On Laboon Island within Peach Garden, Zephyr walked slowly down a lively street.
Shops lined both sides, their owners calling out to customers as the sounds of trade and chatter filled the air. Children ran through the streets, laughing and playing without a care.
A small boy wearing a straw hat suddenly ran up to Zephyr and pointed at his right arm.
"Grandpa, your hand looks strange. It's like a robot's."
A few more children rushed out from a nearby alley. The moment they noticed Zephyr's mechanical arm, their eyes lit up with excitement.
"Wow, that's so cool. Grandpa, are you a robot?" one boy asked as he poked the metal arm.
Zephyr looked at them and gave a gentle smile.
"Yes, you could say Grandpa's hand is like a robot's."
The children immediately became even more excited.
"That's amazing."
"So cool."
A fish-man child circled around him curiously, while another winged boy reached out to touch the arm carefully.
"Then Grandpa, are you a robot too?" a blue-haired boy asked, staring at him with hopeful eyes.
Zephyr let out a soft chuckle.
"No, I'm not a robot."
The children's excitement dropped slightly.
"So you're not…"
"I thought you were a robot, Grandpa."
Zephyr shook his head lightly.
"Even if I'm not, this hand can still transform."
As he spoke, he adjusted his mechanical arm, shifting its shape.
The children froze for a second, then burst into excitement again.
"Whoa!"
"That's incredible!"
"So cool!"
They gathered around him, cheering and circling him nonstop.
More children were drawn over by the noise, and before long, Zephyr was surrounded.
He played along with them, completely forgetting his identity and the reason he had come to Peach Garden.
Moments like this were rare for him. Only here could he feel like an ordinary person.
No battles, no pirates, no Marines.
Just a grandfather spending time with children.
"Robot Grandpa, we're going home to eat. Can we play again tomorrow?"
Zephyr nodded.
"If I'm still here tomorrow, then yes."
"Great!"
"Goodbye, Grandpa."
"See you tomorrow."
As evening approached, the children gradually left, each one waving as they went.
Zephyr stood there, watching them disappear into the streets, raising his hand in return.
His eyes grew slightly moist.
A peaceful childhood like this was something truly rare.
He looked toward the horizon.
The setting sun hung low, half-hidden behind the mountains, casting a warm red glow across the sky. The city lights slowly came to life, blending with the fading sunlight.
Humans, fish-men, and sky people moved through the streets together without conflict.
A place without division.
"Living like this… it's good," he said quietly.
The world had always followed one rule, the strong dominate the weak.
That reality brought oppression, slavery, and endless conflict.
Different races distrusted each other. Social classes kept people divided.
After sailing for so many years, Zephyr had seen countless islands locked in struggle.
A place like Peach Garden was almost impossible to find.
"If only everywhere could be like this."
He shook his head, a bitter smile forming.
When he was young, he wanted to join the Marines and bring justice to the world.
Now, he had abandoned that path and become a rebel.
That dream felt distant.
"The people here are fortunate."
Peach Garden matched everything he once imagined a better world could be.
At that moment, a voice spoke from beside him.
"A place like this doesn't stay this way on its own. Every generation has to protect it."
Zephyr nodded.
"That's true."
He turned his head and saw a young man standing nearby.
"Rolan, you've done something impressive, building a place like this."
Rolan gave a small laugh.
"I used to wonder if something like this was even possible."
He stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the city ahead.
"I just ended up with the right people around me. People who were willing to follow, people who were willing to build something better."
His tone remained casual, almost indifferent.
"People like to exaggerate things. They make it sound like I did everything myself."
He raised a hand and pointed toward the city.
"This place doesn't belong to me. Never did. It belongs to the people living in it."
"The Ion Pirates didn't build this alone either. Without everyone here, none of this would exist."
Zephyr watched Rolan quietly.
Under the fading sunlight, his figure looked unremarkable, almost ordinary.
Yet the city behind him made his presence impossible to ignore.
The more Zephyr listened, the more he understood.
Rolan wasn't trying to present himself as some savior.
And yet, without him, none of this would have come together.
Before today, Zephyr had only heard rumors.
Some called Rolan a ruthless killer. Others painted him as something far worse. There were even stories claiming he was kind and approachable.
Now that he saw him in person, none of those descriptions fully matched.
Rolan didn't look like a hero, nor did he act like one.
But to the people here, he might as well be irreplaceable.
A faint sense of distance surrounded him, making it difficult to fully grasp who he really was.
"Rolan, will you keep going like this? Will you keep caring about the world?"
Rolan glanced back at him.
"I don't know."
His answer came without hesitation.
"Maybe I'll keep going, maybe I won't. Either way, it won't change much."
He looked back at the city again.
"This place doesn't depend on me. It never did."
"Peach Garden exists because people want it to exist."
He paused briefly before adding,
"If that ever changes, then it deserves to fall apart."
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