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Chapter 47: Esune's POV 2
To me, Brother Line was...
My very first male friend, my truest confidant, my savior, my first love, my adoptive brother... and my precious family.
I loved him.
So, one year ago, when he suddenly went missing... I naturally panicked.
"B-Brother hasn't come back~!! Where did you go!? Brother~!!"
It all happened on the day the Straw Hat Pirates arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago...
Luffy-san dragged us all out to play at Sabaody Park... the mermaid Camie-san was captured by kidnappers... and Brother blew up a Celestial Dragon... A lot of things happened that day.
After promising to lead the rescued captives from the Human Auctioning House to safety, Brother suddenly vanished without a trace.
"Brother... where did you disappear to...?"
His ship, the Listruck, was still anchored at the port. That meant he hadn't just secretly set sail for Dressrosa without telling us. The most logical conclusion was that right after leaving the Human Shop, something unexpected had happened to him...
"Hmm... It's possible Line got swept up in whatever trouble Luffy's crew is causing right now," Ray-san mused.
That was entirely possible, I thought.
Everyone knew my Brother was the kindest, coolest, most reliable, and most charming man in the world. He never abandoned anyone he considered a friend... Which was exactly why he was constantly throwing himself headfirst into other people's messes...
"R-Ray-san! What if Brother got caught up in some massive war between pirates and the Marines... What do we do...!"
"You don't need to worry that much. With Line's strength, he can handle almost anything."
"But, but! What if he got captured by kidnappers, or hit his head and got amnesia, or fell for a honey trap and was saddled with a mountain of debt...!"
"Hahaha, you worry too much. ...Though the honey trap actually sounds plausible..."
"See!?"
Brother was very handsome... so I was sure beautiful women were constantly trying to seduce him... Even back in his homeland of Dressrosa, he was apparently wildly popular with large-breasted beauties named Viola-san and Monet-san...
"Still, Esune. Line isn't a child anymore. If you keep breathing down his neck forever, he's going to find you annoying."
"Uuuughhh... I know, but. But..."
I was worried...
I knew perfectly well that my dependence on my Brother was deeply unhealthy. I knew that. But even so...
"Uuh..."
The sensation of watching my real parents die right in front of me suddenly flashed through my mind... The Celestial Dragon who had murdered my father and mother...
The thought of losing my family again... terrified me to my core.
"Esune-chan."
"!!"
As I stood there trembling, Shakky-san... my other mother... pulled me into a tight embrace. She slowly, gently stroked my hair.
"I understand why you're so worried, Esune-chan. I really do. But Ray-san is right. Learning to trust him and wait is important too, you know?"
"Trust him... and wait...?"
"Yes. There's no way Line-chan would ever just abandon you and disappear. ...So, I'm sure he's going to be just fine..."
"..."
Before I knew it, my body had stopped trembling.
Yeah... Yeah! She was right!
My Brother wasn't just kind; he was incredibly strong! No matter what happened, he would absolutely be okay!
『 I'll definitely make it back to you safely. 』
That was what Brother had promised me. Yeah...!
So I would wait. I would wait for the day he finally came back home!
...Several days later...
» Breaking News: The Invisible Phantom Thief, Line, Dead «
...That headline graced the front page of the newspaper.
"...Huh?"
D-Dead...? Dead as in... deceased? Passed away? Who? The Invisible Phantom Thief... meaning, my Brother. ...Huh?
I didn't understand. Brother was dead? Brother was dead? Brother was dead?
"Eh, no... Ahaha! No, no, no, ahahahaha... Eh—? What is this supposed to be...?"
I carefully scanned the rest of the article. According to the text...
First, a massive war had broken out between the Marines and Whitebeard. ...I already knew that. Everyone in the entire world knew that. It was the only thing people in Sabaody were talking about. The 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, "Fire Fist" Ace, had been arrested and scheduled for a public execution...
No, none of that mattered right now. Why was this in my Brother's obituary?
"...The Invisible Phantom Thief infiltrated Impel Down alongside 'Straw Hat' Luffy...? He freed 'Fire Fist' Ace... and the war between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates, which was originally supposed to take place at Marineford, broke out inside Impel Down instead... Revolutionary Army commanders were also reported to have participated in the conflict..."
