Ever since leaving the Navy and started wandering around the Grand Line, it’s been lonelier than I thought. At first I was okay with it, enjoyed it even, but now I can’t stand it. It’d be nice to have someone at my side. Well, someone other than my penguin, Camel.

I was shopping at a small store in a random town I was in. As I reached for a bottle of sherry wine, my hand bumped against someone else’s hand. I look at them and I feel my heart skip a beat.

“Ah, excuse me…”