Makino's words struck Robin like a bolt from the blue.
"F-Fifteen years old???"
Robin was stunned. She completely lost interest in the ongoing argument between Luffy and Ace, turning to Makino with a dazed murmur.
"Hm?" Makino gave a gentle, cheerful smile.
"That's right!"
"We celebrated Luffy's birthday a few times when he was little… but once he left Foosha Village, we couldn't anymore."
She seemed a little wistful. Blinking slowly, Makino glanced at Brook, Nami, and Robin, three crewmates who had walked alongside Luffy on his journey. She continued softly:
"He probably won't have many chances to come back here again…"
"Luffy… he…"
Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Makino set down the freshly wiped glass in her hand. Staring at her faint reflection in the glass, she went on:
"Even as a child, he was never like the other kids. He always acted so mature, so composed. Sometimes, it felt like he was the one looking after me…
But deep down, he's more of a child than anyone I've ever known.
From the moment we met, he always had this strange stubbornness… a fierce determination I couldn't quite understand… and a need to control everything around him…"
Makino lowered her eyes and pressed her lips together for a moment. She took a deep breath, then continued:
"I don't know much about the outside world…
I only know what the village chief told me, that Luffy became a great pirate, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
And I know that while the Warlords are pirates endorsed by the government and no longer hunted… the higher you climb, the more pressure you carry."
"I… don't have any great abilities…"
Her voice grew more somber.
No matter how old Luffy got, or where he went, Makino would always worry about him, like a mother quietly watching her child from afar.
Over the years, that worry had built up and turned into a deep sense of guilt.
"Everyone… I'm counting on you to take care of Luffy."
Suddenly, Makino bowed deeply to Brook, Nami, and Robin. Her gesture was graceful as a willow branch, but carried the weight of mountains.
Moved by her trust, Brook immediately straightened his skeletal frame, adjusted his clothes with solemn care, and responded with conviction:
"Please rest assured, Makino-san!"
"Luffy has given me so, so much!
For the rest of my life,
Even if it costs me these old bones,
I'll slash through every thorn in his path!
Even if I'm shattered to pieces!"
"And me too!" Nami leapt off her stool, her petite figure radiating a fierce, unshakable aura.
"Anyone who dares to stand against Luffy, I'll make them feel what it's like to be struck down from the heavens!"
A swirl of wind spiraled into her palm.
It was small, but not a single person in the room doubted the raw, tearing power it held.
Nami's show of strength was her promise, her way of assuring Makino she would protect Luffy no matter what.
"Thank you… truly, everyone."
This time, Makino's voice carried a different tone, one of quiet gratitude and peace of mind.
Brook, however, glanced curiously at Robin, who still hadn't said a word.
By her status and personality, Robin would usually be the first to respond in moments like these.
But today…
"Robin?" Nami gently nudged her arm.
"Huh? Oh, ah!"
Robin snapped out of her daze, as if suddenly remembering something important. She quickly said:
"Makino, don't worry. I'll take care of Luffy. After all, he's… he's…"
She paused, repeating the words a few times, but then her gaze dimmed slightly.
"He's… our captain, after all."
There was a flicker of light in her eyes, like starlight hidden beneath the surface, but she forced herself to smile again, this time, with quiet strength.
"With all of you by his side, I know Luffy will be just fine," Makino said gently.
Just then, the village chief shuffled over to stand beside her. Looking a bit sheepish, he glanced at the three pirates before him.
Entrusting Luffy to pirates, even if they were his pirates, was clearly difficult for him to express.
"I'll be counting on you all…"
The three exchanged a knowing smile and turned their eyes back to where Luffy and Ace sat.
Before long, the loud bickering died down.
The two "big kids" had worn themselves out, and their voices gradually quieted.
Luffy sat back in his chair, still fuming.
He couldn't wrap his head around it, how had the serious, stoic Ace turned into this goofball?
He glanced over at Ace again…
Only to find Ace giving him the exact same look.
The next moment, both of them burst into laughter.
They argued, they shouted, they got mad, but none of it ever mattered.
To them, this was just another way of saying:
"I never forgot our bond."
The fiercer the argument, the deeper the affection. Their brotherhood would never be shaken, not by time, distance, or anything else.
After a short while, Luffy brought up what had been on his mind the whole time:
"Ace, I came back this time just to attend your send-off ceremony. Have you picked a date yet?"
"The ceremony, huh…"
Ace rubbed the back of his head and grinned, having apparently already forgotten their earlier fight.
"I was planning to set sail early… but my master insists I have to prepare every single essential item first."
As he spoke, he pulled a long checklist from his black shorts and handed it to Luffy.
"Seriously! Now I have to go shopping all over town, it's a pain!"
Luffy glanced over the list. It was full of standard sailing gear, definitely nothing excessive. If anything, it was the bare minimum for a safe voyage.
In the original timeline, Ace had headed into the Grand Line on a flimsy wooden raft. It was a miracle the sea had spared him.
"Just grab what you need from my ship later. I've got plenty of extras," Luffy said casually.
"Really?! Luffy, you're as reliable as ever!"
Ace smiled warmly, his expression softening as childhood memories resurfaced.
"Oh right, have you seen Sabo lately?" he asked.
"Not yet…
But Doflamingo, one of the other Warlords, is working closely with him under my guidance."
Luffy shamelessly took credit for accidentally stumbling upon the Revolutionary Army's base and passed along what he knew about Sabo's current status.
"They're working together?"
Ace's eyes widened in surprise.
"Sabo didn't become a pirate?"
"Maybe he's just following his own path…"
Luffy wasn't sure how to explain, so he gave a vague answer.
"Yeah… Sabo's always been the smart one," Ace chuckled quietly.
Despite their different personalities, lives, and dreams, the three brothers shared the same smile.
Bright. Confident. Full of life.
It wasn't hard to see why they became sworn brothers. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.
"Oh yeah, Luffy! You've got to come meet my master later! I've mentioned you to him so many times!
He lives just over in Mount Colubo, it's really close."
"Hm?"
Luffy blinked thoughtfully, then nodded.
"Sure…
It'll be a good chance to visit Dadan and the others too."
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