Chapter 47 - Dreams

(A/N: Possible trigger warning for a serious topic regarding child fatality in this chapter. It isn't super detailed, but does get mentioned. I understand if it makes anyone uncomfortable and if they wish to skip it. It is only within the first half of this chapter. Things like this won't pop up often.)

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Amidst the heavy rain, the Marines cleaned up the debris after taking care of their dead and wounded. None of them spoke a single word, allowing the torrential downpour to speak their thoughts for them.

Just within the bounds of Loguetown where the walls had crumbled under the onslaught of Void Beasts, Jin sighed and rested by sitting on a large piece of rubble. Not far away, Zoro leaned against a building pretending his wounds didn't hurt. In contrast, Luffy slumped onto the ground in a deflated manner and mumbled, "So tired. So hungry. Need meat."

Smiling wryly, Jin shook his head. He then faced forward to observe the cleanup, but his eyes landed on a crumpled mass hidden in an alley. Blood pooled under the small figure obscured from most other angles by debris. Upon realizing what it was, Jin's smile vanished instantly.

Fists clenched, Jin lowered his head. His wet hair obscured the upper half of his face. Some of the worst memories from the war he fought in his past life flashed through his mind.

Suddenly, a hand rested itself on his shoulder. Jin flinched out of his flashbacks and turned his head. There, he saw the tired and injured form of Luffy. Unlike normal, the young man looked down at Jin with a serious expression.

"You okay, Jin?"

"Mhm," Jin mumbled, nodding slightly.

After this, Luffy raised his gaze toward the small crumpled corpse. Then, he looked back down at Jin.

"I don't get it. If you're upset, just say you're upset," Luffy said in a low tone.

Jin remained silent for a few moments, but then replied, "...The thing I hate most in life is seeing the untimely death of a child."

"I see."

The two remained silent for a good minute or two. Strong winds ruffled their clothes, and rain pelted their skin. They watched the rainwater wash the blood away.

Eventually, Jin sighed, stood up, and said, "We should leave now."

Luffy nodded.

The two turned their heads, only to realize Zoro was already standing behind them. He also watched the scene in silence with a stoic gaze. Upon meeting their eyes, he nodded.

From there, Luffy and Zoro started walking back to the Going Merry. Jin stopped briefly to look at the small corpse one last time. He placed his palms together, closed his eyes, and mumbled, "Rest in peace, kid. You didn't deserve this."

Leaving behind those simple words of parting, he turned and caught up with the other two.

In a nearby alley, a few people watched the scene quietly. One of them nibbled on an unlit cigar. A woman standing next to the man let tears flow uncontrollably, noticeable even in the rain.

Behind these two, another Marine cautiously asked, "Captain Smoker, sir… are we going to apprehend them?"

"Hm…"

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"Neh, Jin. Do you have a dream?"

Luffy's question caught Jin off guard. His steps faltered briefly.

"Why are you asking that?" Jin wondered aloud.

"My dream is to be the Pirate King, and Zoro's is to be the greatest swordsman. You also look like somebody who has a dream, but then sometimes you don't. I can't tell, because I'm stupid, so I felt like asking."

Zoro remained silent on the sidelines, but glanced at Jin as though curious about his answer.

"A dream, huh…" Jin mumbled, voice barely audible above the rain. "I guess I used to have such a thing."

"Why 'used to'?" Luffy asked, genuinely confused. "A dream is a dream."

"Hm…" Jin frowned and stuck his hands in his pockets. "My dream was not something obtainable. I hated suffering, and I hated seeing other people suffer, so my dream back then became to create a place where people no longer needed to suffer, a place without corruption or misuse of power. Such a dream would require every other human to follow the same dream, though, which is impossible. It was naive and unfocused. Even if I could achieve it now, I don't think I would want to."

"I don't really get it, but it sounds like a dream for other people instead of a dream for yourself," Luffy said, scratching his cheek.

"Yeah, maybe."

"Then, what's your dream for yourself?"

Surprised that Luffy had yet to lose track of the subject, Jin looked at the guy. The boy's narrowed eyes and serious expression made him raise a brow.

"A dream for myself?"

'I haven't really thought about it since reincarnating.'

"If I had one now… I think I have two, actually. I want to become strong enough to stop all the reality cracks like what happened today because I love these worlds. Other than that, I want to go on adventures all over, meet fun people, and maybe become friends with them since I've found it so hard to fit in with others during this short life of mine." Jin then glanced at Zoro and added, "Meeting all of you made me realize that over the last few weeks, I think."

Feeling awkward about how such things flowed out of his mouth, Jin looked away and scratched his cheek.

"Oh! That's a good dream! Becoming strong and making a lot of friends! It's like me, but without becoming the Pirate King, since I'm the one who will be the Pirate King! If you want to go on adventures, though, you could become the Adventure King instead! Shishishishishi!"

