Chapter 163: Each One's Path
Night fell on Warship Island, and a grand banquet was underway at the mountain summit. With the sea breeze brushing against their faces, the scent of salt in the air, wine flowing freely, and a crescent moon reflecting upside-down on the ocean's surface, everyone reveled in carefree joy.
Luo Han , Cole, Whitebeard, Tack, Ellis, Sister Shao, Aishi , Amatsuki, and Sora sat together in a circle. In the center lay an abundance of food and wine. Though laughter filled the air, everyone's eyes kept drifting to one person in particular.
"Oh, come on! Haven't you all stared enough already? You've been doing it since morning! What, is this face that devastatingly handsome that it's impossible to memorize at a glance? Is that why you keep staring?" Luo Han sighed with a helpless smile. Since morning, when he explained everything to Sister Shao and the others, they'd believed him—but still kept staring.
No one responded. Aside from Whitebeard and Cole, everyone continued sneaking glances at Luo Han . The man sitting before them now, with pale blue-white robes and waist-length black hair, looked far too different from the Luo Han they remembered. If not for Cole and Whitebeard's confirmation, it would've been hard to believe this really was Luo Han .
After a while, Aishi said in amazement, "No matter how many times I look, it's still surreal. Aside from your tone and the way you talk, you're completely different. You used to look pretty average, but your presence had this quiet strength to it. Now… well…" She tilted her head. "You're absurdly good-looking, but your aura feels so... plain. Sigh!"
Luo Han shrugged and kept eating, ignoring them. Let them look if they wanted. With his Mind-Mind Fruit powers, changing his appearance was easy—he just didn't feel like reverting back.
Seeing Luo Han uninterested, the others gave up and resumed eating and drinking. The party picked up again.
"Hey, Cole! You really know how to sleep," Aishi teased. "We brought you breakfast this morning, and you didn't even get up! That's the first time I've seen you sleep through a meal. What happened?"
Cole scratched his head and chuckled. "I… don't know. I just felt really good all over, and when I woke up, it was already evening!"
Aishi scowled. "So basically, you said nothing useful."
Cole just laughed, offering no further explanation.
Everyone laughed along. Aishi pouted, thinking they were laughing at her, and shouted, "No one's allowed to laugh!"
...
"HAHAHA—!"
After a brief pause, everyone burst into even louder laughter.
With no choice, Aishi channeled her frustration into attacking the food in front of her. She'd originally planned to tease Cole, but she ended up taking the hit. Still… that meat tasted good. Really good. Soon, her annoyance faded, replaced by the joy of eating.
"This is wonderful," Whitebeard said warmly, watching the lively scene. "I'll be heading off to find my own family soon, but I'm excited about what's to come."
At that moment, Sister Shao spoke softly, "So, what are everyone's plans going forward?"
The air froze for a moment. Aishi 's expression dimmed, and Sora's gaze turned serious. Ellis and Amatsuki didn't react much, but even they stopped eating. Only Cole, Tack, and Whitebeard kept enjoying the food and wine unbothered.
For Cole and Tack, their only plan was to follow Luo Han . Whitebeard had already decided on his path long ago.
After a long silence, Amatsuki suddenly lit up and turned to Ellis. "Hey, Sister Ellis, do you want to come with me to Wano? It's really beautiful there—and full of amazing plants!"
The young girl truly hoped Ellis would come. Her powers could be a huge help to Wano.
"Thank you, Tsuki, but I won't be going to Wano," Ellis replied with a mysterious smile, glancing at Luo Han . "If I went, someone might come chasing after me."
Uh-oh. Luo Han froze, instantly realizing who that "someone" was. Wait, what does this have to do with me?! It's not like I can't live without her… Or… wait. Did Amatsuki see something in the future again? Was there something important she'd need Ellis for later? Luo Han started to wonder.
Amatsuki, now looking annoyed, muttered to herself. I knew I shouldn't have told Ellis so much… She sulked and went back to eating.
"I'm done being a pirate," said Sister Shao with a calm smile. "I'm going to find a dreamlike little island and open a bar. As for you two—Aishi , Sora—I've raised you both. It's time for you to choose your own paths."
Aishi hesitated, lips parting as if to speak—but said nothing. Clearly, they'd already discussed this.
Finally, she said with some sadness, "Then… we'll go with Cole and the others for now. Cole's gotten used to the food Sora and I make. If we suddenly disappeared, he'd probably fall apart."
She shot him a look before quickly adding, "But if it stops being fun, we'll go find big sis again!"
"I feel the same," Sora nodded.
Sister Shao chuckled and turned to Luo Han . "What about you, Luo Han ?"
Sigh. Why does this always come back to me? Luo Han forced a smile. "Well, having two beautiful chefs cook for us? I'd welcome that with open arms!"
Sister Shao laughed. "Then I'll leave them in your care."
"You can count on me!" Luo Han nodded. Then, turning to the group, he said, "Since we're talking plans, here's what's next: tomorrow, we'll take Amatsuki back to Wano. We've already roughly located it.
"After that, we'll stop by Ark Island. I have something to pass on to Tack and the others. Then we'll head to Ring Tree Island—Ellis has something to deal with there.
"And finally, we'll help Sister Shao find that dream island and build her bar. I've got one in mind—we'll check it out together and see if she likes it."
He ended with, "That's about it. What do you all think?"
"Tomorrow? Already?" Amatsuki looked visibly downcast.
"Yeah! Do we really have to go tomorrow?" Aishi added. "I don't want to part ways just yet…"
Luo Han shrugged. "I don't mind. If she wants to stay longer, I'm all for it. But she's been in a hurry to get back for days, so I figured we'd go ahead."
"But…" Aishi started to protest—until Amatsuki grabbed her hand and shook her head.
"I get it," Amatsuki said softly. "We'll go tomorrow. It's about time anyway. I'll head down to pack."
She turned and ran off. Faint sniffles echoed behind her.
"I'm going too!" Aishi called, chasing after her. Sora and Ellis followed shortly after.
And just like that, the lively banquet went silent.
Luo Han looked around, bewildered. What did I do now? I didn't say anything wrong… did I?
With no answers, he turned to Whitebeard and said, "Let's drink." The two picked up their bottles and drank till sunrise.
But Luo Han was out cold by midnight. His body, having been recently rebuilt, was only slightly stronger than a normal human's. It would take months to return to full strength.
(END CHAPTER)
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