One Piece: Who still has dreams?

The two sat facing each other, their palms touching.

Hancock gently wrapped her Armament Haki around Redio's hands, extending it further and further into his arms and body...

Redio, on the other hand, used this stimulation to feel his own dominance.

Although Hancock managed to neutralize the destructive power of the Haki invasion, she wasn't completely unaffected—who says a caressing sensation isn't a sensation? The stimulation it provided to the body, in some ways, was no less significant than a destructive one!

The sun overhead was gradually shifting westward...

Several hours passed, and as evening approached, Redio opened his eyes. Although the system's evaluation was still [Armament Haki (Early Stage)], he felt a bit clearer about it.

Any progress is something to be happy about.

Even without the Five Elements Satoru Mode, I can still succeed! It just requires a little help from the Empress, nothing serious. Hmm.

……

[Mission radar searching...]

"That's enough for today, I need to go back first."

Reddio got up and stretched, his muscles cracking and popping like popping beans. Having sat all day, he was used to high-intensity activity and was really not used to it.

He glanced at the three missions detected by the radar, found them uninteresting, and decided to ignore them.

"Are you leaving?" Hancock asked, a little reluctant.

Redio laughed: "Didn't I say I have a crew member? I'll pick him up, and we'll train together tomorrow. He won't need to do it this way, and we'll probably stay a few more days."

Hancock finally smiled. The warm twilight light slanted across her face, making her look as beautiful as a goddess.

-----------------

East China Sea, Mount Colbo

As the transparent prism disappeared, Redio returned to the deep mountains where beasts lurked, the image of the Empress's breathtaking smile in the sunset still lingering before his eyes...

"..."

He patted his face. This woman was terrifying! He was starting to understand why so many people had been so fanatical in their pursuit of the supreme succubus Shakky decades ago... Wasn't this some kind of alluring aura?

It's practically on par with Zango's hypnosis!

Redio said, "Aren't you going to launch a sneak attack this time?"

Ace sat at the starting point of the long crater created by Redio's Hollow Form, his back to the distance, and fell silent upon hearing this. Rumbling sounds echoed from the nearby woods, mingled with Luffy's high-pitched battle cry of "Gum-Gum..." Training alone was quite exhilarating.

“You said this morning that there are many people on the sea who can surpass your move,” Ace turned to look at Redio.

"..."

Reddio walked over and sat down. "Do you know Edward Newgate, the 'Whitebeard'? He's the Earthquake Man who ate the Paramecia-type Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Don't even mention this little mountain valley, one punch from him could overturn this entire island!"

"There are several pirates as strong as him in the latter half of the Grand Line. This is the level of the 'Four Emperors of the Sea'! It means that their strength and influence are so great that the World Government doesn't want to provoke them and has acknowledged their de facto status as rulers of their own territories."

"And the Pirate King Roger, along with Whitebeard, was considered one of the two greatest heroes of their time, and it was difficult to distinguish who was better!"

Redio hooked his arm around Ace's shoulder and chuckled, "I guess that's what you wanted to know, right?"

Ace pouted, "I didn't ask him." Then he fell silent again.

"okay!"

Redio dusted himself off and stood up. "Hey Luffy! I'm leaving. Take me to the beach!" he shouted loudly towards the noisy woods.

"Huh? Oh."

Soon, Luffy came running over, looking disheveled. "Strange, when did you get back?"

Luffy had followed his two older brothers, Ace and Sabo, around this mountain since he was a child, knowing it like the backyard. He could lead Reddio to the beach with his eyes closed. Before long, the three of them emerged from the deep mountains and forests and arrived at the deserted coast where the sound of the waves rose and fell.

As the sun sets in the distance, the sea appears as red and yellow as wine.

Ace followed at the back, saying calmly, "Don't come back looking for Luffy this time. This kind of joke isn't funny at all."

What are you talking about?

In the twilight, Redio waved his hand, and the massive black cat ship, its pirate flag now removed, appeared out of thin air and crashed onto the sea. Waves splashed against the shore, hitting Luffy's gleaming eyes and Ace's astonished face. Redio turned back and said, "Aren't you getting on board? I'll take you!"

"Where to?" Ace asked instinctively.

Redio raised his index finger towards the sky and smiled slightly, saying, "To the top of the world."

"..." Ace looked stunned. Luffy, standing next to him, put his hands on his hips and grinned, "Go, Ace! Go and surpass the Pirate King! Then, I'll surpass you! Hehe."

