By the riverbank.
Tom and Kokoro stood there smiling, watching the ship draw closer. They waved small, colorful flags they'd somehow gotten their hands on, each one bearing the word "Welcome."
Meanwhile, the two boys, Iceburg and Franky, still looked a little dazed, as if they couldn't quite believe what was happening.
"Tom-san, you actually know the captain of the Sky Pirates?!"
Kokoro shook her head.
"Not the captain. But the Sky Pirates' navigator, Fisher Tiger, comes from Fish-Man Island, just like Tom and me. In fact, you two should be calling Tiger your senpai…"
"Senpai…"
Franky froze for a moment, then his face lit up with excitement.
He had just seen the bounty poster. That was a pirate with a bounty of 680 million Belly.
To a kid like Franky, a number like that was as distant and unreachable as the sky itself.
And yet, such an incredible Great Pirate was actually his senpai. The thought alone made him practically burst with excitement.
Iceburg, standing beside him, looked far more serious. Compared to the younger Franky, he understood more and thought more carefully.
"Mm."
As she spoke, Grandma Kokoro seemed to sink into her memories. She looked at Franky and continued,
"When Tiger was young, he was just like you, Franky. A problem kid from Fish-Man Island. It was because of Tom-san's guidance that he became who he is today."
Hearing that, Tom laughed a little awkwardly.
"That was all Tiger's own effort. It doesn't really have much to do with me!"
Even so, the pride in Tom's smile was impossible to hide.
Just then, the massive Twin Goddesses slowly pulled in and dropped anchor.
Tom, who had originally come only to welcome Tiger, suddenly noticed something off as he watched the ship come to a stop. His eyes widened dramatically.
"This… this… this ship…"
The others picked up on Tom's shock, and Franky asked in confusion,
"What is it, Tom-san…?"
Tom quickly forced down his surprise and tried to brush it off.
"It's nothing… this ship is just really beautiful… Tahahaha…"
The group exchanged puzzled looks, especially Kokoro. She knew Tom better than anyone.
As the world's greatest shipwright, Tom would never act this strange just because a ship looked good.
At that moment, a bold, powerful voice rang out from nearby, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
"Brother Tom… Sister Kokoro…"
They saw a burly, red-skinned fishman descend from the air in a rush, landing in front of them, his entire body trembling with emotion.
"Tiger…"
Tom's eyes filled with tears as he spread his arms wide. The two of them embraced tightly.
"So… so amazing…"
Little Franky stared in shock at the fishman standing before him. That massive build, that overwhelming presence. No wonder he was a Great Pirate with a bounty of 800 million Belly.
Kokoro couldn't stop her tears either. Her eyes brimming with emotion, she spoke in a voice filled with nostalgia.
"Long time no see, Tiger..."
"Ah..."
Pulling free from Tom's embrace, Tiger wiped his tears away. He looked at Kokoro, then back at Tom, his voice thick with emotion.
"It's been twenty years, hasn't it?"
"Yeah. Back then, you were just a brat. Now you've grown into a real man."
Kokoro said with a warm smile.
Tiger couldn't hold back his own grin.
"Big Brother Tom hasn't changed much at all, but Big Sister Kokoro, you—"
Before he could finish, Kokoro's brow twitched as she put on an angry face.
"You little brat! After all these years, you still don't know how to make a woman happy..."
"Hahahaha..."
Everyone burst out laughing.
Even Iceburg, Franky, and the frog Yokozuna nearby were swept up by the cheerful atmosphere, smiles unconsciously appearing on their faces.
Reunions after a long separation were truly among the greatest joys in life.
At that moment, Yemu led the group off the ship and walked over, quietly observing Tom, the man known throughout the Pirate King's world as the greatest shipwright alive.
Just as expected, he was overwhelmingly imposing, with a body that radiated incredible physical strength.
Tiger wiped his eyes again, then spoke with a hint of embarrassment as he tried to introduce everyone.
"Brother Tom, let me introduce—"
But Tom waved his hand, laughing heartily.
"No need! I've heard the name of the Sky Pirates loud and clear. As for us, I'm Tom, a shipwright. This is Kokoro, our company secretary. We're all fishmen. These two are my apprentices, Iceburg and Franky. And this is Yokozuna, a very formidable frog."
After finishing, Tom brought his hands together and bowed deeply, his expression sincere.
"Captain Yemu, thank you so much for taking care of my little brother."
"You're too polite, Tom-san."
Yemu returned the look with a warm smile, glancing at Tiger.
"We're the ones who should be thanking you. Tiger is our most reliable companion. Without him, I wouldn't have dared to challenge the Marines and the World Government so boldly."
"Hahaha..."
Once again, laughter filled the air.
Kokoro wiped her eyes, smiling through lingering tears.
"Let's head home and talk properly. I made some curry rice, but it might not be enough..."
"That's fine! I can help. I'm a chef, after all."
Flare raised her hand excitedly and stepped forward to volunteer.
"That's wonderful! Today, Tom-san, Iceburg-chan, Franky-chan, and I are really in for a treat!"
...
Inside Tom's small house, everyone gathered together.
Tiger animatedly recounted the adventures and experiences he'd had during his travels around the world.
Tom listened with great interest, and even Iceburg and Franky were completely drawn in.
The room was filled with laughter and cheerful voices.
At that moment, Kokoro spoke from the kitchen with an apologetic tone.
"I'm really sorry. It looks like we don't have enough ingredients."
It wasn't that there truly wasn't enough. She had only ever cooked for four people and one frog before, so she hadn't stocked much. Now there were fifteen people, and since they were guests, she wanted to make the meal as generous as possible. Of course it wouldn't be enough.
"It's no problem!"
Flare waved toward Yemu's side.
"Kuromu..."
Wrapped head to toe in layers of clothing like a tightly bound rice dumpling, Kuromu's true form was completely hidden. At Flare's call, the bundled figure hopped down from the sofa and bounced over with a heavy, awkward gait.
Flare spoke naturally, clearly used to this.
"Open a door to the ship's food storage."
"No problem, boss!"
Kuromu stretched out a hand and slapped the air. Ripples spread outward as if space itself had been struck.
"Eh?!"
Under the stunned gazes of Iceburg and Little Franky, the air split open, just like a door being swung wide.
"Wait a moment. I'll grab some ingredients."
Flare stepped through the doorway in the air. Moments later, she returned, arms full of food.
"This should be enough, right?"
"This... that's an unbelievable ability!"
Now Tom and Kokoro fully understood what this rice-dumpling-wrapped little one had done. Having lived long lives and seen much of the world, they naturally knew about Devil Fruits.
Iceburg and Little Franky, on the other hand, were so shocked their eyes looked ready to pop out.
Unable to contain himself, Little Franky blurted out excitedly.
"Master Tom... what kind of power is that...?"
Tom immediately pressed a hand down, stopping his disciple.
Tom was sharp. From the moment everyone had met, he'd noticed the four children wrapped up from head to toe.
It was obvious that Yemu didn't want their true identities revealed.
"My apologies, Captain Yemu. Children... they're curious about everything."
Yemu simply smiled.
"It's fine, Tom-san. You are Tiger-san's older brother, after all."
He then pointed toward the Kuromi brothers and continued.
"These are four new junior crew members we've just taken in. Their identities are special, so they're wrapped up like that. They're all Devil Fruit users. The one who can open doors in the air is called Kuromu. He's the user of the Doa Doa no Mi."
"Since we're already on the topic, there's something else I'd like to ask of you, Tom-san..."