An Interlude on Spa Island

He would never forget Moonlight's face. The shame of his defeat had nearly caused the entire Foxy Pirates to disband. He never expected to see him again here.

"Damn it, it's that man, Captain!" Hamburg said in horror. Not just him, but everyone in the Foxy Pirates would never forget the man who had so thoroughly humiliated them.

"Captain, if he's here, then the rest of the Straw Hats must be, too," the Fish-Man Itomimizu added. "Our plan is probably ruined."

Foxy nodded, his face grim. They were right. If Moonlight was here, they would have to re-evaluate their plan, or perhaps abandon it altogether. At that moment, Moonlight seemed to sense their presence. He opened his eyes and looked over.

"Go!"

The three of them shot off without a second's hesitation.

"Is Luffy fighting someone again?" Moonlight muttered, his gaze drawn to the top of Spa Island, where he could see Luffy's arms and body stretching and contorting in a fierce battle. He extended his Observation Haki to get a better sense of the situation.

At the highest point of the island, Luffy was indeed fighting. His opponents were the island's guards, but their faces had changed, and they were now rounding on Luffy with extreme ferocity. At the same time, Zoro, Sanji, and the others were also being pursued. Though the Straw Hats were strong and could easily handle the guards, the island was riddled with traps, making the situation difficult. The cause of the fight seemed to be two girls, one older and one younger. The younger girl was clutching a notebook, and it was clear that this was what everyone was fighting over.

In the shadows, unseen by Luffy and his crew, the Foxy Pirates had reappeared, lying in ambush. In a separate room, Shutaro, the manager of Spa Island, watched the chaos unfold with a sinister expression, confident that his targets had no hope of escape.

"It looks like everyone's rest is over," Moonlight said with a small smile, having already grasped the entire situation.

Lina and her younger sister, Sayo, fled through the resort. They knew the truth of what was happening and had tried to help Luffy, but the enemy was relentless, and the island's many traps soon had them cornered.

"I will never let all of my father's hard work fall into the hands of a villain like Shutaro!" Lina gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with determination.

"Lina!" Sayo cried out as they dodged another attack.

Suddenly, a strange, blue beam of light, like a ripple in water, shot out from the side. The next moment, the two girls froze mid-stride, their bodies locked in place as if caught in a stasis field. Even Luffy and the others, who were leaping after them, stopped in their tracks.

"It's Foxy! The Foxy Pirates!" Nami gritted her teeth, recognizing him immediately.

"Them again?" Robin's face grew serious. The Foxy Pirates weren't particularly strong, but their Devil Fruit abilities were tricky.

"What kind of ability did they use?" Franky asked, watching as his crewmates remained frozen in place.

"It's the Slow-Slow Beam," Usopp explained, grinding his teeth. "It can stop people in their tracks for thirty seconds. He's a user of the Slow-Slow Fruit." This ability was incredibly difficult to deal with. The last time they had faced them on Long Ring Long Land, Moonlight had taken care of them single-handedly. Now that Moonlight was absent, they were in trouble.

"Fufufufu! Straw Hats, we meet again," Foxy taunted as he stepped out from his hiding place. He held up the notebook triumphantly. "Sorry, but I've got this now!"

Porche also laughed. "Hello again, Straw Hats! And goodbye!"

The rest of the Foxy Pirates joined in the laughter. "Without that man here, the Straw Hats are no match for us!" They were about to leave with their prize.

In his control room, Shutaro watched the scene on a monitor and nodded in satisfaction. "Good job, Foxy. Hurry up and bring me the notebook, and your mission will be complete." It turned out he was the mastermind behind all this. His goal was the notebook in Lina's hand, which was said to contain the method for producing a new, powerful type of gem. If he could get his hands on it, he would be one of the richest men in the world.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Shutaro," Foxy said with a sly grin, clutching the notebook like a precious treasure. "I've suddenly decided that something this valuable should stay in my hands."

"That's right," Porche chimed in with a laugh. "Now that we have such a precious item, why should we give it to you when we can use it ourselves?"

"So, it's Foxy of the Foxy Pirates, just as sinister and cunning as they say," Shutaro's face darkened. He had suspected Foxy might betray him, but it was still infuriating.

"A den of thieves turning on each other?" Franky remarked as he and the others watched the situation unfold.

"Heh, heh. Goodbye," Foxy said with a sly smile, preparing to make his escape. Shutaro sneered, ready to unleash his last resort. He had never fully trusted Foxy and had a backup plan.

Just then, the thirty seconds were up. Luffy and the others were released from the beam, but their forward momentum sent them tumbling, especially Sayo and Lina, who fell over a railing and into the sea. Luffy immediately dove in to save them, leaving Foxy and his crew unguarded.

Just as Foxy was about to leave and Shutaro was about to activate his final trap, a cold voice rang out from the sea. Moonlight had appeared, holding Sayo and Lina in his arms. He looked at Foxy with an icy gaze. "I remember telling you... not to let me see you again."

Seeing Moonlight, Foxy and his crew panicked and fled.

"Moonlight!" Luffy and the others cheered, relieved. If Moonlight hadn't appeared when he did, Sayo and Lina would have been in serious trouble.

"So this is Moonlight, the Vice-Captain of the Straw Hat crew?" Shutaro gritted his teeth and pressed a button, activating his final gambit. It was a move that should have been enough to turn the tables in his favor. But as he pressed it, he saw that his meticulously prepared device—a massive piece of equipment that had cost a fortune and was powerful enough to shake the entire island—had been sliced in two by a single slash of sword energy. The slash had come from the east, penetrating the entire island, not only cutting it in two but also forming a barrier that blocked Foxy's escape.

