Soon, everyone's cheerfulness and joy distracted Robin from thinking of King, and she watched with a smile as her crew members danced with chopsticks stuck in their noses, to the sound of Brook's guitar or Hiyori's shamisen. Everyone spoke enthusiastically about the battles and victories, ate, drank and got drunk.

Towards the small hours of the night everyone started to fall asleep, one by one, and Robin again found herself awake while everyone slept. She was tired, and tried to find a comfortable place to fall asleep, but could not and began to feel cold. Eventually she found herself walking towards the flickering flame at the far end of the camp.

Robin peeked into the tent. King looked asleep, but not peacefully. He was tossing and turning.

"King," Robin whispered softly, "can I sleep next to you?"

King sprang at once to a seating position, his head hitting the tent cloth, almost piercing it with the tip of the mask.

"Robin!" He panted. "Robin, you're fine... I dreamed you were hurt because of me."

"Maybe it's because you sleep with your mask on. You don't have enough oxygen." said Robin, sitting down beside him.

King lay back again and embraced Robin to him. "I come from a race that doesn't need a lot of oxygen," he explained. "My tribe has lived for thousands of years above Red Line, in thin air, and before that on the moon. It's not that, it's just that I... I care for you, Robin. I want to protect you, but I'm afraid that if I get closer to you I'd expose you to greater danger." he said.

"Nonsense." determined Robin. "We're both in the same boat. I came to sleep next to you because I was cold."

King wrapped her in his large, warm wing. "Imagine you're flying..." he began to recite.

"Yes, tomorrow you'll teach me to fly better..." Robin murmured and clung to his warm body.

"Excuse me, may I come in?" Chopper's voice woke the dozing couple abruptly. The sun was already shining high in the sky.

"Good morning Chopper." Robin smiled.

"Good morning, reindeer-sensei." King answered him.

"I came to check on the condition of your injuries." Chopper said, "May I?"

"Of course." King sat up and got out of the tent.

"The cuts to the chest and neck seem to be healing well," Chopper said, "although you'll certainly have serious scars remaining."

"I am proud to bear these scars, from the same sword that scarred Kaido, and from the hands of one of the best swordsmen in the world." said King.

"You admire Zoro?" Chopper asked, "After what did he do to you?"

"I respect and appreciate him." King replied "Until the last moment, I couldn't believe he'd be able to defeat me, but he is simply an outstanding swordsman."

"Let's see the condition of your wing." Chopper said. "Start spreading it, slowly, and tell me what you feel."

King stood up, and began to spread his wings slowly. "It hurts," he told Chopper, "but not like yesterday. A more bearable pain."

Chopper transformed himself into his human form to examine the wing from a slightly higher position.

When the wings were fully spread, King exhaled. "I think I can even soar with them." King waved them once, and Chopper almost tripped and took a step back.

"Wow! What a wind!" He called. "You seem to be recovering, but I still recommend you not to transform with your devil fruit until it's time to take out your stitches."

"Can I give Robin a flying lesson?" King asked.

"What? Hahaha," Chopper was surprised, "I guess you can, if you don't strain the wing too much. Don't forget that you're missing feathers, you'll have to work harder with it than with the left wing."

"I'll just work with her on the accuracy of the movements," King replied. "I have no intention to take off today."

"Alright," said Chopper, "then see you later, I'm going to work on a cure for the side effects of the SMILE today."

King gave Robin a detailed lesson on all types of movements: taking off, landing, accelerating, decelerating and turning, and Robin watched and listened and then created her own wings for a few seconds to try to repeat each movement.

The town's children began to gather and peeked behind the trees and tents.

"Come here, come here," Robin called to them, "don't be afraid. You can watch, we are just learning to fly."

"I want to fly too!" "Me too!" cried the children.

"Hehe, when you grow wings." Robin laughed. But the children spread their hands to the sides and began to imitate the waving movements to the best of their ability.

"When my wing recovers, I'll take anyone who wants for a round in the sky." said King. The children could not see his smile, but heard it in his voice.

O-Toko then approached King and said to him with a big smile, "I want to fly, but you're scary, ahahaha!"

"It's just his mask," Robin said.

"Let me tell you a secret," King said, picking O-Toko up. "My mask is scary because I'm a little scared myself." he whispered to her.

"You're so big and strong, can't you be brave?" She asked innocently.

"Everyone has something they're afraid of." Robin explained.

But King said, "The world is starting to change, maybe it is time for me to be braver too."

He placed O-Toko on the ground and, hesitantly, unzipped and took off his mask. "If they rat me out, then so be it." he said. "Whatever will be will be. I must give this unclear future a chance."

His lush white hair flowed over his shoulders, and Robin could almost hear his racing heart.

"You're cute," said O-Toko, "Ahahaha, I agree to fly with you."

"There's no one to rat you out to." said Robin, trying to reassure King. "I heard Momonosuke say yesterday that Zunesha drove away all the Marine ships that were waiting to attack Wano."

"Zunesha?" King asked, "You don't mean the... Momonosuke controlled Zou's elephant?" King gasped in surprise. "Oh no, what an idiot I was! I gave an order to kill the ancien..." King looked at the children and stopped his words. Then he quietly added "Fortunately no one managed to fulfill it..."

King took another breath to come around. "Let me teach you now everything I can," he told Robin, "before the new shogun executes me."