Chapter 162: A New Beginning
New World—Warship Island. The sun was about to rise, and a soft glow was already spreading across the horizon.
On the island, some people were starting their day, cooking, stretching, exercising. With no pirates or marines causing trouble, everything felt peaceful. Life was calm and content.
Whoosh whoosh! Riding the salty breeze of dawn, Luo Han and the others quietly landed atop the mountain on Warship Island. The summit, which Luo Han had once flattened, was still smooth after nearly a year. Gently, he placed Cole down.
Whitebeard landed as well, utterly exhausted. He didn't even try to act tough—he just lay down flat.
"Phew… We're back. Let me sleep for a bit," Whitebeard muttered. And with that, he immediately dozed off.
"Guess he's more hurt than he's letting on," Luo Han chuckled to himself.
No need for words of thanks—those were recorded in the heart. He turned to look at Cole, whose condition had already started to improve. Say what you will, the people of this world really did have impressive natural recovery abilities. But treatment was still necessary—he looked like he was in pain.
"What about you? Do you need to rest first?" Luo Han asked, looking at Ellis.
"No need, Luo Han -nii. Let's begin right away," Ellis replied softly. She floated over to Cole's side and used her power to connect with the mountain's plants. Before long, a glowing green orb about a meter wide gathered before her. She split off a smaller portion and gave it to Whitebeard, then channeled the rest into Cole's body.
Immediately, Cole's body began to heal at a visibly rapid pace. His wounds closed, and his complexion returned to normal.
Though, he seemed to still be asleep—probably too exhausted to wake just yet.
"What a useful power. You're a great healer! Aishi would love you," Luo Han commented, slipping into his usual habit of light teasing.
Whoosh! A breeze swept across the summit. Now only Luo Han and Ellis remained. An awkward silence fell. Neither spoke—mainly because Luo Han didn't know what to say.
"What's wrong, Luo Han -nii?" Ellis asked as she folded her hands behind her back, floating to his front with a curious expression.
That familiar "Luo Han -nii" made Luo Han 's eye twitch. He quickly corrected her, "No! Just call me Luo Han . That whole 'big brother' thing was me being a cringy teenager. Let's just be bros…?"
Wait. That didn't sound right either. He waved it off with an awkward laugh. "I mean, friends! Let's just be friends, okay?"
After all, she was the spirit of a divine tree who had lived for centuries. Calling him "big brother" felt off. Looking back now, it was clearly part of his desperate protagonist fantasy—like in stories where the main character gains a younger sister after a mysterious encounter… and then what? He couldn't remember.
Just then, a shiver ran down Luo Han 's spine. He tightened his robe, sensing a sudden chill in the air.
"Luo Han -nii, are you looking down on me because I'm old?" Ellis' voice was soft as always, but the freezing aura radiating from her suggested something much darker. It wasn't a question—it was a trap.
Luo Han forced a smile. "Not at all! I'd never think that! Look at you—you're still tiny. No way you're old!"
Tiny? Ellis glanced down at herself. She wasn't tiny. Then she looked at Luo Han and seemed to realize something.
Smiling slyly, she said, "Luo Han -nii, I can change my size anytime. I can be as big… or as small… as you want. But I'm out of energy right now. Once I get back to Ring Tree Island and activate my main body, I can fulfill your every desire."
NOPE. That was not his desire. Luo Han frantically waved his hands. If it were up to him, he'd call the police. Hello? 911? There's a tree driving a car at illegal speeds—dangerous to public order!
Ellis giggled at his panicked reaction. Then, gently, she said, "Just call me Ellis from now on. For some reason, when you say 'Ellis,' it sounds weird to me.
"So I'll call you Luo Han , and you'll call me Ellis . How's that?"
Faced with her big-sister-like tone, Luo Han felt weirdly unprepared.
But as long as she didn't call him "big brother," he was fine with it. Smiling, he nodded, "Alright. I'll keep calling you Ellis ."
Whoosh! Another breeze passed. Silence returned. They still didn't know what to say.
Ellis found it amusing. She floated to Luo Han 's side, quiet as ever. Together, they watched the sunrise. The sun was finally climbing over the sea's edge.
A long time passed… and finally the sun fully emerged. Ellis whispered, "You know, I actually really liked being called Ellis . But ever since I gained a human body, I didn't want others to call me that anymore. Maybe it was part of starting a new journey.
"That's why I gave myself the name Ellis . I told you that when I saved you.
"But just now… I realized I still like hearing you call me Ellis . Maybe I'm afraid of forgetting who I was. After all, I used to just quietly observe humans on my own, and I learned so much from watching you all. Forgetting the past… is terrifying."
She turned to him and said sincerely, "Thank you, Luo Han —for finding me that Human-Human Fruit. I really like it."
"I'm glad you do," Luo Han smiled. He didn't say much more—just noted to himself that the beautiful divine tree next to him was quite the poetic soul.
Forgetting who you are… yeah, that's scary, Luo Han thought, gazing out at the sea.
Then he remembered something he'd never asked.
"Ellis , how did you actually eat the Devil Fruit?" he asked curiously.
Ellis paused, then replied calmly, "Back then, you placed me in the box with the fruit. The aura from the fruit woke me up. Then I just… ate it." She looked at Luo Han seriously. "But don't ask me how I did it. I'm not telling, and you better not imagine anything weird."
"Okay! I won't!" Luo Han said quickly. But his eyes drifted, clearly already conjuring strange mental images. After all, he had never seen how a fruit could eat another fruit…
"You… sigh," Ellis sighed, seeing right through him. She didn't even know what to say.
She decided to ignore him for now and just enjoy the view. The red sun rising above the sea felt so different now compared to when she was a tree. The breeze on her face, the salty air—it all felt real.
Time passed.
By now, almost everyone on the island was awake. Sister Shao and the others were heading into town for breakfast.
Walking along the wide streets, Shao, Aishi , and Tian Yueshi walked hand-in-hand like sisters, chatting about where to eat.
Suddenly, the three of them stopped, then looked toward the mountain with joy in their eyes. After exchanging excited glances, they headed toward the nearest restaurant.
…
(END CHAPTER)
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