Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I've managed to get another chapter out. I wish all my darlings a happy Mid-Autumn Festival in advance. By the way, I'm having roast duck tomorrow... hehehe.
Henzou watched the Straw Hat, speechless, as they busied themselves with a pile of bottles and jars filled with Rainbow Mist. At first, it was just Robin, then Usopp, finding it interesting, went to help. Luffy originally went to cause trouble, but after Orochimaru disciplined him, he sadly squatted on the side, twisting jars.
Orochimaru looked at the crestfallen Luffy, and after a long time of not feeling his conscience, felt a sense of guilt.
He rummaged through the Miscellaneous Store (formerly the Broken System Store), found a fist-sized lollipop exclusive for brats, claiming to be inexhaustible, and threw it to Luffy.
"Good... get to work... when we get back, Sanji will make you meat."
Luffy ate the lollipop, feeling something was off. Then he turned around, his shark-like face roaring at Orochimaru.
"Don't talk to your brother in that tone!!"
"ᄑ_ᄑ Oh, is the lollipop tasty?"
"Tasty... (๑•؎•๑)✧"
"ᄑ_ᄑ Then get to work."
"Oh!! Watch me! Gum-Gum! Twist Bottle Cap!!" The bottle cap was twisted so hard by Luffy it almost sparked.
There was no child that Orochimaru couldn't trick.
The going merry drifted through the Rainbow Mist, collecting some unwanted treasures along the way.
Orochimaru looked at the jars in his backpack: small, medium, large, extra-large, super-large, all types x1000. He wiped his sweat. That was enough.
He stroked the dispirited Luffy's hair. "You worked hard."
"Food..." Luffy looked at Orochimaru weakly.
Usopp also collapsed on the side, feeling a bit hungry. Only Robin was still drinking tea. The Flower-Flower Fruit was truly convenient.
Since Sanji wasn't there, Orochimaru had to cook Miso Ramen for them... Zoro woke up to the smell. "Oh... are we having ramen today?"
"Orochimaru made it!" Usopp curiously took a bite. "Delicious! Orochimaru, your cooking is pretty good too!"
Ever since Sanji joined the Pirate Crew, Orochimaru hadn't cooked. This was Usopp's first time eating Orochimaru's ramen.
"Yes... quite good." Robin elegantly slurped her noodles.
Luffy looked at the ramen, his eye twitching slightly. It seemed like he hadn't eaten it for over half a year. He couldn't be picky.
He ate the familiar-tasting ramen with tears in his eyes... Sanji... where are you (╥╯^╰╥)?
Although Orochimaru's ramen was... delicious, Luffy couldn't stand eating it for over a decade.
No... it should be said... Luffy ate it for 10 years... Ace ate it for 7 years... almost once every 3 days... Was this the retribution for them secretly eating ramen behind Orochimaru's back back then? He envied Sabo.
Looking at Luffy eating noodles with tears, Usopp blinked. "What's wrong with Luffy?" Is Orochimaru cooking so moving?
Luffy received a glare from Orochimaru.
(Ｔ▽Ｔ) great genius Luffy is online for a limited time.
"Hmm... my younger brother cooked for me, I'm super touched... really."
Usopp looked at Luffy, puzzled, and shivered. This Luffy was disgusting. He must have been starved out of his mind.
"Delicious!!" The children, who knows when they joined, sat together on the going merry's deck, slurping noodles. Seeing the crowd, Usopp also showed off his cooking skills.
Not to mention the buns were delicious, Orochimaru affirmed.
Encouraged, Usopp rummaged through the refrigerator again and found Sanji's semi-finished meat. After processing it, the group inexplicably started a feast on the going merry's deck.
With a clatter, the sound of a plate breaking attracted everyone's attention. Rabani had knocked over the food Henzou brought.
"You suddenly tell me that 50 years have passed! How do you expect me to believe you!"
Usopp put his hands on his hips, very excited. "Believe it!
No matter how much time has passed, or what our appearances have become!
As long as we were once Companions gathered under the same flag in the same year! We can trust each other!
Even if the color of the flag has faded! Friendship will always exist!"
Under Usopp's persuasion, the children finally believed that 50 years had passed outside. The few of them reconciled and contacted Nami and the others outside through a transponder snail. Everything was developing in a good direction.
That's what Orochimaru thought.
But looking around, there was nothing but Luffy and Rabani... Orochimaru rubbed his temples.
Suddenly, many misty whirlpools appeared around the going merry. Before Orochimaru could react, he was bumped... by Luffy.
