Chapter 153: Sanji — Choosing to Leave
The gates of the stronghold swung wide, and the world inside was nothing like what the crew had imagined.
Pineapple-shaped houses dotted the massive trees like fruit grown from the branches themselves. Rope bridges swayed between platforms, connecting a civilization that had woven itself into the living forest. Minks of every species peered from windows and doorways—cats and dogs, rabbits and wolves, sheep and bears and creatures that defied easy categorization. Their eyes were bright. Their fur was well-groomed. And every single one of them was cheering.
"These are the nakama of our great benefactors! They are our honored guests! PREPARE TO WELCOME THEM!"
Wanda's voice rang through the settlement.
"KARUQIU!!"
"IT'S THE STRAW HATS! WELCOME!"
"Karuqiu~! Karuqiu~!"
Usopp rubbed his eyes with both fists. "Wait. I thought they were cannibals. What happened to the cannibals?"
"This atmosphere is completely different from what I imagined! IT'S AMAZING!" Luffy was already bouncing in place, swept up in the infectious energy. "Karuqiu! Karuqiu!"
Law leaned toward Wanda, his brow furrowed. "Everything I've read about the Mink Tribe says you despise outsiders. Isolationism maintained for a thousand years. What changed?"
"Despise outsiders?" Wanda shook her head, a sad smile crossing her canine features. "That's just a rumor spread by other Mink tribes who don't actually know us."
"Other Mink tribes?"
"Yes. There are Mink settlements scattered across the world. Most of them are more... cautious. But here on Zou?" She gestured at the celebrating crowd. "From our perspective, you humans are just monkey-like Minks with very sparse body hair. Our judgments are based on individuals, not on race."
"Monkey-like Minks." Zoro's lips twitched. "That's a new one."
Luffy had wandered into the thick of the crowd and was now being thoroughly licked by a wolf mink. "Karuqiu! Karuqiu!"
Wanda smiled and licked his nose in return. "We're proud of our fur, but honestly? Some of us are quite envious of you hairless types."
Franky touched his modified iron arm with a complicated expression. He was still trying to figure out how the minks' definition of "human" worked. "So to you guys... I'm just a really, really weird-looking monkey?"
"A very shiny monkey," Carrot agreed.
"You're not helping!"
Then the crowd parted.
"LUFFY! USOPP!"
Nami burst through the press of furry bodies with Chopper at her heels—the little reindeer wearing an adorable pink robe that had clearly been made by Mink hands. The navigator's eyes were bright with tears. She ran toward her crew, toward her captain, toward the family she had feared she might never see again.
But the minks reached her first. Friendly heads pressed against her cheeks. Soft fur rubbed against her shoulders.
"Nami! Your companions have arrived! How wonderful!"
"They're adorable," Robin said, her smile warm.
"Nami!" Luffy's grin was wide and carefree. "Sanji and Brook and Momo—are they okay? Shishishi!"
Everything stopped.
Nami rushed forward and threw her arms around Luffy. She buried her face in his shoulder. Her shoulders shook.
"Nami?" Itachi's voice was quiet. Something was wrong.
"Sorry..."
Nami's voice cracked.
"Sanji... he's gone. He left."
Silence.
Half an hour later, the Mink Tribe had prepared a banquet in the Straw Hats' honor. Long tables groaned under the weight of tropical fruits and roasted meats. Wine flowed freely—a special Mink brew that Zoro had already claimed for himself.
But the celebration was muted. Something hung in the air. Something unspoken.
Luffy ate mechanically, his usual enthusiasm dampened. Zoro drank, but his eye kept drifting toward the corner where Itachi sat apart from the others. The swordsman had never seen that expression on his crewmate's face before.
The minks continued their friendly assault. A wolf rubbed against Zoro's cheek. He shoved it away with a growl.
"WHAT are you doing?! Quit nuzzling me!"
"Don't be like that~! Let's play!" the wolf protested.
