Arkas Island was a small island in the New World, tucked away in a remote corner of the sea.
For Teach, it was the island where everything began. His birthplace. The place where he first set sail.
More than seven years had passed since he left.
Now, he had returned.
In the vast New World, locating such a small island was not easy. Teach had to put in some effort. After boarding the Moby Dick years ago, he had traveled through several nearby islands and remembered their locations. Using those memories and asking around, he eventually pinpointed Arkas Island again.
Despite being his hometown, Teach did not feel a deep emotional attachment to it. Pirates rarely did. For a pirate, home was the sea, their ship, or the territory they carved out with their own strength.
Time changes everything.
Even familiar people eventually become distant. And now the gap between him and the people here was enormous.
Many great pirates never return to their hometowns. Sometimes the towns no longer exist. Sometimes returning only brings danger.
A pirate's reputation creates enemies everywhere. If enemies cannot reach the pirate themselves, they might target family, friends, or hometown instead.
The tragedy of Admiral Zephyr was a perfect example of this.
Teach walked through the quiet streets of the town.
He had slightly altered his appearance, so no one recognized him.
The town looked mostly the same as it had in his memories. Some buildings had been repaired, and there were signs of past damage. Clearly, pirates had attacked the island in recent years.
Since the start of the Great Pirate Era, no sea was completely safe anymore.
Powerful pirates were rare. Most pirates never rose above the crowd. Many had bounties of only a few million Berries. Some had no bounty at all.
If they lowered their pirate flag and changed clothes, a pirate ship could easily pretend to be a merchant vessel.
But Arkas Island was not defenseless.
The island had a kendo dojo, and many townspeople had learned swordsmanship there. That alone discouraged weaker pirates.
Teach walked slowly down the street.
On a few walls, he saw something unexpected but logical.
His wanted poster.
His own face stared back at him.
Some townspeople had known him in the past. After he became famous, it was natural that people here would recognize him.
Back then, he had trained under the dojo master Hail. He often practiced alone in the mountains and was already known in the town for his unusual strength.
Teach wondered what the townspeople thought now.
Did they fear him?
Or were they proud that someone from their island had become famous?
At the edge of town stood a small medical clinic.
It was well known locally.
Doctor Modie was respected for his skills. And his daughter, Monica, was famous for another reason.
She was beautiful.
Gentle.
Kind.
For many young men in the town, she was the girl of their dreams.
Night had already fallen when Teach stopped in front of the clinic. The door displayed its operating hours.
He had not come here immediately after arriving on Arkas Island.
Even Teach had hesitated.
For the first time in many years, he felt uneasy.
So he had spent the day wandering through the town instead. Walking past familiar places.
The forest where he used to fight.
The open ground where he trained.
The small house filled with childhood memories, now worn and partially broken.
He even saw his old mentor, Dor—the man who had given him the famous sword Purgatory. Teach did not approach him. From a distance he watched the old man teaching young students.
Dor looked older now, but still strong.
Finally, Teach returned here.
The clinic door was closed. The clinic had already finished for the day.
Inside, however, the lights were still on.
Teach took a slow breath.
Then he walked forward and knocked.
Inside the clinic, a young woman sat on a chair finishing the last of the day's work.
A knock sounded.
"Hello? We're closed for the day," she said gently while walking toward the door. "Is something urgent?"
She opened it.
The moment she saw the man standing outside, she froze.
Her body trembled.
Her eyes widened in shock.
The tall figure before her was painfully familiar.
Her hands rose to cover her mouth as her eyes began to redden.
"T-Teach…!"
Her voice shook.
It was Monica.
Seeing her reaction, Teach instantly knew that all his earlier worries had been meaningless.
She had not changed.
Her clear eyes said everything.
"I'm back, Monica," Teach said softly with a small smile.
For Monica, time seemed to stop.
For seven years she had waited.
At times she wondered if Teach had died somewhere on the sea.
But she had always believed he would return.
He had promised her.
Tears began streaming down her face.
Without hesitation, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Teach's waist.
Seven years of waiting finally broke free.
Teach did not speak.
He simply placed his hands gently on her shoulders and let her cry.
Inside the clinic, out of sight, Doctor Modie leaned quietly against the wall and lit a cigarette.
He had heard Monica's voice immediately.
When he realized it was Teach outside, he chose not to interrupt.
The two of them needed this moment.
Modie had followed Teach's rise through the newspapers.
Logically, Teach should have been in the Sageros Sea commanding his pirate crew. The fact that he appeared here was something Modie never expected.
More importantly, when Modie sensed the power within Teach, he felt deeply shocked.
The boy from seven years ago had become something terrifying.
Even though Modie had always known Teach was extraordinary, the speed of his growth still stunned him.
After a long time, Monica finally calmed down.
She stepped back, her face slightly red.
Both of them were adults now. Their feelings did not need many words.
"Come inside first," Monica said gently while taking Teach's hand.
They were still standing in the doorway, and people occasionally walked past outside.
Closing the door, they sat together at the table where they once talked years ago.
Monica rested her chin on her hands and looked at him with bright eyes.
"Tell me about your journey," she said.
She already knew about Teach's later fame. What she really wanted to hear was everything from the moment he left until he became known across the seas.
Teach nodded.
Then he began to speak.
He told her about sailing with the Whitebeard Pirates across the vast oceans.
About strange islands.
Beautiful landscapes.
Dangerous adventures.
His first life-and-death battle against a Marine Vice Admiral.
Monica gasped when she heard how close he had come to dying.
But under that pressure, Teach awakened Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, broke through his limits, and killed the Vice Admiral.
Monica finally breathed again.
He spoke of the clash between Whitebeard and Sengoku.
His lone journey to Wano.
The great battle between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates.
The legendary Battle of Edd War.
One incredible event followed another.
Monica listened with shining eyes, completely absorbed in the story.
Sometimes she laughed.
Sometimes she gasped in shock.
Sometimes she simply stared at him in amazement.
They talked all night.
By morning, Monica was finally tired.
Teach noticed immediately.
He took out a thick notebook and handed it to her.
"This is my travel journal," he said. "I wrote down details about many islands. You can read it whenever you want."
Monica held the notebook carefully.
"You should rest," Teach added gently.
She nodded and led him to her room.
Lying in bed, she held his hand tightly.
"Teach… you won't leave right away, will you?"
There was fear in her eyes.
Teach smiled.
"No. I'll stay a few days."
Hearing that, Monica relaxed.
Soon she fell asleep with a faint smile.
Even in her sleep, she held his hand tightly, afraid he might disappear again.
Teach sat quietly beside her bed, watching her peaceful face.
For once, the world was calm.
Teach stayed on Arkas Island for nearly a month.
During that time, he kept track of the Nightfall Pirates' progress in conquering the Sageros Sea.
Mostima and Redyat handled the operations while staying in contact through Den Den Mushi.
Finally, the news arrived.
The entire Sageros Sea had fallen under their control.
Only a few independent nations remained, and several of them had already agreed to submit and pay tribute.
The Nightfall Pirates were entering a new phase.
It was time for Teach to leave.
Teach rose into the sky and flew away from the island.
He looked back once.
Then he turned toward the Sageros Sea.
On the quiet shore below, two figures stood watching.
Doctor Modie stood beside Monica.
Monica looked up at the shrinking figure in the sky.
Then she lowered her gaze and gently smiled.
Her hand slowly rested on her stomach.