As a result, the public execution of "Fire Fist" Ace ended in failure.
However, in exchange, the Marines successfully eliminated the Invisible Phantom Thief in combat... wait, huh? Huhhh??
"Wh-What... i-is this paper t-talking about...? A-Aha... ahahahaha...!"
"..."
"...There's no way... Line-chan... would die..."
Ray-san silently tore the newspaper to shreds, and Shakky-san began prepping the bar to open just like she did every normal day.
Yeah... Yeah...! They didn't believe this garbage newspaper either. And neither did I. This paper was always full of lies and nonsense anyway! So this had to be a lie too! It had to be! It's a lie, it's a lie. It's an absolute lie.
That was what I believed...
...And yet...
Just a few hours after we read that article...
Luffy-san and "Fire Fist" Ace walked through the doors of our bar. They immediately dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads hard against the floor in a deep bow, and—
"I'm so sorry...!!"
"Old man! Old lady! Esune! ...Line... Line is...! He died...!"
—They spouted that utter nonsense right to our faces.
"...Wh-What... are you talking about? Luffy-san. ...And why is 'Fire Fist' Ace here...?"
"...I knew we had to be the ones to tell his family that he died... Luffy said Line's family was on this island..."
"..."
From the day Brother vanished... up until now... they told us everything that had happened. Ace-san pounded his fists against the floor, his face twisted in agony.
"Guh... uh...! Line only died because he came to save me... it's my fault he's dead...! I'm truly, truly sorry...!!"
I... see...
So...
That newspaper article...
Brother's obituary...
Wasn't a lie at all...
It was...
Actually...
The truth...
H-Haha...
Ahahahaha...
"Ah—hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...!!!!"
"!!?"
"E-Esune!? Get ahold of yourself!"
"Esune-chan! Stay with us!"
Ray-san and Shakky-san rushed over to me in a panic. Ahaha, huh? What's wrong with them? Why are they looking at me with such frantic expressions?
"Ahahahaha! Ha... ha...? Hm?"
I looked down. At some point, my hands had become covered in blood. Drip, drop, drip... Blood was pouring down from somewhere. Wondering where it was coming from, I looked around. And then...
"Oh my..."
Reflected in the windowpane was my own face, completely drenched in crimson. A blood vessel in my forehead had popped, and blood was steadily spurting out of it. Worse, I was weeping tears of blood, and my nose was bleeding heavily... Even though it was my own reflection, I stared at it almost apathetically, thinking, Wow... it's so... red...
"Hah! Haha! Ahaha! I see... Brother... really died... ahahahaha!"
"!!"
"Ugh...! Uuuuuh...!"
At my words, Ray-san and Shakky-san both began to tremble violently. They weren't crying tears of blood, but an ocean of normal tears was pouring from their eyes. Their noses were running uncontrollably... I had never seen either of them make expressions like that before.
"Ahhh... I s-see... ahaha..."
Following the deaths of my biological parents, I had lost my family all over again...
"This is all because I ignored Pops' orders and charged at Blackbeard...! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
"..."
Ace-san was loudly spouting what sounded like a bunch of pathetic excuses. Luffy-san just looked incredibly guilty...
That's right. Hah... haha...!
Brother had absolutely nothing to do... with "Fire Fist" Ace's execution...
But they dragged him into it...
And Brother was the only one who died...
While these two survived and were standing right here...
Huh?
Ahhhhhh...? This is bad...
What am I thinking?
I can't... stop this intense murderous intent... directed at these two...?
"Aha, ahaha...!"
Wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold on, me...
It's not like these two murdered Brother themselves. Brother was too kind... he probably heard Luffy-san's story, felt bad for him, and volunteered to join the rescue mission on his own.
So, realistically speaking, Brother dying... was entirely his own fault...! Yes! I know that! I understand that perfectly! But! Even so...!
"A...haha...! Pant, pant...! L-Luffy-san, Ace-san...! I-I'm sorry...!"