"Yeah, I suppose so," Jin replied with a wry smile since he still felt awkward about the whole thing. "Well, maybe not a king, but I guess I could become the greatest adventurer the world has ever seen or something."

"If that's your dream, then let's be friends, Jin! You can join my crew, too, and make more friends! We'll go on a bunch of adventures on the Grand Line! You can be our Magician!"

Jin smiled and said, "I'd be happy to have you as a friend, but I probably won't be around enough to join your crew."

"Eh? Why?"

"It might sound complicated, but I will be traveling around different worlds to handle things like what happened today."

"You can still join my crew, though. Even if you aren't there all the time, it's always more fun with more people."

"In that case, then sure, I'll be part of the crew. Even if I can't join every adventure, I'll try to join as many as possible. You guys are a lot of fun to hang out with."

"Great! Let's celebrate by eating meat and sailing to the Grand Line!"

Before Jin or Zoro could agree, the sound of a motor engine echoed behind them, quickly catching up. The three looked behind and saw a large three-wheeled motorcycle barreling toward them through the rain.

"Ah, it's that cigar guy!" Luffy exclaimed. Then, with a wide smile, he added. "This guy's annoying to fight, so, run away!"

Luffy broke into a sprint. Zoro followed. Jin shook his head and ran after them as well since he didn't have much energy left to cast his barrier board after using his shadow arms.

Before the trio could reach the ship, smoke billowed forward and smashed the ground around them. The three dodged the attacks, though Luffy's dodging was noticeably more animated. Even so, both Zoro and Jin glanced backward. They met each other's gaze afterward.

"It feels easier to dodge than when we first saw him," Zoro said.

"Agreed."

Strangely, the three of them reached the area where the Going Merry was docked without much of a struggle.

On the deck of the ship, Nami saw them running toward the ship with several Marines in chase and yelled at the two guys next to her, "Quick! Raise the anchor and open the sails! They're back, but the Marines are on their tail!"

""Yes, ma'am!""

The Going Merry lurched outward to sea the moment the anchor lifted. Luffy, Zoro, and Jin all boarded the ship with different means. Luffy shot his arms outward and hoisted himself over the railing. Zoro simply jumped. Jin also jumped, but used a barrier to double jump. He raised a brow since he half-expected to need more jumps to reach the deck.

With the entire crew on board, Luffy laughed loudly with his hands on his hips and exclaimed, "Alright! Let's go to the Grand Line!"

While Luffy celebrated their escape, Jin and Zoro looked back at the shore. There, on the banks, Captain Smoker stood with arms crossed. He didn't say anything to them. He only watched them sail away. Jin smiled and nodded at the guy, but he only snorted and turned around, meeting up with a few Marines who tried to catch up with him.

"You aren't going after them, Captain?" Tashigi asked him after catching up to him.

"They just happen to be lucky enough to get a few hours head start. I'll continue my pursuit of the Straw Hats after putting our fallen to rest. I'll be going to the Grand Line as well."

"I will go, too, sir!" Tashigi exclaimed with a solemn expression. "I've yet to have a duel with those two, and I refuse to be weaker than them or let them use their blades for evil."

"But sir! This town is under your jurisdiction! What will-" A random Marine stammered.

"Forget the orders," Smoker angrily retorted. "If they complain, you can tell them this, 'Don't order me around!'"

…

Back on the Going Merry, the Straw Hats stood amidst the pouring rain and looked at a distant lighthouse.

"Finally, the entrance to the Grand Line," Nami commented. "It is just up ahead of that light."

"Going i-in the middle of this storm is a bit…" Usopp anxiously stammered.

"So we've reached the Grand Line, eh?" Sanji said, grabbing a nearby barrel. He ignored his injuries and slammed it down onto the deck before exclaiming, "This calls for a celebration! Here, I declare my dream! To find All Blue!"

Sanji's heel tapped on the barrel's lid.

Luffy happily followed suit and seriously exclaimed, "To become the Pirate King!"

"To be the greatest swordsman," Zoro calmly declared, also resting his heel on the barrel.

"To draw a map of the world!"

"T… T-To become a brave warrior of the seas!"

Jin admired the iconic scene from the side with an almost fatherly smile. He remained there until Luffy angrily yelled, "Hurry up! You too, Jin!"

Briefly, Jin hesitated. However, unable to contain himself, he gave into the moment, grinned, and slammed his heel on the barrel as well.

"To become the greatest adventurer!"

"Alright!" Luffy yelled, throwing a fist into the air. "Off to the Grand Line!"

""Yeah!""

Then, Sanji fell over and grumbled, "I need to sleep now."

The others laughed in pure excitement and adrenaline. Jin also laughed. That's right. The bored soul of a lonely sage finally, truly, laughed from the bottom of his heart for the first time in a very long time. He felt more free than he had in a very long time, like imaginary shackles had shattered within him.

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(A/N: I've been mulling over this scene for several months, but it still feels like I fell short of the special character moment I wanted to convey. Hopefully it comes across okay even if it's a bit 'cringe'.)