Observation Haki? It Was an Active Phased-Array Radar!

"Shockwave."

Jogo was quite satisfied with this Trait.

"Another special Trait that can't be upgraded."

[Trait Effect (Observation Haki): Observation Haki can perceive vibrations more clearly.]

[Trait Effect (Conqueror's Haki): Your presence will begin to vibrate.]

"It's complete garbage when used on Conqueror's Haki, but it works pretty well with Observation Haki!"

Jogo looked at the Trait effects in his mind.

"On a smaller scale, 'perceiving vibrations' will be very helpful for practicing Hasshoken."

"After all, I've basically learned all the techniques Sai and Abu have. From here on, I can only forge my own path in Hasshoken training."

"If I equip this Trait, it can help me avoid a lot of detours."

"On a larger scale, sound, light, electricity... what form of energy transmission has nothing to do with vibrations?"

"If used properly, maybe I could even glimpse the truths of the universe?"

Of course, the actual test results were nowhere near that exaggerated...

But it was still powerful!

According to his tests, after equipping "Otherworldly Soul" and "Shockwave," his Observation Haki's perception of the environment had practically been reset!

Originally, his Observation Haki could only sense "presences." Other than what his eyes could see, it couldn't directly form images in his mind of things beyond his sight.

"For example, if someone fires a gun behind me."

"My Observation Haki can sense that person's breathing, killing intent, the sound of clothes rubbing together, the sound of bullets being chambered... but it won't show me a specific image."

"Because my eyes haven't seen it."

"But if I equip 'Shockwave,' my Observation Haki can use its perception of fluctuations in the environment to construct a three-dimensional image in my mind, just like echolocation!"

For example, right now...

Jogo lightly tapped the table.

In his Observation Haki, ripples emerged one after another, spreading from the mahogany table beneath his knuckles in every direction before striking the surrounding objects.

The rough outlines of nearby objects automatically appeared in his mind.

Thus, he "saw" the bookshelf, saw the sofa, saw the slender girl walking toward him, saw her fluttering skirt, saw her delicate ankles, saw the lines of her calves beneath her skirt, saw her healthy thighs, saw...

Jogo tilted his head slightly and reached out, catching the cup of water the girl had "accidentally" overturned.

The girl froze for a moment.

Clearly, she had not expected the trick that had never failed her since childhood to be countered so easily.

But she reacted quickly, and an apologetic expression naturally appeared on her face.

"I'm sorry. It didn't spill on you, did it?"

She hurriedly moved closer, bending her slender waist as if she were about to help Jogo wipe away the few drops of water left on him.

A faint fragrance rushed into his nose.

They were a little too close.

If Jogo lowered his gaze just a little further, he seemed as though he would be able to see that tempting patch of snowy white skin.

For an inexperienced virgin, being suddenly hit with something like this would undoubtedly be a one-hit kill!

But Jogo had already "seen" it.

His verdict was that it was inferior to Hina's.

There was nothing he could do about it. After spending so many days with Hina, his standards of appreciation had become somewhat high.

After calmly waiting for the girl to finish cleaning him up, Jogo peacefully stuffed the cup back into the hands of the somewhat bewildered girl and reminded her:

"Be more careful next time."

"Mm... huh?"

The girl blinked.

No, this wasn't how it was supposed to go!

This was completely different from what she had imagined!

In her experience, boys with good looks and temperament were generally from well-off families, strictly raised, and rarely exposed to the seductive women outside. They should have been the least able to withstand temptations like hers.

After her little routine, even if they did not blush and have their hearts race or fail to meet her gaze, their breathing should at least become a little faster.

How could he be like this? He was so calm that it was as if he had entered a sage-like state.

"Did I fail?"

She turned her head toward the sofa. Her younger sister poked out her little head and looked at her eagerly.

Gritting her teeth, she was about to say something when she suddenly noticed the ridged pottery in Jogo's hand. Her eyes flickered slightly, and she gently tucked back her hair before asking in "surprise":

"You like Black Nest Village pottery too?"

