To the end of the sea [One Piece]

1.

After the wedding, they went to the Chambord Islands.

Xia Qi entertained them: "I have asked them to notify Lei Li, and they will probably be back soon."

Eina took the beer she handed her and said thank you.

"The last time I saw you, you were still talking about Shanks showing us your photos." Xia Qi held her chin, the corners of her mouth raised slightly, "Now you are married."

"Eh? When Eina came to Shampoo Land?" Shanks stretched out his arm and hooked Eina's shoulders and came closer, "Wasn't it that time..."

"Still amnesia." Eina glanced at him, "So I'm sorry, I didn't even remember who you were at that time."

She couldn't help laughing as she looked at the red-haired man's shocked look.

"But you actually carry my photo with you?" She took a sip of wine. "What about the photo? Are you still there now?"

"Of course." Shanks reached into his coat pocket, rummaged through it, and took out a photo that was kept very carefully.

She took the photo with some yellowing at the edges, and the moment she lowered her head, memories suddenly came flooding back to her.

The girl's face has become blurred with the passage of time, but her beauty still cannot be concealed. The long silver hair glows with blurred light in the hazy picture.

The angle of the photo seemed to have been taken secretly. Her young face was slightly raised, and there was a faint smile at the corner of her mouth.

She was looking somewhere, her bright green eyes shining with a certain light, like snow falling in a dark forest.

"When...is this?" She murmured, rubbing the light yellow water marks on the edge of the photo with her hand.

"I remember it was your 14th birthday." Shanks sat next to her and looked at the photo with her, "Well, actually it was taken secretly by Lackey, and I didn't know it at the time."

It was an astonishing smile like an epiphyllum, and it was the first time she had shown such a lively expression in more than a year since she boarded the ship. Lucky Lu himself never thought that he would accidentally capture such a precious picture.

Later, Shanks saw this photo, and it became one of his personal belongings from then on.

"At that time..." Ena said softly, "I never thought that what happened later would happen."

At the age of 14, she was just a wandering girl. Even though she lived briefly on the Redfors, she never felt like she truly belonged.

Who would have thought that she would lose her memory and be reborn, and who would have thought that she would later become a member of that legendary pirate group.

Who would have thought that she would hold his hand in the end.

+ + +

"Oh! Shanks, Eina, you are here!"

Rayleigh's voice came from behind, and Shanks laughed, put his arm around him, and handed him a wine glass.

"Happy wedding, kid." Rayleigh narrowed his eyes and raised his glass to Eina, "You are so old that you can see such a good thing."

"How much did you lose this time?" Xia Qi lit a cigarette and leaned against the bar.

Rayleigh raised his hands and waved: "I didn't lose this time. I came back wearing my pants properly."

"You stopped because you heard that Shanks and Eina were coming, right?" Xia Qi exposed him unceremoniously, "Otherwise, we won't be able to see anyone for several months."

"Speaking of the casino," Rayleigh shrugged nonchalantly, "Can you lend me Eina? I haven't seen the legendary Hand of God yet. The two of us are going to smash up the Shampoo Place."

Ena couldn't help laughing.

"No!" Shanks hugged Eina and made a face, "How can you borrow someone else's wife to help you gamble?"

"Besides," he rubbed the top of Ena's hair with his chin and said softly, "Ena has quit gambling."

"It makes it seem like I have a gambling addiction." She looked at him with disgust, "I just said that I don't want to touch it unless there are no special circumstances."

"What a pity -" Rayleigh smacked his lips regretfully, "Then why don't you take a gamble with me? The Hand of God himself is standing in front of me, and I will be so itchy that I can't sleep for a few days."

"I told you no-" Shanks said loudly, while Eina shook her head and turned to Xia Qi.

"Men, right?" Xia Qi's smoky voice whispered charmingly, "There is always a side that never grows up."

"Most men are virtuous." Eina grinned, "Unfortunately, the few we know are still the best."

A true standout - in every sense of the word.

"I'm glad to see you." Xia Qi poured wine for her, "You have changed so much."

Eina blinked: "We haven't seen each other for almost five years."

"That's not what you're talking about." Xia Qi leaned down and held her chin habitually, "Your eyes...everything about you. Of course, you were still losing your memory when I saw you last time. There will definitely be changes after you regain your memory."

"You told me not to be anxious then." Eina held the cup and said relaxedly, "Time will give me the answer."

"Time will give you the answer." Xia Qi smiled, "Later I heard that you went to practice with Shanks, and I knew that he would fall in love with you."

Her eyes widened in shock, and she even straightened her back subconsciously.

