"There's something in the palace."
"Something you want."
Boa Hancock's pupils constricted slightly.
No more than three people knew about this.
How did he know?
"Who exactly are you?"
The man turned back, a smile in his eyes. "Someone who wants to make a bet with you."
Boa Hancock fell silent for a moment.
Then she slowly spoke. "What are we betting on?"
The man pointed at himself. "Whether I can get that thing before you make your move."
"If I get it, you'll agree to one request from me."
"If I don't, my life is yours."
Boa Hancock's lips curved. "What would I want with your life?"
"The only thing of value about you is that item."
"If you can't get it, you're just wasting air by staying alive."
The man burst into laughter. "Then it's settled."
As soon as he finished speaking, he shot into the sea like an arrow.
He barely even raised a splash.
Boa Hancock walked to the rail and glanced down.
The sea was calm, as though nothing had happened.
She narrowed her eyes.
This man was interesting.
Elsewhere.
Uchiha Yi stood at the bow, watching that figure vanish into the seawater in the distance.
Something in his heart had been stirred.
The aura around that man felt familiar.
Not familiar in terms of strength.
It was a... feeling he could not quite put into words.
Like seeing someone walking the same path as himself.
His fingers lightly tapped against the railing. "Interesting."
A guard behind him stepped forward. "My lord, should we...?"
"No need."
Uchiha Yi waved a hand. "Let him go."
"I want to see just how far he can get."
The moment he finished speaking, the sea suddenly exploded.
A pillar of water shot into the sky.
Then a figure stepped