Chapter 65: Feeling Left Out
At this moment, Cocoyasi Village had been saved by Yumesaki. The Arlong Pirates had been utterly eradicated by Hashirama, leaving not even a trace of ash behind.
Without the opportunity to build that crucial heroic impression, Luffy's attempt to recruit Nami into his crew had become incredibly difficult.
As the two of them were locked in a persistent tug-of-war, Nami's eyes suddenly landed on Yumesaki.
"Over here, over here!"
In an instant, she sprang from her seat. Without a word, she lunged toward Yumesaki, clinging tightly to his arm as she buried herself in his side. "See this? This is my boyfriend. He's also the most famous Pirate Hunter in the East Blue."
She glared at Luffy with a triumphant huff. "If you dare bother me again, I'll have my boyfriend catch you and turn you over to the Marines!"
Zoro, standing beside Luffy, stared blankly. "???"
Your boyfriend is the most famous Pirate Hunter in the East Blue? Then what the hell am I? Zoro thought, his brow twitching. When did someone more famous than me appear in this sea without me knowing?
But setting that aside, Zoro's gaze sharpened. This man looked remarkably strong.
Even though Yumesaki wasn't flaunting his power or radiating a massive aura, Zoro felt an inexplicable pressure. His wild, beast-like instincts were screaming at him, warning him that the moment he attacked, he would lose.
In fact, there was a high probability he would die.
This sensation made his body tremble involuntarily—not out of fear, but out of sheer, unadulterated excitement. It was only by challenging the strongest that he could reach the summit of swordsmanship.
However, Zoro didn't draw his blades. For one, his opponent wasn't a swordsman, so he didn't fall into the category of someone Zoro would actively challenge. Secondly, the man wasn't an enemy. At least, until Yumesaki showed clear hostility, Zoro had no intention of making a move.
Meanwhile, seeing Nami clinging so tightly to Yumesaki, Luffy finally let out a long sigh. "I see. So you already have your own crewmates."
He gave up. Luffy wasn't the type of person to steal what belonged to others. If Nami had been alone, he wouldn't have minded chasing after her, but since she already had a companion, he couldn't just snatch her away.
Seeing Luffy finally back down, Nami let out a cold snort. "Don't bother me again," she tossed over her shoulder before dragging Yumesaki away.
Once they returned to their seats, Nami began to vent, complaining about how relentlessly Luffy had been pestering her. Then, she shot a playful, sideways glance at Robin. "Robin-nee, you were just watching the whole time. You didn't even try to help me."
Robin merely smiled, her expression calm and elegant. "I stayed quiet specifically because I was helping you."
"Huh?" Nami's face was the picture of disbelief. Who would believe such nonsense?
To her surprise, Yumesaki nodded in agreement. "She's right. Robin stayed quiet because she was looking out for you."
Nami blinked, looking between the two of them. "???"
Yumesaki continued, "Don't be fooled by how unremarkable that guy looks right now. In the future, he's going to be a massive figure. If you actually joined his ship, you could probably achieve your dream of drawing a map of the entire world."
Nami didn't buy it for a second. That persistent, annoying kid didn't look like a future "legend" from any angle. Besides, how could Yumesaki possibly know what would happen in the future?
"Is there a chance," Yumesaki teased, "that I'm actually a person from the future who ate the Future-Future Fruit, allowing me to see the distant path ahead?"
"There's no way a fruit like that exists!" Nami scoffed, her face practically shouting that he was trying to pull her leg.
Yumesaki shrugged helplessly. While he was indeed teasing her, the part about her achieving her dreams on Luffy's ship wasn't a lie. Since Nami didn't believe him, there wasn't much else he could do.
Robin covered her mouth and let out a soft giggle. It was quite an amusing thought. Without Nami and herself, wouldn't Luffy's ship just end up as a floating bachelor pad?
Come to think of it, the Red Hair Pirates were mostly a group of single men as well. Since Luffy was so heavily influenced by Shanks, it would make sense if he inadvertently mirrored that "all-male crew" dynamic. The more Robin thought about it, the more she couldn't stop smiling.
"By the way, how did things go in the other world?" Robin asked. She had expected Yumesaki to be gone for quite a while, so his quick return was a surprise.
"Everything is settled," Yumesaki replied. "I got lucky. As soon as I opened the door, I ran into an acquaintance, which made it easy to identify the world. I even picked up a new skill."
"What kind of skill?"
"Magic."
"Oh? So you opened a world where magic exists."
"Exactly." Yumesaki nodded. The world of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End was as standard as a fantasy world could get. It had Heroes, Demon Kings, Sages, Mages, Elves, and Dwarves—a classic Otherworld.
"Who did you meet? Was it perhaps the main heroine?" Robin recalled their first meeting; when Yumesaki had entered the world of One Piece, she was the first one he encountered. Although she appeared a bit later in the grand timeline, she was undoubtedly a central figure here.
"Not this time," Yumesaki said, shaking his head. "Instead, I met the master of the heroine's master. An old Elf who has lived from the Mythical Era to the present day. I have no idea how many millennia she's walked the earth."
Robin's eyes widened slightly. "Ah, that's..."
That was unexpected. Even the World Government had only been around for about eight hundred years. To think there was a living fossil who had survived for thousands of years... it was staggering.
"Then, she must be incredibly powerful." Robin couldn't even begin to fathom the strength of an Elf like that.
"It's hard to say for sure, because in the original story, this old Elf rarely ever takes action," Yumesaki said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But judging by how the heroine handles herself, this old Elf is likely a powerhouse. Honestly, she could probably storm the Holy Land of Mary Geoise single-handedly... probably."
"Even if she couldn't win, she could definitely retreat safely."
Hearing this, Robin understood that this Elf was truly in a league of her own. Mary Geoise wasn't just guarded by the Five Elders; it had the God's Knights, the Commander-in-Chief... and the mysterious Imu. If someone could invade that place alone and survive, their power was nothing short of nonsensical.
A subconscious thought flickered through Robin's mind: It would be better to just let this old Elf handle the World Government. Without Imu, the Elders, or the Celestial Dragons, the world certainly wouldn't be any more chaotic than it already was.
But the thought vanished as quickly as it came. The Elf wasn't from this world and had no connection to her. Why would she bother helping? Robin had nothing to offer as a reward.
It was better to rely on herself, the Revolutionary Army, or even Yumesaki. They were far more dependable than a mysterious Elf from across the stars.
"Wait, no, this isn't right! What are you two even talking about?" Nami suddenly piped up, staring at Yumesaki and Robin with a face full of confusion. "We're all sitting at the same table, so why do I feel like I'm being totally left out?"
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