After the communication was cut off, the deck fell into a strange stillness; the sound of the waves seemed infinitely amplified, accentuating the silence.
Nami slowly lowered her hand from her mouth, "Eh… this transponder snail…."
"No way…" Sanji's cigarette, dangling from his mouth, silently slipped and fell onto the deck, scattering a few sparks.
Even Robin, who had maintained a composed smile, had her expression change slightly, though she quickly regained her composure. She took a deep breath.
"If I'm not mistaken… it's probably Dragon."
"Dragon?!"
Zoro also looked quite surprised, staring at the transponder snail's image before looking at Luffy.
"The one who just spoke with us was that Revolutionary Army Dragon?! Is it real or fake?! And how does he seem to… know you, Luffy!"
Usopp no longer cared about his fear of Robin; he grabbed Luffy by the collar and shook him wildly, his voice filled with a collapsing sob:
"Luffy! What exactly is going on?! After fighting the Seven Warlords of the Sea, now the Revolutionary Army pops up! And it's that legendary Dragon! Why are they all such important figures?!"
Luffy, being shaken, merely pouted: "I don't know, I don't know who that guy is."
His attention wasn't on that at all; he just slapped the transponder snail in his hand, complaining indignantly: "Damn it! Why is there no sound! Sabo hasn't even spoken yet!"
Just as everyone fell into confusion and speculation, Tomioka's gaze turned to the distant blue horizon, closing his eyes to recall once more.
"Loguetown."
He opened his eyes, cutting into the chaotic discussions, "When we left there last, I heard a little bit of that voice."
"It was very similar to just now."
"At that time…" Nami murmured, recalling the sudden storm.
"Eh? Was Dragon also in Loguetown back then?"
Chopper's eyes widened, looking from one person to another. Robin also showed an interested expression, standing quietly to the side.
And so, on the deck, a memory of the East Blue quietly unfolded. Usopp gesticulated wildly, describing the chase that day, while Nami added details about the strange weather phenomena.
This allowed Chopper and Robin to hear the last little story the Straw Hat Pirates experienced in the East Blue before entering the Grand Line.
Luffy, however, seemed uninterested in this, still studying the transponder snail that had fallen silent again.
Robin watched his actions and stepped forward at the opportune moment to remind him:
"Luffy, if this transponder snail was given to you by the Revolutionary Army, it's best to wait for them to contact you actively."
"This type of transponder snail might be on an encrypted line. If you dial it randomly, the Marine's surveillance department might pick up signal fluctuations, which might not be good for them."
"I see…"
Though a bit reluctant, Luffy understood the part about causing trouble for Sabo.
He scratched his head, as if he had figured something out, and carefully placed the transponder snail on a relatively open small platform below the main mast, muttering:
"If I put it here, the signal should be better, right? Sabo will be able to connect immediately when he calls."
At this moment, he rushed back to the kitchen at light speed, and after a dazzling series of spins and jumps, he elegantly approached Robin with a steaming cup of black tea, his voice sickly sweet:
"My beautiful lady~ After so many thrilling adventures, you must be thirsty, right? This is a unique welcome ceremony for joining the Straw Hat Pirates, please enjoy~"
"Hey! Sanji! Why didn't I get one!" This was from Chopper.
Usopp's attention was finally drawn back. He looked at Sanji, stomping his feet in anger: "That's not the point, Chopper, the point is we haven't even agreed to her joining yet!"
He turned his head and saw Chopper and Luffy already being gently tickled by arms growing from the floor. The two were laughing and rolling on the ground.
"You two fickle fellows!"
Our Captain Usopp was heartbroken. No sooner had he spoken than several arms appeared on his own body, beginning to gently massage his shoulders and back.
The perfect pressure and comfortable sensation immediately surged through him. The bumpy feeling from riding the Rapid Duck in Alabasta vanished like smoke with this gentle massage.
"Ooh… so comfortable~" Usopp narrowed his eyes, his resistance gradually fading.
Nami looked at the chaotic scene before her, sighing as she held her forehead: "You guys… are truly hopeless…"
Before she could finish speaking, her voice abruptly stopped. Her eyes were drawn to a small cloth bag Robin had produced from somewhere.
When Robin gently opened the bag, revealing a few sparkling gems inside, Nami's pupils instantly turned into Berries symbols.
Robin had a knowing smile on her face and said softly, "Ara la la, these are some little things I happened to get during my time at Baroque Works. They're not much use to me here."
Nami pounced, hugging the bag of gems tightly, "You're the best~! Welcome aboard!"
Seeing that most of the crew had agreed to her joining, Robin gently clapped her hands, attracting everyone's attention.
"Then, allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Nico Robin. Please take care of me from now on~"
"Alright~ Miss Robin~"
Robin raised her hand, her slender fingers pointing to each person present in turn: "Then, I will be the eighth crew member of this ship."
Just then, Tomioka felt with utmost clarity that almost everyone's gaze had fallen upon him.
Chopper took small steps to Tomioka's side, tilting his head up, his little blue nose twitching: "Tomioka, why? Isn't being a pirate good? Isn't it fun when everyone is together?"
Nami walked over, gently picked up Chopper, rubbed his hat, and smiled at Tomioka:
"Don't force him, Chopper. Tomioka has his own thoughts, but at least, we are still companions on the same ship right now, and that won't change."
Feeling the gazes fixed on him, Tomioka's heart was not calm. He slightly lowered his eyelids, gazing at the going merry gently swaying with the waves beneath his feet.
To be honest, from the very beginning when he boarded this ship in Loguetown, he had been somewhat resistant.
However, during this not-so-long period of sea travel, he had seen with his own eyes and felt with his own body that this group of people, who called themselves pirates, were completely different from the image of murderers and arsonists he had in mind.
The most profound impression was Luffy climbing the almost vertical castle cliff with his bare hands in the bitter cold of Drum Island. The sight of him carrying Nami and biting Sanji is still deeply etched in his mind.
If he told his sister, told Urokodaki-sensei… would they approve?
This question, obviously, had no answer. This was a choice Tomioka had to face alone.
But on this ship, when he was with this noisy group of people, the sense of ease and joy deep in his heart was real; it wasn't deceiving him.
He looked up, speaking in his usual calm tone, his deep blue eyes slowly sweeping over each face watching him:
"I…"
"Until I find a way to return to my homeland, let me be a crew member of this ship."
"However,"
"I cannot accept the pirates' actions of harming innocent civilians. If it happens, I will stop you."
"Yay!!!!!!!!"
Responding to him was Luffy's deafening cheer, followed immediately by him, Chopper, and Usopp linking arms and starting to dance with a mysteriously synchronized rhythm.
"Then, it seems I am the seventh member of this ship. Please take care of me, rookie~"
"To welcome Miss Robin and celebrate that foolish Tomioka finally wised up, let's have a feast!" Sanji shouted, turning and heading to the kitchen.