Night Voyage, Ginny's Rescue Plan

Night fell over the West Blue—

Two ships crossed paths in the darkness, the distance between them slowly closing.

Inside the White Shell's cabin.

"Nine hundred ninety-seven, nine hundred ninety-eight, nine hundred ninety-nine... one thousand!"

Moria's arms trembled as he finished the last set of push-ups, then his entire body collapsed onto the wooden floor.

He turned his head toward Lin Nuo, who sat cross-legged nearby with his eyes closed, resting.

"Hey, Lin Nuo, I want to learn Haki."

Lin Nuo opened his eyes.

Hearing Moria's question, he gave a bitter smile inwardly.

Haki... I want to learn it too.

Even before coming to this world, he had known it was standard equipment for the top fighters of the pirate world.

He had originally planned to find a good teacher after leaving God Valley, but now there was no teacher to teach him.

That was one of the reasons he was looking for Rocks.

Of course, with his health bar being so thick now, perhaps he could grow even faster if he found a gold-medal teacher like Kaido to knock some sense into him.

"Actually, I don't know Haki yet," Lin Nuo answered honestly.

"What?"

"A powerhouse like you doesn't know Haki? You've got to be kidding!"

Moria propped up his upper body, his eyes wide.

"So all this training you've put me through was just physical conditioning?"

"So what?" Lin Nuo stood up and rolled his wrists.

"If you don't build a solid foundation, how are you supposed to break through in battle?"

"As far as I'm concerned, Haki is something squeezed out through repeated brushes with death. Stamina, willpower, focus—none can be lacking."

Moria opened his mouth, but could not find anything to argue with.

He flopped back down in defeat.

Just then, the cabin door was gently pushed open a crack.

Teach poked his head inside. "Uncle Lin Nuo, my mom's calling for you. She said a ship is approaching us."

Lin Nuo's expression sharpened.

He pushed open the cabin door and stepped onto the deck.

Alice stood beside the helm, staring intently toward starboard.

A cargo ship nearly twice the size of the White Shell was approaching from ahead at an angle.

As the ships closed to within a few dozen meters, Lin Nuo used the White Shell's lights to make out the scene on its deck.

There were twenty or thirty little girls aboard, dressed in all sorts of brand-new outfits.

Little dresses, overalls, sailor uniforms...

They gathered in twos and threes, laughing and playing. They looked like a group of wealthy young princesses attending a seaside carnival.

The words Happy Angel were printed on its sail. It looked like nothing more than a vessel owned by some wealthy civilian merchant.

Lin Nuo raised a hand, signaling Alice to maintain course and not meddle.

The wind and waves were rough, and the ships soon passed one another.

Two minutes later, the Happy Angel slipped past the White Shell's starboard side and gradually disappeared into the distance.

"Uncle Lin Nuo! Look!"

At that moment, Teach suddenly shouted beside him.

Lin Nuo turned his head. In the darkness, a golden glow emerged on the distant horizon, as though a tiny sun were rising.

Then came a second, a third... more and more points of light appeared, outlining the terrain and towers.

Soon, a brightly lit island came into view.

They had arrived at Tenpan City.

Lin Nuo leaped down from the lookout platform and landed lightly at the bow.

Alice had already spread out a sea chart and pointed at the tip of the peninsula.

"Up ahead is Capone Peninsula. Tenpan City is at its very tip."

"According to the mayor's notes, the harbor is divided into inner and outer sections. The outer harbor is open to ordinary merchant ships, while the inner harbor requires special permission."

Lin Nuo carefully studied the markings on the map.

The mayor's notes described the city this way: prosperous on the surface, divided among gangs beneath, with even Navy officers lurking in the shadows. Unless necessary, do not linger.

"I'm thinking..."

Lin Nuo straightened up. "Should someone stay behind to guard the White Shell after we arrive?"

"Stay behind? Then let this woman and the kid stay here." Moria had somehow made his way onto the deck as well, arms folded.

Alice frowned. "Lin Nuo, I..."

"Watching the ship is an arduous task too." Lin Nuo looked at Moria.

"This place is like our base. Do you know what it means when a base is breached during a war?"

Moria choked on his words.

"Right, but can these two defend the base?" he asked, following Lin Nuo's logic.

Lin Nuo stroked his chin in thought. Then his eyes suddenly lit up. "Landing is dangerous, so we just won't dock."

