good brother

On Judicial Island shrouded in gunpowder smoke, the progress of the battle was advancing in an orderly manner under the control of the navy.

"The first pillar is separated!"

"Major, don't go to battle! 200 elite Navy Headquarters go and arrest the pirates!"

But Angel could only hover in the air at this time, watching all this quietly.

He grabbed the navy's epaulets and clenched them until they turned white, as if he wanted to tear the epaulets off.

Even though he knew what was going to happen afterwards, even though he knew that everyone would be safe, there was always a dull pain in his chest, forcing Angel to almost suffocate.

"Luffy……"

He wanted to protect his younger brothers, but now he could only watch Luffy fighting desperately with bruises all over his body, standing by and watching like a passerby.

"If Ace wins, I must beat him hard..."

Angel teased himself to adjust his mentality, while the battle below continued.

At this time, Lu Qi used his ultimate move.

"Six Types of Profound Truth, Six Kings Spear!"

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

Luffy gulps out blood from his mouth, his internal organs are dilapidated, and he falls to the ground weakly.

Usopp, who watched Luffy fall to the ground, finally took off his mask at this moment.

"Luffy!"

Angel in the sky watched Luffy trembling and trying to stand up, but finally couldn't bear it anymore.

"Don't watch it, don't watch it!"

He turned his back, closed his eyes and covered his ears, trying to block all the news that would make him unbearably hostile to the navy.

Suddenly, an ethereal voice sounded in Angel's mind.

"Eh?"

Angel opened his eyes in surprise.

"Who?"

"Rubber rubber - Jet Gatling!"

At this moment, Angor's attention was suddenly diverted by the angry shout from the first pillar.

"Notify everyone! CP9's Rob Lucci was defeated by Straw Hat Luffy just now!"

"Luffy won!"

Hearing the cheers below, Angel forgot the weird sound he heard just now, relaxed his tense body, and let out a long breath.

"Huh, is it finally over?"

I can bear it, I can bear it, really, I might really be unable to bear it after fighting for a while.

"fire!"

Suddenly, the naval bombardment began to sound, and the escort ships, the pillars, and the bridge of hesitation were destroyed one by one.

Just when the Straw Hats were in despair, Angel looked at the burning escort ship, and suddenly remembered something, with a shocked expression on his face.

"The voice just now...could it be..."

""……under……""

The voice rang in Angel's ears again, and he lowered his head to watch the familiar boat stop between the two pillars.

"……Fool."

Slowly raised hands trembling to cover half of the face, Angel's brows were furrowed, revealing a smile uglier than crying.

"I... am... not your companion anymore..."

Angel smiled wryly at himself, his voice trembling slightly.

"So you don't need to tell me anymore..."

We have only been sailing together for a month, why do we have such deep feelings? Is it because we knew from the beginning that you have a soul?Is it because I regarded you as a companion from the very beginning?

"Merry..."

Only the companions recognized by the ship elves would hear his call, but Angel never expected that he, who had only been on the ship for three weeks and had already left, would still be included.

Angel himself didn't regard himself as Luffy's partner. He always thought of himself as a bystander, but Luffy regarded him as a partner, and the crew also trusted him without reservation. ...

"You guys... make it difficult for me, bastard..."

At this time, the warship's artillery had already aimed at the immobile Luffy on the second pillar, and at this life-threatening moment, the Straw Hats and his party also heard this sound. Finally, Usopp lowered his head and looked at the man on the sea. The figure he was most familiar with burst into tears.

"Jump into the sea! Our other partner is here to pick us up—!"

"Jump into the sea—!"

『Go back, everyone.』』

Under the puzzled eyes of the sailors, the Straw Hats laughed and jumped off the pillars, jumping into the icy sea without hesitation.

""Back to the sea full of adventure."』

"Merry—!"

Angel watched the Straw Hats climb up to Melly's deck with a smile, but he could only watch from afar in mid-air.

"I... can't go back to that sea for the time being... Melly..."

A dilapidated small wooden boat shuttled among the gunfire of ten naval warships. When the warship was caught in the vortex, it was an outdated triangular sailboat that danced forward on the sea.

At the last blow, the Mei Li soared into the sky again.

This is the last time.

"Bon voyage, Merry."

Angel watched as the Merry carrying his companions disappeared out of sight.

10 minutes later

"Ah, General Aokiji! Let's... go after the Straw Hats now..."

"No need, no need."

Aokiji stood on a small piece of ice floe he made, and said to the lieutenant general opposite the phone bug.

"This time, our navy failed miserably."

After finishing speaking, he put down the phone, lowered his head and put the phone bug in his pocket, but before he even looked up, a figure flapped his wings and landed beside him, bowed his head and said nothing.

"Ah, I didn't expect Major General Angel to be so disappointed."

Aokiji scratched his head helplessly.

"If you want to cry, I can squat down and let you lean on Brother Kuzan's shoulder."

"...Are you looking for a fight?"

Being ridiculed by Kuzan, Angel's sad mood calmed down a little, and he raised his head to look at Kuzan.

"Can I leave the next job to you?"

"Angel, your eyes are red... Okay, I won't talk about it, you put your fist away."

Kuzan raised his hands in surrender, looking at Angor who was a little bit annoyed.

"Zhan Guosang has already told me that he gave you that one week's vacation to make up for you, right? Originally, this task was just to give you a chance to look at your younger brother in a fair way, and I didn't expect you to be of any help. , It doesn’t matter if you go directly to vacation now, just remember to take the time to report.”

"Okay, then please."

After speaking, Angel spread his wings and flew away.

"Ah, ah, with a younger brother, I don't take my colleagues seriously."

Aokiji sighed and looked at Judiciary Island, which was burning with raging flames.