"Eh...?"
"I-I know in my head... that holding a grudge against you two... i-is completely misdirected...!"
"..."
"B-But...! The people who caused my Brother to get dragged into a war...!! I... I just can't bring myself to forgive you...! I'm so sorry! Ahahahaha!"
I channeled Armament Haki into my fist and completely pulverized the chair sitting near Luffy-san and Ace-san.
"Ahaha! Ahahahaha...!"
"E-Esune..."
"I can't...! I can't forgive you, Luffy-san, or you, Ace-san! Or Akainu! Or Whitebeard! The pirates! The Marines! The Revolutionary Army! All of them! I can't forgive any of you...! The ones who hurt Brother! The ones who failed to protect him! Everyone who was on that battlefield!! I hate you all! I-I want to kill you...! Ahahahaha! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm a bad girl! I'm sorry, Brother! I'm soooo sooorrryyyy!!"
I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms, sending fresh bursts of blood spraying into the air.
"Pant, pant!Pant, pant!"
"Esune...!!"
"Esune-chan...!!"
Ray-san and Shakky-san wrapped their arms tightly around me. Strong... so, so strong, they held me tight...
Yes, please... just keep holding me back like this...
"Pant... ah...! L-Luffy-san, Ace-san...! P-Please, I have a request...!"
"..."
"...Wh-What is it?"
"Just this once...! I-I'll pretend I didn't see you two here! So please... leave! Get out of my sight...!"
"!!"
"..."
"And... n-never, ever show your faces in front of me again...! Because if I ever see you two again... I-I won't be able to hold myself back...! I won't forgive you! I-I'll consider you my enemies...! So please, never come back here...!! I... I don't want to hurt the lives my Brother sacrificed himself to protect...!"
"...Understood."
Luffy-san and Ace-san slowly stood up and walked away, leaving the Sabaody Archipelago entirely.
"Pant, pant, pant...!"
Left behind, I reached up to tear at my own hair, but Ray-san and Shakky-san caught my hands and stopped me.
"U-Uuuughhhh...!! B-Bro... Brotherrrrr...!! Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!"
"Line...!! If I had just gone out to look for you immediately...!! Guuuh...!"
"Line-chan...! Line-chan...!"
That day, I cried harder than I ever had in my entire life. Ray-san and Shakky-san cried, too. We wept for the entire day.
Why, why, why, why, why... why did my Brother have to die...? Was it because I let him leave my side that day? I should have just clung to him and never let go... If I had only been stronger... If I had been stronger than the Warlords, stronger than the Marine Admirals... maybe Brother wouldn't have had to die...
"Hic, Brotheeeer..."
—————
After that day, I formally asked Ray-san to teach me how to fight.
"Hah! Hah! Yah!"
Basic martial arts, Devil Fruit mastery, and Haki... Maybe he felt responsible for Brother's death, because Ray-san took my training incredibly seriously... almost overprotectively so.
"Esune... don't push yourself too hard. Call for me the second you think you can't handle it."
"I'm fine... Ray-san."
I was naturally gifted with Armament Haki. We honed the basics to perfection. Once the fundamentals were solid, it was time for live combat.
Fortunately, we lived on the Sabaody Archipelago. It was the final destination for swarms of weak-to-mid-tier pirates who had managed to survive the first half of the Grand Line. In other words, I would never run out of live targets...!
"Rabbit-Rabbit Combat... Revenge Deception...!"
"Gyaaaaaaaaah!!"
I indiscriminately hunted down every pirate that set foot on the island.
Bounty 10,000,000 Berries. Ganzack.
Bounty 73,000,000 Berries. "Crab-Hand" Gyro.
Bounty 36,000,000 Berries. Mikazuki.
Bounty 80,060,000 Berries. Brownbeard Chadros.
Bounty 26,000,000 Berries. "Three-Tongued" Demaro Black.
And so on, and so on.
Disgusting pirate scum...! The world will never get better as long as you exist...! Who cares about the great treasure, the One Piece? World peace, Love and Peace, is far more important.
