Chapter 424: Reunion
Soon, Elbaf's dedicated fire brigade arrived and joined in the fire rescue.
Yes. To protect the Treasure Tree Adam, Elbaf, a nation of battle-crazed people, actually had a dedicated fire brigade on standby at all times, which showed the high status of the Treasure Tree Adam in their hearts.
And while everyone was busy with the fire in front of them, a figure walked through the crowd and into the field, stopping behind Red-Hair.
Her hoodie was red and white, just like her hair color. Her sleeves were very loose, able to hide both her hands. Uta pursed her lips and quietly looked at the back in front of her.
On the way here, she had actually imagined all sorts of meeting scenarios, and all sorts of greetings. There were tsundere ones, for example:
'I've finally found you, you bastard Shanks.'
There were also angry accusations, like 'You bastard! You actually left me in that place and ran away!' and the like.
Or resentful questions: 'Why haven't you come to find me for so many years!'
And pretending she had already let it go, she would smile with a feigned ease and say, 'I've finally seen you, Shanks.'
In short, she had thought of many, many things. But at this moment of truly meeting, the countless words that had been bottled up in her heart passed through her throat but were stuck at her lips.
Uta pursed her lips and slowly lowered her head, wringing her hands, at a loss.
She thought it would be good if that idiot Luffy were here. Just like when they were children, as long as Luffy grinned傻笑着 and rushed towards Shanks, she could very naturally follow and run up, so she wouldn't be so awkward now.
Just as she was lowering her head and struggling with how to speak, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her.
Seeing the pair of straw sandals that were the same as always, Uta's eyes were stunned for a moment. She slowly raised her head, and her line of sight moved upwards, until a resolute face with flowing red hair was reflected in her eyes.
"I'm relieved to see you're alright. For a father to say such a thing... it probably makes me seem very incompetent."
Shanks smiled at her, his tone very gentle, and with a kind of steadiness unique to an adult.
He wrapped his one arm around her shoulders, his palm gently on her back, and pulled the still-dazed Uta into his embrace. Shanks's voice was soft as he spoke close to her ear.
"Long time no see, Uta. You've grown so tall."
"You bastard... you bastard Shanks... I...!"
Uta's voice trembled. She bit her upper lip tightly, and tears and snot streamed down her face uncontrollably.
"I! I!"
Tears welled up from the bottom of her eyes. Her choked throat could no longer utter a single word. Uta could only bury her head in Shanks's chest, her hands tightly gripping his collar as she sobbed.
The young girl's crystal-clear teardrops fell one by one to the ground. Shanks did not speak, but just held her with a pained heart, regretting that he could not use both of his arms.
At this moment, the two seemed to have been isolated from the clamor outside. They stood in another, quiet time and space. Only the red glow of the fire could still shine on their existence.
Beckman, Lucky Roux, Yasopp, and the others stood not far away, watching quietly with gratified smiles, not making a sound to disturb this tender moment of father and daughter's reunion.
Reiner and the others stood opposite them, also smiling like a spring breeze. Franky bit his upper lip tightly, sniffled, and two lines of tears flowed down his face like a river.
Before long, the raging fire was finally put out by the combined efforts of everyone. After cutting off the scorched parts, Reiner used his Forest-Forest Fruit ability a little. As expected, the large area of the Treasure Tree Adam that had been burned quickly grew back.
After that, a large group of people used this as an excuse and, with their arms around each other's shoulders, they excitedly went back to the tavern to have a banquet.
Kid and his group did not go with them.
Anyone could see that no matter how they fought this battle, there would not be a second outcome. He himself knew this in his heart.
To end in this way... Kid felt he had no face to stay here any longer. After saying goodbye to Reiner and the others, he led his men to the coast where their ship was docked, preparing to leave Elbaf.
Inside the tavern.
"Cheers!!"
"Hahahaha!!"
The hall was a lively scene. The crowd raised their glasses and drank heartily. Outside the door, pirates were also gathered, cheering loudly.
The three Sea Emperor forces that reigned over the seas, and the Giant Warrior Pirates, who had been revived after a hundred years of silence, were gathered in one place. Such a rare scene was truly not common.
I wonder what Imu would think if he saw this. With the four forces gathered here, they could easily attack the Red Line and raze the Holy Land of Mary Geoise to the ground overnight.
