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The sun had barely risen when the sea breeze shifted. The villagers of Syrup awoke to the distant sound of waves crashing and voices shouting.
"I smell meat!"
"Luffy! Wait—don't just jump off the boat like that!"
Rael stood silently near the village entrance, arms folded, cloak billowing gently as he watched a strange group step onto the shore. A boy in a red vest and straw hat sprinted ahead, laughing with reckless abandon, a long rubbery arm snatching a meat skewer from a vendor before anyone could blink.
Behind him trailed a swordsman with green hair, a blonde cook lighting a cigarette, and a girl with orange hair who immediately started haggling over maps.
[System Notice: Target Identified – Straw Hat Pirates. Mission Progress: 90%. Objective: Establish Contact.]
Rael's eyes locked on the grinning rubber boy.
So… this is Monkey D. Luffy.
Usopp met them first.
"Luffy!!" Usopp shouted, waving from the path. "You're here!!"
Luffy raised both arms. "Usopp! You didn't die yet! Awesome!"
"I wasn't supposed to die!"
The crew laughed, the village lit up with new energy. Rael stayed to the side, watching. He could feel it—the sincerity, the bond they carried, and that lightness… like the weight of the world didn't exist for them.
Then, Luffy's eyes landed on him.
He tilted his head and walked right up to Rael, chewing on a piece of meat.
"Hey… you're tall."
Rael looked down. "You're loud."
Luffy laughed. "You smell strong. You a pirate?"
Rael hesitated.
Before he could answer, Luffy extended his hand, meat skewer still in the other.
"I'm Luffy. I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!"
Rael stared at that wide, dumb, honest grin.
[System Notice: Soul Sync Triggered. Memory Fragment Reactivated.]
Suddenly—
A flash in Rael's mind.
A man with a broad smile.
A man who stood against monsters, gods, and fate itself.
A man who smiled, even when chained.
"We protect because we choose to, Rael. Even if they betray us, even if they hate us… we smile. Because saving others is never a mistake."
That man… had died long ago.
Rael's eyes widened slightly.
"…You remind me of someone," he muttered.
Luffy blinked. "Is that good or bad?"
Rael slowly took his hand and shook it.
"…It's good."
Nami came up, curious. "Who's this guy? He's not from the Marines, is he?"
Usopp ran over. "This is Rael! He's like… a swordsman, hero, wandering destroyer of pirates and scary people—but a good guy!"
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "That's a lot of titles."
Sanji nodded. "He looks like trouble."
"Hey!" Usopp protested.
Rael smirked. "You're not wrong."
The Straw Hats welcomed him in their usual way—by eating, laughing, arguing, and causing chaos in the tavern. Rael sat at the edge of the table, saying little, but watching everything.
They were unpredictable, reckless… but kind.
And strong in a way that had nothing to do with power levels.
They lived freely.
Something Rael had almost forgotten how to do.
[System Notice: Mission Updated – Straw Hat Pirates Contact Established.]
Next Objective: Decide – Observe from afar or walk with them?
Later that night,
Rael stood under the stars again, his cloak draped over his shoulders as he watched the Straw Hats sleep around a fire in the village square.
He looked at Luffy's peaceful smile, even in sleep.
That same smile.
Just like his.
Rael turned away.
"This world might still have hope."
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