"Next, the reconstruction of Judicial Island?"

Soon after, the Straw Hat Party.

"Hey! There's a boat coming up ahead!"

"It's the Carrera Company!"

"There's yours! Straw Hat Boy!"

"Oh! Of course!"

Bingshan looked at the laughing people on the two ships, but his eyes were always focused on the bow of the Merry.

Great ship, is it still sailing?

Your mission should have been completed.

Why are you still insisting, Ship Elf.

"Hey! There is a navy coming from far away!"

The two ships were side by side for a while, and one of Carrera's employees suddenly shouted.

"Nani? Haven't they given up yet!"

The Straw Hats turned and looked nervously into the distance, but there was nothing on the sea level.

"Eh? No warships?"

"It's not the sea! It's the sky!"

"The sky? Could it be?"

The Straw Hats raised their heads and looked at the familiar figure with surprised expressions.

"Angel?!"

"Angel...that genius major general?!"

Angel didn't care about the sounds of surprise or exclamation below, and his attention was completely focused on the Merry.

The Meili should have cracked immediately after encountering the Carrera company's ship. He has watched this episode and cried countless times, and he was particularly impressed.

But what is the situation now?

Angor couldn't ask these questions, so he had to land on Melly's deck first, and greeted everyone with a smile. Looking down the eaves of the boat curiously.

"You guys really broke the sky this time, Straw Hats."

"Hahaha, isn't it~"

Luffy smirked, and Angel could only shake his head helplessly.

However, suddenly.

『“Welcome back, Angel.”』

Then, the deck cracked.

"Merry?!"

The Straw Hats were making a mess, but at this moment Angel suddenly came to his senses. After a long silence, he choked back his sobs, walked to the bow of the boat with his head down, and touched Melly's horns.

"I'm back, Merry."

"I see."

Bingshan looked at the straw hats who were caught off guard by this sudden situation, and said as expected.

"It is waiting for the news that the last partner is safe and sound."

"The last partner? What do you mean?"

Luffy was flustered now, he climbed onto the drooping bow, knelt down and begged the boatmen of Carrera Company.

"Anyway, please save the Merry! She just saved our lives!"

"That."

Bingshan said lightly.

"Let him rest here."

"Eh?"

All the members of the Straw Hats were stunned, no one thought that the parting would come so suddenly.

Suddenly, they were not even ready to feel sad, so they could only focus on Luffy with his head down in a daze.

"I have done everything I can. The miracles that this ship has shown me have surpassed the limits of the ship."

"It's had a wonderful life."

Looking at the silent Luffy, everyone in the Straw Hats had an answer in their hearts.

"I see."

After hesitating, he will no longer be confused, Luffy's voice is firm and decisive.

This is the responsibility and decision of being the captain of a ship.

"Everyone, get off the boat."

Maybe it was because he knew the ending early, even if Angel was moved, even if he was reluctant to give up, he had already made psychological preparations. Now, as the most calm and authoritative person, he spoke soothingly.

"Then, say goodbye to Merry."

With a smile, he stepped off the Meili first, stroked Meili's mast after leaving, and left everyone with a free and easy back.

However, on the deck of the Merry, in a corner where no one could see, a tear was left in Merry's heart like a brand.

The author has something to say:

Song of the Mermaid in Little Theater II

noon that day.

Behind a certain big tree, Ace poked his head out quietly.

Well, here it is, come back.

Fortunately, I walked along the small river, otherwise I would definitely get lost.

ah!What was my attitude just now!Obviously he is a lifesaver!It's a bit scary, but it's really too much!

Ace blamed himself, his eyes darting across the shore.

"Going away? I still want to apologize to him."

"Ah, have you given up on the desert island to survive? Human?"

"Ahhh!"

Ace was startled when he saw the mermaid poking its head out of the small river next to it.

"Don't scare me, you bastard!"

"Hahaha, sorry sorry."

The mermaid smiled and waved her hand in apology.

"Then, human, do you have any plans for the future?"

"Are you going to..."

Ace sat down cross-legged, frowning.

"It must be a way to return to my country, but I don't even know where this is."

"I have to find a way to return to human society first. Anyway, let's try to make a raft!"

Now that Ace has decided, he jumps up immediately, ready to do it.

"Are you crazy, human? It's impossible for a raft to cross the sea. You can't even get out of this island!"

The mermaid lay on the bank watching Ace collect vines.

"Whether you can go out or not, you have to try to know. Are you just sitting here waiting to die?"

Ace smiled brightly at the mermaid.

"... stupid humans."

"Who is a stupid human being! My name is Ace! Ace, Ace!"

"Okay, I know."

The mermaid turned and swam to the mouth, and smiled back at Ace before diving into the sea.

"I'll go to the bottom of the sea to see if there's anything that can chop wood for you. I can't let you come empty-handed, idiot Ace~"

After speaking, he flicked his tail and disappeared into the sea.

And Ace was stunned at this moment.

Being called by that unbelievably moving voice, really... a wonderful feeling.

Thinking of the mermaid's last smile just now, Ace blushed with some embarrassment.

"Is his name... Angel...?"

What a fitting name.

tbc

Today I cried when I read the manga by Melly, and I cried when I read Essabo’s handwriting.

My heart hurts so much, I will start to watch the top in a few days...

Why am I doing this to myself...

I may not write the part about burning Meili, I can’t write that feeling, and the plot will not change from the original, so I won’t make a fool of myself.

Of course, if you really want to read it, it’s not impossible, just tell me and I’ll write it.

Then, according to the plan, there are still about three or four chapters to finish this volume, and there is no special episode at the end of this volume. I should have said it before, but the small theater can be used as an extra episode.

that's all!