The second to step off the Oro Jackson was Kozuki Oden.
The bighearted daimyo from Wano Country wore his guileless grin, Ame no Habakiri and Enma at his waist.
"My friends, this is where we part." Oden bowed deeply to those still aboard. "Sailing with you has been the greatest honor of my life."
"Oden-san!"
Two half-grown boys, Shanks and Buggy, rushed him with red-rimmed eyes, one clinging to his left leg, the other to his right.
"Are you truly fine returning alone?" Rayleigh frowned. "Wano is not what you left behind."
They all knew it. Wano had fallen under shadow. Kurozumi Orochi's intrigue, foreign collusion, a land once bright with cherry blossoms now thick with danger.
"Ha ha ha, it is nothing." Oden waved a huge hand, laughter booming. "A trifling matter not worth mention."
He refused every offer to go with him. In his eyes burned a samurai's unbending simplicity and faith.
He believed he could set the country right and bring back the light.
Kael watched this man whose candor bordered on foolishness, and could not help seeing the end that awaited him. The boiling cauldron. The back that bore his vassals. Gunshots that would echo across Wano.
The script of tragedy was already written, and the lead was striding toward the stage, full of hope.
Just as Oden turned, Kael spoke.
"Oden."
Oden looked back, puzzled.
"Wano's bushido can be too straight a line," Kael said, voice even, gaze sincere. "Wolves that break every rule will not be moved by a warrior's etiquette."
He paused. His eyes sharpened. "If you yield and yield again, you only feed their appetite. Struggle is the only way through."
The words came without preface, leaving those nearby at a loss.
Oden blinked, scratched his head, chewing the thought. He did not truly grasp Kael's meaning, but trust in a crewmate made him nod gravely.
"Kael-san, I will remember." He flashed that full-toothed smile. "Thank you. Then, everyone, until we meet again."
He turned and strode off, steps steady, back untroubled.
Another farewell washed in tears.
The Oro Jackson set out once more. Laughter still moved across the deck, but that old crescendo never quite returned.
When they reached the Sabaody Archipelago, Rayleigh was ready to disembark.
He changed into simple clothes, nothing on him but the sword at his hip.
"That is my stop," Silvers Rayleigh said, as composed as ever.
"Oooh," Shanks drawled, mischief in his smile, "heading for Sabaody. Someone special to meet, Rayleigh-sensei?"
Buggy caught on at once, hands on hips, his voice cutting high. "Hmph. Must be that bar's proprietress. I saw it. He stared at her forever last time."
"Shakky's booze is pricey, old man," Gaban called from the rail, merciless as always. "Got enough squirreled away for your tab?"
"You brats." A cross-vein popped at Rayleigh's temple.
Even the Dark King could not keep his face straight. "What nonsense. I plan to retire quietly."
Kael leaned nearby, smiling at Rayleigh's reddening ears. He said nothing. The look alone was enough to make Rayleigh twitch.
"I am off." Rayleigh all but fled, waving once before slipping over the side.
Watching their vice-captain's flustered retreat, the deck finally erupted in honest laughter, the sting of parting eased for a breath.
The voyage went on.
One by one, crewmen left. At every harbor, another goodbye.
A deck once crowded with dozens grew barer by the day.
Thunderous shouts, rough jests, roaring songs settled into the pulse of canvas and a long, shared quiet.
At last, the Oro Jackson eased into a nameless island's small port.
It was no grand place, just another stop on the Grand Line, so ordinary it did not rate a line on any chart.
Gaban slung his great axe. The edge threw cold light in the sun.
Kael hoisted his naginata, a simple bundle tied to the shaft.
"Time for us to go," Gaban said.
Founders of the crew, they had chosen to step off together near the very end.
Shanks and Buggy stood before them, eyes shining, working hard not to let the tears fall.
Goodbyes had numbed them. The hole inside only tore wider.
"Hey, you two." Gaban grinned. "The next era is yours. Do not shame the Roger Pirates."
Kael came up to the boys and set a hand on each shoulder.
"Lose those funeral faces. Save a man's tears for when you meet again." He looked at Shanks, flicked a glance at Buggy. "Your voyages are only beginning. Do not shame your teacher, and do not shame the captain. If you make a mess, do not use my name to clean it. When I have time, I will come find you."
He drew back his hands and made a fist, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "If I find your training has slipped, do not blame my knuckles for forgetting faces."
A faint ring of air rippled over his fist as he bumped it lightly to theirs.
"Kael-nii…" Shanks lifted his gaze, full of reluctance.
"Hmph. Who is going to slack." Buggy rubbed his nose and blustered. "I am going to surpass Captain Roger and sit on all the world's treasure."
Kael and Gaban traded a look and a laugh. The weight of parting thinned a shade.
They turned and walked down the gangplank, like a hundred supply stops before, without a backward glance.
The Oro Jackson's anchor rose once more. With the few who still remained aboard, and two boys who would one day churn the world, she slipped from the quay.
The ship grew smaller and smaller, until it was a dot on the line of the sea.
The once riotous Oro Jackson felt terribly quiet.
Shanks sat alone on the figurehead, head bowed over the straw hat.
Buggy hid in a corner below decks, clutching the dagger Roger had given him, shoulders jerking.
The legendary ship that had carried so many dreams and glories was sailing toward the end of an era.
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