"Karuqiu!" A raccoon mink joined in. "Karuqiu!"
"STOP CLINGING TO ME LIKE BABIES!"
Wanda stepped in, her voice gentle. "Skin contact is a symbol of friendship among our people. I understand if the cultural difference is... jarring."
"So it's a skinship thing." Robin was stroking a lamb mink who had curled up contentedly in her lap. "I see."
Behind Luffy, a panda mink had wrapped its arms around the captain's shoulders. Luffy kept eating as if nothing was happening.
But Robin's smile slowly faded.
Itachi was talking to Nami in the corner of the room. His back was straight. His hands were folded. But his face—his face was wrong. Dark clouds had gathered behind his eyes. The tear-troughs that marked his features seemed deeper, more pronounced. It was the expression of a man who was containing something vast and dangerous behind a dam of self-control.
Robin had never seen that expression on him. Not in Dressrosa. Not in battle. Not ever.
"In other words... Sanji was threatened?"
"You can't really put it that way." Nami was waving her hands anxiously. She could feel the pressure radiating from Itachi—not killing intent, not anger, but something colder. Something that had not yet decided what form it would take. "Sanji left a note. He said he chose to go. It was his decision."
"Don't be angry, Itachi. Please."
"We thought the Big Mom Pirates had stopped pursuing us. We never imagined they'd regroup and track us all the way to Zou."
Before Itachi could respond, the door burst open.
"EVERYONE!"
Brook sprinted into the banquet hall, his bony feet clattering against the wooden floor. One sleeve of his jacket was torn. His afro was slightly askew. But his voice—such as it was—was filled with joy.
"I saw the newspapers! Everyone's safe! LUFFY-SAN!"
He threw himself toward Luffy first. The captain looked up mid-chew.
"Brook! What happened to your clothes? You look terrible."
"I'm so sorry about Sanji-san!" Brook wailed. "I have no face to show you! Although I already have no face! YOHOHOHO!"
"Brook." Robin rose smoothly and gestured. Not now. Not here.
Brook caught her meaning immediately. Even without skin, he understood body language.
Behind him, Usopp peered into the hallway. "Hey, where's Momo? Wasn't he with you?"
Brook's bony finger flew to where his lips would have been. "SHHH!"
He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a whisper. "He's fine. He's still hiding in his room. He's a little... afraid of the minks."
"Afraid?" Luffy looked up from his meat, genuinely puzzled. "Of THESE guys? They're so friendly!"
"It's complicated." Brook beckoned. Everyone except Nami and Chopper—who clearly already knew the situation—gathered around him in a tight circle. "Where's Kin'emon? He needs to hear this too."
"Kin'emon?" Luffy blinked.
"He was right behind us when we—" Usopp's face went pale. "Wait."
Zoro scratched his head. "We forgot about them. Completely."
Itachi closed his eyes. When the flood had come—when the elephant's trunk had drenched the island—Kin'emon and Kanjuro had been caught in the deluge. Law, soaked by seawater and stripped of his Devil Fruit powers, had been forced to prioritize. He'd saved Kanjuro from drowning. Kin'emon had been swept away, shouting that he would catch up.
That had been hours ago.
"That's... probably fine." Brook cleared his nonexistent throat. "But listen carefully. While Kin'emon is missing—and when he returns—there's something you must know."
His voice dropped even lower.
"In this country, do not mention Wano. Do not speak of samurai. If possible, avoid the topic entirely."
"Why?" Luffy asked.
"Because those words will bring nothing but pain. Hatred. Wounds that haven't healed. The Minks suffered terribly—unspeakably—and it was because of a samurai. If they hear those words from us..."
He didn't need to finish.
Outside, the minks continued to celebrate. Inside, the Straw Hats absorbed Brook's warning in silence. And in the corner of the room, Itachi Uchiha stared at nothing, his expression unreadable, the clouds behind his eyes growing darker by the moment.
(End of Chapter)
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