Gale sat perched on a large boulder, a plate of food in one hand and a cup of something vaguely alcoholic in the other. Below him, the villagers danced and sang around a roaring bonfire, their voices carrying into the night like the waves crashing on the shore.
Normally, he'd be right in the middle of it, laughing, drinking, probably making a fool of himself in some embarrassing attempt at a tribal dance.
But not tonight.
Tonight, he was too damn tired.
Kiwanu's final gauntlet of tests had wrung him dry. Every muscle in his body ached, every joint protested the slightest movement, and the only thing keeping him from collapsing on the spot was sheer stubbornness (and maybe the promise of a second helping of whatever mystery meat was on his plate).
So, instead of celebrating like a normal person, he sat here, just watching.
His gaze drifted upward, past the firelight, to the clear night sky.
And for a moment, he forgot everything else.
The stars stretched above him, endless, shimmering like scattered diamonds across a sea of black. He had never seen anything like it in his past life. No city lights drowning them out, no smog clouding the view—just an infinite expanse of beauty that made him feel both small and infinite at the same time.
A slow grin tugged at his lips.
Damn. I want to see more of this.
Then the thought settled in. Really settled in.
His grin faded into a sigh, heavy and uncertain.
Now that his training was done, he had a choice to make.
Stay… or leave.
For three years, he hadn't needed to think beyond the next training session, the next lesson, the next test. His world had been Kiwanu's teachings, sparring with warriors, and trying not to die under increasingly ridiculous training exercises.
But now? Now there was nothing standing in his way.
And that was terrifying.
He looked down at the villagers—his friends. Sure, he hadn't spent much time with them outside of training, but he had still lived here. He had gotten to know their faces, their quirks, their strange little habits. He had eaten with them, laughed with them, fought alongside them.
This place had been his home.
And yet…
There was a whole world out there.
A world filled with sights more beautiful than this one, food more delicious than he could imagine, and drinks far stronger than whatever was in his cup.
But more importantly—danger.
The kind that made your heart race. The kind that made life worth living.
Gale leaned back against the boulder, letting out a slow breath.
"…Man, this would be so much easier if I was stupid."
Gale wasn't interested in power, money, or fame.
He didn't want to be King of the Pirates. He didn't want to be a Marine Admiral. He didn't have some grand dream about fixing the world or toppling the corrupt system.
No, all he wanted was to mind his own business, travel the world, eat good food, sleep whenever he felt like it, and—ideally—get laid every once in a while.
Which, uh… wasn't happening on Torino Island.
It wasn't that the women here weren't nice. They were plenty kind, strong, and intelligent. But their… unique body proportions were a little outside his comfort zone. He liked to think he was an open-minded guy, but some of these ladies had pear-shaped bodies so extreme that they looked like walking bowling pins.
And no amount of booze was going to make that work.
Anyway.
He knew it wouldn't be that simple. This world? It wasn't built for people who just wanted to coast through life. It was filled with vicious pirates, ruthless Marines, and—worst of all—those absolute wastes of oxygen known as the Celestial Dragons.
Just thinking about those inbred gremlins made his eye twitch. The kind of people who could sink an entire island just because some random dude sneezed too loud in their direction.
"Mushi-mushi, Marine HQ? Someone on Island XXXX looked at me wrong. Exterminate them."
And just like that—an entire civilization, gone.
Gale wasn't about to let his life be dictated by people like that.
He needed to be strong. Not for some lofty ambition, not to conquer the seas, but to make sure he never had to bend the knee to anyone. He wasn't about to put his fate in someone else's hands.
That was why he started training.
...Though, to be fair, he kind of forgot about all that a few months into Kiwanu's personal brand of hell.
At some point, he stopped thinking about why he was training and just focused on surviving it.
And maybe—just maybe—somewhere along the line, he had awakened a little bit of masochism.
The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Nope. Nope, absolutely not. He quickly shook his head, trying to rid himself of the horrifying idea.
"I trained because I had to. Not because I liked it."
Even in his own head, that sounded suspiciously like denial.
Gale sighed, banishing the dangerous train of thought from his head along with the breath from his lungs.
Getting stronger was fine and all, but it was a slippery slope. There was always someone stronger—unless, of course, you became the strongest.
Which, let's be real, sounded like a pain in the ass.
If he became known, people would take notice. Didn't matter if he had no grand ambitions, the world would make them for him. Some people might feel threatened. Others might try to use him. Either way, his life would get a lot more complicated.
Where people existed, so did conflict, or so they say.
And honestly? The only way to live a truly peaceful life was to hole up in some remote mountain cave and pray to whatever gods were listening that the wrong person didn't accidentally wander in and ruin it.
Either way, Gale didn't plan to live like that. Unless, of course, that mountain cave just so happened to be filled with beautiful women, good booze, delicious food, and a breathtaking view.
In which case?
"Sign me up."
Unfortunately, reality wasn't that kind, and whether he decided to stay or leave, it was only a matter of time before he encountered someone stronger than him.
He was plenty strong compared to the people on this island. Hell, maybe even compared to most of South Blue.
But this world was big.
And the Grand Line? That place was crawling with monsters. And for some reason, all of them insisted on meddling with noobie areas like the Four Blues.
There was no running from strong people. No matter where you went, you'd run into someone. The only real option was to keep getting stronger—at least strong enough that nobody could dictate what he could and couldn't do.
