One Piece: The sky is azure, I just time-traveled today.

Page 115

There was no more Sabo's loud shouts, no more Kuina's sharp, piercing swordplay, and no more Robin's soft turning of the pages.

Only the occasional cries of seagulls and the ceaseless lapping of the waves remain.

He walked to the bow of the ship, leaned against the railing, and calmly gazed at the distant horizon that could never be reached.

What's the point of an adventure if you go alone?

Wonderful sights, if not shared with others, lose their luster.

When faced with danger, if there is no one to stand by your side, all that remains is numbness.

The solved puzzles, left unexplored, faded into obscurity.

The allure of this ocean lies not only in its unknown landscapes and challenges, but also in the process of experiencing them together with like-minded partners.

Or hide among adventurous people, remain inconspicuous, and witness their miracles.

Those noisy, energetic figures are what make adventures vibrant and memorable.

Without fellow travelers, even the most magnificent sunrise, the most eerie island, and the most precious discovery seem to be shrouded in a layer of dust.

He slowly closed his eyes, feeling the sea breeze caress his face, carrying with it the eternal solitude unique to the sea.

Like a rootless duckweed, the "Whirlwind" drifted aimlessly forward, carried by the ocean currents.

There are no goals, no direction.

It simply exists, floating.

Perhaps we'll reach some island, or perhaps we'll drift like this forever.

But for Liu Jiu, that no longer matters.

He no longer followed the next coordinate pointed to by the record pointer.

This ocean eventually has an end.

When those three familiar figures appear one day in a port or on an island.

Or perhaps he will reappear before him.

Only then will the adventure begin again.

As time passed, half a year went by in a flash.

Driven by the ocean currents, the "Whirlwind" drifted aimlessly for countless days and nights.

There was no deliberate navigation, no record of the pointer's guidance; it simply followed the will of the wind and water.

Countless pirate ships at sea were looted by Liu Jiu, with all their supplies, fresh water, and other valuables plundered.

However... especially those pirate ships whose supplies were stolen, the captains and many crew members once thought they had seen a ghost.

Haven't they ever encountered someone with such a low profile?!

The sailboat, which should have been empty, suddenly approached, and then a person appeared within half a meter, shouting, "Robbery!"

They wanted to shout and mock, but the other person's aura was simply too overwhelming. They had a premonition that their lives would end the next second if they dared to utter another word!

Helplessly, it seemed that there was nothing they could do but nod.

They watched with wide eyes as the other party looted the supplies and left, but in the blink of an eye, they felt the other party disappear.

No, that's not right. It's that their sense of presence gradually blurred their memories, making them unable to remember each other's faces.

"Ghost...ghost!"

Suddenly, some damned bastard shouted, and everyone on the ship felt their hair stand on end.

From then on, no one dared to be alone at night. Everyone was suspicious and paranoid. Even when they urinated, they had to have someone stand guard by their side, or compete to see who could urinate the farthest.

When the familiar outline of the archipelago, shrouded in countless colorful soap bubbles, appeared on the horizon, Liu Jiu slowly opened his eyes, which had been closed the whole time.

Chambord Islands.

The enormous mangrove, the Yarchiman mangrove, is like a giant supporting the heavens and the earth, with its roots forming islands and its canopy reaching into the clouds.

The air was filled with the sweet, cloying fragrance characteristic of soap bubbles.

He didn't go to those chaotic areas filled with pirates, bounty hunters, and human traffickers, nor did he go near the ports where the navy was stationed.

Like a silent ghost, the "Whirlwind" quietly slipped into a secluded waterway and eventually docked at an inconspicuous little private pier.

Liu Jiu set foot on the long-lost land.

Finally, we arrived at the "Extortionist Bar".

Pushing open that familiar wooden door, the bell on the door rang out with a clear, crisp sound.

"Sister, I'm here!"

The bar was brightly lit, and the air was filled with a faint aroma of alcohol, tobacco, and old wood.

A well-dressed, still charming woman was standing with her back to the door, elegantly wiping wine glasses.

Hearing the bell, she didn't stop moving, but just turned her head slightly and glanced at the door out of the corner of her eye.

"Hmm? Where is he? The voice sounds like A-Jiu's! Am I hallucinating?"

Liu Jiu was baffled. What was wrong with her?

"Sister?" he called out again, his voice rising a few decibels.

Xia Qi didn't turn around, but tilted her head slightly and muttered to herself, "Strange, the auditory hallucinations are quite severe today... It seems like it's been too long since I've heard from that guy."

Liu Jiu was both amused and exasperated, so he simply strode inside, the wooden floor making a clear sound under his feet.

He walked right up to the bar and tapped the counter lightly. "Sis, I'm standing right here, can't you see me?"

It was only then that Xia Qi seemed to notice that there was a living person standing in front of her.