"Not dock?"

"We'll keep the ship away from the peninsula and cruise in the coastal waters. I'll use my flying ability to take you directly into Tenpan City."

"That way, we can infiltrate the city while ensuring the safety of the White Shell, Alice, and the others. What do you think?"

Alice's eyes brightened. "That really is a good idea. Tenpan City is a vertical city. Infiltrating from the air will be more discreet than sneaking in through the harbor."

Moria thought it over and did not object.

There was no time to lose.

Lin Nuo took out three Transponder Snails he had found in the storage room and handed them to Alice and Moria.

These small communication snails, a specialty of the West Blue, had an effective range of roughly five kilometers—enough to keep in contact while cruising offshore.

"Call me immediately if anything happens," Lin Nuo said seriously. "Don't try to tough it out."

Alice took the Transponder Snail and nodded firmly.

"Then let the operation begin!"

The two walked to the bow. The lights of Tenpan City drew closer, and they could already make out its dense masts and warehouses.

But Lin Nuo suddenly stopped, closed his eyes, and cast his consciousness over that city of lights like a net.

The sounds of waves, reefs, and countless other things flowed past his ears.

"Voice of All Things."

Through the past few incidents, he had gradually become more familiar with this ability.

It had always activated passively before, but now he was beginning to use it actively.

Yet compared with its passive activation, the sounds he received were especially chaotic.

"Hey, why are you spacing out?"

Moria's impatient voice rang out.

"Stop wasting time."

Lin Nuo opened his eyes and turned to look at him.

"Kid, have you ever seen me fly at full speed?"

"Aren't you always that fast? How much faster can you—" Before Moria could finish, Lin Nuo had grabbed him by the back of his collar.

In the next instant, Moria felt the entire world blur with a buzz.

The scenery around them stretched into bands of color, while all sound was flung behind them.

His eyes widened as he watched the White Shell's lights shrink into a tiny point, Alice and Teach vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"...Slow down... I'm dizzy!" Moria tried to shout, but when he opened his mouth, he only swallowed a mouthful of wind.

"Haha, I haven't even floored it yet!" Lin Nuo's voice carried laughter through the wind.

Boom—

Their speed surged again!

"Y-you, just how fast can you fly—?!"

Moria's scream dragged into a long wail as they shot toward the lantern-like city.

Tenpan City, Seventh Level.

Ballroom City Entertainment Hall.

The city had earned its name from its terrain: ten districts coiled around a mountain, each level serving its own purpose.

The first level was for storage, the second for markets, the third for commoner housing... By the seventh level, Ballroom City had become the district of respectable people.

This was Tenpan's pleasure quarter, combining casinos, dance halls, bars, and underground boxing matches. It was noisy day and night, never closing.

At that moment, two men in black dragged a drunkard out and threw him through Ballroom City's gates.

The man struggled to his feet and slurred, "Bring Mary over to keep me company! I've got money!"

A tall, skinny man in black stepped forward with a professional smile on his face.

"Sir, you've enjoyed yourself enough tonight. Why not return and rest first, then come back tomorrow?"

"Bullshit!" The drunk swung a punch at him. "Do you know who I am? My brother-in-law is on the eighth level... the..."

"Of course I know." The man caught the punch with his right hand, his smile unchanged. "That is exactly why I advise you to leave yourself some dignity."

"Dignity? I want women! Now! Or I'll smash this place..."

The next second, the black-clad man's free left hand shot out and punched the drunkard in the head.

Bang.

After a dull impact, the man's head burst apart like a watermelon.

His body fell, blood spreading across the ground, yet the guests entering and leaving Ballroom City paid it no attention.

Only a small figure in a wide-brimmed hat and waiter's uniform paused at the entrance.

A lock of pink hair peeked from beneath the brim.

Through the crowd, Ginny saw clearly what had happened to the man on the ground, and her heart clenched violently.

She forced herself to look away, only to meet the gaze of that tall, skinny man at the entrance.

Ginny quickly lowered her head and hurried into Ballroom City.

I've finally gotten a group of them out... Now I have to hurry... Otherwise, Ivankov, Kuma, and the others will...

Thinking of what had just happened made the chill in her heart deepen. She tightened her grip on the tray in her hands.

No. I have companions behind me. I'm not fighting alone. I can save them. I definitely can!