The giant lady at the bar pushed over another barrel of wine. It was the cup used by the giants. For Reiner and the others, it was no different from a barrel.
"So that's how it is. No wonder I didn't see them. That's really something Luffy would do, hahaha!"
After hearing the explanation, Red-Hair laughed loudly. He put his arm around Reiner's shoulder and patted it, acting as if they were old friends. Compared to when he was fighting, he seemed to have completely changed, and could even be considered a bit improper.
Yasopp was standing on the other side, holding a wine glass in one hand, and with his other hand, he also put his arm around Reiner's shoulder and winked at him, constantly asking about Usopp's various performances on the ship.
To his disappointment, Reiner's answers were always short and ruthless.
"Extremely weak."
"He talks big all day."
"As timid as a mouse."
"The last on the ship."
One word after another, like arrows, mercilessly pierced his heart. Yasopp was petrified on the spot and stiffly fell backward.
"Hahahaha!"
"This guy brags about his son to us every day."
"Now you've been exposed, Yasopp!"
The crowd behind them jeered and laughed. In an instant, the atmosphere in the tavern became even more lively.
Reiner poured himself a glass of wine and drank it nonchalantly. He then glanced at Hawk-Eye, who was sitting quietly in a corner, leaning against a wall.
After all that, in the end, none of the three, Luffy, Usopp, or Zoro, were here.
Although everyone was still having a great time. After being separated for so many years, Uta, surrounded by the Red Hair Pirates, stood on a round table and began to sing.
Brook and Bonk Punch were below, accompanying her on the piano and violin, respectively. Who would have thought that a skeleton and a ferocious-looking bald man could play instruments so elegantly?
The surrounding people danced along, and the atmosphere was extremely joyous.
"Hearing that you were here, Luffy came over without saying a word. By the way,"
at the bar, Reiner put down his wine glass and looked at Red-Hair.
"The Road Poneglyph...?"
"You mean this? You must have heard about it from Ace and the others."
Red-Hair smiled and, first, he took a swig of his wine. It wasn't until there wasn't a single drop left that he slammed his wine glass down.
Bang!
He looked at Reiner seriously for a few seconds, and then his face changed, and he suddenly burst into laughter:
"I'm not telling you! Hahahaha!"
"..."
Neurotic. Reiner glanced away speechlessly.
"Don't be in such a hurry. You'll get to where you need to go sooner or later. Just enjoy the banquet for now."
Red-Hair patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile. He once again handed his wine glass out for the bartender to pour, and said at the same time:
"Actually, we were already preparing to set off. If we hadn't been able to wait for you these past two days, we probably would have really missed each other."
"Go where?"
"That's a secret."
Red-Hair looked at him with a light smile. Reiner glanced at him and said lightly:
"Mary Geoise."
Hearing these words, Red-Hair's expression was slightly surprised. He then shook his head and sighed with a laugh:
"No wonder Beckman said you're an incredible guy. It seems you really live up to your reputation. Why would you guess a place like that?"
"An intuition. That's the only place that's lively right now."
With that, Reiner went back to drinking his own wine.
Vegapunk had tried to contact Dragon before, but he couldn't get through no matter what method he used. The communication had been cut off.
The only people who could do such a thing, besides Vegapunk and the Revolutionary Army headquarters itself, were the World Government.
In the latest newspaper the next morning, they had also seen a piece of super-intel: the Revolutionary Army had already launched a general attack on Mary Geoise.
Just as the war on Egghead had ended, and the greatly weakened Marines had not yet returned to headquarters, the Revolutionary Army had taken advantage of the vacuum and had launched a surprise attack on the Holy Land.
It had to be said, they were really good at picking their moments.
The Marine forces were in a vacuum. Even if they went back, in their current state, their combat effectiveness would have been greatly weakened. Right now, besides the God's Knights, the Holy Land had no other force that could resist the Revolutionary Army.
After learning this news, Ace and his crew had set off directly. They could also take a look at Wano Country on the way.
"Ace is probably going to help Sabo. What about you? Are you going to help the Revolutionary Army or to mediate the war?"
Reiner glanced at Red-Hair and said jokingly:
"You're a pirate. You're not on the side of the World Government, are you?"
