LRAB Chapter 504 Return
Chapter 504 Return
The Sunny quickly left the entrance to Fishman Island and sailed back into the dark sea, setting sail for the New World. After leaving Fishman Island, their ship began to rise steadily under Franky's control. The seabed was still pitch black, with nothing much to see, and besides, they had already seen it on their way here. So most of the crew members were scattered throughout the ship, each doing their own thing.
Nami was taking a bath with Chopper, while Sanji and Brook were spying on them and were mercilessly reprimanded by Nami. Even Lucci, who was on the lookout, saw the lightning. It seems that Nami's control over the weather has become more proficient, and the power of the lightning has also increased. Luffy, Ace, and Usopp were all on the deck preparing fishing hooks, while he was waiting for someone on the lookout. He and Lucci needed to have a talk.
Qi turned his head slightly, looked at Lu Qi who was standing at the door looking at him with some surprise, and couldn't help but smile, "Are you planning to rest here?"
"You waited for me here specifically?" Lucci was indeed a little surprised to see Qi sitting there as soon as he stepped onto the lookout tower, but not too surprised. He had always known that Qi wanted to talk to him, and he also knew why he wanted to see him, but it was because of that matter.
"It's really hard to find a time to be alone with you," Qi complained, then looked at the main body still standing at the door observing and said, "This is a good place to rest."
“Looks good,” Lucci replied, looking thoughtfully at the exercise equipment in the corner, which should be the area Zoro uses to work out.
Lucci found a seat by the window, where he could see the deck below. Ace and Luffy had already started casting their lines, and perhaps soon a big deep-sea fish would take the bait.
Looking at Lu Qi, who was staring out the window with a gentle expression, Qi couldn't help but ask, "You've regained all your memories, haven't you?"
Lucci refocused his attention on Qi. "Yes, I remember everything."
"Then you should know that my mission is over." Qi looked at Lucci and smiled gently. "Luffy no longer needs my protection."
Lucci didn't answer Qi's question. He turned his head back to look out the window, his expression calm. He knew what Qi meant, but he wasn't sure what Luffy was thinking, so he hadn't made a decision yet.
Qi said softly, "Luffy has always looked forward to sailing with you again."
Lu Qi raised an eyebrow at Qi, somewhat surprised. He was about to say, "You've been with me all along..." but after a moment's thought, he realized that Qi didn't mean it that way, so he changed his words to, "That's why I'm here."
"But you didn't really consider yourself part of the Straw Hat crew, did you?"
“You’re overthinking it,” Lucci immediately denied.
“You don’t need to deny it to me.” Qi shrugged. “Don’t forget I’m your shadow clone. I know you better than you think.”
"So what are you trying to say?" Lu Qi sighed wearily, looked up at Qi standing in front of him, and said calmly, "Perhaps you are right, but this is only temporary."
“But there’s no need to make it so complicated. You don’t need to readjust to anything. Your bond with the Straw Hat crew has always been there. You just need to accept that bond,” Qi said gently. “They are all great partners.”
“I know they are all trustworthy partners,” Lucci agreed. He had witnessed their growth on Fishman Island and could see that they had done their best to become stronger in the past two years.
“Yes, they have changed a lot.” Singularity nodded and continued, “If you want to help Luffy become the Pirate King, you shouldn’t leave yourself with weaknesses.”
“That’s not a weakness,” Lucci retorted. “You should know that it doesn’t affect me much. At most, I’ll just be a little more tired than usual. Besides, even if you return, I’ll need to use my Devil Fruit to release you. There’s no difference.”
"No, that's not it." Qi crossed his arms and frowned at Lu Qi. "You should know better than me about this situation. Returning is the best option, and it will consume the least amount of energy."
“You’re overthinking it. I know my fruit better than you think.” Lucci grinned at Qi standing in front of him. “I know what I’m doing.”
"You're overthinking it!" Qi retorted.
"Isn't it better to be in a state where I won't be affected?" Lu Qi asked, puzzled. "I think this state is the best."
“Now you can choose what you want to do without obeying my orders,” Lucci explained seriously. “But after you return, you won’t be able to move as freely as you are now. You will only become my shadow, in a true sense, and then you won’t be able to return to Luffy’s side at any time.”
“I know, you’re still worried about Luffy, and you’re worried that Luffy won’t be able to accept it.” Qi grinned. “You don’t need to worry at all that Luffy and the others won’t be able to accept it. I already told them when we left Sabaody Archipelago that they’ve always known that I’m your clone.”
"Why are you doing this?" Lu Qi asked, puzzled. There was no need for Qi to do so much for him.
“I want to change your current thinking.” Qi said seriously, “I don’t want you to put yourself outside the Straw Hat crew, nor do I want you to see yourself as a weapon to charge into battle. I want you to fight alongside everyone when powerful enemies come, instead of standing in front of Luffy. I want you to be with them.”
"I haven't thought of it that way."
“You don’t need to argue with me. Don’t forget that I am your clone. I had the same idea at first.” Qi shrugged, then said seriously, “It wasn’t until later that I realized that this is the meaning of a team, and also the meaning of a first mate.”
Lucci sighed and smoothed his hair. He stood up and looked at Qi, whose expression remained firm. He let out a breath. "I shouldn't be that stubborn."
“You probably don’t know yourself very well.” Qi grinned, knowing that Lu Qi had agreed, and reached out to take Lu Qi’s hand. “Come on.”
"Honestly, I'm not that stubborn." Lucci muttered as he watched Qi's disappearing figure. Just as he was about to sort through the memories Qi had brought him, the ship suddenly shook violently, and he was thrown out of the ship before he could react. What the hell? Lucci shook his dizzy head, stood up, and staggered toward the door.
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw the massive ocean current in front of him, with a deep-sea fish hanging behind the Sunny, being swept away. Lucci hurriedly shouted, "Hey, Luffy, that's the White Dragon Current! Let go of that fish! It'll be a problem if the ship gets swept in!"
"No way, we worked so hard to catch that fish..." Luffy shouted in dissatisfaction when he heard Lucci tell him to throw the fish away, but before he could finish speaking, the Sunny was swept into the current, and a chaotic scream instantly echoed throughout the ship.
Lu Qi felt a sudden dizziness. He barely managed to grab the railing to avoid being thrown off, but then the memories he had brought with him suddenly exploded in his mind. In an instant, everything went black, and his unconscious body was flung toward the membrane on the roof of the ship by the enormous inertia.