The bay was packed with people, their cheers shaking the sky.
Neptune's family and the many soldiers of the King Army stood in formation, seeing Leno and the others off.
Beside the Gale, Princess Shirahoshi held Leno's hand with one hand, tears pouring down her face like rain.
"Lord Leno, are you really leaving? We finally managed to get you to come, and now you're going already~ sob sob…"
The little girl sniffled so hard she could barely speak. "Lord Leno, please stay just one more day… no, one more week… no, no, one more year…"
Seeing Shirahoshi start acting shamelessly, Leno couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. Still, he steeled his heart and spoke gently:
"Shirahoshi, don't cry. There's no banquet that doesn't end someday. You have to take good care of yourself on Fish-Man Island, okay~"
"..."
It took a long while before they finally managed to calm the little girl down.
"Lord Leno, take care on your journey!" Neptune stepped forward and shook Leno's hand solemnly, his eyes filled with reluctance.
"Mmm. You all take care too!" Leno nodded, then turned to look at Jinbe beside him and said with a smile, "Jinbe, we'll meet again in the New World!"
"It's a promise!"
Leno raised his head and swept his gaze around. A wide smile spread across his face as he waved and called out loudly:
"Everyone, goodbye~"
"Goodbye, Lord Leno~" A small starfish in the crowd jumped excitedly, shaking its little hands with all its might.
In a corner, a tall fish-man wearing a hood held a pipe and watched Leno and the others sail away, his expression complicated and unreadable.
"Goodbye~"
"Thank you, Lord Thunder God~"
"You have to come back again someday~"
"..."
As the ship set sail, the crowd on the shore erupted into thunderous farewell cheers.
Goodbyes and blessings rose and fell without end.
At the railing, Yamato, Chopper, and the others all wore smiles as they waved continuously toward the shore.
This trip to Fish-Man Island could truly be said to have yielded abundant rewards.
Especially Nami—over the past two days, her mouth practically never closed.
First, she had gained a large amount of treasure from the Dragon Palace's treasury. Then, through a mix of coaxing and trickery, she had shamelessly gotten a ton of clothes from Pappag for free.
She had never been treated this well before—she even wanted to stay here forever and never leave!
Watching the ship's receding silhouette, Neptune withdrew his gaze and glanced at his three sons, speaking in a deep voice:
"This debt of gratitude—you must remember it in your hearts!"
"Yes, Father!"
Prince Fukaboshi answered first. Even if their father hadn't said anything, they would never forget Leno's great kindness.
He turned to look at his sister, only to see her roughly wipe away her tears before leaping straight into the sea, chasing after the departing ship.
"Shirahoshi—"
Before he could even finish calling out, Shirahoshi had already swum far away, leaving him only able to watch helplessly as she disappeared into the distance.
On the Gale, everyone was still reminiscing on deck about the wonderful days they had spent on Fish-Man Island when, suddenly, a massive splash exploded beside the ship.
Shirahoshi's enormous figure emerged, water spraying everywhere. She grabbed onto the hull with both hands, looking at Leno with tear-filled eyes.
"Lord Leno~" She pouted, her voice full of grievance. "I don't want to part with you! Waaa…"
Seeing the little girl crying so pitifully, Leno felt awful inside. He didn't want to part with her either.
But there was no helping it—her size made it impossible for her to come aboard.
As for letting her eat that Size Fruit? Leno didn't even consider it.
What a joke. She was a Sea King!
If, for the sake of his own selfishness, he gave her a weakness like fear of water, Leno felt he would never be able to bear that sin.
"Little Shirahoshi, don't cry~" Leno said as he took out an item and handed it forward with a grin. "I've got a gift for you!"
"This is…?" Shirahoshi looked at the small box in Leno's hand, accepted it, and looked at him with confusion.
"Our adventurers' flag!" Leno glanced at his crew, then turned and declared loudly, "Shirahoshi, from today onward, you're an adventurer too!"
"R-really, Lord Leno?"
Shirahoshi's eyes widened in shock. Her heart pounded violently as joy burst forth in her gaze.
She carefully opened the box. Inside was a neatly folded flag.
She… was an adventurer now?
She solemnly held the box in her hands, pressing it tightly against her chest as tears once again slipped down uncontrollably.
"Lord Leno, I—I…"
"Little Shirahoshi, you cry way too much. That won't do~" Nami stepped forward, hands on her hips, looking up at the tearful girl. "If you're an adventurer now, you have to be brave~"
"I-I'm sorry, Lady Nami~ I'll definitely change!" Shirahoshi said softly, hurriedly wiping away her tears and making a serious promise, as if afraid Nami might be angry.
Seeing Shirahoshi desperately holding back her tears, all the things Nami wanted to say next got swallowed back down.
She was instantly overwhelmed by how adorable she was—far too cute!
After everyone took turns giving Shirahoshi a few words of advice, Leno continued:
"Little Shirahoshi, take good care of things on Fish-Man Island. We'll come back to pick you up someday!"
"We'll take you to see the sun, see the stars, and let you experience the real forests on land!"
"Mmm~" Her voice trembling slightly, Shirahoshi nodded vigorously, then silently extended her little finger toward Leno.
Seeing this, Leno couldn't help but laugh. She really was just a child.
He extended his little finger and gently hooked hers, smiling as he said, "Then it's a promise!"
Seeing this, the crew all joined in with laughter, shouting together, "It's a promise!"
"Lord Leno, everyone…"
Shirahoshi's gaze swept over every person on the ship. Tears welled up in her eyes as her lips trembled, but she tried her best to hold them back.
A promise made must be kept.
From now on, she would work hard not to cry, and wait for everyone to come back for her.
...
"Hey, you big idiot—what did you whisper into Shirahoshi's ear earlier? She looked so shocked."
Not long after leaving Fish-Man Island, Nami impatiently latched onto Leno.
She was far too curious. That bastard Leno was definitely up to something again.
Always so secretive—and right in front of them too!
Leno shot her a sideways glance, then smiled mysteriously and said proudly:
"Really want to know?"
"Mhm~"
"Not telling you! Hahaha…" With a loud laugh, Leno turned and quickly walked away.
Nami froze for a moment after being feinted like that. Then she flew into a rage and chased after him.
As she ran, she shouted, "You damn idiot, stop right there! I'll bite you to death!"
Watching the two of them fool around, everyone else could only shake their heads in exasperation.
After all this time, those two still hadn't changed at all—just like kids.
At the railing, Robin turned her head, resting her chin on one hand as she watched Leno and Nami with a smile, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.
Logically speaking, once Shirahoshi had joined the adventurers, there was no need to give her a flag as well.
So what, exactly, was that flag for?
…
…