Chapter 48: Buying the Whole World

After waiting twenty years, the treasure chests turned out to be empty.

The disappointment was enough to break a person.

But over time, Gaimon had suspected that thea chests might be empty; he just didn't want to accept it.

As he cried, the animals seemed to sense his sorrow and rushed out of the forest, gathering around him and calling out as if to tell Gaimon that his twenty years had not been in vain, that he was not a joke, but their "god."

Gaimon stared blankly at the animals.

At first, he had thought about protecting the forest and the rare creatures on the island because he couldn't have the treasure for himself; he didn't want others to take it either.

Unknowingly, twenty years had passed. Looking at these animals, Gaimon seemed to find clarity. The true treasure wasn't just those five "Schrodinger's chests," but the experiences he had gained and the fact that those rare animals had survived under his care, treating him as their "god."

...

"Compared to these treasure chests, I think these rare animals are more like treasures, your treasures, Uncle Gaimon."

Kaito Sakamoto stood at the edge of the hillside, arms crossed, looking down at Gaimon, who was surrounded by the beasts.

Luffy simply sat down, swinging his legs in the air, and laughed. "Hahaha!"

"Kaito is right! Don't be discouraged, Uncle! You waited twenty years, and now you've got me, right?"

"If we hadn't come, you might have waited thirty or forty years."

"Maybe you would have waited until death."

"You've waited so long and found us; you should be out searching for the great treasure now! Come sail with us!"

Luffy extended the invitation, showing that he didn't care about age or gender—only whether the other person was interesting.

"Are you… inviting me? Straw Hat Kid…?" Gaimon found it hard to believe; a pirate's invitation after twenty years really made time feel like it had flown by.

...

"Have you really decided, Uncle? To stay on this island?"

The scene shifted as the four returned to the beach, where Zoro was still sleeping.

Nami was untying the ropes while Kaito turned to Gaimon, who had refused Luffy's invitation.

"Um, thank you for inviting me, but I've decided to stay here and be the [Guardian of the Forest]."

"After twenty years together, I've grown fond of these animals. The long-haired kid is right; after twenty years, these rare animals I've protected are my true treasure."

"I want to continue protecting them."

"Hey, it's strange. No treasure chests, and I'm not sad at all; I actually feel quite relieved."

Uncle Gaimon was also a carefree person. If he were twenty years younger, he would definitely be a good companion and friend to Luffy and the others.

Facing the sea breeze, Gaimon appeared carefree and handsome, but Luffy's comment broke his demeanor.

"Hahaha, Uncle, you're also a rare animal!"

"I'll kill you!!"

Gaimon suddenly grew flustered and bared his sharp teeth, shouting loudly.

"What a pity, it's rare to see you so funny, Uncle."

"Yeah, it's a shame. The journey at sea isn't suited for pets."

Kaito replied, but Gaimon felt something was off about that remark.

Gaimon: .....

"I meant these animals! I wanted to raise them, but it seems like nature is more suitable for them than a ship."

Kaito quickly explained, although he really felt that Gaimon could be considered a rare "animal" like Luffy, there was no way he could say it so bluntly.

"Hahaha."

"Alright, let's set sail! If we delay any longer, it will get dark."

"You'll definitely find great companions!!"

"You need to find ONE PIECE and then buy the whole world, Straw Hat Kid."

"I definitely will."

"Goodbye."

After bidding farewell to Gaimon, Luffy and Kaito set off on their journey again.

The two small boats slowly departed, and Gaimon stood on the shore with the animals, seeing them off.

Suddenly, the animals behind Gaimon bowed in unison towards Kaito and the others.

The bowing came unexpectedly; it was unclear who it was for.

...

"Grr~"

"I'm so hungry!!!"

While at sea these days, Luffy had been repeating just three words: so hungry.

"We can't help it; even if we catch fish, we can't cook it on this small boat."

"Didn't Uncle Gaimon send us a lot of fruit? You should eat some fruit to hold you over."

Kaito had already started fishing; in such a narrow boat, there wasn't much else to do besides fishing.

"Yeah, I think Kaito is right."

"Is it really okay to enter the Grand Line like this?"

"That's a place with a pirate graveyard; we're just relying on these two little boats—it feels a bit too adventurous."

"Hmm, if we head south from here, there's a small town. Let's go there first and see if we can get a bigger ship."

Nami suggested after looking at the sea chart.

"I have no objections."

Kaito replied; of course, he had no objections—the Merry couldn't be missed.

Zoro continued doing push-ups without answering.

"Alright!! Meat! Meat! Meat!!"

Luffy's main concern was the meat in town, not the ship.