One Piece: The sky is azure, I just time-traveled today.

Page 74

Somewhere at sea, a small boat sails silently.

Liu Jiu looked at the life card in his hand, then glanced at the newspaper he had just bought from Newsbird.

"A 10,000-killer...?! How did he suddenly get involved with the Arlong Pirates? Couldn't he just be a bounty hunter? This is so sloppy!"

Naval Headquarters, Marshal's Office.

"puff--!"

Garp spat out a mouthful of senbei, and his hand holding the newspaper trembled slightly.

"Warring States! What's going on?!" He pointed to the photo of Koina on the front page. "The girl I once taught in the East Blue? How come she has a 30 million bounty on her head?!"

Sengoku rubbed his temples, his head aching: "According to the East Sea branch's report, she single-handedly wiped out the entire 'Town of Sin'..."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Garp slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "That awful place should have been cleaned up a long time ago! That bastard Bloodhand Caron, I've wanted to deal with him myself for ages!"

"The problem is..." Sengoku sighed, "she did it as a member of the Arlong Pirates. And her methods were far too... brutal."

"Bullshit!" Garp was so angry his mustache stood on end. "Kuina may be a bit cold-blooded, but she's definitely not a killer! There must be some misunderstanding here!"

Sengoku rubbed his temples in exasperation: "It's no use. The bounty has already been issued; withdrawing it now would be a slap in the face to the Navy!"

"Face?!" Garp slammed his fist on the table, shattering it in anger. "Just for that little bit of face, you're going to force a genius into becoming a pirate?!"

He paced anxiously back and forth in his office: "I was originally planning to personally recommend her to join the Navy in a few years! That girl's swordsmanship talent will definitely make her a pillar of the Navy in the future!"

Garp grew angrier as he spoke, slamming his fist against the wall: "Those bastards from the East Blue branch! They issued bounty notices without even investigating the basic facts!"

Zhan Guo said in a deep voice, "It's too late to say all this now. I hope she's really as you say, not a person who kills indiscriminately."

Behind the windmill village, three boys huddled around a crumpled newspaper.

"Wow! Kuina's amazing!" Luffy's eyes lit up. "Thirty million Berries... how many meals of barbecue could that buy?!"

Ace was equally stunned and speechless: "One person slaughtering a city...a kill of ten thousand! Has her strength become that terrifying?"

Sabo adjusted his top hat, lost in thought. "But why would she join the Arlong Pirates? It's not like her at all."

Luffy suddenly jumped up: "It's time for us to set sail! We can't let Kuina leave us too far behind!"

"Idiot!" Ace punched Luffy on the head. "We don't even have a decent ship!"

"What? It's just a boat! Tonight I'll ask Aunt Rouge for money to buy one! A super big boat, I'll be the captain, and you guys will be my crew!"

"You want to eat me?!"

"Exactly! Your Haki level is only average, how dare you call yourself our captain!"

The three boys were playing around, but their eyes all shone with longing for the sea.

Sabo suddenly became serious and said, "But to be honest, the Kuina incident reminded us..."

Ace chimed in, "Once we're at sea, we must make a name for ourselves so we can make it into the newspapers."

Luffy rubbed the bump on his head and grinned, "That's right... Once I set sail, I'm definitely going to find a crewmate as amazing as Kuina! Not only a swordsman, but also a musician, a doctor, a sniper, a cook, a navigator... and so on!"

The tranquility of the windmill village was shattered by the sudden arrival of a horse-drawn carriage team.

"Young Master Sabo, please come back with us," the well-dressed butler said expressionlessly.

Sabo was pale, his fists clenched: "I told you, I'm not going back!"

"This is the master's order." The butler gestured for the guards behind him to step forward. "You should understand that nobles have their own methods."

Ace and Luffy immediately stood in front of Sabo.

"Who dares to touch Sabo!" Ace glared angrily.

Luffy also assumed a fighting stance: "Sabo is our brother!"

But Sabo gently pushed them away, a bitter smile on his face: "I'm sorry... I have to go back, but I'll find a way to escape."

Sabo boarded the carriage under the resentful gazes of Ace and Luffy.

However, Sabo could not tolerate the hypocrisy of aristocratic life. Less than a week later, he stole a small boat under the cover of night and sent a letter:

"I'm sorry, Ace, Luffy, I can't wait until I'm 18. I'm setting sail first and will wait for you on the Grand Line!"

