Return to the North Blue

Although Karp's special training had taught Long Yi how to use Soru,

a flash of inspiration like that could not be put directly into actual combat. So, during the remaining time, aside from his usual grueling training, Long Yi kept pondering how to incorporate the speed Soru gave him into his swordsmanship.

Two weeks was neither long nor short.

When the ship finally docked, Long Yi knew he had returned to his homeland, the North Blue.

"Get going, brat. We're in the North Blue."

Picking his nose, Karp waved Long Yi off with a look of disgust, as if Long Yi had caused him some enormous trouble.

Long Yi merely smiled easily at the sight.

After spending this time together, how could he not know that this scatterbrained old man simply did not know how to express his feelings? He was always saying one thing and meaning another. Though he urged Long Yi to leave quickly, who knew how worried he was inside?

He jumped down the gangplank from the warship, steadied himself on the ground, and waved at the people aboard as he shouted,

"Goodbye, everyone! Thank you for taking care of me all this time!"

After a pause, Long Yi looked at Karp, who was sneaking glances in his direction, and a trace of gentleness flickered in his eyes.

"Master Karp, just wait for my good news in the papers! And don't catch a cold!"

Since arriving in this world, aside from the bald old man, Karp had been both the strictest and kindest person to Long Yi. Though they had not spent much time together, it did nothing to diminish the bond between them.

"Tch. Noisy brat."

Karp's heart warmed at Long Yi's concern, but he still habitually turned his head away and muttered softly.

The Marine officers around him looked as though they wanted to laugh but did not dare to, their faces flushed red from holding it in.

After saying goodbye to everyone on the ship, Long Yi was about to leave when, just as he turned around, he heard something cutting through the air behind him, heading straight for the back of his head.

Startled, Long Yi instinctively turned and reached out to catch it. When he saw what had attacked him, he froze.

What he held was a canvas backpack.

On the warship, Karp still held his throwing pose. Seeing that Long Yi had caught the backpack safely, he puffed out his chest, crossed his arms, and shouted at him.

"Long Yi, uphold the justice in your heart! I'll be waiting for your good news! And don't you die!"

After saying that, Karp left the deck without waiting for Long Yi's reply and gave the order to return to Marineford, leaving Long Yi standing dazed on the shore.

Only after the Hound Warship slowly set sail and gradually vanished beyond the horizon did Long Yi withdraw his gaze. Smiling faintly, he opened the backpack Karp had thrown to him.

A white coat lay quietly inside.

Long Yi's eyes lit up. He eagerly unfolded the coat, and as expected, it was a standard Marine coat, a uniform only officers were qualified to wear.

Yet the epaulets bore only the rank of a third-class seaman, making it seem somewhat strange. Still, it was without a doubt the best gift Long Yi had ever received.

Rubbing the word "Justice" on the coat, Long Yi's gaze gradually hardened. He resolved that if he did not make something of himself this time, he would never return to Marineford.

The remote Crocker Town was as peaceful as ever.

From the town's only tavern, bursts of noisy commotion rang out from time to time.

"Hey, Long Yi! Two more mugs of ale!"

"Long Yi, I need some over here too!"

"Hey, brat, where are my snacks?"

The slightly drunk patrons shouted loudly, slapping the wooden tables until they creaked.

"Coming! The ale's coming!"

Answering the patrons' calls, Long Yi wore a sunny smile. With a light tap of his feet, he swiftly delivered several mugs of ale and some snacks, finally shutting those drunks up.

Once he had dealt with them, Long Yi returned to the kitchen, where the bearded owner greeted him with a gentle smile.

"You've worked hard, Long Yi."

Long Yi smiled and shook his head, but he did not stop moving as he continued with the tavern's other tasks.

Watching Long Yi's diligent figure, the bearded owner nodded with a smile.

Long Yi had arrived in town not long ago. At the time, he had been so hungry his eyes were practically glowing green. After the bearded owner kindly gave him a meal, he agreed to work there for a while to repay the favor.

A thoughtless act of kindness had earned him an incredibly hardworking assistant, and the bearded owner felt truly gratified.

That was right. The one who had earned a good reputation in town within just a few days was naturally Long Yi, after parting ways with Karp.

With his backpack on his back, Long Yi wandered through the unfamiliar place. After walking for some time, he suddenly realized that Karp had not prepared any money for him. Or rather, aside from that flashy Marine uniform, Karp had prepared nothing at all.

"This is bad."

Muttering with a face full of black lines, Long Yi began his journey of training.

Whether his luck was simply terrible or not, after Karp had dropped him off in some unknown land, he had walked for three full days before finally seeing a town.