"What?!"

Seeing such terrifying power, Foxy and his crew fell to the ground in terror. "Escape!" they screamed, scrambling to get away. They had completely abandoned any thought of the notebook. Gems were precious, but their lives were more so.

"Is this the Vice-Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates? The wanted criminal with a 500 million belly bounty?" Shutaro trembled, realizing that all his planning had been in vain. In the face of Moonlight's overwhelming strength, his schemes seemed utterly ridiculous.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Sayo and Lina said, bowing gratefully. The rest of the crew laughed. Though the day had been anything but the leisurely vacation they had planned, seeing the happy smiles on the two girls' faces made it all worthwhile.

"Although 'pirate' isn't a respectable title in this Great Pirate Era, seeing a smile like that isn't so bad," Brook murmured. The more time he spent with them, the more he understood the unique charm of the Straw Hat crew. In his hundred years of solitude, he had never encountered a group like them.

"Hahaha! Cheers!"

Under the bright afternoon sun, Sayo, Lina, Luffy, and the others laughed and cheered, celebrating their victory. Reluctantly, they finally departed, setting their course once again for Fish-Man Island.

After their adventure on Spa Island, Brook was noticeably more active than usual, though his attempts to help out on the ship often ended in comical disaster. He tried to practice swords with Zoro but couldn't keep up, nearly rattling his skeletal frame apart. He then tried to help Sanji cook but almost ended up as an ingredient himself. After being chased out of the kitchen, he tried to assist Usopp with his inventions and nearly dismantled himself. A strange pattern emerged on the ship: wherever Brook went, chaos followed. He apologized profusely after each mishap, eventually ending up sitting alone by the ship's railing. "Oh, I'm really useless," he sighed.

Suddenly, a violent wind whipped across the sea, and a series of sea tornadoes appeared in the distance, riding the waves toward them. Brook jumped in fright, thinking a tsunami was coming, but as he was about to warn everyone, he saw Moonlight's figure in the distance. It was just Moonlight practicing his swordsmanship, his movements causing such a massive disturbance in the water that it looked like a natural disaster.

"Brook, what are you doing here?" Moonlight asked, giving the lonely skeleton a curious look.

"Moonlight! How can I help you?" Brook asked eagerly, despite his embarrassment.

"Help?" Moonlight thought for a moment. "I'm just a little tired. Could you play some lighter, more comfortable music for me?" With such an outstanding musician on board, it was only natural to want to hear a beautiful piece. In all his time in this world, he hadn't yet heard any truly great music.

"No problem!" Brook jumped up excitedly. He could finally help! And it was for Moonlight! "Please enjoy this serenade," he said, opening his skull to retrieve his violin.

A beautiful serenade slowly filled the air, the sound of Brook's violin spreading to every corner of the ship. Moonlight closed his eyes and lay down on the deck, enjoying the music completely. One by one, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Usopp, Chopper, Robin, and Franky came out, drawn by the beautiful melody. They stood together, watching the sunset and listening to Brook play. It was a perfect moment, a serene painting of sea and sky, with only the beautiful melody existing between heaven and earth.

When the song ended, everyone was still immersed in the beautiful tune. Brook looked at Moonlight and bowed deeply. "Thank you," he said. Moonlight's seemingly simple request had cleared the fog in his heart. After a day of feeling lost, he finally understood his place among them.

A small smile touched the corner of Moonlight's mouth.

The next morning, Usopp stood at the bow, staring at the sea ahead. "Look!" he cried out.

Everyone rushed to see. There, standing before them, was a massive mountain, a colossal wall of red earth that separated the Grand Line. It was the Red Line. This was the second time they had seen it, which meant they had circled halfway around the world. Their journey was half-complete. They remembered the vows they had made when they first saw it, back at Reverse Mountain. They thought of their journey so far: Twin Capes, Laboon, Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, Drum Island, Alabasta, Long Ring Long Land, Water 7, Enies Lobby, Thriller Bark, Spa Island... and now, here they were. They had set off from the East Blue and sailed all this way, through wind and rain, and had finally arrived.

"I'm going to be the King of the Pirates!" Luffy shouted at the Red Line.

"I'm going to surpass Mihawk, surpass Moonlight, and become the world's greatest swordsman!" Zoro declared, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"I'm going to find the All Blue!" Sanji said, lighting a cigarette.

"I'm going to draw a map of the entire world!" Nami gazed out at the distant sea.

"I'm going to be the world's greatest doctor!" Chopper swore, raising his hooves.

"I'm going to reach Laugh Tale with the Pirate King and fulfill my master's wish!" Franky nodded, his expression firm.

"Laboon!" Brook's eyes grew moist, thinking of his friend on the other side of that great wall.

"I will find out the truth of the world's history, with Moonlight," Robin said, her gaze turning to Moonlight.

Moonlight smiled softly, standing by her side. The truth of this world... what is it? he thought to himself. As more and more Poneglyphs were interpreted, he felt a growing certainty that there was an undeniable connection between the Devil Fruits, the World Government, the Celestial Dragons, and the legendary Sea Devil. What kind of secret was hidden on Laugh Tale? What did Roger find there? And did the legendary Sea Devil truly exist? Questions constantly flashed through his mind, and combined with the experiences of his past life and his journey in this one, he felt he was getting closer and closer to the truth. And the key to it all lay in the second half of the Grand Line: the New World.