Shachi and Penguin trembled with fear as they slowly headed toward the door.
Wolf had been watching the entire scene in silence. When the two boys finally left, he turned to Law and walked over to him.
"Law," Wolf said calmly, "don't you think that was a bit too much? They already understand their mistake."
Hearing this, Law finally calmed down and replied in a low voice:
"Wolf-san… you know that I'm going to the sea someday. And from your experience, you know better than anyone how many terrifyingly strong people are out there—people who could kill them with a single finger.
But that's not the point.
I told them they were still too weak. I refused them. And yet they ignored my decision."
Law clenched his fists.
"A subordinate who doesn't listen to their captain is nothing but a burden. Worse than that… they can become a danger to Bepo."
Wolf was stunned. For several minutes, he didn't know how to respond—because what Law said was the truth.
Finally, he sighed.
"Law… you're right," Wolf said.
"I once served under a captain who wasn't a good man. He could kill his own crew for mistakes. He punished without mercy."
He paused, then continued in a gentler tone.
"But now, I'm speaking not as a pirate—just as an ordinary man.
Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is whether they're given a chance to fix them."
Wolf looked directly at Law.
"You are their captain now. You are responsible for them.
If they make a mistake, you have the right to punish them.
But you also have the right to give them a second chance—and to teach them why they were wrong so they don't repeat it."
"Do you understand me, Law?"
Law lowered his gaze to the ground and spoke quietly, just loud enough for Wolf to hear:
"Wolf-san… what if… what if I hadn't made it in time?"
His voice grew hoarse.
"What if… if you had died… what would I have done then?"
Wolf froze.
At that moment, he truly understood what Law was feeling.
Law always presented himself as strong—calm, intelligent, cold, and composed.
But it was only a mask.
Now, that mask had fallen.
Before him stood not a captain or a genius—but a frightened child, terrified of losing the people he loved.
To be honest, Wolf had begun to see Law as a son… perhaps even a grandson. That feeling had grown stronger with time. After leaving the pirates, Wolf had once dreamed of having a wife and children—but fear had always stopped him. Fear that the Marines would find him, and that his loved ones would suffer because of him.
So he chose to live alone in the mountains.
Slowly, Wolf raised his hand and gently patted Law's head.
"Law," he said softly,
"you need to understand something. People come… and people go. We never know when our time will end. Tomorrow, the day after, or even years from now—no one knows."
He smiled faintly.
"All we can do is live in the present and walk toward tomorrow."
"If we lose someone dear to us, they never truly disappear. They live on in our hearts. And when the loneliness and anger come… just remember the happy moments you shared."
"When you do that, the pain will slowly fade."
Hearing these words, Law's mind filled with memories.
His father teaching him medicine.
His mother cooking his favorite meals and always supporting him.
Walking through the streets with his little sister, her smile never leaving her face.
And Corazon—always acting foolish just to make him laugh.
Their adventures. Their warmth.
Unable to hold it in any longer, Law finally broke.
He stepped forward and hugged Wolf tightly, bursting into loud, uncontrollable sobs—releasing years of pain and grief at last.
Wolf wrapped his arms around him in return, gently patting his back, silently staying by his side until the storm passed.