Cain hung up the Den Den Mushi and let out a quiet sigh.
There was still no news about Ace.
He had considered using Ace's Vivre Card to track him down, but by the time Cain actually found him, there was a good chance he would miss the wedding himself.
Worse, Uta had specifically sent him out to bring people back.
Now he had failed to find one of them.
How was he supposed to explain that when he returned?
And on top of that, this trip meant Cain had technically broken his promise not to stay far away from Uta again.
Yes, Uta herself had been the one to send him.
But a broken promise was still a broken promise.
"Man… what am I supposed to do now?"
The words had barely left his mouth when Rayleigh suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Cain by the shoulders, and shook him violently.
"What did you just say?! Shanks is getting married?! When did this happen?"
"I-In a few days!"
Cain's voice shook along with his body.
"I came here to pick up Ace and Luffy, but Ace wasn't—"
"Why were you only thinking about those two?"
Rayleigh tightened his grip.
"You weren't planning to bring this old man?"
"I watched that brat grow up too, you know."
"You can come if you want. Bring Big Sis Shakky too…"
Cain suddenly froze.
Then he slapped a fist into his palm.
"That's right!"
"I almost forgot about you guys."
He had been so focused on gathering Makino's side of the family that he had completely forgotten Shanks still had an entire ship's worth of old monsters from the previous era who counted as family too.
And if they were talking about Roger's former crew, there was no way they could forget Crocus at Reverse Mountain.
Cain was currently on the Mary Geoise side of the Red Line, while Crocus was all the way on the opposite side.
That was a long distance.
But Reverse Mountain was close enough to Loguetown that Sabo could probably make the trip in time and pick him up.
As for the others…
Cain turned toward Rayleigh.
"You should still have a way to contact the rest of the Roger Pirates, right?"
"We probably can't bring everyone there in person, but we could at least set up an encrypted broadcast."
Rayleigh finally released him and looked toward the distant horizon.
A faint smile tugged at his mouth.
"Those old bastards are scattered all over the place nowadays…"
"But getting in touch with them shouldn't be impossible."
"Then it's settled."
Cain turned toward the forest.
"I'm going to check on Luffy."
…
More than ten minutes later, Luffy had already regained consciousness.
He sat on the ground rubbing the enormous bump on his head, muttering,
"Cain's gotten really strong…"
There was not a trace of discouragement in his voice.
His injuries were not particularly serious.
Cain had only misjudged his strength. Unlike Kaido in the original timeline, he had not been deliberately trying to crush Luffy with the attack.
Hancock stood nearby glaring holes into Cain, looking as though she would happily kick him in the face several more times.
Cain cleared his throat and asked Luffy if he knew where Ace had gone.
Luffy shook his head.
He had no idea either.
All he knew was that Ace had gone to the New World.
That meant Cain would have to think of another way.
For now, he decided to tell Luffy about Shanks' wedding.
But after glancing toward Hancock, Cain hesitated.
Rayleigh walked over at that moment and gave him a reassuring look.
Hancock could keep a secret.
Cain relaxed.
He walked directly in front of Luffy, crouched down, and met his eyes.
"Luffy."
"I need to take you back to Windmill Village for a little while."
"To see Shanks."
"Huh?"
Luffy's head snapped up.
His eyes widened.
"Shanks?"
"Shanks is back in the East Blue?"
"Yeah."
Cain nodded.
"He's getting married."
"I wanted to bring you to the wedding."
Luffy's excitement lasted exactly one second.
Then it disappeared.
In its place came an expression Cain had never seen on his face before.
There was no hesitation.
No sadness.
Only complete clarity.
Luffy shook his head firmly.
"No."
Cain froze.
"It's not time for me to see him yet."
Luffy's voice was quiet.
He turned his head, looking through the shadows of the trees toward a nearby rock.
His straw hat rested on top of it.
The red band was still the same color it had always been, though a thin layer of dust now covered the brim.
Luffy did not stand up to retrieve it.
He simply stared.
"Shanks and I made a promise."
