Chapter 55
"I've decided to disembark here. Thank you for your care all this time."
Standing in front of Whitebeard and saying this, you feel incredibly unfair. You've been taken care of by Whitebeard's crew, and you're about to disembark without being able to repay them materially. This decision to leave the ship was made after weighing the pros and cons of continuing on board versus finding a place to stay.
That's why, despite being treated so well by everyone on the Moby Dick, you didn't dare look up at Whitebeard's expression. Even though you were mentally prepared to be scolded, your hands, clasped together at your lower abdomen, tightened in the silent atmosphere.
The white-bearded man, seated in the main seat, remained silent. He lifted the curtain, glanced at Mihawk standing not far away, and chuckled softly, "Looks like my sons are still far from being good enough."
Whitebeard then whispered something, but you couldn't hear it clearly due to the volume and distance. You could barely make out the word "Shanks".
You don't know much about Whitebeard, but judging from his tone, you can tell he's not upset about your decision to leave the ship, which puts your mind at ease. In contrast, Whitebeard doesn't ask further about your reasons for making this decision. Instead, like a father, he smiles and offers his blessings.
"Go, live the life you want to live."
"However, my sons will cause some trouble before we set sail, so I'll have to ask you to bear with them."
As he finished speaking, Whitebeard let out his signature laugh, as if recalling some amusing scene. You weren't quite sure what Whitebeard was thinking, but his reaction was undoubtedly a calming effect, allowing you, who had been on edge talking to him, to breathe a sigh of relief.
As for saying goodbye to the others, it's probably because you spent more time with the other crew members, and you felt more nervous saying goodbye to them than talking to Whitebeard.
-
No matter when or where, pirate banquets always pass by amidst seemingly harmless shouts and laughter, and off-key, even somewhat unpleasant, singing. If you were to ask what makes this banquet different from the others, you'd probably guess it's you, standing among a crowd holding a juice.
You're not a big drinker, and your alcohol tolerance is average. Given the seriousness of the situation, you choose to drink juice—something that won't interfere with your business. That said, you intend to walk into Marco's encirclement with your juice to discuss disembarking, but because you can't think of anything to say, you stand outside the encirclement for quite a while.
Even before the draft was ready, Harta appeared, having lost the rock-paper-scissors game and heading towards the encirclement to get the barbecue. In the scene where both you and Mihawk were present, Harta selectively ignored Mihawk and stood next to you to strike up a conversation.
"Why is it juice? Did they drink all the wine?"
Harta frowned upon noticing the juice in your hand, preparing to turn and call for a teammate nearby to bring some alcohol. Luckily, you reacted quickly, explaining the incongruous presence of juice at the banquet.
"No, it's just that I wanted to drink juice, and I'm not good at drinking alcohol."
"That's fine then."
As Harta spoke, he glanced at Mihawk, who was standing silently beside you. Although he didn't say anything to Mihawk, the fact that Harta walked around to the middle of you and Mihawk, physically separating you, showed that he didn't like Mihawk very much.
"Go see what those guys are talking about; they always have to bother outsiders."
Meeting Harta's undisguised smile, you tried to observe Mihawk's reaction out of the corner of your eye. However, Harta's height made this "human wall" impenetrable, and unable to see Mihawk's reaction, you had no choice but to give up and follow Harta into the encirclement.
As for Mihawk, who was considered an "outsider" by Harta, he felt helpless about it, but considering that you were indeed taken care of by Whitebeard's crew, he took the initiative to slow down and follow behind you.
Perhaps accustomed to your presence, even though your arrival was somewhat abrupt, the sharp-eyed Ace made room for you beside him, at the cost of leaving little space for Marco, who was closest to Ace. Meeting Marco's helpless gaze, you returned his apologetic smile, and he waved his hand to indicate that you shouldn't take it to heart.
When you turn your attention back to Ace, he happily shares the topic of conversation with you.
"We were just talking about going to the next island, but we haven't decided on a direction yet. Do you have any islands you'd like to visit?"
It has to be said that the topic of Ace has solved the problem of starting a conversation for you. Although you haven't thought of a specific dialogue yet, acting on the situation is much easier than finding a topic later.
"Speaking of this, there's something I'd like to tell you all."
As soon as these words were spoken, the group that had been chatting and laughing just a second ago fell silent, and everyone's eyes fell on you. Ace, who was closest to you, had a "what's wrong?" expression on his face, but he didn't break the existing atmosphere and handed over the control of the conversation to you. This atmosphere made you a little regretful.
But the words have already been spoken, and it's unrealistic to take them back now; the outcome of parting ways with them won't change. After adjusting your mindset, you exhale and try to make your voice calm.
"Thank you all for taking care of me during this time."
Harta, who occupies the empty space to your left, raises an eyebrow and tries to change the atmosphere with a cheerful tone.
