Luffy could clearly feel Hancock's tears gradually soaking into his clothes.
Her body was trembling nonstop, yet because of his presence, she was forcing herself to remain calm.
He raised his eyes and looked around. They were hiding in the corner of the prison, surrounded by numb, vacant slaves.
His mind churned with the past Hancock had once told him about on Amazon Lily.
Seeing it with his own eyes struck far deeper than any story.
After Jinbe and Sabo explained the cause and effect to Luffy and specially reminded him that this was the past, and that they could not interfere with the flow of history, Luffy's mood clearly sank.
He turned to look at the three sisters, clenched his fist, and spoke quietly.
"Hey, Jinbe. Mr. Tiger really was an amazing person."
"I know this was supposed to be a miracle that Mr. Tiger accomplished alone, but is history really that important? Are you all just going to watch and do nothing?"
"The Hancock I know is the queen of Amazon Lily. She's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
"She's a pirate who sails freely across the sea without anyone holding her down! Someone like that absolutely can't be trapped in a place like this!"
"Luffy!"
Sabo hurriedly reached out to cover his mouth, but Luffy stretched his head away and easily avoided his hand.
Hearing Luffy's words, Hancock visibly froze.
She watched as he pulled his head away, yet his gaze remained fixed firmly on her.
A faint blush suddenly rose across her cheeks.
Luffy stared closely at Hancock and at the younger three sisters beside her. No matter what, he was going to say what was in his heart.
With Luffy's personality, he had never been the type to seriously listen when people told stories. Nor was he some blindly kind-hearted person.
Just like with Vivi, his companion.
At first, he had never planned to help her save her kingdom. Everything he did afterward had simply been the result of various accidents pushing him along.
It should have been the same now. After all, the slaves in this prison had nothing to do with him.
But when he looked at Hancock holding onto him while forcing herself to stay calm, then saw the three sisters over there, covered in wounds and wearing torn clothes, the enormous contrast made anger surge fiercely into his chest.
That contrast hit him hard.
He hated seeing his companions suffer more than anything.
The urge to protect them instantly filled his heart.
Without hesitation, he raised his eyes toward everyone and spoke in a firm, ringing voice.
"Sabo, Jinbe, Koala, and Hancock! Whether Fisher Tiger comes tonight or not, I'm only going to do what I think is right! No matter which Hancock it is, I'm going to save her!"
"We're taking them out of here right now!"
"Luffy!"
Hancock instinctively loosened her arms, raising a hand to cover her mouth in shock.
Luffy also stood firmly again.
Looking at the people in front of him, he stretched his hand toward her.
"Come with me. Let's save them."
"Yes!"
Hancock bloomed into a sweet smile and placed her hand firmly in Luffy's palm, accepting without the slightest hesitation.
The others froze for a moment at the sight, but they had already made their decision in their hearts.
Whether it was Fisher Tiger, whom Jinbe deeply respected; Koala's past, carved into her bones, or the memories Sabo had lost because of the Celestial Dragons' cannon fire, all of them had grudges that could not be untangled from the Celestial Dragons and the World Government.
Whether for the oppressed people, for the companions beside them, or for this sea shackled by overwhelming power—
So what if they changed history?
They had only ever wanted to do what they believed was right.
"I didn't expect to be taught a lesson by my little brother. In that case, let us help you."
As Sabo spoke, he suddenly stood up, intense fighting spirit burning in his eyes.
"Indeed. If Boss Tiger knew, he would surely never forgive me for standing aside and doing nothing," Jinbe said in a deep voice, clenching his fists.
"THAT'S RIGHT! WHETHER IT'S BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST OR OUR CURRENT POSITION, AS MEMBERS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY ARMY, WE HAVE NO REASON TO SIT BACK AND WATCH SUCH OPPRESSION HAPPEN!" Koala echoed loudly.
Clearly, whether or not this was true history no longer mattered to them.
…
"Should we tell them that this isn't history at all, and that it's just a scene I created?"
The translucent figures of Uta and Cain stood quietly to the side, watching Luffy and the others' every move.
Everything Luffy's group was experiencing right now was actually the work of the two of them.
"No need. Remember what I said before? That idiot little brother of mine is a block of wood. Hopefully this experience can help that wooden head of his finally understand a little."
Cain looked at Luffy and Hancock holding hands and nodded lightly before turning his gaze toward Jinbe.
After the Summit War, Jinbe and Luffy had not had much chance to interact. This incident was a perfect opportunity to bring him and Luffy closer.
No, it would be more accurate to say it could bring all of them closer.
Cain sincerely hoped they could all gain something from this situation.
As for why this was happening, time had to rewind to when Cain and Uta entered Uta World.
The instant they stepped inside, everything around them changed.
To be precise, the place they were currently in had formed an independent Music Domain, similar to Law's ROOM.
This domain spread outward with Uta's body as its central point.
Every area Uta's Observation Haki could sense would be covered by the domain.
Inside the domain was Uta World.
Because Uta herself was now inside Uta World, aside from the stamina consumed when opening the domain, maintaining it afterward did not place much burden on her.
That was right. Uta could use Haki.
During the months she had spent with Shakky, she had not only learned how to sing like an idol, but had also been training her Haki the entire time.
Perhaps because her Devil Fruit ability was already closely tied to the mind, she was exceptionally sensitive to her surroundings, causing her progress in Observation Haki to be very fast as well.
As for why this situation had suddenly occurred, Cain was not entirely sure.
He also could not tell whether this counted as the awakening of the Sing-Sing Fruit.
After all, Uta's current control over this domain was still very unfamiliar. She could open the domain, but she had no idea how to withdraw it.
In addition, the boundary of Uta World was special. It was impossible to leave simply by walking, so for the time being, the two of them could not get out either.
On top of that, Cain and Uta had fallen in together. When Uta World suddenly changed, Uta had instinctively sung in an attempt to stabilize her ability.
Cain had not thought of defending himself with Haki at all, and as a result, he had also been affected by Uta's ability.
Because of that, strange changes appeared within the domain.
Everyone who fell into it, including Luffy's group, had been swept into the story of One Piece that Cain had once seen.
Garp and the others were no exception.
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