Rendezvous

Wikoff Island lay in the far southern waters of the North Blue and was one of the three islands closest to Reverse Mountain.

Many pirates heading for the Grand Line stopped here to replenish their supplies, making local trade prosperous but leaving the place chaotic year-round.

However, there were no government forces here. Everything was managed by the local gangs, so a certain degree of order still remained.

"By my reckoning, Drake and the others should have arrived long ago. I just hope nothing happened to them."

Watching the unbroken stretch of ships ahead, a trace of worry flashed through Van's eyes.

Since the Den Den Mushi had died in the previous diving accident, he had not contacted Drake for a long time. After traveling day and night for the past month, he had finally reached their rendezvous point.

"Captain! What are we doing next?"

Qiangbalu's voice came from behind him. When Van turned around, he found that all the miners on the ship had gathered as well.

He had initially wanted to refuse Qiangbalu's loyalty, but considering that he had lost contact with Drake and might need help at his side, he had ultimately agreed.

Qiangbalu had indeed performed well during this time, resolving plenty of trivial matters for him.

"Bring over 2.5 million Beli and distribute it among them. You stay behind to guard the ship later. I'll take them ashore."

After making the arrangements, Van returned to his room and began performing cosmetic surgery on himself.

He was considered something of a celebrity in the North Blue now and could easily be recognized. If that drew trouble, it would make finding people inconvenient, so he needed a disguise.

"I really want to go ashore with you, my lord!" Blue Moon gazed at Van longingly. "Unfortunately, it's inconvenient for me to go. I'll have to trouble your companions to come meet me on the ship."

She had stayed in the room throughout this period, only occasionally going into the sea at night to relax. Although Qiangbalu and the others knew of her existence, none of them had seen what she looked like.

In the end, mermaids and humans simply had vastly different living habits, making it difficult for her to adapt to life aboard a ship.

"For now, this is the only way. Later, I'll see if I can make a suitable means of transportation so you can move around on land by yourself."

Van had no particularly good solution to Blue Moon's current predicament and could only comfort her as best he could.

"I heard human technology is amazing. There should be a way, right?" Blue Moon asked expectantly.

Just then, Qiangbalu's voice came from outside the room. "Captain! A small boat has approached. They say we need to pay before we can dock in the harbor."

"Follow the local rules. Don't cause trouble for now. I'll be right out."

As he spoke, Van had already changed his face. No outsider would be able to recognize him.

He left the room and found a young man steering a speedboat, enthusiastically explaining the situation to Qiangbalu.

Their transport ship was fairly large. Docking in the harbor for one day cost 20,000 Beli, which was essentially protection money.

If the ship suffered an incident caused by someone, the harbor operators would be responsible for finding the culprit. If they failed to find them, they would compensate ten times the docking fee.

Looking at it that way, the price was not too expensive. After all, a free harbor could not possibly offer insurance services.

"Dock us for three days!" Van called out.

He was almost certain that if they left the ship outside the harbor, the force behind this young man would definitely make trouble.

They would not need to do something dangerous and irreconcilable like sinking the ship. Tossing a little garbage or waste aboard would be more than enough to make them miserable.

"Captain?"

Qiangbalu was stunned for a moment when he saw Van's disguised face.

But he reacted quickly, immediately taking out 60,000 Beli and gesturing toward the young man.

"Once you've docked, someone will come aboard to collect the money and give you a payment receipt."

"I'll be going now. Hope you enjoy your stay here!"

The young man did not take the money. Instead, he turned his boat around and left immediately.

"Pretty professional," Van said with a smile. "Have you handed out the money?"

"I have."

"Thank you, sir..."

Qiangbalu nodded, while the miners began expressing their thanks.

They actually wanted to stay, but Van was unwilling to take them in, and they did not dare insist.

Not long afterward, the transport ship docked, and someone indeed came aboard to collect the payment.

Qiangbalu handled the matter, so Van paid it no mind and took the miners ashore.

"Come take a look! Have a look..."

The docks were bustling. Stalls of every kind stretched in long rows, and cries from vendors rose and fell without end.

Teams in suits patrolled with guns. From the reactions of the passersby, it was clear that this was routine rather than a response to any incident.

"How am I supposed to find them?"

The miners gradually went their separate ways. Van wandered the streets alone and soon found himself troubled.

Though Drake and the others had no bounties, both the Marines and the Donquixote Family knew of them. They certainly would not dare walk around openly.

If they hid too well, finding them would become a problem. But asking around recklessly could easily attract the attention of interested parties.

"Shachi, wait for me!"

A voice suddenly rang out behind him. Van, who had been considering finding the local gangs for a chat, froze at once.

Who? That peerless succubus from the Great Age of Repression?

He immediately turned around, only to find that it was not some succubus but two scrawny boys.

"Wait... if he isn't Rayleigh's Shakky, then this Shachi must be Law's? And that other boy is Penguin?"

Thinking of the friends Drake had mentioned before, Van instantly guessed the general situation.

After he had left Swallow Island, Law must have still encountered the three companions from the original story and then taken them out to sea.

"Good. They arrived safely. Now I don't even need to search for them."

Van did not make his presence known. He quietly followed Shachi and Penguin all the way back to the harbor.

The two boarded a pirate ship over ten meters long. Someone was waiting for them on the deck, another boy Van did not recognize at all.

"What's going on? Could it be that besides those two and Bepo of the Mink Tribe, someone else left Swallow Island with Law?"

Seeing Shachi and Penguin enter the cabin, Van hesitated for a moment before walking up with a frown.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

The boy remaining on deck looked vigilant, and his voice was loud.

Chaotic footsteps sounded from inside the cabin. Van could sense that everyone within was converging on the entrance.

He smiled and raised his voice as well. "Don't be nervous. I've come to rendezvous with you as agreed."

"Big Brother Van? Who are you?"

Drake emerged from the cabin with delight written all over his face, but hesitated when he saw Van.

"It's me, all right. I just changed my face. Let's talk inside."

After entering the cabin, Van unfolded his Operation Room and restored his original face.

"Big Brother Van!" Baby-5 threw herself directly into his arms. "I've been waiting for you for days."

"Well, I'm here now."

Van held her as he greeted Law and the others one by one. Drake then began recounting their adventures.

It was much as Van had guessed. Since he had wiped out the gangs on Swallow Island, Shachi escaped his uncle's control and began living alongside Penguin, who was also an orphan.

The two encountered Bepo in the forest and bullied him as an oddity, only to be discovered by Drake and the other two.

Over time, the group became friends and ultimately left Swallow Island together.

The boy Van did not recognize was named Baiyan. They had rescued him while passing Wilbemz Island, and Law had also drawn the cursed blade Kikoku from a weapon shop on that island.

Other than losing the Op-Op Fruit and setting out to sea earlier than in the original story, everything was bizarrely progressing toward the original plot, as if the will of the world were correcting an error.