Chapter 681

Lu En stood on the deck and saw a massive island appear ahead in the sea.

Though far away,

he could still feel it.

This was an island of extraordinarily vast area.

"An island?"

His eyes flickered as he steered the sailboat toward the island.

The closer he got to the island…

the more he felt its immense size.

No smaller than a continent!

He sailed the sailboat to the island's harbor shore.

Then,

Lu En leapt down from the deck and successfully landed on Dengdao.

Strangely…

the harbor shore showed no trace of human presence.

He scanned all around, carefully observing the island's terrain and environment.

Mountains encircled it,

layered and folded.

Trees formed dense forests.

This was an island brimming with life.

Lush green grass grew thickly, radiating a powerful aura of vitality.

"Based on the geographical conditions of the East Sea…"

"A conservative preliminary estimate."

"The island I have landed on is very likely the location of Shuangyue Village, near Windmill Village."

"That is…"

"the site where the Ichinichi Dojo, which later trained Zoro, was established."

Lu En followed the scant clues further.

At that moment,

he suddenly noticed a sailboat moored at the edge of the harbor.

The sailboat's mooring position was extremely hidden.

Had he not observed closely, he might have missed any trace of its existence.

It was as if…

someone had deliberately concealed its presence.

"This ship's origins are not simple."

"Judging by its hull structure, it doesn't look like a pirate ship."

"Rather, it resembles a merchant vessel."

"But if it were a merchant ship, there'd be no need to hide it."

Lu En pondered.

He shook his head and stopped overthinking.

No matter how mysterious this ship's origins were,

it had little to do with him.

As long as it didn't come after him…

he wouldn't bother with it.

"Huh…"

Suddenly, Lu En turned sharply back toward the merchant ship, a faint clue flashing in his mind.

··········Please give me flowers·······

For some reason…

he had a feeling

that this hidden merchant ship was very likely connected to the Revolutionary Army!

"A Revolutionary Army ship?"

"There are traces of the Revolutionary Army here…?"

"Truly unexpected."

"I wonder who among the Revolutionary Army is commanding this sailboat."

Lu En murmured in amazement.

Based on the few clues he had gathered, he could now nearly deduce the ship's mysterious origin.

Ninety percent chance it's the Revolutionary Army!

"Does this island house a Revolutionary Army base?"

"Or perhaps…"

"some faction tied to the Revolutionary Army resides here?"

"Could it be the Ichinichi Dojo?"

"Highly likely!"

In my memory, the Yixin Dao Field and the Revolutionary Army indeed had an unusually close connection.

The two sides appear to be collaborators!

With curiosity stirring within him, Lu En took a step forward, preparing to enter the island's interior.

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But just as he took that step.

He saw a figure standing directly ahead, gazing at him with dull, expressionless eyes.

In an instant,

Lu En's step came to a sudden halt, stopping dead in its tracks.

"This person…"

His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the figure before him.

This was an immensely huge man.

Nearly six or seven meters tall, he resembled a towering mountain, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.

In comparison,

Lu En's body instantly appeared like a tiny ant.

He saw

The man wore a black shirt and gray pants, both tight-fitting, revealing his massive, muscular frame—broad-shouldered and bear-like, powerfully built.

Strangely…

Both his shirt and pants were covered in countless imprints resembling Xiong Zhang.

Dense and numerous,

dizzying to behold.

Finally…

what caught Lu En's attention was

that the man held in his left hand a book with a purple cover.

He wore a gray hat covered in Xiong Zhang patterns, and atop his head seemed to be two bear ears; beneath the hat lay black curly hair, his face stern and expressionless, radiating seriousness.

"What a coincidence."

"I never expected to run into you here."

"Bartholomew Kuma!"

Lu En gazed deeply at the man, his eyes profound, tinged with amusement and surprise.

That's right!

At this very moment.