"How is it possible-" She raised her hand and gestured, "We have never had anything like that before..."

"Don't be excited." Xia Qi leaned back helplessly, "You haven't seen each other for many years at that time, right?"

"Yes." Eina realized her gaffe, blushed, picked up the cup and took a sip of wine.

She burped slightly: "I just don't quite understand... How can this conclusion be deduced? Even I didn't expect that there would be between us..."

"Well." Xia Qi nodded, "Because that's not the result of reasoning. Love is something that has no solution."

The dark-haired woman whose age was indistinguishable showed a mysterious smile.

"It's intuition."

2.

"Is it a woman's sixth sense?" Shanks scratched his head, "Xia Qi is very talented... Rayleigh told me that she intuitively guessed that Hancock would fall in love with Luffy."

"Isn't this a prophet?" Eina was still surprised, "She actually told me that she guessed something that I hadn't even thought about myself after hearing us get along together?"

"Well." Shanks held her hand and walked down the street, "Although I didn't expect it...but when it comes, it will happen naturally."

Eina smiled, but her face darkened just as she was about to say something.

"I said - don't buy so much wine secretly while I'm not paying attention!!!"

"Hey, but this brand of wine is only available in Chambord..."

"Ah, yes, you can buy a little... No! The point is that you bought too much! Just give me some control!"

She had a headache and looked at the uncle who was scratching his head and giggling, completely losing his temper.

"I really miss the time when Beckman was in charge of you." She raised her head and sighed, "It's really hard work..."

+ + +

Suddenly, a noise came from a distance, and Ena's attention was drawn.

She looked up and saw the towering Ferris wheel and the crystal clear bubble slide.

It turned out that they had already arrived at Shampoo Amusement Park.

Several children ran over holding colorful marshmallows in their hands, and Eina turned slightly to make way for them. She looked at the back of the little girl running at the back, her two little braids rising up and down.

Her fingers twitched unconsciously.

"Let's go play."

Eina didn't react for a moment. She turned her head to look at Shanks in a daze, and saw the man holding her hand and walking towards the entrance.

"Wait...wait a minute!" She grabbed him, "Why are you going to the amusement park all of a sudden?"

"Because I haven't played it before." Shanks said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I suddenly wanted to try it."

"Hey, hey." She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Please, you're so old..."

"Then Ena, go play for me and I'll buy you a ticket."

"That's not the problem..." She stood there awkwardly, "Even I...the amusement park is for children, how can there be adults there to join in the fun..."

Shanks suddenly leaned down and got close to her face.

"No amusement park stipulates that only children can enter." He looked at her evasive eyes and said seriously, "Go and play if you want. There are many adults in there. If you don't believe me, you can see for yourself."

Eina was stunned and looked carefully at the busy amusement park. Sure enough, she saw many adults lining up happily.

In Ena's world, the amusement park is like a symbol of failure, representing the time she never had.

She missed her entire childhood with her Ferris wheel.

No one had brought her here, and no one had given her permission.

Because she knew from an early age that she had no qualifications to ask for play.

"You come with me." Shanks straightened up and showed a bright smile, "No one will find it strange, after all, even an uncle like me got in."

"bring it on."

He stretched out his hand towards her, and behind him was a grand and childlike dream.

He seemed like an eternally prosperous young man, inviting his girl to join him for the banquet with ardent eyes.

Eina stared at him, the corners of her mouth slowly rising.

She put her hand into his.

+ + +

At the beginning, Ena was a little cautious, but after playing several projects in a row, she let go of the last bit of discomfort.

With a flush of excitement on her face, she panted slightly and ran to buy two headbands.

After she ran back, she held his hand.

Before Shanks could react, he saw her standing on tiptoes: "Lower your head."

His body responded before his consciousness, and he leaned down obediently, letting her put something on his head.

Then, he saw Eina's eyes light up.

She covered her mouth: "Help, it suits you so well."

Shanks reached out and touched the top of his head for no apparent reason, and the furry touch made him suddenly change color.

A mature and handsome red-haired man with a pair of fox ears on his head stood in front of the silver-haired girl at a loss. This scene made passers-by look sideways.

Even though Shanks was usually very off-kilter, the man who was actually over forty still subconsciously wanted to take off his fox ears.

"Look over there, it's so cute."

"Are they a couple? There seems to be a lot of age difference."

"The tips of that handsome man's ears are red. I'm so envious of his girlfriend."

"Didn't you see how pretty that girl is?? She even touched his head! Then she laughed!"

“I don’t know who to envy at the moment.”

Shanks stretched out his hand above his head for a moment, then put it down after a moment.

