"Eh? Mr. Rayleigh? Why did you come here with Old Niel?"
Seeing who the visitors were, Xiang En was a little surprised. He momentarily forgot about Kagura and Klee, who were now out of sight, and quickly welcomed the two guests inside.
"Didn't I tell you I had contact with the shipwright from Island 53 at a casino?" Rayleigh said with a smile, while glancing around the cottage.
Unlike his first visit, Old Niel seemed familiar with the place. Without needing guidance from Xiang En, he took the groceries he had brought directly to the refrigerator and kitchen.
"I ran into Rayleigh today on Island 53 and only then realized that you, little brother, also know this old gambler."
"Actually, it was Mr. Rayleigh who recommended I come to Island 53 to get a ship coated. I originally planned to find a place to stay with Kagura first and then go to the shipyard the next day, but I didn't expect you, Old Niel, to suddenly appear and greet us."
Xiang En took out three wine glasses, took the bottle from Rayleigh's hand, and poured a glass for all three of them.
"But Mr. Rayleigh, shouldn't you be coating Luffy's ship right now? Why do you have time to specially come and find me?"
Xiang En handed them the glasses and asked, looking puzzled.
"The coating was completed today. It's just that the ship is ready, but its owner might take a long time to return."
Rayleigh took a sip of wine, a look of recollection surfacing in his deep eyes.
Two days ago, Rayleigh saved the Straw Hat Pirates from Kizaru. Just as he was locked in a fierce battle with the Admiral, an unexpected person suddenly appeared:
Warlord Bartholomew Kuma. After a brief exchange, he reached an agreement with Rayleigh: Rayleigh would hold off Kizaru while Kuma used his Devil Fruit ability to send Luffy and his crew to safe islands.
"If you were going on a trip, where would you choose to go?"
Kuma took off his gloves and, under Kizaru's increasingly ugly gaze, sent the members of the Straw Hat crew flying one by one.
After that, Kizaru lost the will to fight Rayleigh, turning into a flash of light and immediately escaping. However, on the way, he unexpectedly found Drake, who was bleeding heavily and had collapsed unconscious. He was forced to secretly take him away and hide him somewhere to recover. The next day, after learning that Xiang En and Kagura were still on the Sabaody Archipelago, he had a bold idea…
After separating from Kuma, Rayleigh honored his agreement with the Straw Hats, transporting their ship to Island 53 and secretly completing the coating. Upon completion, he remembered that Xiang En and his group were also on this island and decided to visit.
"So that's what happened." After hearing Rayleigh's account of his experiences over the past two days, Xiang En finally understood why Kizaru had tossed Drake into his home.
With the Summit War approaching, Kizaru, as one of the Marine's highest fighting powers, could not remain on the Sabaody Archipelago, and all Marines on the island would be recalled to Headquarters. Therefore, he handed the task of caring for Drake over to Xiang En and Kagura.
However, what constantly puzzled Xiang En was why Kizaru, having met him only a few times, would trust him and Kagura so much.
Wasn't he afraid that I would expose Drake as a "Marine undercover agent"?
Seeing Xiang En's conflicted expression, Rayleigh mistakenly thought he was worrying about Luffy and the others. While lamenting the youth's strong sense of friendship, he offered words of reassurance:
"Little brother Xiang En, you don't need to worry too much. I believe that with the bonds they share, Luffy and his crew will definitely be able to regroup and set sail again."
Ah? I wasn't worried about them at all!
Why worry about the protagonist group?
Xiang En was momentarily blank. He felt that Rayleigh's words were full of admiration for the Straw Hat Pirates, perhaps because of that straw hat or Shanks.
He nodded in agreement: "Yes, I believe in them too."
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Kagura rushed out the door with Klee in tow, as if they were fleeing a pursuit. They ran for a dozen blocks before finally stopping.
"Hoo... hoo, Big Sister Ka... Kagura, Klee really wants to blast fish, but we don't have to run so fast, right?"
Klee was panting heavily, a look of surprise in her eyes as she looked at Kagura.
Her stamina was already extraordinary; at least in Mondstadt, the Knights of Favonius rarely managed to catch her when she caused trouble.
She never expected this new friend, who looked unremarkable and was only half a head taller than her, to be able to run even better, and not even breathe heavily afterward. It showed how terrifyingly fit she was.
"Heh, you're still too young, little Klee. How could that guy confidently let the two of us go out to play? He's definitely regretted it and is chasing us right now."
Seeing that no one was chasing them, Kagura let out a sigh of relief, though she was also slightly disappointed.
Then, as if an idea struck her, her expression shifted. She suddenly raised her hand and patted Klee's small head, mimicking the way Xiang En usually patted her.
Wow, patting the head of someone shorter than you is such a comfortable thing to do!
Kagura finally understood Xiang En's pleasure. She stroked Klee's head, her lips curving into an involuntary smile.
Klee didn't mind her new friend's action, believing it to be a sign of close friendship.
"Do we keep running then? To completely hide from Big Brother Xiang En, and then go blast fish at the seaside together!" She lifted her head, eagerly waving her little fists.
Kagura came back to her senses. She looked down, her eyes trembling, and she couldn't help but gasp.
This level of cuteness is cheating!
The sweet voice, the pointed ears, the slightly flushed delicate small face, the deep red pupils filled with confusion…
No wonder that guy, Xia-chan, was so eager to drag me out of bed this morning. It was all for this adorable little Loli.
Damn it! I was bought off with a single lollipop!
And what bothered Kagura the most was that this view—looking down at a Loli—was the exact angle Xiang En looked at her every day!
So that guy lives such a good life every day, and now that happiness is going to double!
The more Kagura thought about it, the angrier she got. She looked around but found that even after all this time, that guy still hadn't chased after them.
Kagura became suspicious. Based on her understanding of Xiang En, he should have definitely come out to follow them by now.
Could he have been stopped by someone else on the way out?
"Why aren't you talking, Big Sister Kagura? Or should we wait for Big Brother Xiang En to come play with us?"
Seeing Kagura remain silent, Klee tugged at her clothes and tilted her head to ask.
"Hmph, I won't wait for that Loli-con here. Let's go first!"
Kagura said angrily. She grabbed Klee's hand and ran towards the sea.
The Harbor.
"Get out of the way! These are goods needed by the great Celestial Dragons! How dare you bastards block the path!"
A slave ship branded with the Celestial Dragon flag sailed into the harbor. Relying on the noble identity of the Celestial Dragons, it acted like a bully among ships, crashing into all vessels that stood in its way.
But they did not know that upon docking, they would be greeted by two little girls who were on a mission to blast fish together.