Red-Haired Youth

Charlos walked down the street in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, with Amira following behind him.

As he walked, he muttered, "Shouldn't we buy some of this? We should get some of that too. And that as well."

Watching Charlos pick through various things, Amira asked, "What use do we have for all this?"

Charlos replied, "It looks nice. Look at this calligraphy and painting. And look at this."

Amira said helplessly, "Hey, we came out to buy supplies. There's no use in buying these things."

"Oh, right, right. I forgot. I don't want any of these anymore."

After that, Charlos followed Amira into an armory.

Charlos looked at Amira. "Amira, what kind of weapon do you like? Want to pick something out here?"

Amira answered, "Mm, let's take a look."

Amira picked up and examined various weapons. The shopkeeper beside her introduced them, "Would you like to look at this saber? Or this sword? This is one of the Fifty Skillful Blades."

"One of the Fifty Skillful Blades?" Charlos walked over to inspect the saber.

The shopkeeper nodded. "That's right. This blade is essential for swordsmen."

Charlos asked, "One of the Fifty Skillful Blades—what is it called?"

The shopkeeper stroked the scabbard and slowly said, "This blade is called Lanque."

Amira reached out and gripped the hilt.

Charlos slowly said, "I'll take this blade."

The shopkeeper said with a smile, "Ah, you're quite the connoisseur. This blade isn't expensive—fifty million Beli. How would you like to pay?"

Amira glanced at Charlos and asked softly, "Charlos, isn't that too expensive?"

Charlos ignored Amira's words and casually said, "Card."

The shopkeeper froze for a moment. "Huh?"

"Card!"

"Oh, right, right, right."

"Isn't this a little too precious?"

Charlos turned to look at Amira.

"Do you think the things at auctions are expensive?"

"They are."

"Did I ever blink at the price?"

"No."

"Then buying this blade is no big deal."

"That's true. But I still feel like it isn't worth it."

"Worth it or not, just use it for now."

At that moment, a red-haired youth wearing a straw hat slowly walked past. Charlos's steps visibly paused as he looked toward the youth behind him.

"Hey, kid, stop right there."

The youth had a blade of grass hanging from his mouth and turned around.

"Me? What is it?"

Charlos's gaze slowly lowered.

"The sword at your waist."

The youth looked down at the sword hanging at his waist.

"This sword? An elder in my family gave it to me. What about it? Is there a problem?"

Charlos said, "There's no problem. It's just that I feel like I've seen that sword somewhere before."

The red-haired youth raised an eyebrow. "No way. You must be remembering wrong."

Charlos turned to Amira.

"Amira, Lanque is already in your hands. Don't you want to test its power?"

Amira answered, "I understand."

The red-haired youth turned his head and spat the grass from his mouth to the side.

"Oh, so you're looking for a fight. But I don't want to bully a girl."

Charlos said blandly, "Then you'll get beaten up by a girl."

Amira slowly drew Lanque.

At the same time, from the shadows of the street, a concealed presence firmly locked onto the sword-drawing Amira.

Charlos's gaze swiftly swept over his surroundings.

Amira's expression darkened slightly as she said in a low voice, "Charlos, someone is watching me."

Charlos walked over and placed his hand on Lanque's blade.

"Friend, seeing you reminds me of an acquaintance."

The red-haired youth's eyes shifted slightly.

"It can't be that much of a coincidence, can it?"

Charlos smiled faintly. "Interested in finding a tavern for a drink? My treat."

"Sure, let's go."

Charlos turned to Amira.

"Come along."

Inside the tavern, Charlos handed over a gold ingot.

"I'm covering all the alcohol here."

The server stared at the gold, looking astonished.

"Sir, you're not joking, are you?"

"I'm not joking. I'm covering it."

Seeing Charlos spend so lavishly, the red-haired youth exclaimed, "Wow, you don't need to be this generous, do you?"

"You're not going to tell me you have no money, are you?"

The youth grinned. "Hehe, I really don't have much money right now."

"You have no money, and your family was willing to let you come out alone like this?"

"What does it matter?"

Amira leaned close to Charlos and asked quietly, "Charlos, do you know what family he belongs to?"

Charlos replied, "I can roughly guess."

Charlos and the youth sat down on chairs nearby.

Amira stepped forward and first filled Charlos's cup with wine.

"Fill his too."

Amira nodded and raised her hand to pour the youth a full cup as well.

Watching the scene before him, the youth chuckled.

"Wow, you really know how to enjoy yourself. Don't you get tired of living such a lavish life?"

Charlos turned to look at the youth.

"No. I think it's pretty good."

"What's so good about it?"

"You never have to worry about food or drink, you have clothes and shelter, people serve you, and you can enjoy your life in peace. Isn't that good?"

The youth shook his head, his eyes filled with longing.

"But I think we should set sail and go on adventures. Not knowing what the future holds—that's the best."

Charlos spoke evenly.

"That's your idea, not mine."

Charlos drained the wine before him in one gulp.

"Then what kind of life do you think is the best?"

The youth's eyes shone, and his tone was sincere.

"Having a group of companions of your own, setting sail together to train and adventure, riding the winds and breaking the waves. The sea holds countless dreams that make your heart race."

Charlos said lightly.

"Yes, which is why I'm also adventuring on the sea right now."

The youth looked at him with a hint of defiance.

"What kind of adventure is that? You have people specifically protecting you, people specifically watching over you—"

"What right do you have to talk about me?"

"I'm different from you."

"How are you different?"

"I don't have people protecting me."

"Neither do I."

The youth drained the wine in his cup, then casually filled it again.

"Then aren't the CP0 lurking in the shadows protecting you?"

Charlos sneered.

"Your surroundings are full of CP0 too, aren't they?"

Amira's eyes widened instantly as she looked at Charlos in shock.

"You mean the one watching me just now was..."

Charlos nodded lightly.

The youth sneered as well, then burst into laughter.

"Ha ha, since we're both cut from the same cloth, there's no need to keep hiding it. What did you come here for?"

"To find someone."

"And you?"

"My former family's territory is around here. I came to take a look, and I'm preparing to set sail while I'm at it."

"You haven't set sail yet?"

"No, hehe."

Charlos laughed helplessly. "Fine. Then how about this? Since you want to adventure on the sea, let's have a match."

"No problem."

The youth raised a hand to rest it on the sword at his waist, his tone carefree.

"But I'm skilled with a sword, so don't blame me later for fighting unfairly."

Charlos flexed his fists, applying a little force through his fingertips.

"I'm not skilled with a sword. I only use my fists. Watch out for my fists—they hurt when they hit."

At that moment, Amira handed Lanque over.

"Charlos, why don't you use this first?"

Charlos waved it off.

"No need. I'll use my fists to teach him a lesson."

The red-haired youth raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"That may not be the case."

The two walked out of the tavern together and arrived at an open stretch of flat ground outside the city.

Charlos rolled his neck, his bones letting out a faint series of cracks.

"Are you ready? My fists hurt when they hit people."

He slowly raised his fist. Jet-black Armament Haki instantly covered his entire fist, its dark black gleam condensed without dispersing.

"This thing hurts when it hits people."

The youth opposite him grew serious and drew the sword at his waist.

"Don't say I fought unfairly."

The gleaming blade was instantly covered in dense, jet-black Armament Haki. The entire longsword radiated a chilling edge, overflowing with Haki.