Time / Run!

They were only a little over a day's sail from the bustling Water 7. Their island lay off the main shipping routes, which was why it seemed so quiet.

Once he left the island, it shouldn't take long to spot a ship bound for Water 7.

He didn't know if fate was playing a trick on him, but not a single ship had appeared today, though he usually saw them with ease. He knew spending a night on the Grand Line in his little boat was out of the question.

He had gone to sea to find a way to live, not to die.

Still, his luck wasn't bad. He didn't really know why he had kept waiting there, but after just one morning, a ship finally came.

Chapter 213: Time

He had escaped the island last night, set out at daybreak, and waited here ever since.

"Young man, could you take an old fellow aboard?"

Kabuli hurriedly sat up, braced his hands on the sides of his little boat, and slowly stood. He looked at Kuta with hope in his eyes.

He knew plenty of merchant ships sailed to Water 7, and their crews were generally willing to help someone stranded at sea. After all, he looked like an old man now, and a harmless one at that.

But judging by Kuta's clothes, bearing, and the Freedom, Kuta clearly wasn't a merchant.

If he wasn't a merchant, then...

A pirate.

That was the last sort of person Kabuli wanted to meet. But he didn't know whether another ship would come today if he let the Freedom pass. Besides, Kuta didn't look vicious. He gave off an air of warmth and approachability.

And the moment Kabuli saw the Freedom's flag, it was as though a voice inside him had told