The Paper Fruit Among the Pirates

"You who once gave up on your 'dream'..."

"Don't try to take away other people's dreams!!"

Although Luffy understood the overlord's entanglement during the battle, to be honest, to the young Red Earl, it was just a skin trauma from a punch that he was caught off guard. What makes the Red Earl who sits up from the ruins silent is Luffy's unyielding will and the comparison with himself...

"Don't deny the boss' dream!"

At this time, the little raccoon cat Padong ran to face Luffy in front of the Red Earl. The Red Earl would not refute, but Padong couldn't stand it anymore.

"Boss always says that: those people are more than that..."

As soon as he got the title of One Piece, he surrendered himself to the navy because of a terminal illness, and then his head was chopped off in his hometown...

Known as the strongest man in the world, he didn't have a single 'record' on the top battlefield, and he was beaten to death in the end...

"I can't use my strength to die like this... Boss is very unwilling!"

"So the boss... never gave up important things!!"

In the heart of the Red Earl, the most important thing is actually 'friends'.

He was just not reconciled to the ending of his friends.

"That's enough, Patton."

Standing up slowly, the Red Earl took a step forward, looking at the 'Old Luffy' who was shaking but still had firm eyes. In comparison, his young body seemed so weak.

"I tried to use my borrowed 'youngness,'"

"To chase borrowed 'dreams'..."

The Red Earl put his hand on the head of the old Luffy who had to support his knees to stand still, which surprised everyone in the Straw Hats! But Roman's outstretched arms blocked their impulsive steps, because:

Buzz~~

As if time began to flow backwards, Luffy's skinny body was full again, the wrinkles all over his body were smooth again, and his silver hair turned into pitch black——

"·····back to normal?"

"I entrusted my dreams to them without authorization, and after they left, I inherited their dreams without authorization..."

While Luffy was surprised, the Red Earl had already turned and walked towards another victim.

"I gave up fighting against 'aging' and chose the easy path of 'forever young'."

The Red Earl squatted in front of Yadoya, the innkeeper girl who had absorbed the 'life span', and covered her old face with his hands.

Buzz~~

As the girl returned to her original appearance, the Red Earl reverted to the appearance of a charming old man.

"I've figured it out, Straw Hat Luffy!"

The old man who turned around raised his cloak, his face was no longer the anger mixed with unwillingness before, but calm and aloof again.

"One Piece is not a cheap title that can be obtained by relying on borrowed youth and borrowed dreams."

The old man opened his arms and strode towards Luffy.

"I want to surpass Newgate, Roger, and everyone with this old body!"

"Even if I'm alone..."

"I want to be 'One Piece' too!!"

Following the Red Earl's declaration, the crimson arrogance that soared into the sky exploded from him!

The intensity of this domineering energy suddenly concretized into a crimson aura that was visible to the naked eye, full of ideas such as aloofness, self-confidence, domineering, and unwillingness to admit defeat. Wave after wave to all people.

Under the impact, the weaker members of the Straw Hats subconsciously took a big step back and hid behind their companions. Only a few main players stood in front without fear.

"Hey, hey, this kind of aura...you don't look old at all."

Sauron supported the handle of the knife at his waist, and although he spoke fierce words, there was a smile on his face. The faces of the others also calmed down. Anyway, things look like they are going to end 'peacefully' today.

Huh~~

Roman, who had been tense, was also relieved.

As expected of Luffy, even a top powerhouse like the Red Earl is subdued by his aura...

"Not alone!"

The little civet cat Padong also chased after the Red Earl and stood side by side with him.

"Boss Red, I want to be with you! I want to help you!"

"Whether I am abandoned or kicked away, I will never give up! Because this is my freedom and my dream!!"

········

"Heh, it seems that the plan to entrust you to the Straw Hats has failed."

From the very beginning, it was the Red Earl who deliberately sent Padong on the route of the Straw Hats. Because I want to sprint to the throne of "One Piece", because I have to face the man who has been invincible for eight hundred years, so I arranged the way early...

"Forget it,"

"This is the journey of the One Piece 'alone and a civet cat'! Padong, then accompany me, an old man, all the way!"

"Yes, Boss Red!!"

"Hee hee hee~~Look, as long as you persist, there will be results."

Facing the grinning Luffy, the civet cat also smiled.

"Thank you, Luffy, Liliu~~"

"but--"

As a sea breeze blows in the early morning, the gorgeous captain's coat left by the previous "Copy Luffy" was blown loudly——yes, that dress is not an illusion, it is "Copy Luffy" I don't know where it came from Even after the costumes he got were gone, the coat that represented 'One Piece' still existed.

call,

The sea breeze blew up the coat, and it flew to Luffy's side, and he grabbed it and put it on his body!