"Why are you suddenly saying all this? It sounds like—"
"Halta".
Before Harta could finish speaking, Sachi, standing beside him, interrupted him. Harta, seeing the connection between Harta's decision to switch from alcohol to juice and his prolonged hesitation to approach Harta, looked rather displeased but didn't continue.
When the power of conversation returned to you, you hesitated. The silence, bordering on cold, was enough to reveal their attitudes towards the topic. But separation was inevitable; it was only a matter of time.
"Although it's a bit sudden, I'll be saying goodbye to everyone after tonight."
I said it.
Amidst the silence of the crowd, you silently breathed a sigh of relief at your actions. The hand holding the cup trembled slightly in the unusually quiet atmosphere, a stark contrast to the cheerful laughter around you.
Perhaps sensing your unease, Ace, to your right, raised his glass first, a smile on his face as bright as the campfire.
"I see. Then tonight we should definitely celebrate your new direction!"
With Ace leading the way, Marco, who was still thinking about how to comfort his brother afterward, breathed a sigh of relief and followed Ace's actions, raising the wine glass beside him to the same height as Ace.
"Although the journey ahead may be a little lonely without a companion, as Ace said, it's something to celebrate."
"If you're unhappy outside, you can come back anytime."
Following the sound, you see Izang meeting your gaze with a smile that reveals no emotion, though his exquisite makeup appears somewhat forlorn at this moment. Sachi, sitting to Izang's left, pauses slightly, then, realizing something, smirks, giving you a smile that reveals no flaw, but his message is directed at Mihawk, who is not far from the encirclement.
"Don't think you can relax now. If she's unhappy, we can take her away anytime!"
Faced with Sachi's warning, Mihawk, still holding a wine glass, remained silent, earning only a harmless taunt from Sachi. Meanwhile, you, who hadn't explicitly stated who you were going with, silently lowered your head at Sachi's warning to Mihawk. Clearly, even without your explicit statement, they already knew where you were headed.
Seeing this, Sachi, who did not receive a response from Mihawk, was not discouraged and steered the conversation back to you.
"Are you really going to go with that taciturn guy? Wouldn't you be happier on the ship with us around than with a taciturn guy?"
"Exactly, no matter what your relationship was with that guy before, we're the ones you're closest to now."
Harta, who had remained silent since hearing the news of your departure, seized the opportunity, expressing his displeasure at your impending departure in his words. Meeting Harta's blue eyes, filled with resentment and sorrow, you couldn't find the right words to respond.
The reason is simple: logically and emotionally, Harta's words were irrefutable. Therefore, even though Sachi and the others wanted to say something to ease the tension, they couldn't utter a single word. And it was Ace, who had supported you from the beginning, who broke the deadlock.
"Well, whoever it is, as long as she chooses them, they can't be bad."
"However, I'm still a little worried about you going with someone else. Let's exchange life cards. That way, neither you nor we can find each other."
You don't really like the feeling of being able to be found anywhere, but Ace's smile and reasons make it hard for you to refuse, and your resistance to the Vivre Card weakens a bit.
"That's true. With the Life Card, it will be much easier for me to visit you guys later."
The atmosphere lightens as Ace and you talk, and Marco, who is usually composed in public, also teases you and Mihawk about the topic.
Marco: "Yeah, it's the kind of boat that someone had to row for a long time before you came out!"
Ace: "Then we'd have to set off a month earlier?"
Izang: "Depending on the distance, it may be earlier."
Harta: "So it's really better not to get off the ship. It's so inconvenient for you to leave the island."
Sachi: "Although I wanted to say that too, now that you've mentioned it, I need to go to the kitchen and see what food I can pack for her."
Basically, as soon as he was speaking, Sachi got up and turned towards the direction where the ship was moored. Before leaving, he called the crew members to come back to the ship with him to get more ingredients. His superb execution didn't even give you time to call him to stop.
"I always feel like I owe even more debt."
You sighed softly, and Marco, who had switched places with Ace at some point, sat down next to you and started teasing you about your whispers.
"If you want, you can stay and continue to 'pay off your debts,' and those guys should be happy to do so."
Marco didn't explicitly say who it was, but you knew who it was, so you shook your head with a wry smile and declined Marco's offer.
"Please spare me, this will only cause the debt to snowball."
Although leaving with Mihawk also means incurring a "debt" with someone else, Mihawk's identity, the conditions he offered, and your subconscious trust in him make you put the "debt" out of your mind.
Marco, who knew you well, smiled and raised his glass to you: "No matter the outcome, the person you chose won't be too bad."
Marco said the same thing as Ace, but the same words sound different when said by someone else. In Marco's words, it was more of an older brother's trust in a younger person. Thinking of this, you raised your glass of juice and clinked it against Marco's.
Thank you for your kind words.
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