Chapter 127

"Wahahaha, again blaming it on old man?"

Karp let out a loud, hearty laugh.

Warlord sat back down in his seat, slightly irritated.

"Since you didn't find them, I'll send someone else."

"Send someone else? Can you even spare manpower from the New World and Grand Line right now?" Karp chimed in again.

This time, Warlord didn't argue—he fell into thought.

Indeed, in the New World, Bai Huzi, Big Mom, and the Beast King Kaido had all risen to imperial status, and with the rapid ascent of the Red-Haired Pirates… the New World was now a chaotic battleground of competing powers, with the Navy's top combat forces all deployed there.

The Grand Line couldn't be ignored either—new Star Pirates kept emerging one after another, each a nuisance.

Warlord's brow tightened further.

Aokiji, with his cloak of justice draped over him, slipped his hands back into his pants and spoke to the Warlord: "Um…"

Warlord looked up at him; Karp also turned his gaze toward him.

"I think we can temporarily leave this matter alone."

Aokiji stared directly at Warlord.

"You mean leave Nico Luo Bin, the Orla descendant with a 79-million-Berry bounty, alone?"

Warlord's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Her threat to the Navy lies only in her possible ability to read the Poneglyphs—her actual combat power means nothing to us," Aokiji said lazily. "If she becomes Luo En's companion and follows him wandering the East and South Seas, where will she even go to decipher the Poneglyphs?"

"So I think it's better to leave her be than let her enter the Grand Line and New World and become a target fought over by those major pirate powers."

"We shouldn't let the Navy end up in opposition to Luo En—someone who might become Nico Luo Bin's ally—over something like this. It would only make things harder to handle later."

After hearing Aokiji's words, Warlord lowered his head and pondered.

Indeed.

It's better for Nico Luo Bin to stay with Luo En than to be fought over by the New World's pirate kings, further intensifying the chaos on the seas.

Keeping her by Luo En's side, far from the New World's center of turmoil in the Four Seas, is clearly the better course.

But…

"Can we guarantee they won't enter the Grand Line or New World?"

"No guarantee."

Aokiji said casually, "But by then, the chaos in the New World should have stabilized somewhat, and the Navy should have some breathing room…"

Warlord thought for a moment, then looked at Karp, who was gobbling down donuts with an expression of utter indifference: "Karp, what do you think?"

"I don't know."

Karp scratched his nose. "Besides, didn't you tell me to shut up?"

A vein throbbed on Warlord's forehead.

This guy…

He took a deep breath, choosing not to argue with this petty-minded fool, then crossed his hands on the table and looked seriously at Aokiji:

"Then we'll proceed as you suggest. Keep Nico Luo Bin's whereabouts under strict secrecy—do not let a single whisper reach the ears of those New World troublemakers."

…………

116, The Nameless Ship That Broke Into the West Sea, Ice Continent (Combined)

South Sea.

After Bonny relentlessly pestered them, revealed her firm determination to join the ship, and volunteered to handle all cleaning duties aboard.

Luo En finally agreed to let her board.

Jewelry Bonney, who had eaten an unknown Paramecia-type Devil Fruit granting the ability to age or de-age herself and others through touch, officially became the sixth crewmember of the Straw Hat crew (including Kung Fu Sea Cow Chopper).

After traveling the South Sea for a year, they arrived in the West Sea—the birthplace of the Mafia.

Year 1516 of the Grand Line Calendar, Luo En was sixteen.

Many events occurred this year, but the most famous was the Red-Haired Pirates' rise in the New World, becoming the fourth imperial power after Bai Huzi's Pirates, Big Mom's Pirates, and Kaido's Beast Pirates.

A new balance emerged in the New World: four Emperors standing in mutual opposition.

From this point, the power struggles on the seas gradually stabilized.

A tripartite equilibrium formed: the Four Emperors, the Navy, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Of course, this was only surface stability—undercurrents of conflict and friction among factions continued unabated.

But none of this concerned Luo En.

He was currently traveling across islands of the West Sea with Luo Bin, Konis, Xiaoqi, and Bonny—who had joined a year ago—carrying out a series of adventures intertwined with the Mafia world.

