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Bell-mére never expected a day like this would come, one where she'd be forced to choose.
Especially since this decision was as difficult as it could get.
It would be a lie if she said she didn't want both Nami and Nojiko to be her daughters... but if it was at the expense of someone else's happiness, she didn't wish for it.
She knew about Rob's strange ability to steal destinies, though she didn't know every detail. He had explained that Sanji and Reiju, his children with Sora, had their fates taken by force from their real father and made his own. But the primary condition was that the mother had to be the "original."
In her case, Bella wasn't the original mother, nor was Rob the real father. So, if she chose the option she secretly wanted in her heart, Nami might not even be the result—she could end up with a completely different child...
Rob hadn't told her these truths, but she'd deduced them herself. After all, she had a mind to use and was no longer the teenage girl, she'd been when she first met Rob.
"What about Nojiko?" Bell-mére asked the most important question in her heart before making a choice.
Nami hadn't been born yet, but her biological mother sat directly across from them. Sooner or later, Nami would be born... but what about Nojiko? Where was she? Especially since, according to the manga timeline, she was two years older than Nami.
Upon hearing that, Rob smiled and looked in another direction.
His gaze fell on a small family—a man and his wife. The man had dark skin and purple hair and looked quite handsome, somewhat resembling Admiral Zephyr in his youth. His wife had fair skin and soft blue hair; they looked like a well-matched couple.
Looking at the swelling belly of the wife, it was clear it wasn't from weight gain but rather an advanced stage of pregnancy.
Seeing this small family enjoying the manga, Bell-mére fell into deep thought, but a moment later, she understood the essence of the situation without Rob needing to say anything.
"Nojiko...?" she asked in disbelief, her eyes on the woman's belly.
"That's right, this is Nojiko's family. They only married two years ago," Rob's eyes gleamed. Using his 'mangaka eyes,' he could easily see the web of fates tied to the secondary character developing inside the woman's womb.
He'd discovered this long ago, and given that they lived within his sphere of influence, investigating them had been easy without them even suspecting.
"So, have you decided? What will your choice be? No need to worry, we can even take the fate of Nojiko's family, although she's only three months away from being born," Rob said calmly.
Hearing that, Bell-mére was shocked by the ruthless power of this insane ability, but she said nothing, sinking deeper and deeper into thought.
She was sure Rob wasn't testing her; he was genuinely willing to take the children of others just for her sake, doing so out of genuine love and devotion.
But would something like this truly make her happy?
With a sigh, Bell-mére spoke sadly, "I can't accept this, I just can't. I'll be happy as long as I can see Nami and Nojiko born safely and have carefree, happy childhoods—unlike what happened in the manga..." The moment she said this, she felt a heavy burden lift from her shoulders.
In all honesty, she had wanted to be the biological mother of both Nami and Nojiko... but at whose expense? She didn't want to steal someone else's child through a loophole in strange powers.
Hearing this, Rob sighed. He wasn't like Bell-mére; he had taken the Vinsmoke Judge's children... he even took Oden's daughter, his friend... but did he feel any regret?
Not at all. He did whatever he wanted. If he wanted something, nothing could stop him, not even himself.
But for Bell-mére, it was different.
Rob looked deeply at Bell-mére, smiling before saying, "Alright, it's okay. Blood ties don't matter. For Nami and Nojiko's families, you'll be the true mother of their children. They'll be very happy to have you live with them. Besides, this doesn't mean we won't have real children someday, my dear."
As he said this, he gently hugged her... Words alone weren't enough to convey this desire; only a hug could confirm it.
Without a doubt, as soon as she felt Rob's support, Bell-mére's emotions overflowed, and she wept.
It wasn't easy to give up the chance to bear Nami and Nojiko... not even for someone as kind-hearted as Bell-mére.
...
"Nami... I wonder how she'll be in two years..."
"I bet she'll mature a lot~"
The art store couldn't heal the wounds of a soul that had sunk into hell once; even a long time wouldn't change that.
"But Luffy did..." Brook wiped away the silent tears that trailed down his cheeks.
Yes, for him, Luffy and the Strawhat crew had completely healed the wounds of his counterpart self's soul, letting him enjoy life once more.
After meeting Luffy and the others, Brook's spirit finally escaped the true hell, the hell of loneliness... regardless of the afterlife from which he'd escaped thanks to his devil fruit power.
"Yohohoho!"
Seeing his counterpart make a 40-degree movement only to collapse the next moment, Brook burst into laughter.
And that's exactly what happened with all the readers watching this scene, both inside and outside the art store.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 822: Robin's Determination. Franky's Luck.
Chapter 823: For Luffy.
Chapter 824: For the Sake of the Captain, Zoro Gives Up His Pride!
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