"I am the one who will become the One Piece!"

·······

"Then come on!"

The little civet cat climbed onto the shoulder of the Red Earl and pointed the umbrella in his hand at the whole Straw Hat group, and the rest of the Straw Hat group also walked behind Luffy who was wearing the One Piece coat.

"Roman, that gust of wind just now..."

"Hehe, don't you think that captain's coat matches Luffy well?"

"·····as long as you are happy,"

Of course it is, it was originally something obtained by 'copying Luffy', which is equivalent to Luffy's own choice. ——Although Luffy usually looks like he doesn't care about anything, in fact his aesthetics has always been online.

Well, except for the obsession with firing lasers and transforming...

"come on--"

This time, there were no other distractions. There is only pure fighting on both sides:

The white knight armor is followed by strong winds, entangled by lightning, and the black and white long sword in his hand cuts vertically and horizontally; the domineering, ghostly, and murderous aura on the three katana swords are black as ink, tearing everything; , blazing like fire; in the tumbling water following, it is a fist that has been swung for decades;

There are also wind, cloud, thunder and lightning, plant bullets, seven-stage transformation, ice stabbing sword, heavy laser cannon, petal arms...

as well as:

"Rubber Overlord Lion Bombshell!"

As Luffy entwined the overlord-colored and armed-colored fourth-stage rotating fists and blasted the red earl's chest with a black lightning bolt, the crimson figure flying upside down indicated that the battle for the 'One Piece' had come to an end.

Boom!

defeated

Sure enough, this era belongs to you.

In front of the panting straw hat group, the Red Earl slowly stood up and straightened the bright red scarf and purple ruffled collar on his chest, and then:

Snapped,

The old man half-knelt on the ground,

"Boss Red..."

Facing the worried eyes of Padong, who had transformed from a pen into a civet cat, the Red Earl patted his head dotingly.

"Always... the window period is too long."

After decades of advancing in peace in the city, after fighting with my own body, it seems that...

Is it not bad to lose to these young people?

Clang, clang~~

As soon as the Red Earl's words of admitting defeat came out, the whole straw hat group collapsed and fell to the ground in an instant.

"Tsk, if you are still in the window period, then what are we..."

Roman, who was sitting on the ground, looked at the Red Earl who still had the strength to tidy up his appearance with a self-deprecating look, and curled his lips.

"All of you uncles in the sea are as strong as monsters. You are ashamed to say that you are old..."

"Oh, that's all for today."

Standing up, the Red Earl put the little civet cat Padong on his shoulders, and after panting, Brook sheathed the sword of mourning in his hand, and looked at the evil old man in front of him with empty eyes, and the lonely man deep in his memory. The teenagers connected.

"So it was you, Baloric Redfield."

————

When I was still human, the Rumba Pirates passed through a village, and the carefree and joyful music attracted a lonely boy.

‘Why, there is only joy in your hearts? '

Facing the boy's question, the man with a lush afro, small sunglasses and a scar on his forehead let out a characteristic laugh.

‘There’s no reason—isn’t music just for the joy of the people? '

'Can I be like you too? '

'Of course, in this vast sea, no matter who you are, you will definitely meet a friend who is worthy of your heart! There are bound to be moments of laughter! '

————

"Later you also went to sea,"

Brook looked at his former junior, the legendary great pirate with gray hair, with emotion. Although things are different, but:

"'Padong' is your title when you were a rookie, and you gave him your title—"

His emotional eyes fell on the little civet cat on the shoulder of the Red Earl.

"From the very beginning, you never gave up anything."

This is the origin of the name of the little civet cat,

"I didn't expect to meet you here, Senior Brook, 'Nige Sanding'."

Although Brook usually looks like a perverted skeleton with a lot of joy, but in fact he is already a 90'old'...skeleton.

"Bahahahaha~~~"

The crimson old man looked up to the sky and laughed, today is really a good day.

As the sun jumped out from the sea level, golden sunlight fell on the island, causing the Red Earl to open the umbrella in his hand to cover his face, leaving only the corner of his mouth upturned.

"Let's go, Padong."

"Our journey has only now officially begun—"

Facing the old man who left facing the rising sun, everyone in the Straw Hats smiled, only:

"Mr. Red Earl, remember not to use our clones to cause trouble. If you can, please don't attack the navy——you know the reason."

"Hey, hey, the atmosphere is gone!"

"Roman is really..."

"After fighting all night, I'm about to fall apart."

"If you encounter difficulties, sleep well!"

"Sanji, I want to eat meat, I'm already starving..."

······

"here is?"

When the innkeeper, Yadoya, the girl with glasses, woke up, what she saw was a ruined battlefield and a group of straw hats lying nearby, sleeping soundly.

And the only Roman sitting on guard.