Accustomed to feasting on meat and fish, Long Yi could only live on wild fruit and dew for those three days. The only meat he had eaten had been a few unlucky rabbits and sparrows, but that little bit was not even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.

So, after having a filling meal at the bearded owner's place, Long Yi began working odd jobs with a grateful heart.

Fortunately, with the stamina and speed he had trained, the work in the tavern posed no difficulty at all. Before long, his reputation had spread throughout the town. His excellent service sent the tavern's earnings climbing again and again, more or less fulfilling his original goal of repaying the favor.

Though he had spent some time busy in the tavern, Long Yi had not forgotten the true purpose of his trip to the North Blue—

to take revenge on "One-Eyed Belik."

Before that, however, he needed to save enough Beli for his daily expenses.

His plan was to first repay the bearded owner's kindness, then take on several easier bounties. He would work as a bounty hunter while tracking down "One-Eyed Belik."

Entering the world was itself a form of cultivation. Training alone for too long could also hinder one's progress in swordsmanship. Taking advantage of this trip to the North Blue, Long Yi intended to temper his state of mind and witness the many faces of the world.

Just as Long Yi worked while silently considering his plans, a sudden commotion erupted from the tavern. It was unlike the usual clamor of drunk patrons, and Long Yi's heart tightened as he immediately realized something had happened outside.

Inside the tavern, four or five thug-like hooligans were snickering strangely. They watched sidelong as their leader grabbed the bearded owner by the collar and viciously threatened the mild-tempered good man.

"Hey! Old man! Have you been listening to me properly? Huh?"

The bearded owner's face flushed red. He wanted to resist, but when he inadvertently caught sight of the knives and clubs in the hooligans' hands, his heart trembled and he lost the courage to fight back.

Seeing that the bearded owner did not answer, the hooligan leader became even more arrogant. He deliberately twisted his expression, spraying spit all over the bearded owner's face.

"Hey, hey, hey! Are you looking down on us? You dare look down on the Zeke Family?"

At the mention of the Zeke Family, disgust and panic flashed through the patrons' eyes.

The Zeke Family was the town's gang of hooligans, and it was said they had connections with the bandits in the surrounding area. To honest townsfolk like them, those thugs were not people to be provoked.

"No! I'm not—"

The honest bearded owner was about to explain when the hooligan leader suddenly punched him in the face, knocking him onto the cold floor.

The other hooligans stuck out their tongues and let out shrill laughter. The hooligan leader who had struck him wore a smug expression as he kept playing with the knife in his hand, sneering.

"Hey, old man, I hear you've been making quite a bit of money lately. What's the matter? Not planning to give us some to spend?"

Only then did the hooligan leader finally reveal his purpose. Seeing how booming the tavern's business had been lately, he had gotten greedy and wanted to extort some money for his usual carefree spending.

Under the vicious gazes of the surrounding hooligans, the bearded owner climbed to his feet and gritted his teeth. Just as he was about to pay for peace, a voice came from the kitchen. It was somewhat youthful, yet incomparably cold.

"Stop."

Everyone in the tavern was startled. Drawn to the voice, they all turned to look, only to discover that it was the boy who had been helping out at the tavern lately.

"Huh? What did you say? I can't hear you!"

After seeing Long Yi, the hooligan leader's eyes flashed with mockery. He slowly walked up to Long Yi, exaggeratedly spoke, and deliberately held his ear out in front of him without the slightest hint of caution.

After all, given Long Yi's age and appearance, it was difficult to see him as a threat.

"Hahahaha!"

The other hooligans burst into laughter, thinking their boss was truly ruthless—not even willing to spare a child.

Long Yi's response to the hooligan leader's provocation was simple.

A chill flashed through his eyes. Using the explosive power of Soru, he viciously kicked the hooligan leader before he could react, sending the troublemaking thug flying five or six meters and straight out of the tavern.

A tremendous crash rang out from the street, and the hooligans' laughter came to an abrupt stop.

The tavern instantly fell silent.

Everyone rubbed their eyes in disbelief. Only after confirming that it was not an illusion did they realize that Long Yi, who had always worn a cheerful smile, was the most terrifying person in the tavern.

"Can you hear me now, trash?"

Long Yi's tone was calm as he patiently answered the hooligan leader's question, as though he had not just kicked him flying.

Upon hearing those words, the remaining hooligans suddenly came to their senses. Looking at the not particularly tall Long Yi before them, they began to tremble uncontrollably.

In their eyes, the one standing before them was no harmless boy, but an evil ghost.