Flames

ps: The next few chapters will be transitional and might be a little boring, but they're necessary!

ps+1: I just realized something tragic. It looks like Chapter One got censored, so now it jumps straight from the prologue to Chapter Two...

ps2: Thanks to '屾祘,' '从此依赖你,' and '莫莫漠' for the tips. Thanks for your support!

ps3: By the way, is the protagonist's name really that awkward? I'll put up a poll in the review section later so you can vote on whether to change it. If you do want it changed, Xiao Jiao will revise it chapter by chapter while there are still so few.

ps4: Lastly, please vote for the novel!

"What's with him?"

Bai Ina asked coldly, looking at Jande, who was following behind Tufang and Zongcilang.

"Ah~" Zongcilang yawned listlessly and said without reserve, "No idea what got into him. He said he wanted to come with us to the Goa Kingdom and help carry some stuff!"

Bai Ina frowned at that and stopped paying attention to Jande. He simply led the way toward the Goa Kingdom.

But he didn't know that this one act of indifference would completely disrupt his peaceful life.

The journey to the Goa Kingdom wasn't very long. After all, they didn't need to go to the central district; they only had to reach a border town on the outskirts of the Goa Kingdom.

They crossed the central area of Terminal Gray, then climbed over the hill in the distance. The whole trip took less than two hours, and they soon arrived at the outermost town of the Goa Kingdom.

Once there, they split up to buy what they needed and agreed to meet at the town gate in an hour.

After buying some rice and flour, Bai Ina went to a shop that sold cookware and bought Loxi a new pot. Then he returned to the town gate to wait. The whole trip had taken less than half an hour.

After all, he didn't need anything else.

Tufang arrived after Bai Ina, carrying several sacks over his shoulder. Seeing Bai Ina waiting at the town gate didn't surprise him. He greeted him, then waited with him for the other two to return.

Just as an hour was about to pass, Zongcilang emerged from town at an unhurried pace, carrying several woven bags. Seeing only Bai Ina and Tufang, he pursed his lips. "That dead weight still hasn't come back?"

"Let's wait a little longer. He should be back soon!" Tufang said coldly, shaking his head, though his words still carried a hint of displeasure.

But even after they waited nearly another hour, Jande was nowhere to be seen.

Zongcilang gave a cold laugh. "Let's go!" Without waiting for Bai Ina and Tufang to object, he turned and walked away.

Bai Ina didn't object either and followed behind Zongcilang.

Tufang hesitated, but then sighed and muttered, "Forget it. He knows the way back, anyway."

What they hadn't expected was that even after half a month, Jande still hadn't returned.

Still, no one went out of their way to look for him. Even when Teacher Kubo found out, he merely sighed and never mentioned Jande again.

That day, Bai Ina headed to Border Town once more.

Of course, he wasn't looking for Jande. Whether that man was dead or alive had nothing to do with Bai Ina. He was going back to Border Town simply because the three of them had forgotten something when they returned the first time.

There had been four of them that day, and each had been given a task. Jande had been sent to buy seasonings, but they'd assumed something had held him up and that he'd gone back ahead of them. It had never occurred to them that he might have taken the money and run.

As a result, they hadn't bought any seasonings. What bothered Bai Ina most was that they only discovered this when the seasonings ran out that afternoon and Loxi went to look for more in the storeroom...

So Bai Ina had to set out as soon as possible for Border Town and buy the seasonings before dinner.

As he passed through the central area of Terminal Gray, the atmosphere seemed strange. The usual thugs, who spent their days scavenging through the trash or sleeping in broad daylight, were all crowded together in the street, carrying something.

Bai Ina couldn't be bothered with them, though. He walked straight through Gray Terminal and headed for Border Town.

He didn't notice that among the crowd were a child of about eight or nine wearing a straw hat, and a boy with a few freckles on his face.

If Bai Ina had seen the two of them, he probably would have realized something.

By the time Bai Ina reached Border Town, it was nearly dusk. After buying enough seasonings at a shop, he hurried back. He still had to get home before dinner.

Just as Bai Ina returned to Terminal Gray, his expression changed. Before he'd even entered, he caught the pungent smell of gasoline, and flames were already surging into the sky not far away.

"Has there been a fire?"

Bai Ina's face changed at once. A moment later, he burst forward, heading straight for the dojo.

So the story had reached this point already...

Bai Ina knew that a great fire would break out in Terminal Gray when the Celestial Dragons visited, but he didn't know exactly when.

And because he never went to the central area, he'd missed a lot of news.

Still, he wasn't too worried about the dojo. It stood on the coast, and there was no trash or debris around it, so the fire was unlikely to reach it.

The fire had broken out without warning. Fueled by gasoline, it consumed all of Terminal Gray within minutes, and countless screams rang out across the area.

People ran through the sea of flames, desperately trying to escape the terrible blaze.

Bai Ina paid no attention to the residents around him and headed straight for the dojo.

"What are you doing? Didn't I already tell you where the treasure was?"

A childish voice reached Bai Ina's ears. He instinctively looked toward it.

Not far away, a group of men had seized two boys. Their leader wore the familiar cloak of a pirate captain.

But Bai Ina's gaze passed right over the group and settled on the two captured boys. They looked much younger than they would in the future, but he recognized them at a glance.

The older boy, with a few freckles on his face, was Ace. The little kid wearing a straw hat was Monkey D. Luffy!

Bai Ina wasn't surprised to see them here. According to the story, this was where the two of them met Sabo, who would later become the Revolutionary Army's chief of staff.

The group across from him noticed Bai Ina, too, and paused.

"Tch, another brat. Is this place some kind of brat nursery?" Bluejam spat as he looked at Bai Ina. "Throw him into the fire! Damn it, I'm sick of the sight of these brats!"

"Run! These pirates have gone crazy!"

Ace shouted at Bai Ina, who seemed frozen with fear. These pirates were still risking their lives to search for treasure in a situation like this. That proved they were insane. Ace wouldn't have been surprised by anything they did now.

Bai Ina glanced at Ace, then turned his icy gaze toward Bluejam.

"I don't want to get involved. Move. I'm going through."

"..." Ace.

"..." Bluejam.

"Uh, Ace, what did he just say?" Luffy blinked from the arms of a pirate holding him, thinking he'd misheard.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Is that kid so scared he's lost his mind?"

"What did he just say? He told us to move..."

"..."

The next moment, the crazed pirates burst into laughter. Bluejam looked at Bai Ina with mockery. "And what if we don't move?"

Bai Ina's expression turned cold. The next second, he vanished from where he stood, becoming a blur as he weaved through the pirates. He appeared behind Bluejam, Black Blade Dawn already sheathed in his hand. Without looking back, he continued on his way.

The pirates behind him stood perfectly still. None of them even looked at Bai Ina, as though they had no intention of stopping him.

"Hmm? What's..."

Ace seemed to sense something. In disbelief, he looked at the pirate holding him.

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft...

The next second, all the pirates' heads rolled to the ground at once. Blood sprayed into the air, spattering Luffy and Ace.

The first thing the two boys did, drenched in blood, wasn't to feel afraid. Instead, they stared in shock at the figure gradually disappearing into the distance...