Soon, the day of parting arrived.
Rayleigh and Luffy had already left for the island next to Amazon Lily—I don't quite remember the name, the one overrun with giant animals. Shun had dropped Nami and Robin at Weatheria, paying the old scholars there to train Nami. They'd refused at first, but Shun insisted. She would stay to study the weather and train with her Cloud Cloud Fruit.
He was a little confused about Robin's choice to remain there as well, but he didn't press her. Maybe there was something for her on that sky island, too. He promised them both he'd visit often.
---
"Shun? What are you still doing here?" Shakky asked, looking up from behind the counter. "Rayleigh and Straw-chan set sail hours ago."
"I came to get scammed one last time before I head off," Shun replied with a familiar grin.
"Is that so? A beer, then?"
"No, juice. Or milk."
"Fufu~ Still with the childish tastes, I see."
"Got a problem with that?" Shun feigned offense, hand over his heart.
"Not at all~" she chuckled lightly, polishing a glass. "So, what did you really come for?"
Shun's playful expression softened into a sigh. "Honestly? I'm a bit troubled."
"Even the Marines' honorary admiral has problems, hm?" Shakky slipped into her old information-broker tone, though she'd never actually sold anything she knew about him.
"Apparently. I met the so-called most beautiful woman in the world a few days ago."
"Oh?" Her interest was piqued.
"Tried talking to her, but she had zero interest. Seems completely obsessed with Luffy instead." Shun let out a long, weary sigh.
"With Straw-chan?" Shakky mused.
"Yeah. So, any advice for me?"
"From me?"
"Of course. Weren't you the previous generation's most beautiful woman? That's what my 'grandpa' tells me, anyway."
"You've gotten awfully close to that fake grandfather of yours if he's sharing stories like that."
"Once he heard how my fruit works, he wouldn't stop talking. I just asked," Shun explained with a shrug.
"Well… the only advice I can give is to give up."
"Huh?"
"When a Kuja woman falls in love, she's loyal until death. It's better if you let this one go." Shakky's tone was uncharacteristically serious.
Another deep sigh was Shun's only reply for a moment. "Alright, alright. Do you have an Eternal Pose to the island where Luffy's training? I'll check in on them once, then head home."
"I do. But… home? Where is that?"
"My home…" Shun's eyes took on a mischievous glint. "That's the biggest secret I carry. If you want to know, it'll cost you."
"A cost?"
"Mhm. A kiss should cover it."
Shakky nearly dropped her glass. She was over sixty, and her husband was Silvers Rayleigh! A surprised laugh escaped her. "Pfft—!"
"Are you crazy, you brat?!" In a flash, she had him in a playful headlock.
"If the current most beautiful woman isn't into me, it's only natural to aim for the previous one!" Shun's logic was absurd, and in that moment, Shakky felt a pang of understanding for poor Sengoku. If this kept up, things might head somewhere distinctly forbidden.
"Just take this and get out," she said, finally releasing him and pressing an Eternal Pose into his hand before steering him toward the door.
"I wasn't lying, you know," Shun said, grinning from the doorway. "About my home being my greatest secret. It might be a treasure even bigger than the legendary One Piece… at least, that's my guess."
And with that, he was out the door, leaving Shakky shaking her head with a faint, amused smile.
——
The Eternal Pose Shakky had given him was labeled Rusukaina.
'I'll just check in on Luffy's training, then head back,' Shun thought.
He soon arrived above the island and descended. When he landed, he found Rayleigh, Luffy, and Hancock. Rayleigh's instincts were prickling with a sense of immense danger, though the man before them seemed to hold no ill intent.
Hancock was speaking intently to Luffy, but he was ignoring her completely. He rushed to greet Shun instead. Watching it happen, Shun let out a heavy sigh, and Hancock immediately fixed a cool, grudge-holding glare on him.
"How's the training going, Luffy?" Shun asked. The two had become friends back in Sabaody.
"I don't know. No results yet," Luffy answered with a shrug.
"I need you to get stronger, Luffy. After all, you have my important people on your ship. I'll help you train," Shun offered.
"Huh? Are you sure?"
"Positive. I can't stay long, but I'll come by now and then."
"Your next line is, 'Hey, hey, I'm supposed to be his teacher,'" Shun said suddenly, confusing Luffy.
"Hey, hey, I'm supposed to be his teacher," Rayleigh said, appearing behind Luffy.
"!!"
Rayleigh was startled, then his eyes widened in understanding. "Your Observation Haki... it's advanced."
"That's right. Used like this, it's quite fun, isn't it?" Shun's Haki had neared its peak after all his 'devouring' in this world.
"I'll help you with your Conqueror's Haki training," Shun said to Luffy, his tone turning serious. "Try to resist it."
"Okay!" Luffy replied in his usual voice, but his eyes held matching focus.
The next instant, Shun unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, infused with a sliver of his infinite magic. For an easy comparison, its pressure was akin to Gildarts's magic pressure on Tenroujima—the force that had once made even Natsu accept defeat and weep. Shun's version, however, carried a far deadlier edge.