"Black Nest Village?"

Jogo paused. Looking at the girl, a hint of delight appeared between his brows as well.

"You know where this piece of pottery came from? I only guessed that it was related to Ladies'-Tresses Island."

After handling so many antiques, Jogo had finally encountered an antique whose origin even he did not know.

Fortunately, there seemed to be someone nearby who understood it.

He gestured toward the seat opposite him.

"What should I call you?"

"Fuxi."

"My name is Jogo."

Jogo smiled.

"Aren't you going to call your sister over?"

Fuxi paused in the middle of pulling out a chair, but soon naturally waved toward her sister.

"So you noticed us long ago?"

"Beautiful flowers always attract more attention."

Jogo gave her a perfunctory answer.

Of course, he would not tell them that he had been testing his active phased-array radar all along.

Forget their backgrounds—even Fuxi's three dimensions were already known to him.

After the little girl sat down opposite him as well, Jogo directly ordered food from the attendant.

Before long, a luxurious feast covered the table.

Fuxi hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself.

Wait, why was the food already being served?

Although this had indeed been her goal.

But... this was completely off-script!

This was not the art of socializing... First, we should get acquainted while chatting. Then, when the conversation reaches its peak, I should pretend to leave for dinner. To make me stay, you would treat me to a meal, and then (2,000 words omitted)...

How had it gone straight to the main course?!

It even made her wonder whether this harmless-looking boy had known her purpose from the beginning.

The little girl beside her did not care about any of that.

At the sight of so much delicious food, her eyes immediately lit up, and she began wolfing it down without the slightest regard for her image.

Jogo did not care about that either.

What plot?

Skip it all!

The pants were already off. He wanted to see the CG!

"Why haven't I heard of Black Nest Village?" he asked as he ate.

"It was a village on Ladies'-Tresses Island that disappeared long ago."

Fuxi temporarily set aside her concerns. Elegantly tasting the food, she began chatting with Jogo.

"It is said that the village's potters were fond of using the unique clay found around Chironomid Lake at the center of the village to make pottery."

"The pottery they made was also quite... peculiar in style."

"But it is only a legend. With the village's disappearance, this pottery-making craft was completely lost."

"Even the legendary Chironomid Lake has never been found by anyone..."

As they talked, Jogo occasionally stopped to take notes.

By the time dinner ended, Jogo had collected nearly enough information. After confirming that Fuxi was willing to use her full name in his paper, he handed her an interview fee.

Only then did Fuxi learn that Jogo was a Historian.

For a moment, she could not help sighing inwardly. Rich families really did produce oddballs. Someone was even willing to pursue a profession like Historian, whose reputation was nearly on par with that of pirates.

But no matter what, this money had finally solved the sisters' urgent problem. At the very least, it was enough for them to move from the packed common cabin to a temporary cabin.

Although she inexplicably felt as though she had been led around by the nose, she still accepted it.

Over the next two days, the three of them often met in the reading room and got along fairly well.

Occasionally, they also talked about recent developments in West Blue.

"The Marines are overreaching, aren't they?"

Fuxi sat upright across from Jogo, looking at the newly delivered West Blue Times with a slight frown.

"They've shut down so many Capone Family businesses. Are they trying to go to war with the Capone Family?"

"You think the Marines can't win?" Jogo kept his head down as he wrote his paper.

Over the past few days, the newspapers had been filled with reports of the Marines destroying Capone Family hideouts.

That pleased Jogo greatly.

But if Capone Bege could still cause him trouble under these circumstances, it could only mean the pressure was not enough.

"Why don't you just get crushed to death, Capone Bege?"

Fuxi gently shook her head.

"How could the Capone Family be a match for the Marines? Even the West Blue branch would be more than they could handle."

"But the Marines aren't only causing trouble for the Capone Family. Look at today's news—they're also fighting the Happo Navy at the same time."

"Is the West Blue branch insane, taking on both of these giants at once?"

"Something feels off..."

