Facing Laboon's overwhelming attack, Luffy grinned widely, showing no trace of fear on his face.
"Hehe! You—idiot!!" He stood his ground without retreating, stretching his rubber arm back once more!
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
Bam!
The punch landed squarely on Laboon's eye socket!
In response, Laboon's headbutt crashed down mercilessly, slamming Luffy hard into a shallow crater in the ground.
"Cough..." Luffy lay sprawled on the ground, but his smile grew even brighter. He lifted his head, looking at Laboon who was panting from pain and anger, and shouted loudly:
"We're even!"
"Hey!! I'm strong, right?!"
Laboon: "Oooohhh!!!"
"We still haven't settled this! So we absolutely have to fight again!!" Struggling to his feet, Luffy pointed at Laboon and declared with all his might:
"I know! Your friends are gone!"
"But it's fine! From now on, I'll be your opponent!!"
He adjusted his straw hat, his smile dazzling and resolute:
"After we sail around this Grand Line! We'll definitely come back here to see you!"
"Then, let's have another fight!!!"
"Bwoooooooooohhhhhhh————!!!!!"
Laboon's cry changed, hot tears streaming from its eyes.
No longer a cry of pain, nor pure anger. The sound pierced through the clouds, as if fifty years of pent-up sorrow and loneliness had finally found an outlet, transforming through this promise into a blazing hope that could endure the wait.
On the shore, the previously shocked and angry crowd fell silent, then smiled as they watched Luffy and Laboon.
Crocus watched the scene, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly beneath his saffron-like hair.
They all understood.
Luffy had used the most direct, yet most effective method he could think of to give this lonely whale, who had waited half a century, a reason to keep living.
Giyu Tomioka remained silent for a long time. He watched Luffy, who had made a promise with Laboon and was laughing carefreely, then glanced at the giant whale that seemed to have found a new purpose, his eyes filled with incomprehensible astonishment.
Why?
Why could a fight full of injury, a seemingly childish declaration of war, dissolve Laboon's nearly tangible sorrow more effectively than any gentle comfort or persuasion?
This man who seemed to only know how to grin foolishly and fight with his fists had completely overturned Giyu's previous understanding.
For the first time, he felt so clearly that Monkey D. Luffy might be far more... sensitive than he had imagined.
"Oh!" Luffy suddenly remembered something, slapped his head, and ran back to the Merry.
He rummaged through the pile of clutter on the deck for a while, then came back carrying a large brush stained with wet paint.
"Hey! Luffy! What are you planning now!" Usopp's recently eased heart tightened again.
Luffy chuckled, then leaped onto Laboon's forehead near the spot where he had previously drawn graffiti.
He raised the huge brush and began vigorously applying it on Laboon's skin.
The paint twisted and stretched, eventually forming a crude yet super-sized pattern—a skull wearing a straw hat.
"Perfect!"
Luffy was very satisfied with his masterpiece. Standing in front of Laboon, he pointed at the pattern and loudly declared, "Look closely! This is our battle promise! It's the symbol of our Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Bwooooh…"
"Until we return here!" Luffy's expression turned unusually serious as he pointed firmly at the painted symbol. "Don't you dare smash this mark with your head again! That's our promise!!"
"Bwoh!" Laboon's reply was short and powerful, as if making a solemn vow.
This scene was witnessed by everyone. Nami couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head. "Really… of all the ways…"
Just then, Sanji, who had somehow returned to the Merry, dragged a massive tuna from the kitchen.
He placed the fish heavily on a flat area of the shore, clapped his hands, and announced to everyone, "Alright, don't just stand there. To celebrate this moment, I'll cook this Elephant Trunk Tuna for everyone. We've been through a lot—you must all be hungry by now."
"Yay! Meat!! Let's have a feast!!"
Luffy instantly shot back from Laboon's head, his eyes turning into stars.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the unusually large tuna. Giyu's gaze also fell upon the fish. On his typically expressionless face, a flicker of focus appeared, perhaps even a hint of nostalgia?
This subtle change didn't escape Sanji's notice. "Huh?"
Sanji looked curiously at Giyu and grinned. "Giyu, do you really like tuna?"
Suddenly asked, Giyu paused slightly, seeming a bit embarrassed, but eventually nodded honestly. "Mm… I've had it before. It just brings back memories."
He paused briefly before adding a request. "If it's possible, could you prepare some of it as sashimi for me?"
"Hahahaha!" Sanji burst into laughter, as if he'd discovered something amusing. "That's no trouble at all! I didn't expect you to like it that way, Giyu! No problem, just wait a bit!"
"Mm." Giyu responded softly, as a way of thanking him.
His gaze shifted from Sanji and the fish to the bow of the Merry. There, Usopp was fretting over the broken ram's head figure.
He kept muttering under his breath, "That idiot Luffy… he actually broke the ship like this! Clearly, an unreliable captain like him needs someone like me, Usopp, to take charge!"
Giyu watched silently for a while, then walked over on his own initiative.
He crouched down and used his only left hand to help Usopp steady the broken ram's head.
"Ah! Thanks, Giyu!" Usopp was pleasantly surprised and felt even more motivated. "You're so much better! Unlike a certain captain who only knows how to break things!"
Giyu didn't speak, focusing intently on the nails in his hand and listening to the clinking sound of the hammer strikes.
In his ears, he could still hear Luffy's noisy demands for meat as he circled Sanji, Nami's murmurs as she stared at the compass needle in her hand, and the steady breathing of Zoro, who was dozing against the ship.
A gentle sea breeze swept across Twin Capes, where Laboon floated quietly nearby, no longer crashing into the Red Line, only occasionally emitting a low, contented hum.
Giyu's movements slowed.
He suddenly felt... a profound tranquility in this moment.
'It's truly been so long since I've had such... a lively yet comfortable leisure time.'
'The last time I felt something similar was probably back in my childhood by the riverside, watching other children play and frolic...'
It was a warmth of daily life—something Giyu Tomioka, who had been relentlessly slaying Demons in the past, had nearly forgotten.