The vast, empty mist stretched endlessly, nothing could be seen.
"Luffy, I'm going to transform into a snake to see how big this place is. You and Rabani be careful. This place might lead to other eras. Don't wander off, remember to hold onto my tail."
Orochimaru transformed into a snake body, a giant white snake with a pair of wings on its back, roughly the same size as Manda. Orochimaru extended his upper body into the time points of various passages to investigate.
While entering one of the spacetime corridors, he saw a young Marine floating by the sea. Orochimaru poked his head out and looked closely. Strange... this Marine looked a lot like Luffy, taller? Muscular Luffy??... Pfft!... This might be fate. Orochimaru leaned over, pressed against the unconscious Marine, infused Chakra, and gently pushed this Marine back onto the shore.
The young Marine, in a daze, saw a giant white snake with wings. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a shout, "Orochimaru!! Come back! There's a light here!" Then the snake disappeared.
Some time later, the Marine was rescued by a warship. The awakened young Marine looked at his Companion/Crewmate next to him.
"Pffthahaha... I'm still alive, Sengoku... I dreamed I was saved by a giant winged snake."
The young Sengoku's mouth twitched. "I think you're really dreaming... a snake with wings... but your physical condition is really good. You were hit by a cannonball into the sea and you're perfectly fine."
The Marine picked his nose, not caring, and thought about the last thing he heard. "Orochimaru, what a nice name."
On the other side, Orochimaru, Luffy, and Rabani successfully returned to the going merry by following the light.
"Nami??? How did you get in?" Orochimaru walked towards Nami on the deck.
"I came through Dr. Henzou's safety device," Nami said, explaining the situation outside.
"But that small boat was just sailed out by a Pirate, so now we need to find a way to get out again."
Orochimaru was deep in thought when he saw a group of people building a teleportation passage and entering the Rainbow Mist.
"Alright, no need to think of a way, they're in," Orochimaru said, pointing at the group of people.
The greedy army wantonly plundered the treasures from the Rainbow Mist shipwrecks, transporting them via conveyor belts, which ultimately benefited Orochimaru, who was waiting at the end. The Pirate mayor's Grandson was knocked out and left in a corner.
As the battle erupted, the Rainbow Mist exploded, and the passage collapsed, causing space to twist.
Rabani appeared, carrying the fallen Luffy.
"Luffy! Orochimaru! That light! It's sunlight! The sunlight of the setting sun! The sunlight shone through the spatial rift, and we just followed that light to get out!"
"Quick! Start rowing in that direction!" Nami directed everyone. Zoro gathered all the remaining soldiers and started to sprint with all their might, but the oars couldn't withstand their strength and broke.
"If only there was wind," Nami muttered under her breath.
Hearing Nami's words, Rabani jumped into the sea without hesitation.
"If we blow up our ship, there will be wind! That was originally a Marine warship, full of ammunition."
Orochimaru saw Rabani and suddenly remembered the officer who sneezed earlier, and the few people next to him. He knew the final outcome, and they also needed to return to their own era.
The other children also left with Rabani. Among them, the girl Isoka looked at everyone on the ship.
"Henzou... we won't die, we will definitely go back, no matter how many years pass, we will return."
As the explosion sounded, a fierce blast swept through, and the going merry surged out with the explosion.
Everyone in the town looked at the giant ship falling from the sky, dumbfounded. The going merry crashed heavily into the sea, and Merry's poor head flew off again.
Luffy was a bit disappointed, wondering how Rabani and the others were doing. Orochimaru patted Luffy and pointed at the Marine warship that had been chasing Merry earlier.
"Luffy, look at that person."
Henzou looked at the flicking finger skill. "Rabani... is that Rabani?"
The now elderly Isoka looked at Henzou. "Henzou... I told you, we would definitely come back."
The Marine arrested the mayor's family and told everyone that after the explosion, they were swept out, but it was 50 years ago.
To arrest the mayor and his family, it took them 50 years to climb to this position.
Luffy smiled brightly, said goodbye to everyone, and set sail again.
Orochimaru lay on his beach chair, rereading the book about the Rainbow Mist.
On a hidden page at the end, he saw a sentence:
I will write down all the adventures we experienced in this mist, for the adventurers who will arrive here in the future. These adventurers are the benefactors who will bring us back to our original world... the Luffy Pirate Crew.
Orochimaru closed the book.
Causality... it's truly amazing, isn't it?
But muscular Luffy, he's really funny.
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