She turned around gracefully, her face showing just the right amount of surprise. Her eyes, which seemed to see through everything, slowly swept over Liu Jiu, and then a half-smile appeared on her lips.

She drew out her words, her voice laced with familiar teasing, "Who do we have here? It's our great navigator back! What, finally remembered to come home for a visit? I thought you'd completely forgotten about this little shop and your good-for-nothing sister."

She put down the wine glass she was wiping, crossed her arms leisurely, leaned forward slightly, and carefully scanned his face with her gaze.

"Let me take a good look... Hmm, your appearance hasn't changed much, but this 'non-existent' feeling is so familiar. Just now, when you stood at the door, your aura was so concealed that it was as if you didn't exist. Even I was startled by you. I really thought some wandering ghost had mistakenly come to my door asking for a drink."

Then she glanced behind him, but there was no one there.

She then walked around the bar, her steps still composed and elegant.

She walked up to Liu Jiu, and without any further pleasantries, opened her arms and gave him a gentle hug.

The hug was brief, yet it carried a familiar warmth.

"You've got some conscience, kid. You've been gone for almost three years, and you still know to come back to find your sister!"

After letting go, she tilted her head slightly to look at Liu Jiu's calm face, her tone carrying a hint of knowing teasing, yet also containing concern:

"Where are the other three? Did you abandon them on some deserted island because you thought they were too noisy?"

Liu Jiu let her hug him, and upon hearing this, he simply shook his head slightly.

"Six months ago," his voice was as steady as ever, revealing no emotional fluctuation, "we let them go with Garp."

"Hmm? Garp? So... no wonder your presence is so weak! Just like when you were on Roger's pirate ship! So, once you lose your humanity, you're reduced to your original form?!"

Xia Qi raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper smile.

Chapter 136 Garp's Arrangements

Xia Qi turned around and walked back behind the bar, picked up the wine glass again and continued wiping it, her movements unhurried.

"Are those three people very familiar with the naval hero?"

Liu Jiu nodded: "Yes, the three of them received training in 'love' from Garp at Mount Gorpo in the Goa Kingdom of the East Blue!"

Xia Qi: "..."

She chuckled softly, shook her head, as if she had heard something amusing yet frustrating. "That old man... he certainly knows how to take advantage of others. So, you were partly in favor of him?"

She looked up at Liu Jiu, her gaze sharpening.

"Should I join the Navy, or... become a Shichibukai?"

"The Seven Warlords of the Sea," Liu Jiu confirmed succinctly.

Xia Qi paused in wiping the wine glass, then let out a soft, ambiguous hum.

"The Seven Warlords of the Sea... that's a pretty good position. That old bastard Garp finally did something less reckless."

She hung the gleaming wine glasses back on the shelf above, making a crisp clinking sound.

"It can give those kids a relatively 'legal' status to operate at sea, avoid the direct jurisdiction of the Navy Headquarters to some extent, and also take the opportunity to hone them... Killing three birds with one stone, he has made some progress."

Her tone carried a critical edge, like that of a peer, but a hint of approval shone through her eyes.

After all, the status of Shichibukai is indeed more suitable for Kuina and the others' current state and mindset than forcibly crammed into the Navy system.

She looked at Liu Jiu, her tone softening, carrying a hint of barely perceptible comfort:

"That's good. With Garp protecting them, at least openly no one will dare to easily touch them. And..."

She paused, then said meaningfully:

"Given their personality, they might see more...interesting things from that position."

Liu Jiu habitually sat down in a corner where the light was dim, so that even if guests came in, they wouldn't notice him.

"Yes. For them at this stage, the status of Shichibukai is more advantageous than disadvantageous."

Xia Qi poured him a glass of water and pushed it in front of him, then leaned against the bar and lit a slender cigarette. The rising smoke blurred parts of her expression.

“Indeed.” She took a drag of her cigarette and slowly exhaled. “It allows access to higher-level information and resources, and also temporarily avoids the Navy Headquarters’s close watch. With that old bastard Garp around, although his methods are a bit rough, he’s undeniably protective of his own. With him watching over us, our safety is at least guaranteed.”

She paused, her gaze piercing through the smoke to the soap bubbles floating outside the window, her tone tinged with reminiscence: "But... forcing three little ones who yearn for freedom into the framework set by the World Government will probably make them suffer for a while. Especially that kid Sabo..."

Liu Jiu picked up his water glass, took a sip, and calmly watched the liquid swaying in the glass.

"Discomfort is also a kind of experience," he said calmly. "Only by understanding the rules can we better utilize them, or... break them in the future."

Xia Qi chuckled softly upon hearing this, flicking her cigarette ash: "You're quite open-minded. Looks like you've made up your mind to wait for them here?"

Liu Jiu did not answer directly, but gently placed the water glass back on the table, making a slight clinking sound.