Another Kind of Mantra, Teach's Whereabouts

Several sailing ships cut through the waves as they headed toward the Rossini Archipelago.

At the top of the mast, a Crew member lowered his telescope and called down to the deck below.

"Captain, White Shell Town is up ahead. We can already see the outline of the docks."

The scene on deck was completely unlike that of an ordinary merchant ship.

Several rows of captives bound with hemp ropes or shackled in iron cuffs sat dejectedly against the railings.

A thin man with several strings of keys hanging from his waist toyed with a pair of handcuffs as he moved among the captives.

Hearing the call, Walker raised his head. "Got it!"

He shouted upward in a shrill voice, "Keep your eyes open. Make sure the people meeting us at the port are from Fist King."

"If you spot the Marines, signal immediately."

"Understood, Captain," the lookout replied.

Walker nodded and continued his inspection.

When he reached the end of the line of captives, his gaze fell on a mother and son who had not been restrained.

Seeing Walker approach, Teach shrank farther into Alice's arms.

Alice looked at Walker with wary eyes, though there was not much fear in them.

Walker crouched down and shook the shackles in his hand, his tone helpless. "Oh, little Teach, don't be scared."

"Your uncle here doesn't want to make things difficult for you either, really."

"But we're almost at White Shell Town. What happens to you next... isn't something a little captain like me gets to decide."

Alice pulled Teach behind her and held out her slender wrist. "If you want to make things difficult, do it to me. Let Teach go."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Walker shook his head and let out a strange laugh.

"What are you saying? Haven't I treated you well this whole trip? I let you eat your fill, stay warm, and even walk around on deck."

"Compared to these people, you've been treated worlds better."

"What exactly do you want?" Alice asked coldly.

Walker licked his lips. "What do I want? Hehe... simple. Before the handover, we've got to unload the goods and check their quality."

He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "During that time before the delivery... it'll depend on Miss Alice's performance."

"If you can satisfy me, then if I'm in a good mood, maybe I can find a way to spare Teach's life." He gave another strange laugh.

"After all, once you fall into those people's hands, your fate... won't be so certain."

Alice's body tensed, fury burning in her eyes.

But when she looked at Teach, she forcibly suppressed that anger.

She turned her head away, refusing to look at Walker's revolting face.

Walker rose smugly and walked away whistling.

White Shell Town.

Residential district.

Lin Nuo, Rosin, and Bepo walked down the road side by side.

"Come to think of it, how much do I owe the clinic in medical bills?"

Lin Nuo asked, calculating what kind of commissions he would need to take to earn money.

"One hundred Beli," Rosin answered casually.

"How much?" Lin Nuo stopped short, thinking he had misheard.

"My medical expenses for three days unconscious didn't even add up to the price of a newspaper?"

Rosin and Bepo both laughed.

Bepo explained, "Sister Mira's clinic has always charged that price. She says medicine is for saving people, not making money."

"The poor can buy on credit or even get their fees waived, but those crooked merchants and bad guys get charged more than ten times as much."

"I see..." Lin Nuo felt a little more respect for her.

"Here we are. That's my house." Rosin pointed at a courtyard with tall walls ahead and broke into a run.

Bepo cheered and followed after him.

"Hey, this is your house?" Lin Nuo had barely asked before the two had already rushed to the gate.

Servants appeared at the entrance and stopped the two reckless boys.

"Welcome home, Young Master Rosin." A servant bowed with a smile.

"Young Master?" Lin Nuo walked over, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

Bepo chuckled. "Yeah, this is Rosin's home. His dad is the mayor of White Shell Town."

Rosin casually slapped Lin Nuo on the shoulder. "That's right. A-Fu, A-Gui, this is my new little brother, Lin Nuo."

"Take him inside and get the food ready!"

"So you're a friend of the young master. Please come in." A-Fu stepped aside and led the way.

Lin Nuo felt a little embarrassed by the grand reception as he followed them into the courtyard.

"No wonder you keep saying you want to become a great pirate. Your family has connections too."

"That has nothing to do with connections," Rosin retorted seriously.

At that moment, A-Gui came over.

"Mr. Lin, lunch is ready."

"However, would you like to change into something more comfortable first?"

Lin Nuo looked down at his hospital gown. It really was not much to look at.

"But you don't have clothes that would fit someone with my build and wings, do you?"

A-Gui answered calmly, "Please rest assured, we do."

"The young master often brings guests home, so we have casual clothes in all kinds of sizes. There will definitely be something suitable."

Lin Nuo: "..."

He could roughly imagine the sort of strange people Rosin usually brought home.

Just as they were about to head for the dining room, Lin Nuo caught a faint sound in his ears.

Big brother... Dad... where are you...