"Do you like to see me wearing this?" He asked helplessly the girl in front of him who was smiling crazily. Ena nodded immediately.

"Hey, I won't let you be alone." She reached into her bag and took out another hairband and handed it to him, then bowed her head obediently and said, "Wear it for me."

The man looked down and immediately tensed up the muscles in his arms, and his heart skipped two beats.

He was holding a pair of white rabbit ears in his hand, and his beloved wife was actively lowering her head and waiting for him to put them on her.

Shanks' Adam's apple rolled unconsciously, and he carefully put the pair of rabbit ears on her.

Eina raised her head and couldn't help but grin. She stretched out her arms and hooked his neck, stood on tiptoes, and kissed him hard.

"I'm going to ride the merry-go-round." She nuzzled him with the tip of her nose, "Will you come with me?"

"No... I can't..." Shanks hugged her waist in a daze, his voice distorted, "That's really not suitable for me..." Seven

She smiled again with her ridiculously pretty face: "Then wait for me here~"

She let go of her hand and ran briskly towards the carousel team.

Shanks looked at Eina's back, and at that moment he seemed to have returned to her childhood.

The bunny ears on the little silver-haired girl's head bounced, and there was a bright and carefree smile on her lips.

He stood there with soft eyes, watching her get on the wooden horse.

The colorful roof rotated, and she waved to him while riding time.

3.

Ena was still a little surprised when night fell.

"Have I been playing for so long?" She lowered her head in embarrassment, "I accidentally..."

"It doesn't matter." Shanks pinched her ears, "There is still one that I haven't played with yet."

She looked up with him at the Ferris wheel shining in the night.

When entering the Ferris wheel, the people in line behind them had the good sense not to follow them, and Eina and Shanks occupied a compartment alone.

She was a little tired after playing all afternoon. She leaned her head aside and watched the cockpit slowly rise. The brightly lit night scene of Shampoo Land reflected in her eyes.

As they got further and further away from the ground, the environment that had been noisy all day suddenly changed back to a space where only the two of them were alone.

Ena looked at the lights that became colorful at night with some confusion, and the people lining up to play looked so small. Roller coasters and pirate ships carried groups of tourists swooping down, and thick bubble wrap blocked their screams.

"Actually... you don't want to come to the amusement park." She murmured, "The fox ears... you don't like them either."

Shanks was sitting opposite her and leaned forward upon hearing this.

"Don't think about it." He took her hand, "I don't hate this headband. The playground is also fun."

In fact, she was right.

He didn't actively want to come to the amusement park, but Shanks saw the way she looked at the little girl.

With envy and desire that she didn't even know she had, she stared at the child's figure.

Loneliness is so incompatible with her. She should be lively, energetic, and high-spirited. Shanks liked to see her green eyes light up with happiness.

And when Shanks watched Eina gradually become fascinated, running around happily playing every project, he suddenly realized it.

Maybe she never grew up well.

Ikegawa Ena's childhood was a twisted process of being forced to become an adult. She did not experience what a child should do at the age when she loves playing most.

"You will always be a little girl in my eyes." Shanks looked at her, "Even if you are thirty or forty years old, you still have the right to ride the merry-go-round."

His expression when he said this was so normal, but it swept over her heart like a stormy wave.

Her heartbeat accelerated because of the indulgent and doting look in his eyes. She walked to him and hugged him tightly.

Eina buried her face in Shanks' arms: "What if I get older?"

"She will still be my little girl when she gets older." Shanks smiled softly and hugged her, "But at that time, forget about roller coasters and stuff."

Ena forced herself to laugh so hard that she trembled to cover up the feeling of wanting to cry.

"Why are you so cool?" She hummed, "Usually you are not a childish person who needs my care."

"Then let's be childish ghosts together." He said easily, "This way no one will be embarrassed."

+ + +

She raised her head, and the light reflected from outside the bubble illuminated his mature face with clear lines.

"Actually, when I was a child, I secretly went to the amusement park to see it, but I didn't have any money to play." She whispered, "So I know the names of those projects, and I heard a lot of things from those children."

Shanks raised his lips: "I didn't lie to you about one thing."

"what?"

"I've really never been to a place like this. When I was a kid, there wasn't an amusement park like this."

The red-haired man and the silver-haired girl looked at each other and laughed in unison.

"Then maybe I should tell you that there is something you must do on the Ferris wheel." Her cheeks were flushed, and with infinite tenderness and affection, she lowered her head and kissed his lips.

Fireworks bloomed in the night sky, and the ever-changing brilliance reflected their overlapping figures at the top of the Ferris wheel.