"It's over~, my dream, my promise with Shanks~, it's all over!"
On the Going Merry, Luffy lay sprawled on the deck like a puddle of rubber softened by the sun, his expression lifeless.
"Hey, is this guy okay?" Sanji, cigarette in mouth, raised an eyebrow and asked Zoro, who was lifting a barbell.
"Nine hundred and ninety-one, nine hundred and ninety-two... one thousand!" Zoro set the barbell down, grabbed the towel draped over his shoulder, and wiped his sweat. "Don't worry. Luffy's the type of guy who can bounce back from anything."
"That's true, but this time, he lost his dream!" Usopp said, his face full of concern.
"Luffy's dream isn't just about being the Pirate King. He wants to be the freest person on the seas. That's why he set out to become the Pirate King in the first place!" Zoro explained.
"Did you hear that, Luffy? Cheer up! You're supposed to be the freest person on the sea!" Chopper ran over and tried to lift Luffy's spirits.
"It's over~, Laugh Tale was found by Ace..." Luffy moaned, still dazed.
"He's completely useless like this!" Chopper cried out.
"Move aside! Let me handle this!" Nami snorted as she stepped forward, but Usopp quickly grabbed her arm. "Hey, hey, Luffy's already suffering! Don't beat him up again!"
"Who said anything about beating him?" Nami rolled her eyes. "Just watch."
She turned to Luffy and spoke each word with perfect clarity: "Sanji said you can't eat meat tonight. From now on, you're eating only vegetables."
"It's over~, Laugh Tale... MEAT!? I want to eat meat tonight! Sanji! Hurry up and make me some steaks!"
Luffy, who had been lying lifeless, suddenly sprang up like a starving tiger, lunging at Sanji with drool dripping down his face.
"Wait! That recovery was way too fast! And stop drooling on me!" Sanji protested as he tried to push Luffy away.
"Sanji! I want meat! I want meat for dinner!"
"Fine, fine! Just let go already! You're really about to drool all over me!"
Not far away, on a small sailboat, the red-haired Shanks sat atop the mast, peering through a telescope at the lively scene on the Going Merry, a smile tugging at his lips.
"He still looks full of energy... Seems like I don't need to explain anything to him. That's for the best. Leaving the burden to the next generation makes us old folks look a little useless, though."
Sitting below, Ace exhaled in relief. "I know Luffy. He's simple-minded—he won't stay depressed for long."
"Still, as his big brother, I feel a little guilty for lying to him."
"You didn't just deceive Luffy," Shanks said, putting away the telescope and hopping down. "You fooled the whole world."
"That was Shin's idea. I just... didn't say no," Ace admitted, scratching his head. "Honestly, I wanted to refuse, but I couldn't bring myself to. And don't even start, Shanks—Dad already nagged me about it for hours."
"Hahaha! Not bad. Laugh Tale was always just a myth, after all. It started as a joke, so ending it with one isn't so bad," Shanks said with an easy grin. "Who knows? A thousand years from now, the island you took a picture of might actually be known as the real Laugh Tale."
"I don't agree with that." Ace grinned back. "I believe Luffy will find the real Laugh Tale one day."
"That's just like him," Shanks chuckled. "He's the freest man on the sea, after all."
Meanwhile...
"As expected of Dr. Vegapunk. You can even mass-produce the Mythical Nika Fruit?" Shin marveled, holding an artificial Devil Fruit in his hand.
"Artificial Devil Fruits aren't difficult to produce. It's old technology—almost 20 years old," Vegapunk replied, adjusting his lab coat and squinting at Shin.
"It's just that this kind of thing would disrupt the balance of the world too much. That's why I told the World Government that my research had failed."
Shin raised an eyebrow, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Seems like you're not very fond of the World Government, Dr. Vegapunk."
"Ha!" Vegapunk let out a cold laugh. "What prisoner would like their jailer? Especially when they were imprisoned for a crime they didn't commit."
Shin nodded. It was no secret that the World Government had arrested Vegapunk and his team because their research on bloodline factors was deemed too dangerous. Yet, hypocritically, they forced him to continue that very same research to benefit them.
That kind of double standard would leave resentment in anyone's heart.
Shin's gaze flickered to the towering figure standing beside Vegapunk—the massive yet silent Bartholomew Kuma, clutching a Bible in his oversized hands.
This guy is probably a Revolutionary Army member, Shin mused. Otherwise, why would Kuma willingly accept this transformation?
Perhaps the Pacifista project even had some hidden failsafe built into it. After all, when a scientist builds machines, it's easy enough to insert a few backdoor programs.
"Still, I didn't expect you to trust me so much, Dr. Vegapunk," Shin said, tilting his head. "You handed me all your research on artificial Devil Fruits without hesitation."
"Even if I hadn't given it to you, in ten years or so, your lab would've perfected it anyway," Vegapunk stated plainly. "The biochip—now that was a groundbreaking innovation."
Shin smirked, finally understanding Vegapunk's reasoning.
Without biochips, the gap between Vegapunk and other researchers like Caesar and Queen would have been at least 500 years. But with biochips, that gap had been shortened to around 300 years.
Given enough time, even researchers far less talented than Vegapunk would be able to replicate his work on artificial Devil Fruits. Realizing this, Vegapunk no longer saw a need to keep secrets.
"I see," Shin murmured. "It seems the future is already catching up with us, doesn't it?"
Vegapunk simply smiled. "Indeed."
[T/N: With this chapter, One Piece Arc is basically over. The succeeding chapters will be Shin's Adventures over the Multiverse.]