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When they entered the rainbow mist together, only Henzo and Wetton fell into the sea, so Rapanui always blamed himself. In his mind, Henzo should have been killed by the vicious pirate Wetton…
Now that Henzo was still alive, Rapanui was happy, but… he couldn't accept the fact that Henzo had aged.
Henzo then shared his experiences over the years and explained what Wetton had done on Ruluka Island.
Upon learning that Wetton had become the mayor of their hometown, Rapanui found it even harder to accept. But what was truly unbearable was the fact that his former companion had actually ended up working under the very man who had destroyed their home.
Time couldn't erase hatred, and for Rapanui, it felt lIkki no time had passed at all since Wetton's attack on Ruluka Island.
Rapanui remained silent, but the others were much more talkative. After reuniting with Henzo, they began sharing their experiences of living within the rainbow-colored fog.
Just then, a large yellow fish appeared and attacked them. The creature rammed into their boat, shattering it, forcing everyone to escape in different directions.
"Thank you!"
Henzo pulled Pukau aboard the Going Merry.
The chubby boy, Pukau, took one look at the Straw Hat Pirates' jolly roger and immediately started trembling with fear.
To Henzo, the Wetton Pirates' attack on Ruluka Island had happened decades ago, but for Pukau and the other children trapped in the rainbow-colored fog, it had only been a few months. The memory of the pirates' brutality was still fresh in his mind.
Seeing Pukau's terrified expression, Henzo reassured him, "Don't worry! They're not bad people!"
At that moment, the large yellow fish—having been driven away by Luffy—suddenly leaped out of the sea again and lunged at the Going Merry in a rage.
Before Luffy could even react, two figures shot forward and sent the massive fish flying with a single kick.
This time, it was Ace and Sabo who had taken action.
They had just finished searching an abandoned pirate ship for treasure, each finding a chest. But as they left the wreck, they noticed the yellow fish attacking the Going Merry and intervened without hesitation.
Despite being classified as a Sea King, the yellow fish was nothing more than a bully preying on ordinary people. Against powerhouses lIkki Ace and Sabo, it was nothing more than food!
Nami's eyes immediately locked onto the treasure chests in their hands, and she rushed over.
"You actually found hidden treasure..."
Excitedly, she opened one of the chests, revealing gold, gems, and even ancient bronze artifacts.
"This box alone has to be worth at least 100 million berries!" Nami exclaimed as she picked up a beautifully crafted pearl necklace.
"Yeah, that sounds about right!" Sabo grinned. "I bet the other ships have treasures too!"
He was growing increasingly interested in the rainbow mist. The Revolutionary Army was always in need of funds, and if they could take this treasure back, Dragon would probably be overjoyed...
Meanwhile, after Henzo's explanation, the somewhat naive Pukau finally believed that the Straw Hats were good people.
Of course, it wasn't just Henzo's words that convinced him—it was also the feast that Sanji had prepared.
After all, how could someone who cooked such delicious food possibly be a bad guy?
As they ate, Henzo began explaining to the Straw Hats what had happened to him over the years and why he had ended up working for his enemy, Wetton.
When he learned that Henzo had endured humiliation and worked under his enemy Wetton just to save himself and others from the Rainbow Mist, Pukau burst into tears…
At that moment, across from the Merry, several children appeared on the wreckage of a half-sunken ship.
They were Rapanui, Rongo, Isoka, and Akibi.
Rapanui held a bomb in his hand and shouted at the Straw Hats, "If you don't want me to blow up your ship, release my friends immediately!"
After saying this, he turned his gaze toward Henzo and Pukau.
"Rapanui, don't do this! They're not bad people..." Henzo pleaded.
Pukau, still holding a drumstick in his hand, waved it excitedly and shouted, "Rapanui, I swear, they're really good people! Come down here—there's so much delicious food!"
Rapanui swallowed hard. It was clear that the mention of food tempted him.
Although the Rainbow Mist held many treasures, food was extremely scarce.
Before Rapanui could even respond, Rongo, Isoka, and Akibi had already climbed aboard the Merry without hesitation.
Seeing this, Rapanui sighed, covering his forehead in frustration. Left with no choice, he climbed aboard as well, still holding the fake bomb.
Once on the ship, Rapanui was cold toward Henzo, unable to accept the fact that he had worked under their sworn enemy, Wetton.
But... as the saying goes, there's nothing a good meal can't fix.
Most grievances tend to disappear at the dinner table, and the same was true for Henzo and Rapanui.
Before Henzo could even begin to explain himself, Pukau, his mouth still full of food, eagerly recounted Henzo's painful past to everyone.
When Rapanui and the others learned that Henzo had endured years of humiliation under Wetton solely to ensure their survival and eventual rescue, they burst into tears.
And when they saw Henzo's aged face, they cried even harder.
With the misunderstanding between the Pumpkin Pirates finally resolved, Nami wasted no time directing the Straw Hats to start gathering treasure.
Now that Rapanui, a local, was with them, it became much easier to locate hidden treasures—especially since Rapanui himself had collected quite a lot over the years. After all, who doesn't love money?
Under Nami's command, everyone swiftly gathered an enormous haul of treasure, filling the deck of the Merry.
To prevent the ship from becoming too heavy, they had to move some of the loot into the cabin, carefully securing it to avoid any unnecessary weight shifting.
Inside the Rainbow Mist, where the sun and moon were invisible, the concept of time became vague.
Just as everyone was busy collecting treasure, the entrance to the Rainbow Mist began to dissipate.
Nami, noticing this, knew they had to act fast. If they stayed too long, they might be trapped inside forever.
As they prepared to set sail, they watched in shock as the entrance vanished at an alarming rate.
Henzo, who had spent years studying the Rainbow Mist, was stunned.
"This... this shouldn't be happening... The Rainbow Mist isn't supposed to disappear this fast!"
Rapanui stared at the closing entrance, his expression conflicted. Then, after glancing at his friends and the old Henzo, he smiled in quiet resolve.
"I am the captain of the Pumpkin Pirates. It's my duty to protect my crew!"
Without hesitation, he leaped into the sea.
Realizing what Rapanui intended to do, Rongo, Isoka, Akibi, and Pukau immediately followed.
They knew he planned to ignite the gunpowder on the large ship behind them, using the explosion to propel the Merry out of the mist before the entrance closed completely.
Before diving in, they quickly explained their plan to Henzo.
"Rapanui… Rongo, Isoka, Akibi, Pukau... you..."
Henzo reached out, wanting to stop them, but deep down, he knew that in his old age, he wouldn't be able to help.
In truth, Ikki wanted to point out that there were other ways to accelerate the Merry. Nami's wind techniques, his own Dragon's Roar, or even Ace's Fire Fist could have done the job.
Ace could have ignited the gunpowder remotely without anyone needing to jump in.
But seeing the children dive into the sea with unwavering determination, he chose to remain silent.
He knew that they wouldn't die from this. Instead, they would return to the past—to fifty years ago.
"Brothers… get ready to set sail!"