Under the moonlight, the boy sets sail alone, heading towards the free sea.

Chapter 85 Reunion, Farewell

On the azure sea, a small single-masted boat struggles to move forward.

"Damn it... we're almost out of food..." Sabo weakly steered the ship, his lips cracked.

Just then, a medium-sized sailboat came into view. When Sabo saw the figures on the deck, he froze.

"Kuina? Robin?"

Kuina poked her head out of the cabin: "Huh? Isn't that Sabo?"

Half an hour later, Sabo wolfed down his hot meal.

Kuina stood with her sword in hand: "So you snuck out?"

Sabo nodded vaguely: "I can't wait..."

"Nonsense." Kuina's tone was icy. "With your abilities, you think you can travel to the Grand Line alone? You won't survive three days."

Robin turned the pages gracefully: "It seems our plans have changed."

Sabo looked up abruptly: "You're taking me back?"

"No." Kuina said firmly, "You'll stay on our ship until you come of age."

Her eyes sharpened: "Since you've chosen to go to sea, you must be prepared for the consequences. Starting tomorrow, the duties of a sailor will be yours."

Sabo wanted to argue, but under Kuina's cold gaze, he could only nod silently.

And so, the future second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army was forced to join Kuina's team.

Three days later, at dusk, a small boat approached silently.

When Liu Jiu appeared on the deck, everyone was stunned.

"Uncle!" Nami exclaimed in surprise.

Kuina and Robin also showed surprised expressions.

Sabo was a little confused by their reaction, but he still called out, "Uncle!"

Liu Jiu's gaze first fell on Sabo, then on the Arlong Pirates tattoo on Nami's arm that was covered by her sleeve, and finally on Kuina and Robin.

"So," he began calmly, "that's why you haven't returned to Cocoyasi Village?"

"Not only do they cause trouble everywhere under the name of the Arlong Pirates, but they also have a 30 million bounty on their head?"

His tone remained calm, but with each sentence he spoke, the crowd lowered their heads further.

Sabo, however, felt much better when he saw Kuina being reprimanded, though his expression showed no change.

Nami quickly explained, "Uncle, there's a reason for all of this..."

"You don't need to speak up for them."

Liu Jiu calmly interrupted Nami, his gaze sweeping over Kuina and Robin.

"If you do something wrong, you should accept the punishment."

The boat was then turned around and headed towards Cocoyasi Village.

For the next three days, Kuina and Robin were punished by scrubbing the decks of the two ships.

"No using your abilities," Liu Jiu added calmly. "Wipe it yourself."

So every day, Kuina and Robin would kneel on the deck with rags and wipe the wooden planks little by little.

Sabo was happy to have some peace and quiet, leaning against the side of the ship watching the excitement.

"Need any help?" he asked deliberately.

Guina glared at him coldly and continued scrubbing the floor vigorously.

Robin remained elegant, but her wiping movements were noticeably clumsy.

Nami wanted to help, but Liu Jiu stopped her with a look.

"Let them learn their lesson."

Nami opened her mouth, as if to say something. The sea breeze ruffled her orange hair, and her eyes, which always gleamed with a cunning light, were now filled with unspoken explanations.

Liu Jiu turned his gaze to her.

"Belmel told me to tell you that the village is alright."

He paused, looking at Nami's slightly widened eyes.

"Those sailors aren't coming anymore. You can go home now."

Nami's fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes. She opened her mouth again, but in the end, she only nodded slightly, her voice so low it was almost drowned out by the sound of the waves:

A cry of seagulls came from afar.

Guina slowed down her wiping of the deck, leaving damp watermarks on the wooden planks.

Robin tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping thoughtfully over Nami.

So that was Uncle's purpose!?

Sabo, however, abandoned his spectatory expression and quietly leaned against the ship's railing.

After Liu Jiu finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the cabin, his footsteps steady and rhythmic until they were cut off by the soft sound of the door closing.

As the familiar green coastline of Cocoa West Village appeared on the horizon, Liu Jiu raised his hand and made a simple gesture.

The sails were slowly lowered, and the boat's speed gradually decreased.

He didn't explain, but simply gestured for Kuina, Robin, and Sabo to switch to the small boat they had come in on.

The mooring rope was untied and swayed gently along the side of the ship.

"Nami, will you be okay going back alone from now on?"

He said this to Nami, who was still standing on the big ship.