Chapter 75: A Meeting in the New World, Little Garden
Somewhere in the New World.
The red-haired, one-armed man looked at the Den Den Mushi in his hand, a faint smile gracing the corners of his stubbled mouth. "So Louis, Uta, and the others have entered the Grand Line..."
The Den Den Mushi mimicked the old man at the Twin Capes, its expression difficult to describe. "They're very bold. Not only did they steal a warship from who-knows-where to use as their vessel, but they don't even have a navigator on board!"
These words instantly sobered up most of the Red Hair crew, who had been drunk and disorderly from a banquet.
"Stole a warship?"
"No navigator?"
The crew members looked at each other, their expressions turning strange.
To this, Shanks glanced at them and said with a smile, "It's fine. With Louis's abilities, he doesn't really need a navigator."
Just then, a hearty male voice rang out, affirming Shanks's view. "That's right. With his Devil Fruit ability, he really doesn't need a navigator."
The crew was stunned, then subconsciously retorted, "You two are being way too optimistic!"
Shanks heard this, scratched his head, and revealed a meaningful smile. "Haha... don't you underestimate Louis. He might even be stronger than me by now!"
On the other side, Crocus, hearing the peals of laughter from the Den Den Mushi, was reminded of the Roger Pirates and the Rumbar Pirates. He hung up, a nostalgic smile on his face.
The handsome man with black wings and two swords at his waist slowly stood up under the gaze of the Red Hair Pirates. "Since he's already in the Grand Line, I'll go and see him."
His words made the entire Red Hair crew turn to look at him. They subconsciously asked, "In such a hurry?"
Shanks saw this and asked with a smile, "Didn't you say back then that you would consider joining us after I defeated you?"
To this, Arcordon pouted at Shanks. "But you haven't defeated me yet! Besides, I have a more important goal now. I've given up a lot for it. I must continue down this path." As he spoke, Arcordon's tone gradually became heavy.
The Red Hair crew fell silent. They had heard from Shanks that the man before them had once been a pure swordsman. But when he appeared in the New World, he had become a Devil Fruit user.
After a long while, a look of regret appeared on Shanks's face. "Is that so..."
"We'll talk again the next time I return to the New World..." Arcordon smiled and waved goodbye, then transformed into a dazzling flash of lightning and disappeared.
Shanks watched the lightning recede into the distance, his thoughts drifting back to the past.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Arcordon. I'm a swordsman!"
"You're really strong! Even Buggy and I together couldn't beat you!"
"..."
"Arcordon! Do you want to go on an adventure with me and Buggy?"
"We'll talk after you've defeated me!"
After a long time, Shanks patted his behind and stood up, turning to his crew with a brilliant smile. "Louis, Uta, and the others are catching up fast! We can't stay here for too long! Let's go, let's continue our adventure!"
Grand Line - First Half.
Daz Bonez stood in the crow's nest of the warship, holding a pair of binoculars and looking out at the distant sea. After a long while, he spotted something.
A brown "landmass" floating on the surface of the sea. "What is that..."
Under Daz Bonez's watch, the brown landmass moved slowly with the ocean current, heading in the direction of their warship. This situation made Daz Bonez's brow furrow. He lowered his binoculars and shouted down to the deck in a deep voice, "Something's coming up ahead."
Louis heard him, put down the document in his hand, stood up, and walked to the bow, looking into the distance. Brown, floating on the sea. This characteristic made Louis search his mind for something similar. The dung of an Island-Eater Goldfish.
After making his judgment, Louis gave the warship beneath his feet the order to evade.
Soon, Yelena and Uta also walked out of the cabin and came to Louis's side. Yelena frowned and asked, "What's coming?"
"Excrement," Louis answered directly, not hiding what the distant object was.
"..."
Yelena stood stunned on the deck.
Nearby, Uta had a pensive look on her face. Then, she asked with some hesitation, "Is it the legendary dung of some island-eating sea monster?"
"Most likely. There aren't many creatures that can produce dung this large," Louis replied casually, sensing the massive life signature under the sea.
The warship passed the island-sized piece of dung and continued on its way. Not long after, the dark silhouette of an island gradually entered their field of vision. This time, it was a real island.
Primeval Island - Little Garden.
The warship slowly docked at the coast, automatically furling its sails and dropping its heavy anchor.
Uta, carrying her backpack, ran across the deck. She leaped up at the railing, preparing to jump off the ship. However, a tall, dark shadow enveloped her petite figure. A large, merciless hand reached out, grabbed one of her hands, and lifted her into mid-air.
"???"
Uta, suspended in the air, turned her head to look at Louis with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong, Louis?"
Louis lifted Uta back from mid-air and placed her on the deck. He pointed to the short-sleeved shirt she was wearing, which had the Archangel Pirates' flag printed on it. "Go back and put on something thicker. This is a primeval island. There might be some ancient bacteria left."
A few years from now, Nami of the Straw Hat Pirates would be bitten by a poisonous insect here and fall gravely ill. If it weren't for a certain medical kingdom nearby, she probably wouldn't have made it to Alabasta.
Uta understood immediately. She handed her backpack to Louis and then ran back into the cabin.
Just then, Daz Bonez came down from the crow's nest. "Captain, I'll go scout ahead..."
Louis nodded. "Go ahead."
Then, Daz Bonez walked down the lowered gangplank and entered the jungle directly.
It wasn't until Daz Bonez's figure had disappeared into the jungle that Louis turned his head to look at the other side of the island. "Who is that? Such a familiar life signature."
In Louis's Observation Haki, besides the two powerful giants on the island, there was also another life signature that felt familiar to him.
Just then, Yelena, wearing a baseball cap, her long white hair tied into a high ponytail, dressed in a black shirt with an overcoat, long military pants, and black boots, also came to Louis's side with her backpack and war hammer.
"Where's Uta?" Yelena first glanced at the backpack in Louis's hand, then looked around, searching for Uta. Ever since Uta had gotten to know her and Louis, she rarely left their side, usually sticking close to them.
Louis pointed to the cabin. "There might be poisonous insects here, so I told her to change into some sturdier clothes."
Yelena looked at the dense jungle and nodded thoughtfully. "That's definitely necessary."
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 400 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 20+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you!