In the North Blue, Trafalgar Law and Bepo hurried across the sea using the power of the Op-Op Fruit, only stopping once they reached the harbor.
"Hah... hah..."
Law breathed heavily.
He was still young, and repeatedly using his Devil Fruit placed a considerable burden on his body.
Bepo looked at him worriedly.
"Boss, are you alright? We didn't need to rush so much."
Law shook his head.
"You don't understand, Bepo. People's hearts change faster than anything else."
He glanced back toward the island they had left.
"That Count might have been polite while he needed me, but the moment he recovered, there was a good chance he'd turn on us."
Bepo scratched his head.
He couldn't really understand that kind of reasoning.
Instead, he simply helped Law onto their small boat.
One boy and one bear sailed away from the island.
Had they left even a little later, they would have seen a large force searching the harbor.
Only after the island disappeared into the distance did Law finally relax.
He looked down at the sword in his hand.
Kikoku.
Drawing the blade slightly, he felt the sinister aura lingering around it.
Because of the Op-Op Fruit, Law could sense that presence more clearly than ordinary people.
Clang.
The blade slid free.
Law stared at the dark sword.
"A sword chooses its master."
Those were words spoken by both the world's greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, and the strongest creature on the seas, the Dragon Emperor.
A faint smile appeared on Law's face.
"As a doctor, it's only natural for my scalpel to be a little special."
The expression on his face was far too mature for a fourteen-year-old.
Bepo had long since gotten used to it.
The first time he saw that smile, it had frightened him.
Now it barely registered.
The pair drifted across the sea for half a day.
As evening approached, they found an uninhabited island and prepared to spend the night.
Law set up camp while Bepo gathered food.
On the opposite side of the island, another group happened to be holding a banquet.
Nami suddenly approached White Ghost.
"White Ghost, there are two people on the other side of the island."
Everyone paused.
The island wasn't particularly small.
For Nami's Observation Haki to reach that far was impressive.
White Ghost rubbed her head.
"I know."
He had sensed them the moment they landed.
One of the two presences felt vaguely familiar.
More specifically, it carried the same feeling as Pedro and the other Minks.
Nami happily buried herself in White Ghost's arms.
At first, Elena and the others would get annoyed whenever they saw that.
Now they were used to it.
White Ghost looked toward Pedro.
"One of your people is over there."
"Take Kontena and have a look."
"A Mink?"
Pedro, Wanda, and Naqin all froze.
Without wasting time, Kontena placed one hand on Pedro's shoulder while holding a wine glass in the other.
Whoosh.
The two vanished instantly.
Naqin hurried over.
"Is it really one of our people?"
White Ghost smiled slightly.
"We'll find out soon."
Then something occurred to him.
"Oh?"
The smile on his face deepened.
Naqin looked at him suspiciously before returning to the barbecue.
Her figure swayed gently as she walked away.
Meanwhile, Law and Bepo were roasting a wild boar over a campfire.
The aroma filled the air.
Then a voice suddenly sounded from nearby.
"Bepo?"
"Is that really Bepo?"
The unexpected voice startled both of them.
Law immediately drew his sword and stared into the darkness.
Bepo also tensed.
But something about that voice felt familiar.
"Who's there?"
"Come out."
Law narrowed his eyes.
Two figures stood in the darkness.
The moment they stepped into the firelight, Law's expression changed.
He recognized both of them from newspaper reports.
Bepo, meanwhile, froze.
"Big Brother Pedro?"
Pedro looked at the little white bear and smiled.
"So it really is you."
"Bepo."
"When you disappeared, your brother nearly went crazy looking for you."
The moment he heard that, Bepo's eyes filled with tears.
He dropped the seasoning in his hands and rushed forward.
"Waaah!"
"Big Brother Pedro!"
"It really is you!"
He slammed directly into Pedro's waist.
Pedro sighed.
"Alright, alright."
After all, Bepo had been little more than a child when they were separated.
Unfortunately, Bepo immediately started rubbing tears and snot all over him.
Pedro's expression darkened.
Bang.
He punched Bepo on the head.
"Idiot."
"Why haven't you changed at all?"
"Ah!"
"Sorry!"
Bepo clutched the lump forming on his head and retreated miserably.
Once Law confirmed these people genuinely knew Bepo, he slowly lowered his sword.
Even so, he remained alert.
White Ghost's crew was famous throughout the North Blue right now.
If Pedro and Kontena were here, then White Ghost himself had to be nearby.
Kontena drained his wine and glanced at Law.
"You don't need to be so nervous, kid."
"If we wanted to attack you, we'd have done it already."
Bepo immediately stepped in front of Law.
"Big Brother Pedro, this is my boss!"
"He's taken care of me all these years!"
"You can't hurt him!"
Kontena couldn't help laughing.
This bear was too amusing.
Pedro looked at Law for a moment.
Though he didn't think much of the boy, he remained polite.
"Come join our banquet."
"The more people there are, the livelier it becomes."
Law thought briefly before nodding.
At this point, even if he wanted to leave, it probably wouldn't matter.
The pressure he felt from these people was overwhelming.
"Great!"
"A banquet!"
"A banquet!"
Bepo immediately forgot all his worries.
Pedro frowned.
"Bepo."
"The Mink Tribe only has one boss."
"Our captain."
"You shouldn't call outsiders that."
"But..."
Bepo looked conflicted.
To him, Law really was his boss.
Law smiled.
"It's fine."
"We've always been friends first."
"There's no need to get hung up on titles."
"Oh..."
Bepo lowered his head.
It was obvious he still didn't understand.
"Hahaha!"
Kontena laughed loudly.
He put a hand on both Pedro and Bepo.
"Come on."
"Once you meet our captain, you'll understand why he's the boss of the Mink Tribe."
Bepo opened his mouth to ask another question.
The next moment, his vision blurred.
"AHHHHH!"
His scream echoed across the island.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios