Chapter 826

A sound of footsteps echoed from outside the door.

Drawing nearer,

Growing louder and louder.

Before long,

A crewman from the Red-Haired Pirates appeared before Red-Haired, looking frantic, as if something dire had occurred.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing the crewman, Red-Haired raised an eyebrow and asked.

After all…

These crewmen had sailed the New World with him for years.

Ordinary events

Could never cause a crewman to lose composure like this.

For some reason,

Red-Haired felt a premonition of ill fortune.

As expected!

The next moment,

His inner sense of dread immediately came true.

The crewman said: "It's bad! Little Lufei, this brat, got distracted playing and forgot he's a Devil Fruit user and now can't swim!"

"So…"

"The playful brat accidentally fell into the sea!"

"No trace of him!"

"We can't find him anywhere."

"We've searched the seas around Windmill Village and found no sign of Little Lufei—he vanished as if into thin air, leaving only his clothes and shoes on the shore near the harbor."

With these words spoken,

Red-Haired's pupils shrank slightly, his face turning pale.

Little Lufei…

He was the most crucial part of Red-Haired's plan!

He was the future Joy Boy!

He must not suffer any mishap!

Otherwise,

The consequences would be unimaginable.

Red-Haired would never allow Little Lufei to come to harm.

Therefore,

Upon hearing this devastating news, Red-Haired's expression changed utterly.

Instantly,

He barked orders: "Send everyone out to search! Find Little Lufei as soon as possible! He just became a Devil Fruit user, and now he's trapped in the sea—that's practically a death sentence."

Not to mention,

The sea hides countless Sea Kings.

Just the fact that Little Lufei, as a Devil Fruit user, would instantly lose all strength upon hitting the water and be unable to struggle—

Is enough to doom him beneath the waves.

A Devil Fruit user falling into the sea…

That's an extremely dangerous situation.

Moreover,

Little Lufei is only a year old.

As a non-swimmer, falling into the sea means he's likely to drown.

He could die from extreme oxygen deprivation, buried in the ocean.

This is a very real possibility.

If we can't find Little Lufei…

He will truly be in mortal danger.

If he encounters a Sea King, his safety becomes even more dire.

Little Lufei is not a terrifying creature like Kaido.

So.

If he suffers extreme oxygen deprivation underwater, Little Lufei will surely die!

Thinking of this, Red-Haired grew frantic and immediately rushed toward Windmill Village's harbor shore.

"Little Lufei…"

"You absolutely cannot die!"

"You are Joy Boy!"

"This future age, bound by chains, still needs your liberation."

"If you die, this future era will collapse completely."

At this moment, Red-Haired began to panic.

In desperation,

Red-Haired quickly arrived at the harbor shore of Windmill Village.

Here, the villagers of Windmill Village had already gathered in full.

Clearly.

They all knew that Little Lufei had fallen into the sea and was in grave danger.

Every single villager of Windmill Village had spontaneously set out.

Even,

they had halted the reconstruction of Machino's Tavern and thrown themselves into the search-and-rescue mission for Little Lufei.

Even Machino herself had come personally to the harbor shore, her face filled with anxiety as she scanned the surrounding seas, searching for any trace of Little Lufei.

"Shanks."

"Little Lufei…"

"He's gone!"

When Machino saw Red-Haired arrive at the harbor shore, her eyes turned red, and she could not help but speak in a trembling voice.

To her, Little Lufei,

was like her own child!

She had raised him from childhood.

As for Captain Kapu?

He was nothing but a neglectful father.

After dumping Little Lufei into Machino's care, he rarely asked after him again.

Therefore,

the bond between Machino and Little Lufei,

resembled that of a mother and son.

This deep affection could not be severed.

Upon hearing the news that Little Lufei had plunged into the sea, Machino nearly fainted from shock.

"I know, don't worry too much."

"That boy, Little Lufei, isn't so easily lost."

"As long as we speed up the search…"

"We'll surely bring Little Lufei back!"

Red-Haired began to comfort her.

In fact,

his worry for Little Lufei was stronger than anyone else's.