Because if he wanted to be truly free, strength wasn't a choice.
It was a requirement.
Before Gale could reach a conclusion, the sound of approaching footsteps snapped him out of his reverie.
He turned his head slightly, catching sight of Kiwanu stepping up beside the boulder, arms crossed, a familiar smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. The old man gazed out at the dancing, singing villagers like he was watching some grand social experiment unfold—which, knowing him, was probably exactly how he saw it.
"You should leave this island."
No preamble. No dramatic pause. Just a casual bomb drop right into the middle of Gale's thoughts.
Gale raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. "Oh? How come? You and the villagers finally tired of me?"
Kiwanu let out a deep chuckle, shaking his head. "That is not the case… There's no end to the experiments I can perform on you. You are a walking treasure trove of knowledge, after all."
Gale rolled his eyes. "So three years wasn't enough to satisfy your curiosity, you crazy old man?"
Kiwanu gave a dismissive wave, as if the very idea was offensive. "What is a scientist without his curiosity?"
Gale would've bet money that if he had dropped dead right now, Kiwanu's first reaction wouldn't be sadness—it would be an intellectual crisis over which part of him to cut open first and see how his Devil Fruit ability affected his internal organs.
But then, the old man's expression shifted. The glint of amusement dulled, replaced by something more measured, more… serious.
"It's the other villagers you ought to watch out for."
That caught Gale off guard. He frowned, sitting up a little straighter. "What do you mean?"
What could he possibly have to watch out for? The people here had been nothing but welcoming, even if they were a little... unconventional-looking. Sure, they smacked each other upside the head a lot, but that was just their love language.
Right?
Kiwanu exhaled through his nose, his gaze sweeping over the lively celebration before them. "It's not difficult to put one and two together and figure out what's on your mind."
Gale blinked. "Oh? And here I thought I was mysterious."
The old man shot him a dry look before continuing, "Three years is not a short amount of time. The people here already see you as one of their own. They'll try everything they can to persuade you to stay… most of them, at least."
That last part made Gale's frown deepen. "Most of them? What about the rest?"
Kiwanu let out a sigh, crossing his arms. "Some of them might try to keep you here… even if they have to resort to dirty tricks."
Gale raised an eyebrow. "Define 'dirty tricks.' Are we talking emotional blackmail? Fake emergencies? Sudden declarations of undying love? Because if a giant, egg-shaped woman confesses to me, I'm swimming off this island tonight."
Kiwanu smirked but didn't take the bait. "You've grown strong, stronger than anyone here… and some people believe you owe it to them. That we are the sole reason for your success, that without us, you wouldn't have come this far."
That actually made Gale pause. His eyes widened slightly before he let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. Well, wasn't this ironic?
Here he was, brooding about the outside world, dreading the inevitable moment when people would try to use him, manipulate him, force him into things he wanted no part of.
Turns out, he didn't even need to leave the island for that to happen.
Still, he couldn't really hold it against them. This was just human nature. People felt entitled to things—to people—especially when they had a stake in their growth. And this was a dangerous world.
Even here, in this middle-of-nowhere island, the villagers had to worry about pirates, raiders, and God knew what else.
Of course they wanted an assurance against an unpredictable future.
Gale could sympathize. He really could. He understood where they were coming from. But that didn't mean he was about to let anyone guilt-trip him or, worse, try to strong-arm him into staying.
Still, the fact that Kiwanu said only "some" of the villagers might do that made it easier to swallow. He liked to think that most of the people here were good—really good, and it seemed he was right.
Before he could voice that thought, Kiwanu spoke again, his gaze still fixed on the celebrating villagers. "There'll be a ship passing by the east shore come morning."
Gale's brow furrowed, but before he could ask anything, Kiwanu continued, "I prepared a backpack. It's filled with furs, medicines—things you can barter with for passage."
Gale blinked. Wait. What?
He opened his mouth to protest, but Kiwanu simply raised a hand, cutting him off. "Take it and leave the village at dawn. The villagers will be too tired and hungover to notice you're gone."
Gale let out an exasperated sigh. Of course this crazy old man had already planned everything.
There was a moment of silence before Gale's expression softened into a small smile. "You know… it just occurred to me that I've never actually thanked you." He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing away. "Y'know… for everything."
Kiwanu chuckled, already turning to walk away, hands clasped behind his back. "And you don't have to. I'm just an old man trying to cure his terminal illness."
Gale's eyes widened. "Wait. Terminal illness?" He straightened, suddenly concerned. "I didn't know you were sick."
Kiwanu let out a defeated sigh. "Indeed. I've caught the most dangerous illness of all in my old age…"
Gale leaned forward, anticipating something serious.
"Boredom."
There was a loud thud as Gale, having leaned forward a bit too much, nearly faceplanted into the dirt. He barely managed to catch himself, grumbling as he dusted off his sleeve. "Old man, I swear—"
Kiwanu didn't even pause, his steps slow and steady as he continued walking. "I'll be looking forward to reading about you in the newspapers."
Gale scoffed. "You're gonna be massively disappointed. I intend to mind my own business and not do anything remotely newsworthy."
Kiwanu gave a dismissive wave without turning around. "I suppose we'll have to see."
Gale huffed, shaking his head with a smirk. Crazy old man.