Chapter 15: Farewell

On a secluded beach of Abandoned Ship Island, the morning sun cast its rays upon the sea's surface, creating gentle ripples stirred by the wind. A large red sailing ship, dubbed the Perfume Yuda, lay quietly at anchor. In front of its hull, two colossal Yuda—two mighty Sea Kings, tamed and raised by the Kuja Pirates—supported the entire vessel. With their pull, this ship was capable of traversing the perilous Calm Belt, and even in normal seas, its speed could surpass ordinary vessels.

Beneath the magnificent red sailing ship, the Kuja Pirates members were busy transferring crates of supplies. They ascended the gangplank deftly, stowing cargo in the ship's cabins. Not far from the shoreline, a young man and a young woman stood, gazing at each other.

"Finally... it's time to say goodbye," Boa Hancock murmured, a white cloak draped over her shoulders, atop her short top and red skirt. She smoothed a few strands of hair from her forehead, forcing a smile on her face. Yet, her eyes could not hide a deep reluctance as she looked at the silver-haired young man before her, Sephiroth.

Sephiroth, in a simple blue suit, offered a faint smile, his tone slightly helpless. "Yes! It's time to say goodbye..."

"Hey~!" Hancock suddenly asked, her voice teasing him slightly, "if you become a Marine later and become my enemy, what will you do?"

Sephiroth didn't hesitate. "I'll turn around and run, or surrender! In short... no matter what our positions are, I won't fight you."

Hancock continued to test him. "What if I face danger and get caught by the Marines?"

"I will set aside all positions and try my utmost to save you." His voice wasn't loud, he spoke very calmly, but his tone was filled with unwavering resolve.

"Then, you mustn't lie to me~! Let's make a pinky promise!" Having received the answer she desired, a sincere and bright smile finally bloomed on Boa Hancock's face. She raised her beautiful right hand and extended her pinky finger, waiting.

"Okay! Pinky promise." Sephiroth smiled, also raising his right pinky finger, and interlocked it with Hancock's, making the most sincere promise to the long black-haired girl. A simple promise, yet it felt binding amidst the vastness of the ocean.

Seeing that the Kuja Pirates crew had begun to gather and count heads, Boa Hancock had no choice but to wave to the young man. With a small sigh, she turned and quickly ran towards the Perfume Yuda.

"Goodbye!" Hancock called out, her voice carried by the wind.

"Goodbye!" Sephiroth nodded gently, responding to her.

"You really know how to make girls happy, my little brother!" Captain Shakky, who was smoking a cigarette, walked closer from a distance. As she passed the silver-haired young man, she unconsciously teased him, a faint smile playing on her lips. As the current Captain of the Kuja Pirates and also the strongest person on Amazon Lily Island, her Kenbunshoku Haki was not low, and she heard every word they said.

"Everything I said was true, I wasn't coaxing her," Sephiroth looked calmly at Captain Shakky, without blinking.

Shakky scrutinized him carefully, as if gauging his honesty, before finally smiling. "Very good, your heart rate didn't quicken, and your muscles showed no signs of tension or trembling... It seems you weren't lying..." She took a deep breath, then exhaled with the cigarette smoke. "My hard work back then to let the three sisters... Hahaha! I didn't expect, little brother, that you're quite energetic despite the dark circles under your eyes!... Youth truly is amazing!"

"(≖`‸´≖;)" Hearing this, Sephiroth's eyelids twitched several times. He strongly suppressed the urge to retort angrily in his heart. So it was you! Teaching them those strange things! Sephiroth thought, his face slightly flushed. Do you know how I spent the last three nights? To avoid taking action against those three girls, I almost suffered internal injuries from holding myself back!

"Captain Shakky, all crew members are here!" A Kuja Pirate member, leaning on the ship's railing, waved at the two, signaling.

"Little brother, what's your name?" Shakky asked before leaving.

"Karl D. Sephiroth."

"D? ...My name is Shakky, Captain of the Kuja Pirates. Thank you for looking after my three crew members all this time... See you again if fate allows!" Captain Shakky waved her hand, swaying her hips with a leisurely stride, and walked towards the Perfume Yuda.

As the sails were raised, the large red sailing ship slowly pulled away from the shore, cutting through the waves. On the stern, Boa Hancock leaned against the railing, gazing at the silver-haired young man standing on the beach with reluctant eyes, his silhouette growing smaller.

At some point, Captain Shakky walked beside the girl. She exhaled her cigarette smoke, flicking the ash with her right hand, and said in a relaxed tone, "Actually... if you didn't want to leave him, you didn't have to return to the ship..."

Boa Hancock didn't turn to look at her Captain. Her gaze remained fixed on the silver-haired young man, and she whispered softly, "That won't work! Because... in the future, I will become the Empress of the Amazon Lily Kingdom and intend to take over the Captain's position from you!" A strong determination emanated from her tone, as if that promise was not only for herself but also for Sephiroth.

"You want to be King? How interesting..." A faint bitter smile appeared at the corner of Captain Shakky's mouth, with the cigarette still tucked within. "Don't worry! When your strength surpasses mine... At that time, you won't even need to say it, I will definitely hand over the Captain's position to you immediately..."

The sea area from Water Seven to the Sabaody Archipelago is under the jurisdiction of Marine G3 Branch. The commander of this unit is Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, known as "the Marine Hero." When the Kuja Pirates emerge from the Calm Belt to raid, they often encounter Vice Admiral Garp's warships... Captain Shakky, the current Captain of the Kuja Pirates, said she was very tired. Unable to defeat him, she was constantly chased around the world by that man, Garp. This position of Kuja Pirates Captain, whoever wants it can have it, she doesn't value it! She wants to retire, to resign!

Of course, Captain Shakky also thought about changing direction and raiding the other side of the Calm Belt. However... The other side of the Calm Belt was the East Blue... Vice Admiral Garp's hometown! Several years ago, after the Pirate King Gol D. Roger was escorted back to his hometown, Loguetown in the East Blue, and executed, the Marines' crackdown on pirates in the East Blue was in full swing. Among them, Vice Admiral Garp, who often returned home for visits, made the most outstanding contributions... Captain Shakky would bet that if she dared to bring the Kuja Pirates to attack the East Blue, Garp would definitely dare to swim into the Calm Belt alone to defeat the people of Amazon Lily Island!

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