His voice grew deeper.
"I'm only supposed to meet him again after I become a great pirate."
"After I surpass him."
"Then I'll give that hat back."
A breeze drifted through the forest.
The brim of the straw hat trembled slightly.
"Even if it's Shanks' wedding…"
"I can't go."
Luffy clenched his fist.
Memories surged uncontrollably through his mind.
Sabaody Archipelago.
Himself kneeling on the ground, pounding his fists against the earth as his crewmates disappeared one after another.
Reaching out helplessly and failing to save even one of them.
The suffocating helplessness of trying to rescue Ace.
Every enemy.
Every desperate struggle.
Every moment when what he wanted seemed only inches away, yet still beyond his reach.
And the words Shanks had spoken when he placed that straw hat on his head.
"I can't just break that promise because I feel like it."
"And I can't go see him first."
Luffy gritted his teeth hard enough for them to grind faintly.
"Because right now…"
"I'm still not strong enough."
His Conqueror's Haki erupted.
An invisible force burst from his body.
Leaves shook free from the branches and spiraled through the air. Pebbles rolled beneath their feet, and for a heartbeat, the atmosphere itself seemed to stop.
Hancock took half a step backward and bit her lip as she stared at Luffy's back.
"Luffy…"
Cain stood still.
The pressure whipped the edges of his clothes around him, but he did not move.
He simply looked into Luffy's eyes.
There was no anger there.
No disappointment.
Only resolve.
Of course Luffy wanted to see Shanks.
He wanted to tell him about his incredible crewmates.
He wanted Shanks to see that he was not a little kid anymore.
That he had become much stronger.
He wanted to tell him everything that had happened over all these years.
But he would not.
Because it still was not enough.
Rayleigh had watched the entire scene from the side.
He removed his glasses, wiped them clean, then put them back on and released a long breath.
"Well, well…"
He shook his head.
"Looks like you may have made this trip for nothing, Cain."
The wind continued blowing.
The straw hat shifted slightly atop the stone.
"After all…"
Rayleigh's gaze moved past Luffy, past the hat, and through decades of memory.
"This is a promise between men."
"You don't break one of those lightly."
"Exactly!"
Luffy suddenly raised both arms and shouted,
"I'M THE MAN WHO'S GOING TO BECOME THE PIRATE KING!"
"If I can't even keep a promise like this, then how could I ever deserve to achieve that dream?!"
Cain blinked.
Then, before thinking, he blurted out,
"Well, in that case, Hancock's going to have to work hard."
"…Huh?"
Three heads tilted at the exact same time.
Six eyes locked onto Cain.
"Ah."
Cain hurriedly waved both hands.
"Slip of the tongue."
Only now did he properly think through the situation.
They were already keeping this trip secret from Shanks.
But if Luffy truly believed the promise had to be honored, then that was the end of it.
If Luffy had eagerly agreed to come without hesitation…
then he would not have been Luffy.
And if Cain knew Shanks, with that bastard's mysterious habit of always seeming to plan ten steps ahead…
Shanks probably would not choose to meet Luffy right now either.
He would most likely say the exact same thing.
'It's not time yet.'
Great.
So Cain had absolutely no chance of bringing Luffy back.
Even if he somehow dragged him to Windmill Village, Shanks would probably refuse to meet him.
It reminded Cain of the promise he and Uta had made before the Summit War.
That would be the last time Cain left her behind.
Even though Uta herself had personally ordered him to go out and pick everyone up this time, Cain still felt uncomfortable about it.
A promise was a promise.
Once you made one, you could not casually throw it away.
Cain's shoulders slumped completely.
"What is wrong with all of you?"
"Do you have any idea how sad Big Sis Makino will be if you guys aren't there?"
"Big Sis Makino?"
Luffy blinked.
He clearly had no idea why Cain had suddenly mentioned her.
"Yeah."
Cain looked directly at him.
"She's the bride."
"So are you really sure you don't want to come?"
"I…"
Luffy dragged the word out.
Then fell silent.
