Blood Moon Hangs High (Seeking Follow-up Reads!)

In the large kitchen of Abondheim Cloud Cave, Yelena tucked her tied-up ponytail to the side of her chest and placed the cooked food onto plates.

Afterward, she carried the food out to the main hall and placed it before the long-awaiting Louis and Uta.

"Alright, eat it while it's hot!"

"My cooking might not be the best, but at least it won't be unpalatable or a waste of food."

Louis offered no opinion on this. He wasn't picky about food; he wouldn't complain as long as it was edible.

Above Bal, there was a guy with incredibly skilled swordsmanship but terrifying cooking abilities. His food was so terrible that even the Lunarians, who could supposedly survive in any environment, couldn't stand his cooking.

That person had invited Louis to his home for a meal more than once, and Louis had never refused.

Despite his awful cooking, Louis ate every dish he made without batting an eye.

Louis wouldn't even refuse "dark cuisine," so Yelena's not-bad meal was naturally something he wouldn't comment on.

"Isn't this quite delicious?" Uta's cheeks were puffed out at the moment, making them look even rounder. They gave their evaluation in a muffled voice.

It was clear their mouth was stuffed with a lot of food.

Yelena stared at Uta eating for a moment, momentarily stunned, but she quickly smiled and said nothing.

She picked up a glass of juice and offered it to them.

Meanwhile, Louis also picked up his cutlery and began eating at a leisurely pace.

As soon as it entered his mouth, Louis felt the texture on his taste buds and realized Uta's words weren't just said to comfort Yelena.

While the texture wasn't good enough to be described as a lingering, delightful taste or melting in the mouth, it could certainly be called delicious.

After a long while, Louis and the others finished eating. They sat or lay on sofas formed from Island Clouds.

Uta and Yelena began discussing their next adventure.

"Hey, Yelena!"

"Do you think we'll find those treasures forgotten for thousands of years on our next adventure?"

"Probably not. People have been sailing the seas for many years; if there were any treasures, they would have been found long ago," Yelena mused, offering her opinion.

"Even if there are, it's not like we're guaranteed to find them."

Louis smiled at the two of them, "Aren't all the pirate ships scattered across the sea like mobile treasures?"

"If you really want treasure, just take it from other pirates."

"But that would take away the fun of adventure!" Uta retorted, hands on their hips.

"Fighting other pirates is also an adventure!"

"We can't possibly stumble upon every treasure by luck. We just need to always look forward to the next destination."

"If I get it, it's my fortune; if I lose it, it's fate."

Louis generally felt indifferent about treasures and money. In his view, his current goal was to leave his mark on this world through his travels before the counterattack.

Yelena looked at Louis with a thoughtful expression upon hearing this.

At night, the flying Island Cloud descended onto the sea's surface.

Uta, with a backpack and a short sword and flintlock pistol at their waist, leaped from the Island Cloud and landed steadily on the sandy beach.

"Louis, Yelena, hurry up!"

Uta turned, their face filled with excitement, urging their companions behind them, "This is the first stop of our journey, a memorable adventure!"

"Maybe we'll encounter those ancient creatures that disappeared long ago!"

"Coming!" Yelena, also carrying a large backpack and her war hammer, landed beside Uta.

Immediately after, Louis landed gently.

He raised his head, facing a certain direction, his gaze seemingly piercing through the entire forest and landing on an altar perceived by his Observation Haki.

Then, Louis turned to the two of them, hinting, "Did you guys hear anything strange?"

"No," Uta said, looking bewildered.

"No."

Yelena looked in the direction Louis had just gazed, her grip on her war hammer tightening.

"It's good that you didn't..." Louis nodded.

It was better that Yelena and the others didn't hear those soul-bewitching whispers.

Afterward, Louis took the lead, heading down the path at the end of the beach.

As they walked, the once faintly visible path grew darker under the canopy of trees.

The oddly shaped trees on both sides became even more bizarre in the night, their forked branches looking as sinister as ghostly hands.

The next moment, Louis stopped, tilting his head back to gaze at the sky.

Unsure of what was happening, the two also looked up at the sky.

They saw the moon, hanging high in the sky, change. The clear moonlight rapidly turned crimson before their very eyes.

The Blood Moon hung in the sky, dyeing the dim world in shades of red. The crimson light illuminated the land, making the already eerie path appear even more terrifying.

As the moonlight shifted, countless branches cast monstrous, terrifying ghost-like hands on the ground, as if slowly reaching out towards everyone.

"!!" Uta's hair stood on end at the sight. She quickly drew the handgun and short sword from her waist, becoming alert.

Behind Uta, Yelena frowned slightly, not quite understanding why the moon had turned red.

Just then, Louis looked at Uta and reassured her, "Don't worry, it's just shadows!"

Hearing this, Uta glanced at the pairs of ghost-like hands on the ground, then at Louis's serious face. Finally, she put away her handgun and short sword.

Afterward, she subtly moved closer to Louis.

"Let's go, keep moving forward."

Seeing Louis's confident demeanor, the two trusted him and followed his steps quietly without asking further questions.

Soon, they reached a vast, open highland, standing at the edge of a cliff, taking in the entire island.

"It's ruins!" Uta exclaimed.

Looking up, a patch of dilapidated ruins stood in the central area of the island. In the crimson world, three towering giant towers were arranged, surrounding the ruins.

In the distance, a small town was brightly lit, with torches being lit one after another. Many figures holding torches were rapidly rushing towards the ruins.

The dilapidated ruins, the altar holding the demonic sword, the three giant towers...

A flicker of understanding flashed in Louis's eyes.

He remembered where this place was: Asca Island.

And the murmuring he heard was most likely coming from that demonic sword, the Seven Star Sword, forged in a war thousands of years ago!

A moment later, Louis's expression changed.

This island possessed elements that transcended the art style of this world: witches and barriers.

That's right, witches and barriers that should have appeared in a fantasy worldview.

And, if Louis remembered correctly, this island should be in the Grand Line