After the tavern owner finished speaking, he suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at Lin Ye.
"Right, if you're going, I'd suggest going a little later."
Lin Ye raised his head and looked at the owner, puzzled.
"Cough, cough!"
Seeing Lin Ye's gaze, the tavern owner looked around and lowered his voice.
"I heard that a year ago, some scholars from Ohara put out to sea. It seemed they were researching history, but that isn't something ordinary people can study. Later, that ship vanished without a trace."
Lin Ye's eyes narrowed slightly at those words.
"Of course, I'm just saying."
The owner continued wiping the cup in his hand.
"Thanks."
Lin Ye nodded. After finishing his juice, he stood up, pulled off the gold thread binding his hair, and tossed it to the owner. His gaze swept across the tavern before he strode out.
"Old Sadin, what were you telling him?"
After Lin Ye left, someone in the tavern called out to the old man.
"I just saved your lives, you know!"
The tavern owner known as Old Sadin flew into a rage.
"Look at those clothes, look at that sword. Is he someone you people can afford to provoke? You've got eyes, but they might as well be useless."
The tavern owner spat, his gaze sweeping over the considerably quieter tavern. Only then did he pick up the gold thread Lin Ye had left on the table.
The pattern of the thread was still visible, but it had been squeezed together.
It had become a somewhat thin little gold ingot.
No matter what, he had made a profit!
"But where have I seen him before?"
Old Sadin muttered hesitantly, his eyes wandering about until they landed on the wanted posters on the wall.
His body stiffened, and his gaze locked onto the fourth bounty poster in the top row.
The profile picture of Madman Lin Ye.
No way!
Old Sadin's eyes shot wide open.
"Impossible, impossible. How could someone that important appear in the West Blue?"
"Right, right. Important figures like that operate on the Grand Line. A place like the West Blue has nothing worth a great pirate like him coming for."
Even so, Old Sadin could not stop trembling all over.
If it was true, had he just spoken to someone that important?
And he was going to Ohara?
Old Sadin's eyes widened. Suddenly, a premonition arose in his heart.
Something big might be about to happen in Ohara.
At the docks.
Lin Ye did not intend to linger here and directly asked whether there were any ships bound for Ohara.
Before long, Lin Ye arrived in front of a merchant ship.
"You want to go to Ohara? We're a merchant ship. We don't take passengers."
The captain looked at Lin Ye, his tone still fairly polite.
"A guard."
Lin Ye raised the sword in his hand and looked the captain in the eyes.
"There are so many pirates at sea these days. Even merchant ships need guards. After all, if you run into pirates, casualties are unavoidable."
"You?"
Naturally, the captain knew Lin Ye was right.
But looking at Lin Ye's somewhat youthful face and the fine-quality swordsman's attire he wore...
Could he be some young master from the island, imitating others by going out to sea?
Lin Ye raised his hand. A slash flew from his descending palm and cleaved through the sea in the blink of an eye.
A deep sword mark appeared across the waters beyond the docks.
Seawater surged into the cut, and every ship at the dock rocked violently with the waves.
"Gulp!"
A master swordsman!
The captain often sailed the seas and had seen plenty. He knew that some swordsmen could unleash slashes that could wound or kill from a great distance.
But he had only heard of such things and had never witnessed them himself.
After all, in his eyes, a master swordsman already counted as one of the strongest figures on the sea.
"You..."
As the captain spoke, he suddenly noticed his tone and hurriedly changed it.
"Sir, please come aboard. It is my honor for my merchant ship to receive your protection. Rest assured, I will pay you a generous reward."
The captain had already made up his mind to hand over all the profit from this voyage.
He had never expected to encounter such a powerful figure.
Lin Ye nodded and, led by the captain, boarded the merchant ship.
The merchant ship was not small. There were more than a hundred crewmen assigned solely to loading its cargo.
All kinds of goods.
Most of them were everyday necessities.
"Sir, I'll arrange accommodations for you. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
The captain said obsequiously from the side.
People always changed quickly in the presence of the strong.
"No need. Just do your work and set sail as soon as possible."
"Understood. The cargo will be loaded shortly, but even without stopping along the way, it will take more than half a month to reach Ohara from here."
After Lin Ye nodded at those words, the captain immediately went to urge the crew to speed things up.
Seeing how respectfully the captain treated Lin Ye, the crewmen all became curious about his identity.
Of course, no one dared approach and ask.
Just as the captain had said, the merchant ship soon set sail.
"Sir, the ship is crude, but this is the best cabin aboard!"
The captain, Ariki, respectfully led Lin Ye to the room at the highest point of the ship.
This was actually the captain's cabin.
But now that Lin Ye had arrived, Ariki had someone clean it up and gave the room to him.
Lin Ye did not refuse. He waved a hand and sent Ariki away.
After closing the door, Lin Ye walked to the window and looked at the boundless sea outside. A large flock of seabirds glided past the ship, then dipped lower, riding the airflow created by its passage.
Setting his sword on the table, Lin Ye flipped onto the bed with its clean bedding.
A period of peace did not seem so bad.
For nearly two years, he had spent the first year killing people. Then, for more than half a year afterward, he had crossed the Calm Belt, leaving both body and mind deeply exhausted.
Yet after arriving in the West Blue these past couple of days, his body had actually relaxed.
Instead, it felt as though his strength had improved slightly.
That was rather interesting.
So becoming stronger also required balancing work and rest?
It was perfect, then. While the Marines made their way to Ohara, he could take a proper rest, recover his strength, and bring himself to his absolute peak for the coming battle.
On the merchant ship.
Ariki arrived on deck, where a group of crewmen gathered around him.
"Captain, who exactly is that man? Why are you treating him like this?"
A young crewman asked with a face full of curiosity.
"A strong man, a strong man of the seas!"
Hearing this, Ariki looked at the curious faces around him and felt the urge to show off.
"There are countless strong people on these seas. I've heard there are people who consumed secret treasures of the sea and gained all kinds of powers. There are also those who trained in swordsmanship and became powerful figures on the sea through the swords in their hands."
Seeing the looks in everyone's eyes, Ariki grew increasingly pleased with himself.
"After training in swordsmanship, one can swing a sword and unleash slashes. Such people are master swordsmen, strong figures of the seas."
Master swordsmen!
Everyone's faces filled with longing.
"But becoming a master swordsman definitely isn't easy. At least, I've never heard of one in the West Blue. I only learned about master swordsmen from people who had been to the Grand Line.
I heard that was where the truly strong gathered."
"I know! The battle between Kaido, the overlord of the seas, and Madman Lin Ye happened in Wano Country!"
A young man said excitedly.
"Right. Those are the truly powerful figures of the Grand Line. With a single look, they could kill us."
Ariki nodded solemnly.
Before you continue