Time slipped quietly by. Night fell, and stars dotted the sky. With Aokiji's help, the ice quickly melted. As the ice along the shore cleared, they had somewhere to hold a banquet, and their spirits lifted with it.
The two sides, who had been fighting fiercely just moments before, now sat together like old friends, laughing and sharing a feast. The bonfire blazed, lighting everyone's faces and illuminating their satisfied smiles.
Chopper had slowly awakened not long before. Once he learned that everything was fine, a brilliant smile bloomed on his adorable little face. Now, Robin held him gently in her arms as he enjoyed the delicious food with Luffy and the others.
Zoro strolled over to Aokiji, and a fierce drinking contest began. They went back and forth, neither giving an inch, boldly downing one glass after another. Neither would show weakness.
Sanji busied himself beside a nearby bonfire, skillfully preparing all kinds of delicious dishes. After all, he was their only cook, and apart from the two ladies, practically every member of the Straw Hat Pirates was a big eater with an astonishing appetite.
Yet amid this cheerful atmosphere, Liu Qing sat alone to one side, deep in thought.
He gazed at the starry sky, silently considering his strength. Looking back on when he had first arrived in this world, he had originally intended to spend his life alone, free and unrestrained.
His current strength would have been enough for that. With the deterrent of a ten-thousand-meter-tall Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands, practically no one would come looking for trouble unless they had lost their minds. And if he used eighty percent of his Chakra, creating a hundred-thousand-meter Buddha would not be impossible.
Of course, that was on the condition that Luffy and the others