"!!!"
Rayleigh and Hancock stared in shock. The wave of energy crushed nearby stones and splintered trees. Every living creature for miles fled in primal terror. The very air grew dense and crackled with static, laced with visible bolts of black lightning. To their disbelief, the sky itself split, the clouds violently parting above them.
Luffy, bearing the direct brunt of it, was already forced to his knees. Shun knew not to overdo it; his aim was to apply pressure, to force Luffy's will to awaken and fight for itself.
Suddenly, Shun spoke, his voice cutting through the oppressive aura. "Luffy, is that all the resolve you have? There are people in this world who awaken their Haki in a single day. If you can't do better than this, I might just have to kidnap Nami and Robin against their will."
That was enough for the others.
"Stop it! That's enough for now! Are you trying to kill him?!" Hancock shouted, her fury at Shun boiling over. It made his heart ache, but what was gone was gone. For now, his priority was helping Luffy grow stronger, even if a small, bitter thread of jealousy was woven into the pressure he applied.
'Just a little bit,' Shun told himself.
"That's enough!" Rayleigh commanded, unleashing his own Conqueror's Haki to try and shield Luffy. But in that moment, Luffy's eyes flashed with fierce determination. With a raw shout of his own will, he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, trying to counter Shun's. He was utterly overwhelmed, but...
"He awakened it!" Rayleigh and Hancock gasped in unison.
Shun immediately ceased his pressure.
"This... barbaric method actually worked," Hancock muttered, astonished.
"I think it was the threat to kidnap his crew that did it," Rayleigh explained, wiping his brow.
Luffy, feeling the new power humming within him, grinned from ear to ear. "Shun! Thank you!"
"You're welcome," Shun replied with a genuine smile. His petty grudge was settled, and he'd helped a friend take a crucial step forward.
"Your next line is, 'That's some teaching ability you got,'" Shun said.
"That's some teaching ability you got," Rayleigh said, then sighed in exasperation. "Why are you only doing that to me?"
"Well, your wife put me in a headlock and kicked me out this morning before I came here," Shun explained, airing his childish grievance.
Rayleigh was left speechless. This man—stronger than most on the sea, an Honorary Admiral of the Marines—was holding a grudge over something so trivial and taking it out on him?
"'Well, if that satisfies you,'" Shun prompted.
"Well, if that satisfies you," Rayleigh parroted, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"..."
"Pfft—hahaha!" Luffy didn't fully understand the exchange, but Rayleigh's repeated lines were funny enough to set him off.
"Miss Hancock," Shun asked, his tone casual and without much expectation, "how about dinner after this?"
As expected, her reply was immediate and cool. "I decline."
Rayleigh and Luffy watched quietly. Shun could've sworn he saw the ghost of a smirk on the Dark King's face.
This childish old man! Shun thought but held his tongue.
"Well, I'm off then. I'll visit again later." With a soft POP-! he vanished.
"…He's gone."
"Teleportation! That's amazing!" Luffy exclaimed, stars in his eyes.
"What an… energetic young man," Rayleigh sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, back to work. Let's continue your Observation Haki training." He guided a blindfolded Luffy into the forest, where the routine of strikes and dodges resumed.
—
Meanwhile, in the world of Earth Land, on the shores of Tenroujima, the air shimmered and Shun materialized.
"Feels like it's been a long time," he murmured to himself, stretching. Instead of teleporting straight to Magnolia, he decided to fly. Sometimes a man just wanted to feel the wind.
After an hour of leisurely flight, he descended toward the familiar rooftops of his hometown. He landed quietly outside his own home and walked inside, having momentarily forgotten he'd left a tenant in charge.
There, curled on his sofa, was a tiny, sleeping fairy.
Shun softened. He approached without a sound, then conjured a perfect strawberry cake from his magic storage. Gently, he held it just beneath her nose.
"Mmm…" First, her nose twitched. Then her lips moved softly, as if she were tasting the treat in her dream.
"Pfft—" A small chuckle escaped him.
At the sound, the fairy—Mavis—stirred. Her eyes fluttered open. "Cake!"
She blinked, then registered who was holding it. "Ahem. Shun! You're back." She smoothed her dress, pretending she hadn't just exclaimed about dessert.
"I'm back," he said, and a deep weariness finally surfaced on his face. "Nothing feels better than home." With that, he carefully lowered his head onto her small lap as if it were his rightful pillow.
Mavis accepted this without complaint and began gently running her fingers through his hair.
"How was the mission? Are you tired?" she asked, her voice serene and clear.
"It wasn't even worth mentioning—over in a flash. I spent the rest of the time wandering somewhere… new. I'm just mentally tired, I think." He recounted his experiences in a low murmur, and Mavis listened, nodding now and then.
Then, to his surprise, she began to sing. Her voice was a clear, beautiful whisper, weaving a gentle lullaby that seemed to settle in the air itself.
"Do you think I'm a child?" he mumbled, already half-lost.
She simply smiled and continued. Within half a minute, his breathing steadied, and Shun had drifted into the dream world.