Li Wenjin's answer was exactly what Tina had anticipated. Judging by his appearance, it didn't seem like he had been attacked by pirates—he most likely had fallen into the sea while on a ship.
Tina considered for a moment and said, "Then where is your hometown? I will send you back there."
Hearing Tina's words, Li Wenjin immediately started thinking of a plan.
He didn't want to leave Tina's side because other places were too dangerous. Only by staying close to her did he have the greatest chance of survival.
"I have no home and no family. I am a wanderer. Wherever there is work, I will go."
Li Wenjin's plan was to win Tina's sympathy so she would take him back to Navy Headquarters. That way, his life would be guaranteed, and maybe he could even get a clerical job at the Navy HQ.
Unfortunately, Tina immediately shattered Li Wenjin's hopeful idea.
"Since you have no home, I will send you to Sademoss Island. The Navy branch commander there is a friend of mine. You can live well there from now on."
Sademoss Island was a place Tina would pass by when returning to Navy Headquarters. The Navy branch commander there was a classmate who graduated at the same time as Tina.
Actually, Tina sending Li Wenjin to live on Sademoss Island was already a kindness to him, but Li Wenjin didn't think so because he still didn't want to leave Tina's side.
"Beautiful big sister, can you take me to Navy Headquarters? I want to join the Navy."
After saying this, Li Wenjin looked at Tina expectantly, hoping she would agree to his request so he could increase his chances of survival.
Tina was pleased by Li Wenjin's compliment but shook her head firmly: "Without the proper status, you cannot join Navy Headquarters."
Although she had already expected this, Tina's answer still disappointed Li Wenjin greatly.
"Then, big sister, could you send me to the Ximozhiji Village in the East Blue?"
Since he couldn't go to Navy Headquarters, he could only choose the East Blue, which was the place he knew best and where he could guarantee his survival.
Moreover, Ximozhiji Village had the Isshin Dojo run by Geng Siro, which was considered a very safe place.
If he could apprentice at Isshin Dojo and get along well with Zoro, maybe he could make a name for himself.
Actually, Li Wenjin originally wanted to go to Windmill Village to find Luffy, Ace, and the others, but he gave up. People like Luffy and Ace, fearless as they were, might get him killed. So, he thought it safer to go to an ordinary place like Isshin Dojo.
His plan was good, but again, Tina shattered Li Wenjin's hopes.
"We are returning to Navy Headquarters. I cannot send you to the East Blue. I can give you some money so you can take a ship from Sademoss Island back to the East Blue. There are merchant ships there that sail to the East Blue," Tina said with a shake of her head.
Helpless, Li Wenjin thought if he couldn't follow Tina to the East Blue, and he went alone on the sea, encountering pirates on a merchant ship, no one there would save him. His likely outcome would be death.
Thinking about suddenly being separated from his family and ending up in the dangerous world of One Piece, tears welled up in his eyes. Then, feigning tearfulness, he looked at Tina and said, "Beautiful sister, really, you can't send me to the East Blue?"
Facing the pitiful Li Wenjin, Tina sighed, thought for a moment, and finally said helplessly, "I can't send you to the East Blue myself, but I can find someone to send you there. However, he has a bad temper. If you go with him, you might encounter some trouble."
Though a bit disappointed, Li Wenjin could only accept the situation and pretended to be happy, saying, "Thank you, beautiful sister."
Tina didn't respond but turned to the Navy soldier behind her and said, "Go call Lieutenant Smoker and see if he has already left for the East Blue. If not, tell him to wait for me at Navy Headquarters."
The Navy soldier immediately took the order and went to make the call. Li Wenjin's mood soared.
Following Smoker to the East Blue was far safer than going with Tina. After all, Smoker, a Logia Devil Fruit user, was an invincible existence in the East Blue.
"You should rest in your room now. When we reach Navy Headquarters, I will arrange for someone to send you to the East Blue," Tina told Li Wenjin.
After saying this, Tina ignored Li Wenjin. They weren't close, so she had no reason to chat. She also felt she had done her utmost kindness to him; if Li Wenjin hadn't been somewhat likable, she wouldn't have bothered.
Tina turned and left. Li Wenjin did not return to his room but instead helped Navy soldiers clear the seawater on the deck while casually asking them about the details of the One Piece world.
He wanted to ask Tina about the current situation, but her distant attitude made him afraid to approach. So, he could only ask the soldiers.
The soldiers didn't pay much attention to Li Wenjin, but since he helped reduce their workload, they casually answered his questions—mostly news and newspaper information.
He kept busy with the soldiers until night, exhausting himself. Finally, he fully understood his current situation:
The year was 1516 of the Sea Circle Calendar, four years before Luffy set sail. They were in the South Blue, and it would take three days to reach Navy Headquarters.
(Of course, the three days was by Navy warship. If traveling by a normal ship, it would take at least a month.)
At night, Li Wenjin rested in the same room with ten Navy soldiers. He didn't disturb their rest but quietly thought about what to do next.
With his ordinary body, he was fairly confident he could survive on a safe island. But truly safe islands in the One Piece world were almost nonexistent, which troubled him.
Having come to the One Piece world, he also wanted to see the various beauties and powerful figures of the pirate world, as a veteran fan.
Unfortunately, he had checked himself thoroughly and found no "cheat" ability, which made him very frustrated.
He had transmigrated into the One Piece world but was only an ordinary person, which was hard to accept.
He had hoped to study swordsmanship at Isshin Dojo and become a master swordsman, but now, at 14 or 15 years old, he could only sigh helplessly.
Becoming strong required training from a young age. At his age, becoming a top expert through training was almost impossible.
The only way Li Wenjin saw to become stronger now was by eating a Dev
il Fruit, and it had to be a powerful one. He could think of no other way to improve.