The voice was childish, trembling with tears and fear.

At the same time, he could hear the sound of flowing water and heartbeats.

Lin Nuo stopped and looked doubtfully at Rosin, Bepo, and the servants before him.

They were all talking normally. No one had said those words.

He looked around again. Aside from them, the only person in the courtyard was a gardener trimming flowers and trees in the distance.

"What's wrong?" Rosin noticed Lin Nuo's wary expression and asked curiously.

"Didn't you hear anything?" Lin Nuo asked.

Rosin and Bepo exchanged glances, then both shook their heads.

The servants also said they had heard nothing.

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Lin Nuo realized that he was probably the only one who could hear the voice.

The sound seemed to be coming from the southwest.

The sensation reminded him of Enel's Mantra, which could monitor an entire island.

But he had not even trained Haki yet.

Could it be the Voice of All Things?

He recalled that in the System Space, that was precisely the ability he had chosen to sense special things.

He had not expected it to take effect so quickly.

Lin Nuo hurriedly closed his eyes and tried to catch those faint signals.

Sigh, this is trouble...

Those damn bounty hunters don't listen to reason at all. They've occupied the entire southwestern port and even injured our people...

"Dad, what's wrong with you?" Rosin cried out beside him.

Lin Nuo immediately opened his eyes and turned toward the voice.

Several people were entering through the side gate of the courtyard.

At the front was a middle-aged man with graying hair, though he looked rather bedraggled at the moment.

There were obvious bruises on his face and arms, and most of the guards behind him were injured as well.

"Xiao Xi, you're back." Seeing his son, the mayor forced out a smile. His gaze fell on Lin Nuo. "And this is...?"

"He's a friend I just met." Rosin ran to his father's side. "Dad, what happened to you?"

The mayor rubbed his son's head. "Just a small matter. It's already been handled."

He turned to the servants. "A-Fu, is lunch ready? Take our guest to eat first. I'll change clothes and join you shortly."

"Wait, Mayor." Lin Nuo stepped forward and stopped him with a serious expression.

The mayor halted and looked at Lin Nuo in confusion.

"Did you just mention that something happened at the southwestern port?" Lin Nuo asked directly.

The voice he had sensed earlier seemed to have come from that direction as well. He needed to find out more.

The mayor frowned. "There's a little trouble, but I've already sent people to contact the Marine Branches."

"Mr. Lin, you're a guest and Xiao Xi's friend. You don't need to worry about this."

"By the way, the food should be..."

He did not get to finish.

Because in the next moment, Lin Nuo's black wings, which he had kept folded away, suddenly spread open.

Immediately afterward, Lunarian flames wrapped around both wings and blazed fiercely.

A scorching yet sacred aura instantly swept through the entire courtyard.

"Wow!!!"

Rosin and Bepo cried out in excitement at the same time, their eyes wide as they hopped around Lin Nuo.

"That's amazing! So cool! Flaming wings!"

The mayor and his injured attendants all stood frozen, mouths open and unable to speak.

Lin Nuo stared intensely at the mayor, speaking faster. "Mayor, I only have two questions."

"Has the southwestern port been occupied by bounty hunters who are causing trouble and hurting people?"

Intimidated by that presence, the mayor nodded.

"Yes. Their leader is called Fist King Hans. He's a ruthless man. I heard he once captured a pirate with a bounty of thirty million Beli."

"Do any of them have Devil Fruit abilities?" Lin Nuo asked next.

The mayor thought carefully, then shook his head with certainty. "No, but they have a lot of people."

"You look powerful, but you're only one person. There's no need to fight them head-on. Just wait until the Marines arrive..."

"As long as there are no ability users, it'll be fine." Lin Nuo settled his mind.

They had captured a pirate worth thirty million, so their strength was probably about the same as Arlong's.

As long as there was no Logia user, his physical abilities would be more than enough to take them down.

"Wait here for a while. I'll be back before the food gets cold."

Before the words had even faded, Lin Nuo shot into the sky, turning into a streak of fire as he sped toward the southwest.

The courtyard fell silent.

After a long while, the mayor finally came to his senses and grabbed Rosin, who was still looking up at the sky.

"Xiao Xi! Where did you find that friend of yours?!"

Rosin scratched his head, looking innocent and bewildered.

"I-I don't know either! He was a patient the clinic picked up from the beach a few days ago. He'd been unconscious the whole time and only woke up today."

"He said he was hungry, so I brought him home for a meal."

The light in Rosin's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"I never expected him to be such an incredible ability user."

"And he can fly. He must be a real great pirate!"

The mayor looked at the two excited children, his expression complicated.

He touched his cheek, which still throbbed faintly with pain.

"White Shell Town is probably headed for something big."