It was unclear if it was an illusion.
In Allegea, where the Demon King had been completely annihilated by Kong Tai, the lingering sense of decay from their arrival two days prior was gone under the setting sun.
Instead, it felt as though it had been reborn, exuding a unique vitality.
Like a newborn sun, about to shine upon the world once more.
The Freedom.
Inside Kong Tai's room.
The girl leaning against the window seemed to recall something, slowly opened her eyes, and tilted her head to look at the boy beside her. A hint of confusion flickered in her black and white pupils.
"East Blue?"
"Was there anyone strong enough to make Shanks lose an arm?"
As far as Kuina knew, even ten years ago, Shanks shouldn't have found any real opponents in the East Blue.
If there were...
"Was it Garp?"
The only powerhouse she could think of was the "Vice Admiral Garp," the hero of the Marines, who often returned home.
"Garp..."
Kong Tai was slightly speechless, shook his head, and then burst into laughter, "Haha!! Do you still remember the sea king we encountered when we first set sail, the one that looked like an eel?"
"Eel..."
Kuina pondered for a moment and said, "It was that small sea king you fished up, the one with quite a personality."
"Yes, that's the one."
Kong Tai nodded.
"I remember you called him 'King of the Near Sea' back then," Kuina's confusion deepened, "So, what does that have to do with Shanks' arm?"
"Haha!!"
Perhaps recalling something amusing, Kong Tai suddenly couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The girl didn't rush him, simply tilting her head to watch the boy. Even though her eyes were filled with confusion, they couldn't hide the infinite tenderness deep within.
After Kong Tai finished laughing, he began to talk about the King of the Near Sea, Shanks, and Luffy's story.
It was a short story, interwoven with everything Kong Tai knew, yet it took a considerable amount of time to tell.
Of course.
During this time, Kuina's expression shifted from initial confusion to curiosity upon hearing about the mountain bandit king, and finally, a strange look appeared as she learned that Shanks had gambled his arm in the new era to save Luffy.
"So... Shanks' arm was bitten off by a small sea king, the same kind as the 'King of the Near Sea' you fished up?"
Kuina asked again, her voice filled with astonishment and a touch of strangeness.
"Mm!"
"Hahahahaha!!"
Nodding, Kong Tai couldn't help but laugh again.
It wasn't really something funny, but thinking that Shanks was on the island, a living person before him rather than a character from a past life's manga, and that this guy had so easily lost his arm in the East Blue, he couldn't help but want to laugh.
"This is truly..."
Knowing the truth, even Kuina couldn't help but feel speechless at that moment.
Bang--!
Just then, the room door was abruptly pushed open from the outside.
"Kong Tai, wake up, get up, the feast is starting."
Shanks, silhouetted against the setting sun, stopped abruptly outside the door as he saw the boy and girl by the ship's railing. He then awkwardly scratched his head, "Haha! You're already awake! I thought you were still sleeping!"
As he spoke, Shanks strode unceremoniously into the room.
At that moment, the boy and girl exchanged a glance and turned around simultaneously.
As the girl turned, her gaze immediately fixed on Shanks' empty left arm, the strangeness on her face impossible to hide.
"What's wrong?"
Shanks glanced at Kuina curiously, touched his empty left arm with his right hand, then swept his gaze over the two of them. His nose twitched as his attention landed on the neatly stacked wine jars and barrels in the corner of the room.
"Yo! So much good wine."
He strode over quickly, picked up a bottle from the top, and smiled, "And wine from the West Blue, I haven't had it in ages!"
"Mm! This is..."
Putting down the bottle, Shanks' nose continued to twitch. He bent down, staring at the wine barrel at the very bottom, his eyes suddenly lighting up, "This smell, this smell..."
"Skypiea's wine?"
"Kong Tai, is it, is it Skypiea's wine?"
Pointing at the wine barrel, Shanks turned and looked at the boy walking towards him.
"Alcoholic!"
"Never seen the world before."
Silently despising Shanks in his heart, Kong Tai stood by the desk and nodded, "It is indeed Skypiea's wine. These were given to us by Gan Fall when we passed by Skypiea."
"Right, Gan Fall, you should have met him. He said he was Roger's friend."
"Gan Fall?"
Shanks, squatting on the floor, rubbed his chin in thought, then nodded, "I've met him indeed. I remember he was the 'God' of Skypiea."
As he spoke, a hint of nostalgia appeared on his face.
Although he was still young then, he had followed Roger's pirate crew with Buggy, starting from the Grand Line, and witnessed Roger's entire journey from a top pirate to the King of the Pirates.
Though that period was filled with hardships, it was the most unforgettable time of his life.
Roger was his teacher, and even more so, his father. That's why he looked forward, looking forward to the arrival of the new era that Roger had spoken of, looking forward to the child he had seen the future of, hoping he could create a new era.
But at this moment, the new era was clearly not in the small town in the East Blue where he had gambled his left arm, but right before his eyes, on this silver-haired youth.
The confidence radiating from the boy, surpassing all worldly things, had not changed from the moment they first met.
In Shanks' eyes, the boy was full of secrets. Even after hearing from the boy about his future aspirations, the hope that this mysterious youth gave him surpassed his expectations for the new era left behind by Roger.
This feeling wasn't as strong in Dressrosa. Even though the boy was strong enough to easily kill Kaido and Charlotte Linlin then, it wasn't as tangible as it was upon meeting him again.
He couldn't quite explain whether this feeling was due to the other's power or some other reason.
And this time, Kong Tai saving Uta had given him a deeper understanding of the essence of this world.
The fundamental power of the Demon King had elevated his perspective to heights he had never reached before, and his will had been significantly strengthened.
Shaking his head, Shanks stopped thinking about it.
The future was for tomorrow; today was for feasting and revelry.
The feast.
Only a feast could truly express the fluctuations of his mood today.
"Haha!!" Thinking of this, Shanks withdrew his gaze, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the wine barrel in front of him, and laughed heartily, "I was still worrying about not having good wine for today's feast, and I didn't expect you to have so much, Kong Tai! Now we can drink heartily all night."
"You're really not being polite!"
Kong Tai stared at Shanks' back, his lips twitching.
However, he didn't stop Shanks from taking the wine. While he was usually stingy with these wines, on such a joyous occasion, he wasn't as he usually was.
For a friend.
He...
Always generous?
Of course, if he hadn't turned his back, the fleeting expression of pain in his eyes would have been so clear that everyone would have believed him to be incredibly generous when it came to wine.