His arms hurt, the flying lamp is no longer in sight. With tired legs he creeps onto a beach. He pulls the black rose out of the cloth that is wrapped around his upper arm. In doing so, he scratches his skin with the spikes. He doesn't notice. Lost in thought, he turns the flower back and forth in his hands.

He closes his eyes and falls into the warm sand. "You're not a dream. But what are you then? Answer my questions! Please. I need answers." Waves break on the beach. A flock of seagulls screeching past.
Zorro falls asleep, dreams of a dragon that stands tall and terrifying in front of him. There is a lock in its side. The great creature crumbles to ashes. He hears a woman crying on a stone where black roses are blooming.

It's already evening when Zorro gets up. The rose lay on his chest the whole time. He puts it back in his handkerchief. With strong pulls he swims back to the lamp. Sanji greets him happily with a - I've saved some food for you - Zorro waves him away.He is not hungry, or rather, the hunger he feels cannot be satisfied with food. He wants answers. Want clarity.

Luffy saws entire forests. Usopp babbles his lies in his sleep. And Sanji snuck out of the cabin a long time ago. Zorro thinks with a smile that you probably won't find Joren in her bed either. Chopper took over the watch today. He wants to stay up and watch the stars anyway. They are so beautiful here, he said, so he can take over the job for today.

Zorro lies awake. The rose is on his chest. He stands up, almost falls out of the hammock. He can balance the wobbling just in time. "The shadow !!! The old woman was the shadow in the hut. She gave me the flower so that my heart would be tied to the golden dragon. She wants me to come back." The clarity overwhelms him, he sinks back on himself Warehouse. "I should come back.The old woman wants me to go to the Golden Dragon. “He's silent.” I'm supposed to leave my straw hats for a woman who can't be real. But ... "He closes his eyes and remembers this golden miracle. Answers, I need answers and the old woman has to give them to me. But this path, if I really want to go it, only leads in one direction. He closes his eyes.

He called her here. The entire crew stands in front of him. Dark circles under the eyes indicate that he hasn't slept much in the last few nights. Didn't sleep much, ate even less, and said almost nothing. "Well, Zorro, we're waiting, what are you going to tell us so important." Sanji taps his fingers on the wood of the railing. The swordsman stands up. Glare at one after the other. “I'm leaving the straw hat gang.” Without a word he turned around, ignored all calls and went to the dinghy. He launched it and rowed away. “We should go after him.” “No, leave Chopper.I think we'll see him again. I think he has to sort something out where he can't need us. "Everyone looks at Luffy, who looks after his friend thoughtfully.

Strangely enough, parting doesn't hurt. Something has hollowed him out, eaten him up from the inside out. The agonizing questions, the confusing feelings. He needs clarity right away. And he can only find it by himself. And only in one place. It will be another day before he reaches the island, and one more day, too, before he gets to the hut in the swamp, he thinks bitterly. He's rowing faster. He has strength, the will too, but he no longer has patience.

He finds the old woman on the bench, just as he suspected. Without an invitation, he drops down next to her. “We need to talk.” She nods. “You pulled the strings and tied the wreath, didn't you?” Again just a silent nod. “What's the point?” “Do you really want to know?” He feels a lump in his throat. “Believe me, I'm ready.” She sighs."Not to that my son. But we both have no choice. Never had." He does not pull his hand away as the old fingers close on it. "We are connected. Without wanting to, through the fault of our friends." Zorro slowly shakes his head and then looks embarrassed at the floor. “What's going on here?” The old woman stands up. "Come on, you have to go. I wish you all the luck in the world. The hard part of the way is just ahead of you."
She looks at the young man with sad, old eyes. “Zorro, you mustn't hope for a happy ending to this story.” The swordsman raises his head in surprise. “How do you know my name?” The old woman laughs, the laughter turns into sobs. “It's our past that catches up with us and they know our names, they know our souls. But you'll see for yourself.” He can't explain why he's doing it, but something connects them. He carefully puts his hand on her shoulder. "Show me the way.I'll get the answers. “The old woman wipes away her tears.” Good luck. "With determined steps he goes down the stairs, sits cross-legged on the floor." Come on, send me back, I'm ready. "The old woman sighs." It's not that easy anymore. The last time I was able to pull you into this world with the help of the strings. You can think of it as a big tugboat. Now it's more complicated and dangerous. "" Spit out what's going on. "" You come there with a curse. But not back without the threads. “She looks at the floor and is silent.” Come on, I don't have forever. "The old woman looks at him and Zorro smiles. The woman on the stairs straightens up, his head begins to spin. Then the darkness surrounds him, but this time it doesn't scare him. Courageous and upright, steps up to the pressure He's into the dark expanse. Ready for anything, he thinks. And doesn't know how much he's wrong.