She looked at the newspaper, her brows full of confusion as she murmured:

"Could there be some villain stirring up trouble between them?!"

Jogo's pen paused slightly, and he rubbed his chin.

"Maybe it's a good person?"

"Aren't the Marines representatives of justice? Shouldn't we support them for cracking down on the Capone Family and the Happo Navy?"

Fuxi glanced at him, pursed her lips, and smiled softly without arguing.

Such childish yet adorable reasoning.

"How could someone who grew up in the sunlight know the cruelty of this world?"

Although she stood with the underworld, there was no need to argue over something so trivial.

The little girl beside them, who had been focused on eating, raised her head and looked at her sister, then at the big brother, before giggling.

On the way back, Angie looked up and asked her sister:

"Sis, do you like Big Brother?"

Fuxi was slightly stunned and pinched Angie's little cheek.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"But whenever you're in front of Big Brother, you always act so proper and elegant. And you never argue with him either!"

Angie looked at her expectantly, practically drooling.

"If you chase Big Brother, Angie will support you!"

Fuxi instinctively wanted to refute her, but she could not say anything. She subconsciously glanced toward the reading room. After a moment, as if she had let something go, she lightly smiled and shook her head.

"No. I'm the daughter of gangsters. The world I live in would be like hell to him."

"I shouldn't drag him into it."

She would just hide this beautiful encounter away in her memories.

Once they arrived at Iris Island, they would go their separate ways.

At noon on the third day, the merchant ship arrived at Iris Island.

Noisy voices drifted in through the porthole, followed by sailors shouting through the amplification Den Den Mushi from the deck.

"We've arrived at Iris Island! Prepare to disembark... Wait, who are you people?!"

Suddenly, wave after wave of startled cries rose from below.

Jogo opened the porthole and took a look, only to find that the ship had somehow been surrounded by gangsters. A crowd of them was swarming aboard to inspect the ship.

He closed the porthole, leaned over the table, and continued writing the final portion of his paper.

They could not have been sent by the Capone Family to look for him.

"Too weak!"

"Besides, Capone Bege probably thinks I'm dead by now, right?"

As the only passenger in a luxury cabin aboard the merchant ship, he would be personally notified by the captain whenever it was time to board or disembark. Apparently, the captain would even give him a bottle of red wine.

He only needed to wait in his room for the captain to knock.

Right now, his paper was more important!

After writing a few more lines, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

Click!

The door was directly twisted open, and two familiar figures rushed in, panicked and flustered.

--Fuxi and Angie!

Seeing Jogo by the table, the two sisters froze for a moment before delight appeared on their faces.

"Jogo, there's no time to explain. Could you let us hide here?"

Fuxi asked urgently.

Over the past few days, she had deliberately refrained from asking about Jogo's background or where he lived, because she did not want him to become too deeply entangled with her.

Yet at this final moment, she had still dragged him into this cruel world.

Perhaps this was fate!

"Just for a little while. Don't worry, I absolutely won't let you get hurt!"

Before Jogo could speak, footsteps like a stampeding buffalo rapidly approached from the corridor.

Bang!

The wooden door was kicked open by a tremendous force.

A burly, one-armed man blocked the doorway with a vicious grin.

"Where do you two think you're going?"

Fuxi turned to look, and her face instantly went pale.

"Oh no, it's the Thrips Gang's strongest enforcer, Pest!"

"The strongest person on all of Iris Island!"

Though he had somehow lost an arm, the strongest was still the strongest. He was clearly not someone she could fight!

She shielded her younger sister behind her, took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and made her decision.

"Angie, listen to your sister. I'll hold Pest off in a moment. You and Jogo leave first!"

Pest burst out laughing. Slowly pulling a bloodstained spiked club from behind his back, he bared his sharp canine teeth.

"Run?"

"Hahaha~ Today, you two... no, all three of you, no one will... will..."

--As the two sisters stepped aside, he saw the familiar figure beside the table.

Thud!

Under the sisters' utterly stunned gazes, his knees gave out, and he dropped to his knees in the doorway.