Chapter 118: Setting Sail [Request for Support]

This only served to show that Ace and Luffy’s discernment was steadily improving. Compared to before meeting Tang Shen, the original three were no match for them now; this was the result of their sharpened insight.

Soon, two plates of fried rice and ten plates of meat were brought out.

In front of Tang Shen lay one plate of fried rice and two plates of meat; before Ace, one plate of fried rice and two plates of meat; and for Luffy, six plates of meat.

Without a second thought, Ace and Luffy immediately began to eat voraciously, their hunger so great that their chests almost pressed against their backs.

Tang Shen smiled at Magino and then began to eat slowly.

Magino’s cheeks flushed a bright red, quite alluring. Though clad in simple, everyday women’s clothing, her natural beauty still shone through.

During this time, Tang Shen often took Luffy and Ace into the mountains to hunt fierce beasts. The game they caught was left in Magino’s bar to aid her business and help cover their daily meal expenses.

He was not like Luffy, who shamelessly promised to pay later once he found the One Piece—Tang Shen did not possess such a thick skin.

...

One day, Magino’s bar was filled with nearly everyone from the village, including the elderly village chief.

Everyone raised their glasses, faces beaming with joy. Some shouted loudly, others clapped rhythmically, some sang songs.

Tang Shen stood quietly in a corner, watching Luffy and Ace in the midst of the crowd, arms draped over each other’s shoulders, dancing freely with pure and innocent smiles on their faces.

Their smiles were infectious, perhaps embodying the very spirit that connected these two boys to the entire world.

Beside these two youngsters, sorrow seemed impossible to find.

Joy was contagious.

“Magino, thank you for taking care of them since they were little,” Tang Shen said suddenly, turning with a smile.

“Ah?!” Magino, standing beside Tang Shen and gazing at Luffy and Ace with a look full of affection, was caught off guard by his words. Her cheeks blushed deeply as she stammered, “N-no, this is just what I should do. I do like them very much.”

“Hehe… Magino truly is a gentle girl,” Tang Shen remarked.

Magino’s cheeks deepened to an even rosier hue, and she lowered her head, nervously twisting the corner of her clothes, unable to find words.

The lively festivities echoed throughout Windmill Village.

There was wine, roasted meat, and people.

At the harbor dock stood a homemade small wooden boat, far superior to the one Tang Shen had used for his earlier voyage. It even had a proper sail and could navigate normally.

This boat was crafted by Ace under Tang Shen’s strict instruction.

Indeed, it was a tale of blood and tears!

The small wooden boat provided by the trickster Keng Kuang Geng Si Lang was undoubtedly a huge trap.

Dressed in new clothes, Ace prepared to embark on a new journey.

A yellow shirt, black shorts, a single-shoulder bag, and a pair of new shoes—all sewn by Magino herself, earning Tang Shen’s generous praise; she truly was a fine girl.

There was no sorrow in parting; everyone’s faces bore smiles.

Elbow guards, sailing supplies, and a short knife at his waist were gifts from these kindhearted people.

The skull pendant hanging from Ace’s neck was a gift from the mountain bandits.

Yes, mountain bandits.

After all, Ace had been raised by mountain bandits.

Though they bickered and quarrelled from childhood, there was affection among them. Over more than a decade, even a cat and dog can form bonds—let alone people.

Tang Shen approached, smiling as he patted Ace’s shoulder. With a flick of his left hand, a very special hat appeared in his palm.

It was orange, and most distinctively, the brim bore two expressions: one smiling, one crying.

A few days ago, Tang Shen had seen this hat in Windmill Town and bought it on a whim, sensing it was vaguely familiar.

Later, he recalled—it was the very hat Ace wore when he first appeared.

Fate had its own design, and this time, the hat was to be gifted by him.

Gently placing it on Ace’s head, he said calmly, “You should have a hat too.”

Ace paused, his eyes filled with complexity.

His feelings toward this suddenly appearing uncle were mixed—respect and admiration were not quite fitting, but closeness was there, along with a hope for acceptance.

Raised by bandits, cared for by villagers, living among wild beasts in the mountains—impressions of both bandits and villagers were his family.

In truth, only Luffy and Sabo were truly family to him, but in Ace’s mind, Sabo was already gone, leaving only Luffy.

Yet Tang Shen’s appearance brought a renewed sense of family.

A gift of a hat from an elder bore deep meaning.

It symbolized intimacy, care, recognition, and hope.

Just as Red-Haired Shanks had given Luffy his straw hat long ago.

Luffy treasured that hat as a precious heirloom—how could Ace not have envied it?

To claim he never envied it would be a lie.

For Tang Shen, it was merely a gift, a decision made by fate; but for Ace, it held profound significance.

“Thank you, uncle,” Ace said earnestly, bowing deeply to Tang Shen with sincere eyes, more heartfelt than ever before.

In that instant, Ace truly acknowledged the presence of this uncle.

Thud!

With a leap, clutching the hat on his head, his figure moved like a leopard as he boarded the boat.

“Ace, be careful!” Luffy shouted loudly.

“Mm,” Ace responded, looking up at Luffy standing on the dock.

“Goodbye, Luffy. I’m setting sail first.”

“Mm, I’ll be sailing soon too. I’ll become stronger by then,” Luffy said.

Ha ha ha ha ha—

Underneath the hat, Ace’s youthful face, speckled with freckles, beamed with a sunny smile as he laughed heartily.

The sail caught the wind, billowing proudly, and the small wooden boat moved steadily with the breeze.

Everyone raised their hands for a final farewell.

“Good luck, Ace!”

“Take care!”

“Don’t catch a cold!”

...

Tang Shen quietly whispered a blessing only he could hear: “Don’t die, Ace.”

“I’ll make my name known to the world soon enough!” Ace shouted back.

Until the little boat vanished beyond the horizon, no longer visible.

Only then did everyone disperse.

The familiar forest and training grounds remained.

But where once stood three figures, now only two remained.

“Luffy, I’m leaving too,” Tang Shen said calmly, watching the boy training with great enthusiasm.

“Ah?!” Luffy, who had been standing firmly in a stance, was startled and looked up at Tang Shen in surprise. “Uncle, you’re leaving too?”

“Mm, you must work hard!”

Tang Shen reached out, took Luffy’s straw hat, and gently ruffled his hair, speaking softly, “Don’t forget what I taught you. Everyone is watching you and expecting your growth.”

A gentle breeze swept through the familiar woods, leaving only the boy in the red vest, gazing absentmindedly toward the sea’s direction—for a long, long time...