"Hahaha! What are you talking about?"
Red-Hair waved his hand with a chuckle and did not answer directly. Instead, he looked at the freshly refilled wine glass before him and said to himself:
"Seeking freedom in chaos, and finding stability under oppression... who can say which is better? But,"
"Since it has already come to this, perhaps it's not bad to try to change things a little. The future will be judged by the people of the future. It's all just the choice of the times."
With that, Red-Hair looked at Reiner and asked:
"And what do you think of this world now?"
"I'm not interested in these things for the time being. I'll think about it when I'm bored one day."
"Is that so? You're quite confident."
To Reiner's nonchalant reply, Red-Hair just smiled and said no more.
The two of them each drank their own wine. After a while, Reiner suddenly spoke again.
"But speaking of the future of the world... I have another idea."
"Another idea?"
"Mm. Another idea that is completely different from the way you think."
Reiner smiled faintly.
"You all think you have to change the world's structure first, and then you can change the current situation. I think it's the exact opposite. It should be the change that subverts the structure."
"Revolution is just something that is bound to happen when an era has developed to a certain extent. Whichever direction the world goes in, a certain system will sooner or later be reformed."
"Is that so."
After hearing Reiner's words, Shanks asked with great interest:
"What is the future you imagine like?"
"Like Egghead."
A corner of Reiner's mouth lifted slightly as he replied, "This description might not be accurate, but I believe that technology can change the world."
"I see. Is it the same idea as Vegapunk's?"
Red-Hair chuckled softly.
He had seen the future city of Egghead. There were indeed many new and convenient inventions. But to say that these things alone were enough to change the world was probably not enough.
Perhaps there was a deeper meaning in Reiner's words, just like the set of words that Vegapunk had once said that he couldn't understand at all.
Just then, Hawk-Eye, who had been sitting in a corner, suddenly opened his eyes. His cold face still showed not much expression. He just picked up the hat that had been placed on the table and put it on, as if he were preparing to set off.
Red-Hair also tilted his head back and drank all the wine in his hand. After putting down the wine glass, a corner of his mouth, which still had a trace of wine, lifted slightly.
"So they've finally come. It's time to welcome the remaining guests."
"Eh! What do you mean? Is Straw Hat here!"
Hearing these words, Buggy hurriedly came over. Seeing the people of the Red Hair Pirates all getting up in response to Shanks, he knew he had guessed right.
"Yosh!"
Buggy wore a clown's cape in the style of a cloak. His four limbs were separated to support the clothes, making him look extremely tall. He turned around and shouted at his subordinates:
"Men—! Get ready for work!!"
"Coming, Boss Buggy!"
The pirates all responded.
"Wait a minute! Eh! What's the situation?"
Nami looked left and right. The people who had just been drinking cheerfully had all suddenly picked up their weapons. Her face was completely bewildered.
"If I'm not mistaken, they're probably going to fight,"
Robin closed the book on her lap, jumped down from a high chair, and said with a smile:
"It seems the time to meet Saul will have to be delayed a little."
"Eh? What do you mean? Wait a minute! Isn't Luffy very familiar with Red-Hair?"
Nami was still a little confused.
Reiner glanced at Robin. He knew she had probably heard what Marco had told him before.
"Let's go. We'll go and meet up with Luffy and the others first."
Jumping onto the window of the tavern, Reiner summoned his falcon. The falcon, which could usually carry several people, was now like an owl standing on the window.
"Yohohoho~ I just watched the fight between Red-Hair and Kid. Is it our turn now?"
Brook leaped up with a light and graceful posture and said with a chuckle:
"I'm inexplicably excited. Although I'm just a skeleton and have no heart to be excited with."
"That's a really old skeleton joke."
Reiner complained faintly. Brook's jaw dropped to the ground, as if he had been dealt a huge blow. He was petrified on the spot.
"O... old..."
"Ah, look, everyone! My ninety-year-old teeth have really fallen to the ground,"
Brook said to Reiner, pointing at his jaw on the ground.
"Hahaha! That's a good joke, Brook!"
Franky laughed loudly and patted him on the shoulder in praise.
After pulling up the remaining Sanji and a few others, Reiner and his group immediately flew towards the coast in the southwest of the village.
(End of chapter)