Cain's eyes immediately brightened.
There was hope!
Had Luffy changed his mind?
Maybe Cain could talk Shanks around once they got there.
"So?"
Cain leaned closer.
"Changed your mind?"
Luffy tilted his head.
His face was filled with genuine confusion.
"First tell me what a wedding is."
"And what's a bride?"
"Hancock talks about those things all the time, but I still don't really get it."
Everyone nearly collapsed on the spot.
Cain slapped his forehead.
Right.
He had almost forgotten.
This was Luffy.
A man practically certified by fate itself as completely immune to romance.
Though Cain could not help wondering—
Did Luffy's rubber body somehow insulate him from romantic sparks too?
By the time Cain patiently finished explaining what marriage and weddings were, Luffy's brain had completely crashed.
Shanks on one side.
Makino on the other.
A promise on one side.
Family on the other.
Luffy had no idea what to do anymore.
Even when Cain compromised and suggested letting him watch the wedding through a live broadcast, Luffy still shook his head.
As far as he was concerned, that would also violate the spirit of the promise.
Which only made him even more miserable.
In the end, Rayleigh came up with a solution.
Since they were already planning an encrypted broadcast anyway, and Shanks and Luffy could not meet directly, they could simply record the entire wedding.
Rayleigh could show Luffy the recording afterward.
The wedding and Luffy's viewing of it would happen at different times.
But the feelings behind it would still be real.
Cain thought it over.
It was actually a pretty good solution.
And with Ace currently impossible to reach, they would have to do the same thing for him anyway.
It was the best compromise available, even if none of them were entirely happy about it.
Cain still needed to inform Uta.
When he contacted her, Uta accepted the situation without complaint.
Not everything went according to plan.
Some things simply could not be made perfect.
And when Cain admitted that he still felt guilty about breaking their promise by leaving her, even though she had personally sent him out, Uta gently told him not to blame himself.
Cain felt warmth spread through his chest.
After asking Uta to tell Sabo to go pick up the others, he turned toward Rayleigh.
"I'll leave the recording with you."
"When Ace comes back, show it to him too. That way, he won't completely miss everything and regret it later."
Cain paused.
"Master Rayleigh, sorry to trouble you."
"You little brat."
Rayleigh snorted.
"You only remember I'm your master when you need something from me."
"You're the one who told me not to call you Master in public!"
Cain immediately protested.
"Bwahaha! Fine, fine. Call me whatever you want."
Rayleigh laughed.
"Leave the recording to me."
Then an unusually sinister smile appeared on the Dark King's face.
Cain had never seen that expression on him before.
The idea of recording the wedding had only occurred to Rayleigh moments ago.
But now that he had personally been entrusted with the recording…
another thought immediately sprang to mind.
Scopper Gaban.
That eternal number three who was always trying to compete with Rayleigh for second place and never quite managed it.
Rayleigh had been debating whether to tell him about the wedding.
After all, Shanks' territory was right around the waters where Gaban currently lived.
Shanks visited that old number three often enough.
Yet somehow he hardly ever came to visit Rayleigh.
Well then.
Why tell him?
Luffy and Ace were already going to miss the wedding.
What was one more person?
Rayleigh could attend the whole thing, keep the recording, then casually mention it to Gaban afterward.
That bastard would be furious.
He would definitely demand to see it.
Hehehe…
And when that happened, Rayleigh would make him come personally and beg for it.
The more Rayleigh thought about it, the stranger his smile became.
Cain felt a chill run down his back.
Luffy tilted his head.
Hancock frowned.
All three suddenly felt an inexplicable cold sensation.
Someone, somewhere, was definitely about to have a very bad day.
…
Far away in Elbaf, Gaban suddenly sneezed.
"Achoo!"
He immediately looked up at the sky and roared furiously,
"DAMN IT! I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO GUESS!"
"RAYLEIGH, YOU ETERNAL NUMBER THREE! YOU'RE TALKING SHIT ABOUT ME AGAIN, AREN'T YOU?!"
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator