“Wait, are you saying you came from there?” I asked. The polar bear nodded.
Everything you thought you knew about the sea stopped making sense in the New World. Currents, climate, magnetic fields—all the variables that were necessary to understand if you were going to survive at sea were completely screwy in the New World, Doflamingo had said. It was the kind of place where a typical pirate navigator couldn’t even get their ship to sail.
This bear came from the New World to visit Swallow Island in the North Blue?
“You sailed your own boat to get here?” I asked. That would mean that he was quite a skilled navigator.
“Not exactly. I’ve been studying navigation, though. Um, there’s this island in the New World called Zou.”
“Zou? That’s a weird name. You were born there?”
“Yeah, I’m a Mink. That’s where we live. Things were peaceful on Zou, and I got along well with my family, but one day, my older brother just disappeared.”
“Without leaving a note?”
“There was nothing to go on. So I decided to get on a boat and go searching for him. The problem is, I got on the wrong ship, and the next thing I knew, I was here in the North Blue.”
“That’s a hell of a mistake.”
“I know…the ship was rocking like crazy, and we were nearly struck by lightning…I thought I was going to die.”
“Ha ha ha! How silly! I guess even a talking bear is still just a dumb animal!” I said.
The polar bear got to his feet, picked up a nearby rope, and began to tie it around his neck.
“Wait, wait, wait!” I cried, “Why are you doing that?!”
“Don’t mind me,” said the bear, sniffing sadly. “The world’s better off without dumb animals like me in it.”
“Hey, man! I didn’t really mean it, I was kidding. You’re too sensitive!” I said, grabbing the rope and throwing it a safe distance from us. I thought about how I could distract the bear; I certainly didn’t intend my harmless joke to make him want to die!
After thinking for a moment I asked, “So you don’t have any place to stay right now?”
“Nope. I want to find a ship going back to the New World, but there won’t be many setting sail on such a dangerous route. And if I tried to sail there on my own, I’d more likely get smashed in the waves, considering my beginning navigational skills.”
“So your goals are to become a better navigator and get back to searching for your brother, then,” I inquired.
“Yeah, I guess,” the bear replied glumly.
“All right. Follow me.”
“Huh? Eh?” The polar bear was panicking a little now, but I ignored him and kept walking. Eventually the bear plodded after me at an uncertain pace.
“So what’s your name, anyway?” I asked.
“Oh, my brother’s name is Zepo. It means ‘handsome’ in Mink language.”
“Not his name, your name! Tell me your name!”
“M-me? My name’s Bepo,” replied the bear.
“Bepo. That’s easy to say, at least. I’m Law—Trafalgar Law.”
“Law… Hm.”
“So there we have it. Now, you should just follow me and do what I tell you to, Bepo. Don’t worry, I won’t eat you.”
“R-really? You’re not planning to attack me and put me in a big pot of bear stew?” Bepo asked.
“No way!”
After walking for thirty minutes, we were back at the house. Wolf was already there.
“Hey, Junker,” I greeted him.
“Don’t make me say it again! I’m not ‘Junker,’ I’m Wolf, the genius inventor…” Wolf trailed off, noticing the bear. “Wait, why is there a huge bear following you?”
“Oh, this is Bepo,” I informed him. “He’s a lost polar bear. He’s gonna live with us from now on, okay?”
“Shouldn’t I get a say in it?” Wolf asked. “It’s my house!”
“What’s the problem? He can help out with some of the tougher chores,” I said.
“Ah, hello, sir,” said Bepo. “My name is Bepo. I’m not really sure what’s going on right now…”
“Yikes! That bear talks!” Wolf was shocked.
“Cool it, Junker,” I snapped. “Are you gonna let him stay here or not?”
“Hmph. Well, you brought him here, and I trust you have a good reason.”
“Yeah!” I said.
“All right, then,” Wolf relented. “Let’s hear his story.”
Wolf and Bepo sat on the sofa and talked for the next hour or so. Wolf asked him many questions about his past and his family. Once the conversation was winding down, Wolf went to the kitchen to make tea for the three of us. When he returned, we drank our tea together in silence.
Bepo seemed more relaxed now. He was enjoying the tea, though it was quite surreal to see a bear delicately sipping from a teacup.
“All right, I think I get the gist of it,” Wolf remarked. “You want to learn to navigate so you can search for your brother. Hmph. You’re a bear who really cares about his family! It seems unlikely, but everything about your story adds up, and you answered all of my questions. You don’t seem like a bad bear to me.”
“So…” I urged him.
“That’s right. The bear can stay here. However! Don’t forget that this is a give-and-take relationship, Bepo!” Wolf said, launching into his spiel. “You’re going to work for your room and board. Nobody here gets to eat for free. If you slack off and don’t take the work seriously, I’ll toss you out in the cold!”
“Aye aye!” Beppo proclaimed. “Understood! I’ll do my best to help out!”
Wolf snorted and retreated to the bedroom, muttering about how he had so many kids to take care of now. But by then I knew Wolf well enough to understand how he really felt. He only snorted like that when he was secretly happy.
✦ ✦ ✦
Bepo and I shared my room. Since I had gotten there first, I got the bed, and Bepo slept on a blanket on the floor.
“Hey, Law, how come you’re being so nice to me?” Bepo asked quietly after the lights were out.
Why was I being so nice? I didn’t know, either.
“I just feel like it,” I told him.
That seemed to satisfy Bepo, who was soon soundly asleep.
I think it’s because of his family history. Every now and then, I thought about what family meant to me. My parents, who were kind and nurturing and taught me about medicine, and my sister Lammy, who smiled through the pain of the white lead disease. Yes, once I had a family too, but they all died.
With all my despair and rage toward the world, I’d stopped thinking about family. But lately, I found myself confused—by Wolf’s affection for me and by my own decision to help Bepo. The only conclusion I could reach was that I wanted to believe in people again. There was no doubt that this was thanks to Cora. I had seen the way he’d given his own life to save me.
So what did Cora mean to me? We weren’t related. We didn’t even spend that much time together, in the long run. Still, Cora and I were family. He didn’t need to say “I love you” for me to feel that sentiment. Would I ever feel love for someone else in that way again? As I spent more time with the Junker and the bear, would I feel love for them, too? Or would our relationship always be the way the Junker described it—a straightforward case of give-and-take?
Which way should it be? What should I do about it? Try as I might, I couldn’t figure out the answers.