Pirate's Freedom

The thick fog gradually dissipated, and Nami and the others found the ice cream shop.

"Ah...yeah, thank you very much," Karina walked back after thanking her.

"Brigadier General Smoker came here with a little girl and bought a special ice cream."

"What kind of little girl? Maybe..."

"A little girl with pink hair named Ila."

"..."

The three of them were silent for a while, and Nami couldn't help but cover her forehead.

"It happened to be that Smog, Ila's luck is really..."

"Tell me," Noqigao said hesitantly, "will Ila remember not to mention Tata Tot?"

The familiar [Dad said...] appeared in the minds of the three of them.

"No hope at all."

……

“We’ll talk about the Grand Line later.”

After suppressing the spread of his thoughts, Smoker came back to his senses and happened to hear a voice.

"Smorg," touching Ila's head, Rina turned around and asked, "Where will Ila sleep tonight?"

"..."

After a while.

"Comrade Smoker!"

A girl with long wave-colored hair walked in, saluted and asked.

"What's matter?"

"..."

Looking at the wall to the right of the door, Smoker said nothing.

"Ain," Hina said instead, "I have a favor to ask of you."

"The little girl's name is Ila."

The bright red eyes turned around and took in the sight of the little girl next to Hina, who was chewing a cone with her head lowered.

"Take her to your place to stay for one night."

……

"What are you thinking about?" Rina asked after Ila followed Ain and left, "So lost in thought?"

dah, dah, dah, dah...

His fingers tapped lightly on the table.

"Tata Tot..."

Smoker seemed to be asking her, but also seemed to be talking to himself.

"This name is not common."

"This is also the second time I heard it," Hina leaned to the side and rested her elbows on the armrests of the sofa.

"Since you care so much——"

She rested her chin on her hands and looked sideways at Smoker.

"Why don't you ask more questions?"

"That kid Ilan," she continued, "doesn't look like he can lie."

"Therefore……"

Smoker said as the tapping fingers stopped.

"I can't speak."

"This feeling..."

Hina didn't look surprised, but said.

"I can understand that too."

"Although he's just a kid, he can say something like that at his age."

"Neither stubborn nor blindly follow other people's opinions."

"You may have a mature view of things, but you can still maintain an innocent heart."

"You don't grow up prematurely because of suffering..."

After a moment of silence, she continued.

"Be not tainted by lies, be able to trust people you meet for the first time, open your heart and not be afraid of being hurt..."

"What kind of life can have such a character?" Hina sighed slightly.

"What kind of environment did she grow up in? Hina is very curious."

"Is her father really that Tata Tot?"

"..."

Smoker was silent.

There was a moment of silence in the office.

"Although Hina really wants to ask this...but..."

"Smog," Hina sighed slightly, "you must already have an answer in your heart."

"Ira..." Smoker said in a low voice, "The world in her eyes is different from ours."

"It's okay to say it's fake, but if it's really [Tata Tot]..."

Hina sighed silently.

"The reward is over 20 billion," she continued.

"But the [crime] committed was completely covered up by the World Government. Even we have no way of knowing what exactly was done."

"You should understand what this means, whether it's strength or intention-"

Her voice paused.

“It has to reach the level of shaking the world, and neither one of these two is enough.”

"Only such a guy will be deliberately [erased] from history by the world government..."

Hina was silent for a while.

"Anyway, contact Kuzan first, Smoker," she said. "This is not a problem we can solve."

……

click, click, click, click...

A girl in military uniform was walking in the corridor of the base.

Kachi~Kachi~Kachi~

Turning your gaze slightly, the little girl next to you was spinning in circles and chewing the cone carefully.

"..."

Although she still looked cold and cold on the surface, the girl was also a little curious in her heart.

It was clear that rumors had far-reaching power, and she had learned the news.

Suddenly, the sound of chewing cones stopped together with the sound of footsteps.

"We've finished the ice cream."

Reaching out and grabbing the girl's clothes, the little girl raised her head and said.

"Ain, I'm going back."

……

It was getting dark, and the naval garrison building was brightly lit.

Diagonally opposite the corner not far away, three little heads popped out from top to bottom.

"Ira is in there now."

The head above frowned.

"But……"

"We can't get in on our own."

Looking at the heavily armed sailors standing guard at the door of the building, armed with knives and guns, the man in the middle sounded very reluctant.

"No matter what, I can only go back to find Tata Tot!"

"..."

The head below took a deep breath.

"not necessarily."

……

The sky is clear and the clouds are long.

Suddenly, from one end of the sky to the other, a golden light penetrated the layers of white clouds and disappeared in an instant.

After a moment, the golden light suddenly stopped and stood still above [-] meters in the sky.

The dissipating shining particles outline a yellow striped suit.

The biting wind from high in the sky blew against my face, and the white coat carrying the word "Justice" rustled behind me.

pat!

The watch on my wrist opened its cover, and a pocket phone bug opened its eyes.

"Oh yo~ This is really strange!"

The sound of surprise dissipated in the wind.

"You even have a daughter. Could it be that that guy Tata Tot has achieved enlightenment?"

"Anyway, now..." A sighing voice came.

"On the road of life, I am so thrown away that I can no longer even see my shadow."

"Oh...well..." the person here pondered.

"There is a subtle feeling of losing completely."

"Although it's not necessary, I still want to say it," the phone bug's voice paused slightly.

"Porusalino, don't rush in alone."

"Hey, hey, hey! Kuzan!" Kizaru shouted at the phone bug on his wrist, "Don't say such terrible things suddenly!"

"Ah la la la~ Are you so nervous?" A slight laugh came from the phone bug, "It's just a joke."

"You'd better spare me," Kizaru said helplessly, covering his chest with his left hand, "I still plan to receive my retirement salary."

"There's no need to be so serious. It's been so long, Porusalino, you're no longer what you used to be."

"one way or another--"

Kizaru ignored his words.

"As promised beforehand," he said in a more serious tone, "if it's just the two of us, I won't go there with you."