Undeniably, the Mafia and pirates of the West Sea had grown stronger through constant battles and gunfire, clearly surpassing the East and South Seas in strength by a full tier.

This day marked the fourth month since their arrival in the West Sea.

Luo En's group encountered the Flame Tank Pirates, who had already gained considerable fame in the West Sea.

Their captain was Capone Bege, the user of the Fortress Fruit, who would later rank ninth among the Eleven Supernovas after the story's beginning.

Current bounty: 88 million Berries.

When the two sides met, Bege was leading the Flame Tank Pirates in a merciless bombardment against the Iron Axe Pirates—a group colluding with a rival Mafia faction to wipe them out. Cannon fire roared across the sea; over a dozen pirate ships burned on the waves, turning the ocean red.

Luo En's group, passing nearby, halted their ship to observe the battle.

After spotting the distant, nameless vessel, Bege, his bloodlust ignited, immediately ordered his crew to fire upon them.

Then… there was no after.

Not even Luo En needed to move—after a year of travel, Konis, Luo Bin, Xiaoqi, and Bonny had all grown significantly stronger, and they wiped out the Flame Tank Pirates, who had just won a great victory.

Such is the rise and fall of life.

As Bege watched himself about to be killed by Konis and Luo Bin's combined assault, he desperately traded a Devil Fruit and all his wealth to save his life from Konis.

Afterward, he was turned into a child by Bonney, who took Luo En and the others back to his castle on an island, where they retrieved all the wealth Becky had collected so far—worth roughly five hundred million Berries.

A Zoan-type Devil Fruit, but unfortunately only a common variety.

In front of Becky, Luo En fed the fruit to the Yunhu standing on Konis's shoulder.

After consuming this common Zoan-type Tori Tori no Mi, Yunhu Xixi's body instantly swelled several times in size, sitting there nearly as tall as the 188-centimeter Luo Bin.

And it grew a pair of snow-white wings; when fully spread, they could carry people through flight.

Its snow-white tail grew even larger and fluffier—big enough to lie upon, with an exceptionally soft texture, irresistible to any fur enthusiast.

The Yunhu Xixi who ate the Tori Tori no Mi seemed to have transcended the very species of Yunhu, becoming a peculiar creature capable of flying through the skies; perhaps calling it a Tianhu would be more fitting.

Konis, Luo Bin, and Bonney all adored this transformation of Xixi, burying their faces against its body and rubbing affectionately, utterly delighted.

Gongfu Sea Cow Xiaoqi also greatly loved its soft, fluffy tail, finding it incredibly comfortable to sleep buried within it.

As agreed, after acquiring Qian Cai and the Devil Fruit, Luo En spared Becky's life.

But this incident completely spread the fame of the nameless ship throughout the West Blue.

Combined with descriptions from those who had visited the East Blue and South Blue.

They immediately linked this powerful, unknown, aimless, wandering nameless ship to the mysterious vessel rumored in the East Blue and South Blue.

Soon, rumors and legends of the mysterious ship spread throughout the West Blue.

The name of the ship's captain, the Traveler Luo En, also began circulating across the islands of the West Blue.

Upon learning of the sudden destruction of the once-dominant Flame Tank Pirates and that their captain, Becky, remained deeply silent about the ship, the major Yakuza and pirates of the West Blue grew increasingly wary, cautious, and reverent toward the mysterious vessel, ordering their subordinates to remain vigilant and avoid conflict with any unknown, solitary ships.

…

This made Luo En and the others' subsequent travels through the West Blue considerably calmer and more uneventful.

In the final months of that year.

Luo En and the others arrived at the Flower Country, located in the eastern West Blue.

After stepping onto the large island where the Flower Country lay.

Luo En's Qi value officially reached 3,000 points.

His Armament Haki also reached Level 6.

In swordsmanship, he advanced from minor mastery of the Cutting Iron state to proficiency; though still not a Great Sword Saint, he was among the top tier of Sword Saints.

One day.

Luo En took Konis, Luo Bin, and the others across the Ice Continent.

Far off, they saw a tall, muscular figure repeatedly slamming his head against a smooth, emerald-green, hardened ice surface, surrounded by many others.

The frozen earth trembled with each impact.

Konis gazed over, her face full of curiosity: