After the party, the docks gradually returned to normal. The songs died down, the last barrels were sealed, and we took the time to say goodbye to the Rum Runner Pirates.
Scott and his crew, however, refused to let us leave empty-handed.
Several crates and barrels were loaded aboard the Vogue Merry: bourbon, whisky, shōchū, wine, rosé, and a few more ordinary bottles produced on the island. When I saw the amount of alcohol piled up in our hold, I immediately realized we had enough to keep Zoro satisfied for quite a while...
At least, in theory.
In fact, I caught Kuina discreetly keeping an eye on the swordsman during the loading, probably making sure no bottles mysteriously disappeared before we had even left.
Once Rubeck was behind us, Luffy came over to join me on deck.
Unlike usual, he didn't talk about food, adventure, or the next opponent he wanted to fight.
He simply stood beside me for a few seconds, his arms resting on the railing, before saying:
"Jordan, take all of this back to Heartless Island."
I turned my head slightly toward him, surprised by his serious tone.
Luffy was staring at the horizon with a small, peaceful smile.
"And stay there for a while. I can tell you need some time to think. There are still several places in East Blue I want to properly explore, especially Loguetown."
I watched him silently for a few seconds before letting out a soft laugh.
"Looks like I really can't hide anything from you anymore, Luffy."
I ran a hand through my hair, slicking it back, then continued more seriously:
"Rubeck made me realize something. If I truly want to be this crew's strategist, there are still a lot of things I'm missing. I have strength, powers, hidden cards, and enough tricks to surprise almost anyone... but strategy is useless if it's built on bad information."
My gaze drifted toward the ocean for a moment.
"I know a lot about this world, but what I know doesn't always match the reality we encounter. I still don't know how to efficiently gather the information we need, verify my sources, anticipate the movements of other crews, or build a real intelligence network. Right now, I'm still reacting to problems too often when they happen instead of seeing them coming."
Luffy remained silent for a moment before placing a heavy hand on my shoulder.
"I'm glad you're always looking out for us."
He looked me straight in the eyes.
"But don't get your knickers in a twist over it."
I blinked at the expression before smiling when I realized he was simply trying to tell me not to worry unnecessarily.
"We're strong, Jordan. And we're getting even stronger thanks to everything you teach us. You don't need to know every pirate, every Marine, and every rock before we get somewhere."
He removed his hand before flashing his usual enormous grin.
"So I'm giving you one month!" he declared, as though he had just made the most obvious decision in the world. "For one month, you do whatever you need to do on Heartless Island. Learn all your strategist stuff, organize your information, and train everyone who stayed behind if you want. Meanwhile, we'll finish exploring East Blue!"
His eyes immediately lit up.
"And I'm going to keep learning navigation. By the time you come back to the active crew, maybe I'll be able to find an island without asking Nami for help every five minutes!"
"Maybe?"
"Hey! I already got the ship all the way to Rubeck!"
"With Merry helping you."
"It still counts!"
As if she had heard her name, Merry came running across the deck at that exact moment. Luffy crouched slightly, and the little girl climbed up with practiced ease until she was sitting on his shoulder.
"Where are we going now, Captain?" she asked enthusiastically.
Luffy immediately pointed toward the horizon.
"Anywhere we haven't been yet!"
Merry threw her arms into the air with a joyful cheer, and I couldn't stop my smile from widening at the sight.
Luffy could sometimes seem completely reckless, but moments like this reminded me why I trusted him to lead our crew.
I watched the two of them walk away until I felt a pair of arms gently wrap around my waist.
A familiar warmth pressed against my back, and I didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.
"So..." Nami whispered near my ear. "Are you going to try carrying everyone on your shoulders again?"
I gently placed my hands over hers.
"No. Not this time."
I slowly turned around in her embrace until I was facing her.
"I'm just going to learn something new to round out my skills. I know how to fight, train others, and come up with plans when I have the right information. Now I need to learn how to gather that information myself and tell what's reliable from what isn't."
I smiled faintly.
"And with Dextremih on the island, I happen to have someone with actual training in that field. It would be stupid not to take advantage of that."
Nami studied me for a moment, as though making sure I wasn't simply looking for a new way to exhaust myself.
Eventually, her expression softened.
"That already sounds much better to me. Learning, yes. Trying to become omniscient in a month, no."
"Promise."
I gently tightened my arms around her before kissing the top of her hair. Nami nestled against me for a few seconds while I watched Luffy and Merry happily talking at the front of the ship.