Since Brother died, Ray-san's drinking had visibly increased. I had caught Shakky-san crying alone in the dead of night... If pirates didn't exist, if the world was so peaceful that the Marines weren't even necessary... Brother would never have died...!!
"I completely and utterly loathe... pirates and Marines alike!!"
—————
A few months passed, and I gradually became somewhat famous as a bounty hunter.
If my opponent was a weakling in the 10-to-50-million Berry range, I had grown strong enough to annihilate their entire crew in less than a minute. Scum like that didn't know the first thing about Haki, so I could beat them with my eyes closed.
But, as expected, dealing with the "Hundreds of Millions" class proved to be difficult. Out of all the "Hundred-Million" bounties I fought, the strongest were...
Bounty 249,000,000 Berries. "Magician" Basil Hawkins.
Bounty 198,000,000 Berries. "Roar of the Sea" Scratchmen Apoo.
Bounty 222,000,000 Berries. "Red Flag" X Drake.
...Those three. They were part of the "Worst Generation," the same group of pirates Luffy-san belonged to. It was a tough fight... but I won! I won and handed them all over to the Marines! They were probably rotting in a prison cell right now. Ahahahaha!
Right around the time I captured them, the moniker "Billion-Hunter Rabbit" started circulating. The Marines even tried to recruit me a few times.
"I'll join if you let me kill Akainu. How about it...?" I offered with a bright smile. The recruiter grimaced and muttered, "I-I'm afraid that's impossible..."
I continued to hunt pirates every single day. Eventually, the locals started calling me the "Hero of Sabaody." Wealth, fame, power... I was accumulating it all. And yet, not once did my heart ever feel whole...
—————
And then...
Today, exactly one year after my Brother's death...
Despite my explicit warning a year ago... "Straw Hat" Luffy showed his face in front of me once again.
"Luffy-san! I told you!! If you ever showed your face in front of me again... I would never forgive you!!"
"L-Like I said! I only came back to this island to meet up with my crew! I wasn't planning on seeing you, Esune!"
"No excuses!!"
I had warned him. I told him never to show his face again. Yet here he was. Did he really think my hatred had simply faded away after a single year? Impossible! The only way I would ever forgive Luffy-san... was if my Brother came back to life!!
"Gear Third! Gum-Gum... Elephant Gun!!"
He had learned Haki over the past year. ...The skills that I had painstakingly acquired over a long period of time, he had mastered in just one year...
It was a terrifying, almost unbelievable rate of growth. But I absolutely refused to lose...!
"Rabbit-Rabbit Combat: Extinction Deception!!"
Luffy-san's fist and my kick collided.
"Ooooohhhh!!"
"Guh, uuh...!"
I couldn't push him back. He really was worth his 400-million bounty...
"Owww...! You're just as strong as Line said you were...! You're tough...!"
"...Guh! Pant, pant... How dare you say my brother's name in front of me...!"
My leg was completely numb. I needed to channel even more Haki... I was going to kill Luffy-san right here, right now—
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait!! Stop! Stooooop!! Why are you two fighting!?"
...I thought I heard a familiar voice echo in my ears. Something small threw itself between me and Luffy-san.
Something small...
Something... small.
Wh-What... was that...?
"!!!!!!!!!!??"
B-Bro... ther...?
"Wehh... ah...!? Ah... guhyu... auuh...! Uwaaaaaaaaaahhh~~~~!!!!"
Brother... was alive...!!! He was alive, alive, alive, alive!! He's alive! He's here! Right over there! Uwaaaaaaaahh!!
I could actively feel the dark, sludgy mass that had been festering inside me for the past year completely evaporate. A torrent of tears flooded from my eyes. Ahhh... I wanted to see you... I wanted to see you so badly...!!!
"C-Calm down! Esune! It's me! It's Line!"
"Uwaaaaaaahh!! That's exactly why I'm crying!! Big brother!! B-Big brotherrrrrr!!!"
"Bumuooh!?"
I lunged at Brother, burying him deep into my chest. Feeling his warmth pressed against me, the lingering hatred I had for the pirates and the Marines completely vanished from my mind.
Right now... I just adored my Brother so much.
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