"What? You all knew already?"
"Of course we did," Marco said, smiling faintly. "Why else do you think we've been training you this whole time?"
"That's right," Thatch added with a laugh. "We've been waiting for you to finally say it."
Anna hesitated. "But… what if I don't want to set sail?" she asked cautiously.
Marco and Thatch exchanged a quick glance—and then both burst out laughing.
"It's fine if you don't want to," Marco said softly. "We'll respect whatever you choose. After all, freedom is everything." His calm gaze rested on Anna's guilty expression.
"Exactly!" Thatch said, leaning in to ruffle her hair with a grin. "We just hope you'll come aboard our ship someday, not that you have to. You're family. We'll respect your choice—because we're the best siblings there are, right?"
Thatch's warm gesture swept away the last bit of guilt that lingered in Anna's heart.
"Alright," Anna said, planting her hands on her hips, her tone turning determined again. "But before anything else, I need to master absolute strength! I'm not like those who start from the first half of the Grand Line—I was born in the second half! If I'm setting sail from there, I need real power."
Thatch blinked at her confidence while Marco chuckled.
"That's true," Marco said. "So after Shanks finishes teaching you everything about Haki, that'll be your main focus from now on. We won't be able to stay with you for more than half a year, but when you do finally set sail—send us a message. We'll come see you off, no matter what."
As he spoke, he placed a massive training manual on the table—so thick it was nearly a quarter of Anna's height. The table groaned under the weight, trembling as though it might collapse.
"Marco! Are you serious?" Anna gawked. "It's so thick it could kill someone!"
She stared at the manual as if she were back in school, staring down a mountain of homework.
Sachi laughed at her expression. "That's the special manual Marco made just for you. He's been updating and expanding it every day—guess he couldn't bear to part with you."
Marco sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Sachi really doesn't know when to shut up. But… he's not wrong."
Anna smiled wryly. "Alright, Mr. Marco. I'll train exactly as your manual says."
Great, she thought. It's just like school again. Instead of essays, now it's a mountain of physical torture.
Still, she clenched her fists with resolve. "You don't have to remind me to push harder, Sensei. I'll be ready when we meet again on the seas."
Marco's lips curved. "I'll be waiting for that day."
"Hey, it's not just Marco!" Izo interrupted, stepping forward gracefully. "We're all looking forward to that reunion. Here—take this hair ornament. Let it be our promise to meet again."
He took out the delicate accessory he'd kept for her all this time and gently placed it on Anna's head.
Anna touched it lightly, smiling. "Thank you, Izo. I really love it."
"Good! That makes me happy," Izo said, his own smile bright and theatrical.
The warm glow of lantern light filled the pub, painting everyone in gold. Laughter and quiet joy mingled in the air, wrapping the little group in a faint but unmistakable sense of family.
At another table, Lucky Roux nudged his captain. "Boss, aren't you gonna fight for little Anna to join our ship? If you don't act soon, you'll lose your chance!"
Shanks took a slow sip of his wine and grinned. "Eh, I'll respect the girl's choice. Everyone's free to go where they want."
He leaned back, unfazed, his single eye gleaming with quiet amusement.
Later that night, Anna packed her things and returned to her room. I wonder how Sabo and Dragon are handling that deal right now, she thought, lying on her bed. Will they actually take it seriously?
Before long, her consciousness slipped into the dream world once again.
"Where's Sabo? Sabo? Ugh, where'd that guy go this time?"
Anna floated through the shimmering expanse of dreams, realizing Sabo's dream orb was no longer where it had been before. That would make finding him way harder.
Luckily, she had marked its energy signature earlier—otherwise, finding a single dream orb in this endless realm would've been impossible.
On her way there, she accidentally drifted past Garp's dream again—and couldn't resist peeking inside.
In the dream, Luffy and his two brothers stood in crisp navy uniforms, proudly presenting Garp with a box of limited edition donuts.
"For our hardworking grandpa!" they said in unison before giving him massages like devoted little angels.
Anna nearly choked on her laughter. "Oh my god… Garp really does love these kinds of dreams. But seriously, there's no way this would ever happen! Two pirates and one revolutionary? The only place Garp's getting a massage from them is in his imagination."
Her eyes curved into amused half-moons. "What a dreamer."
She sighed and shook her head. "No, no—focus! I was supposed to find Sabo, not spy on Grandpa Garp's fantasy life. Ugh, his dreams are too entertaining."
Suppressing a giggle, she floated onward toward Sabo's area.
"Looking for Sabo, looking for Sabo~" she hummed a tuneless little melody as she zipped between clusters of dream orbs. "If I find little Sabo, I'll give him a gift, shake his hand, and make him teach me the Dragon Claw Fist!"
Her rhythm fell apart when she stopped and groaned. "Where is he?! Why are there so many dream balls here? Even with the marker, there's like three overlapping! What the hell…"
Scratching her head in frustration, she muttered, "Ugh, forget it. If I can't find him, I'll just—wait a minute…"
She froze, turning her head—and blinked.
Right there, beneath her, was Sabo's dream ball.
"It was here the whole time?! Don't tell me he's gone underground. Well… it's possible."
Without wasting another second, Anna cloaked herself in her familiar black robe and began the silent incantation to enter Sabo's dream.