Chapter 496: Keshia Wakes Up and Leaves!
Before long, faint markings surfaced across the divination compass.
The moment Keshia read them, her expression sank.
"So… this move was the wrong call."
She muttered under her breath, then slowly closed her eyes.
Anyone watching closely would notice something strange. Ever since Keshia started drinking back on the Dragon Hunter Pirates' ship, she had not once fallen asleep. Not even for a blink.
Now, she finally did.
A short while later, her eyes opened again. She took a slow breath and glanced around, completely blank.
"Where… am I?"
Keshia looked at the deck like she had never seen it before, confusion written all over her face.
"Miss Keshia, fight me again!"
"This time I'll definitely make you happy!"
Luffy jogged over with that bright, brainless grin of his.
"Who… are you?"
Keshia stared at him, baffled.
From the way he spoke, it sounded like they had fought before. But she had no memory of it. Not even a speck.
…
Boom.
Luffy flew backwards like a cannonball.
The noise snapped Ryuunosuke out of his cabin. He rushed onto the deck and froze the moment he saw Keshia.
Something was off.
Her aura was not just different. It felt like a whole other person was standing in her skin.
And the fact she had just punched Luffy head on after witnessing his spar with Ryuunosuke earlier only made it stranger. The old Keshia would never do something that reckless.
"Captain Ryuunosuke?"
"Am I still drunk?"
"Why does your ship look like this?"
"Even the crew feels different!"
Keshia fired off the questions the instant she saw him.
Ryuunosuke blinked. The questions hit him harder than her punch hit Luffy.
"…Huh?"
He stared at her for a beat, then asked carefully,
"Are you… Keshia?"
Keshia tilted her head like he had grown a second nose.
"Captain, are you the one who's drunk?"
She patted her own face, as if checking for changes.
"I look the same. Why would you ask that?"
Now they were both lost.
Ryuunosuke's eyes narrowed.
So the cold, merciless personality had returned. That was the only explanation that fit.
Not only had her presence changed, she had clearly forgotten everything that happened recently.
That kind of blankness could not be faked.
Ryuunosuke could hear the truth in people. Lies did not sit right in his ears, and this was clean.
Keshia inhaled, then spoke quietly.
"Just now… my other self brought you here, didn't she?"
"What was the point of it? Can you tell me?"
Ryuunosuke did not dodge the question. He laid out everything that had happened since they met, from Krulu Busulud's ambush to the clash with the Evictors, and how he had stepped in each time.
There was no reason to lie. Who knew whether her two selves shared memories? Lying would only be stupid.
"…So that's what it was."
Keshia's voice softened.
"Then when Krulu Busulud tried to kill me, it was you who stopped him."
"And when the Evictors came for me, you pushed them back again."
"Thank you."
She bowed her head, then let out a tired sigh.
"But I have to go."
"I can't bring myself to kill you anymore."
Ryuunosuke felt a flicker of awkwardness.
She was too honest for her own good.
Still, he understood. He had saved her multiple times. Anyone with a conscience would hesitate after that.
"It's fine."
"So what's your plan now?"
Ryuunosuke asked calmly.
If she wanted to leave, he would not stop her.
There were too many things in this mess that even he could not explain yet.
Why was Krulu Busulud so desperate to save someone?
Why did Keshia carry two souls in one body?
What was the real link between Roy and Lilith?
Why had the Evictors not moved, while Fengyue drifted alone across the sea?
The deeper he dug, the more tangled it got.
Until he understood it, he refused to swing blindly.
Let the tide push things forward.
His ship carried Guardians, and it also carried Evictors.
Even now, Jin could not really be called a complete Evictor anymore.
"I'm going back first."
"Krulu Busulud is trying to kill me, so I need to warn the others."
"I'm leaving now."
"Thanks for letting me tag along this long."
Her tone started normal, then slipped into that proud edge she could not help showing.
She pressed a hand to her chest, pulled out a tiny paper boat, and flicked it into the sea.
The little thing expanded in an instant, rising into a real vessel.
Keshia stepped onto it without another word and sailed off alone.
Ryuunosuke watched her disappear into the mist.
He had wanted to bring her along to confront Krulu Busulud, maybe squeeze out some secrets about the Guardians during the fight.
Looks like that plan was dead.
"Big brother, what happened?"
Luffy waddled over, rubbing his chest. That hit still stung.
"She's leaving."
"We'll be leaving soon too."
"After that, you'll have to reach your Pirate King dream on your own strength."
Ryuunosuke patted his back lightly, smiling again like the storm from earlier never happened.
"Hahaha! Big brother, you believe I'm gonna be Pirate King too, right?"
"You've got great taste!"
He puffed his chest out proudly.
"Oh, and I'll tell Sanji to cook meat for you!"
"We'll throw a party right here!"
"I mean… I want meat. No, big brother wants meat, right?"
Luffy grinned so wide he almost split his face.
"Yeah."
"Sanji's cooking is crazy good."
"Luffy, you're living the dream."
Ryuunosuke did not expose him. There was no point in arguing with a guy whose heart ran on meat.
Soon the two of them went off together to find Sanji.
…
Three days flew by.
On the morning of the fourth, Momonosuke and his attendants quietly disembarked.
They said they were heading back to Wano on their own, and told Luffy to continue the journey without them.
To be fair, a huge part of that decision was probably because Ryuunosuke and Akame were still on board.
Staying any longer meant risking another beating, or worse, getting killed for real.
Not everyone could endure a fist that felt like getting hit by a Sea King.
Still, it was just a small detour in the grand scheme of things.
Ryuunosuke was on the ship now, and Sanji had piled the table high with meat.
With three mouths gone, Luffy could eat even more.
By the end of the feast he still looked unsatisfied.
He stared at Chopper with glowing green eyes, then suddenly chased him all around the deck.
Honestly, this crew was ridiculous in the best way.
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