Once we were far enough away from Rubeck that the lights of the port had become nothing more than tiny specks on the horizon, with no other vessels visible anywhere around us, I decided it was safe to return without drawing attention.
I moved to the bow of the Vogue Merry and extended one hand toward the ocean.
A mass of shadows immediately spread across the waves before forming an enormous portal, wide enough for the entire ship to pass through.
"Luffy, Merry, get ready."
Our captain immediately gave me a thumbs-up from the helm while Merry carefully watched our course.
A few seconds later, the Vogue Merry passed through the dark surface and emerged in the middle of a perfectly calm sea, right beside Heartless Island.
The difference was striking.
We had left behind the last lights of Rubeck only to emerge beneath a star-filled night sky, with nothing but a few lights from the island's buildings piercing the darkness.
I gladly left the rest to our two apprentice navigators.
"Your turn."
Luffy put on an expression that was far too serious as he held the wheel, while Merry regularly gave him small corrections.
"A little to port!" she called.
Luffy immediately turned the wheel.
"Like this?"
Merry looked toward the approaching dock before nodding proudly.
"Perfect!"
I smiled as I watched them work together.
Their technique still needed some polishing, but their progress since the Red Line tunnel was obvious.
A few minutes later, the Merry docked without incident, and several Heartless guards silently came forward to secure the mooring lines.
The journey, and especially the party, had taken its toll on a good portion of the crew, however.
When I looked up toward the crow's nest, I found Zoro and Kuina fast asleep against each other.
Apparently, neither of them had possessed the willpower to climb back down after settling up there.
Zoro slept with his head slightly tilted, while Kuina had unconsciously leaned against his shoulder.
"Two great warriors defeated by the Rum Runners..." I murmured in amusement.
I grabbed a large blanket and silently floated up to them with my magic before gently draping it over their shoulders.
Zoro grumbled something incomprehensible without opening his eyes, while Kuina instinctively snuggled closer to him to enjoy the warmth.
I floated back down without waking them.
Sanji, meanwhile, wasted absolutely no time. The moment the ship was docked, he gathered his things and headed toward the houses.
"Good night!" he called out quickly.
I smiled as I watched him practically speed up with every step.
"You could at least try to hide how much you missed Kazuki."
Sanji immediately turned around.
"I'm simply going to check that her training went well!"
"Of course."
He shot me an offended look before continuing on his way, completely unable to hide his smile at the thought of seeing his girlfriend again.
Luffy had managed to stay awake just long enough to finish docking the ship. A few minutes later, he made his way to his cabin with Merry and practically collapsed onto his bed without even bothering to properly take off his hat.
Merry, who seemed far less tired, carefully picked it up and placed it nearby before climbing onto the bed herself.
When I stopped by to make sure everything was alright, I found her already fast asleep, curled up against Luffy and comfortably using his stomach as a pillow.
Luffy had wrapped an arm around her in his sleep as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
I stood in the doorway for a few seconds with a smile.
The more time passed, the more those two truly looked like a big brother and his little sister.
So I gently closed the door without disturbing them.
That left only Nami and me.
I naturally took her hand, and together we walked along the quiet paths of Heartless Island.
Despite the late hour, a few Heartless were still patrolling, while others were finishing their duties before returning to their quarters.
Before going to sleep, however, I made a small detour to Grandma Heartless's house.
I gently opened the door and peeked inside.
My adoptive grandmother was sleeping peacefully, comfortably tucked beneath her blankets. Her steady breathing was enough to reassure me.
"Everything alright?" Nami whispered behind me.
"Yeah. I just wanted to check."
I carefully closed the door before continuing on.
I also went to check on Lea.
The little girl was sleeping soundly as well, curled up in bed with the cat-shaped Heartless held tightly against her chest like a stuffed animal.
The creature briefly opened its glowing eyes when it sensed my presence, recognized me, then peacefully closed them again without leaving Lea's arms.
"I think you've officially lost your Heartless," Nami whispered in amusement.
"It chose its owner. I'm not going to fight it."
We slipped back out as quietly as we had entered.
This time, I had no reason left to stay awake.
We finally reached our room and, unlike so many other nights when my mind refused to stop thinking, I made no attempt to train or immediately start planning the month ahead.
I simply changed out of my clothes before joining Nami.
She naturally nestled against me, and I wrapped an arm around her waist, enjoying her warmth and the absolute peace of the island.
"No crazy stuff tonight," she murmured against me.
I smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Promise."
(Author's Note: Don't worry, another chapter is coming right away ^^)