Ace chuckled and sighed, adjusting the orange hat with the crying and laughing face on his head, and stepped forward: "I'll board the ship if you want, I want to be the captain."

"What are you dreaming about!" Redio kicked him.

……

"That's right!"

Before setting sail, Reddio called out to Luffy, who was about to leave. He took out a pocket watch from his pocket, swung it back and forth in front of Luffy, and muttered, "When I say '1, 2, Reddio,' you will rush to Makino's tavern at top speed and eat three bowls of fried rice. €€€€1, 2, Reddio!"

"…………"

Nothing happened. Ace on the deck, Luffy on the shore, and even Redeo himself all tilted their heads, big question marks appearing on their faces.

Damn, it doesn't even work on Luffy, who's under hypnosis?

It seems I'm not a hypnotist genius after all.

Redio silently put away his pocket watch, boarded the ship, and left. Luffy waved goodbye from the shore, bidding farewell to his sworn brother for the second time as he embarked on his voyage.

Chapter 62 Was My Birth a Good Thing?

[Chapter Introduction Series: Executive Vice President Miss All Sundays, Episode 12: "An Eerie Atmosphere"]

[Outside, gunfire raged, but inside the town, everything remained as usual; the residents went about their lives. Olvia sat by the roadside, pulling her cowboy hat down low. Robin remained impassive; her eyes and ears, constructed of flower petals, had already spread throughout the entire street.]

*******************************************************

[Ongoing mission: To the summit]

[Mission Requirements: Assist Portgas D. Ace in gaining top-tier strength and reputation, and standing at the pinnacle of the world.]

Client: Portcus Ace

[Distance: Close]

[Estimated Difficulty: ★★★★★★]

Taking advantage of the captain's and crew's heart-to-heart talk, Reddio easily extracted this mission from the unsuspecting Ace.

If I get on my ship and don't get a mission, wouldn't that be a waste of time?

"I want the whole village... the whole world to acknowledge my existence!"

In the wheelhouse, Ace and Redio were chatting idly in two hammocks when Ace suddenly heard him say something that startled him. This captain inexplicably knew him very well.

Redio said, "Nobody wanted you to be born? I don't think so. The Pirate King was already nearing the end of his life, so why did he have to leave a child behind? Your mother knew that the birth of this child would not be blessed, yet she miraculously survived 20 months of pregnancy while hiding from the World Government's search, giving birth to you at the cost of her life. Marine hero Garp was there. If Garp also didn't want the devil's son to be born, he could have easily killed you when you were still an infant, completely ignorant of the world."

"Garp, like Whitebeard, was both an enemy and a friend of the Pirate King back in the day."

Reddio stared at the ceiling and said, "Roger entrusted you to Garp before he died. Garp kept it a secret from the World Government and the Marine Headquarters, choosing to let you live."

"He didn't want you to suffer in this world, nor did he want you to feel that life was meaningless so you would rush to your death."

"A person's birth and existence in this world are meaningful in themselves."

When it comes to that feeling of emptiness that seems to devour one's soul, no one understands it better than Redio, who has just been reborn into this world.

His parents died long ago, and he couldn't remember what they looked like. He lived all alone in a corner of this familiar world, unknown to anyone, unacquainted, and unloved. No one cared whether he lived or died.

Everything from my past life has become a thing of the past...

Why do you look even more down than me?

Ace was shocked. He couldn't believe it at all. This guy always loved making nasty jokes, talked to himself, and acted willfully...

“Of course, that’s what they say,” Redio chuckled, crossing his legs. “When you reach the top and give the middle finger to everyone who doesn’t want you alive, that would be pretty cool, don’t you think?”

"..."

Ace, with his hands behind his head, asked, "And you, Redio, since you're going to be a captain and set sail, what are your goals?"

"I want to fulfill the dreams of all my crew members. €€€€ says that sounds a bit cheesy."

Redio laughed, "Anyway, now that I have a little bit of ability, I think... I should at least leave a trace in this world. Let this world know that I was here! And the best way to do that is to go there."

He casually pointed in a direction, "The final island, Laugh Tale."

Ace laughed: "You want to become the Pirate King too?"

Redio said, "Whether I'm a thief or not, I don't care. But some people don't want the secrets hidden on that island to be revealed, so I'm going to give it a try."

"Some people?"

"We'll find out when the time comes."

"Oh... but which way are we sailing now? I feel like the direction is a bit off, it doesn't seem like we're heading towards the Grand Line?"

"Do you even know anything about navigation before you set sail?"

"I don't understand. Don't you understand?"