Chapter 80: The Boundary of Fate

Eight years ago, on the Sky Island of Bika.

"Big earlobes, big earlobes."

A group of Bika children with small white wings on their backs were making faces at the one ahead; the lead boy even made a grimace and dragged his voice out long.

"Big earlobes, big earlobes~"

"Nobody wants big earlobes~"

Enel, mocked by the children, seemed to hear nothing at all and continued walking forward on his own. Ahead lay a forest of vines winding around giant trees, a place villagers rarely visited.

Precisely because no one went there, he could beg for a moment of peace.

The wind blew, sweeping up leaves from the ground and also dispersing the mocking sounds gradually fading behind him.

Enel gazed into the depths of the forest, his eyes filled with coldness and alienation from everything around him.

He had been different from others since childhood.

Not only were those conspicuous big earlobes, but also the loneliness deep in his bones that made it hard to blend into a group; the Bika children refused to accept him, and adults mostly cast looks of seeing a freak.

To this, Enel felt only contempt in his heart.

"A bunch of ignorant fools."

"Stuck in Bika for their whole lives."

Entering the depths of the forest, the lush branches and leaves blocked out both the outside light and the noise.

Until he could walk no further, Enel sat by a tree root, burying his face between his knees; the feigned coldness instantly collapsed, leaving only profound loneliness.

Those mocking words constantly reminded him: here, he would forever be an outcast.

Enel longed for the legend of the Infinite Land, dreaming that one day he could personally reach the Infinite Land and leave behind Bika, this place of sorrow.

Just as this loneliness was about to swallow him, a strange fruit, entirely golden and resembling a bolt of lightning, rolled to Enel's side from somewhere unknown.

Enel stared at this fruit he had never seen before; the loneliness in his eyes faded somewhat, replaced by confusion and curiosity.

"This... doesn't look edible."

The surroundings remained silent; only that golden fruit seemed to be issuing a silent invitation to Enel, or perhaps wanting to illuminate his dark childhood.

Enel held the fruit in his arms, examining it.

"Can this thing... be eaten?"

(｡ò∀ó｡) The Boundary of Fate.

Conomi Islands, Post-Sand Town dock.

A group of burly teenagers gathered around a small cart, staring at the white-haired child running the stall; their black shadows completely blocked out the scorching sun.

"Nobody wants this white-haired brat!"

Saint Saint Saiwen, aged nine that year, bare-chested, looked speechlessly at this group of problem youths; in his past life, he would have absolutely kicked them all into the sea.

Unfortunately, his reincarnation skills were inadequate.

Personally sent by the Great Transport Heavenly Venerable to a pirate world where everyone was a strongman, he not only lacked a noble birth but his physique was a complete mess.

After the old village head passed away, he could barely survive by setting up a stall to sell fish balls, yet he still had to be harassed by a group of problem youths, nearly living as the most tragic transmigrator in history.

Saint Saint Saiwen silently gripped the fish-killing knife at his waist.

"Big Head, wait until I finish my stall."

The youth called Big Head stepped forward, delivering a powerful kick that directly overturned the fish ball stall.

"Setting up a stall? You might as well set up a ball stall."

"White-haired brat, last time we accidentally fell asleep and you took advantage; this time you'll get what's coming to you."

"Big Head brother, don't waste words on him."

The youth with a pointed nose and monkey-like cheeks gritted his teeth. "It was the white-haired brat who cursed the old village head to death; we must make this jinx roll out of Post-Sand Town."

"Yes, beat him."

There were many hooligans wanting to beat Saint Saint Saiwen; the reasons were nothing but a few types—

He was the child of other people's dreams in the mouths of these hooligans' parents, and also the girls his age liked to follow in his footsteps.

Most importantly, he had no family to stand up for him.

Having lived two lives, Saint Saint Saiwen, with a mature psychological age, had previously been too lazy to deal with this group of hooligans, but they actually dared to kick the thing he used to eat.

"Damn it!"

Saint Saint Saiwen drew the fish-killing knife from his waist and swung the flat of the blade down onto the lead hooligan, Big Head.

A painful howl rang out.

The hooligans first froze for half a second, then erupted into ear-piercing curses, rushing at Saint Saint Saiwen with wooden sticks and broken bricks.

The dock instantly descended into chaos.

Curses, the clashing of fists and feet, and the dull thuds of the knife flat hitting bones and flesh mixed together, while the ground kicked up countless clouds of dust.

At that moment, a giant ship docked at the pier.

On the bow of the red-sailed giant ship, a man with an eight-shaped mustache that looked like nose hair stared at the dock direction, his brow filled with curiosity.

"Lei Li, did you see it?"

Beside the big-nose-hair man, a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses nodded.

"I saw it; the moment that white-haired kid drew his knife... Conqueror's Haki flashed on his hand."

Lei Li truly could not imagine that such a small and weak kid possessed the qualities of a king; even though Captain Luo Jie had a host of kingly qualities, he had never heard of Conqueror's Haki awakening at such a young age.

The East Blue truly is full of talents.

"Go down and take a look; the ship just happens to need a cook."

When Luo Jie and Lei Li arrived before the overturned cart, Saint Saint Saiwen was cleaning up the fish balls spilled on the ground, and the fish-killing knife at his waist had already turned red.

Picking up the fish balls from the ground, Luo Jie ate them in big mouthfuls: bursting with juice, fresh and fragrant, chewy... every texture was eye-opening.

Luo Jie immediately extended his hand and issued an invitation—

"Kid, your fish balls are well made."

"Come aboard my ship."

Saint Saint Saiwen lifted his head, squinting his bruised eyes against the sunlight to look at the strangely comical nose hair; the voice echoing in his mind left him instantly stunned, unable to recover for a long time.

Overcome with excitement, his eyes even misted over.

【Ding, the Myriad Realms Trading Platform binding successful; please complete the prerequisites to activate the system.】

【Newcomer Grand Gift Pack locked: Gomu Gomu no Mi, Big Eater, Innate Super Strength.】

The lad's excited appearance made Luo Jie proudly raise an eyebrow at Lei Li, his little expression as if to say: Well, isn't this captain's charm great?

However, the very next sentence from Saint Saint Saiwen completely broke Luo Jie's defense.

"Mr. Big Nose Hair, who are you?"

Luo Jie let out a dry laugh to cover his embarrassment: "My name is Luo Jie, I'm a pirate, and the ship is missing a cook..."

"Good." Saint Saint Saiwen nodded heavily.

"Captain Luo Jie, I'll go pack my luggage."

The hooligans hiding behind crates at the dock, preparing to ambush Saint Saint Saiwen, heard these words and turned to look at their boss.

"So big! Little Bai Mao has been tricked by that pirate named Luo Jie into becoming a cook; should we still beat him up?"

Big Head, clutching his wounds, said resentfully.

"Monkey, you stay here; we'll go find the village head. What if Little Bai Mao gets tricked? I've heard these pirates love selling children the most."

The monkey-faced boy nodded.

"Good."

When the hooligans dragged a group of adults to the dock, they could only see from afar on the red-sailed giant ship—a tiny figure waving at them.

"Bai Bai."

The protagonist sets sail for the first time.

Sky Island, Birka.

Deep within the lush jungle, Enel leaned against a tree root, blinking silently, unable to say whether his heart felt desolate or helpless.

Just now—

That fruit which had appeared out of nowhere had again disappeared out of nowhere from his embrace.

It was as if all that had just happened was merely a dream he had made, a dream within reach yet unattainable.

Now, the dream has awakened.

"Just now... I should have tasted it first."

(｡ò∀ó｡)