Chapter 144

The total bounty across all members exceeds one billion.

The sea trembled.

The name "Sky's Woe Caravan" quickly spread across the sea.

…………

Sabaody Archipelago.

"Sky's Woe Caravan… a caravan that descends from the sky and brings calamity to the world? A fine name indeed."

Lei Li, sitting by the shore, sipped his wine and smiled as he read the newspaper, having come today to coat a ship's hull.

He gazed at the vast blue sea ahead, took another sip of wine, and a faint smile flickered beneath his glasses.

Luo En, if it were you, could you reach that island?

…………

Frost Moon Village, East Sea.

After receiving a call from Ivankov, listening as Ivankov excitedly told him the news.

Geng Silang's eyes widened slightly behind his glasses, then his face broke into a genuine smile of joy and relief.

"So those two children have met again on the sea…"

"Truly… it's wonderful."

After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, he stepped outside and saw Zoro practicing his three-sword style, bare-chested and drenched in sweat.

Geng Silang, with faintly grayed temples, stood at the doorway, beaming.

Far out on the sea, Guinana and Luo En had met again and become swordsmen famed across the ocean.

Zoro was also striving toward that goal.

What could possibly bring Geng Silang greater joy and comfort than seeing all three of them safe and sound, steadily chasing one another toward higher realms of the sword?

Zoro noticed him, turned his head, and asked with mild confusion: "Master, what's wrong? You look so happy?"

Geng Silang, smiling warmly, shook his head:

"No, nothing."

He wasn't ready to tell Zoro yet—otherwise, the boy would surely grow restless.

…………

Windmill Village.

Bandit's Home.

Dandan stared at the newspaper, smoked a cigarette, and sighed deeply: "Back then, I always sensed that black-haired brat was special. How many years have passed? Now he's already a towering figure famed across the sea."

"I'm back!"

The door slammed open as Luffy, wearing his straw hat, burst inside.

He leaned close to Dandan, curious: "What are you reading? Any news about Ace?"

"No, not Ace."

Dandan, cigarette dangling from his mouth, shoved Luffy's head out of his line of sight: "It's about Luo En."

"Luo En?"

Luffy froze for a moment, then the image of a calm, composed black-haired boy flashed in his mind.

"Luo En?!"

He suddenly realized, shocked and elated, and shouted at Dandan: "What happened to him? Is he alright?!"

"He's doing great—not just great, he's now a wanted man with a bounty of 670 million Berries, a true big shot."

Dandan's tone carried a hint of awe.

How much strength must one possess to earn a 670-million-Berry bounty from the Marines?

It was simply unimaginable.

"670 million…"

Luffy stared in disbelief, then his eyes sparkled with excitement and exhilaration:

"Incredible!! No wonder it's Luo En!!"

He punched the air excitedly for a while, then slumped onto the table, tilting his head toward the window, his face filled with longing:

After excitedly punching the air for a while, he slumped onto the table, tilted his head to gaze out the window, his face full of longing and yearning:

"Luo En is already famed across the sea, Ace has set sail… I wish I could leave sooner too…"

"That Luo En has already made a name for himself across the sea, Ace has already set out to sea too—I wish I could set out to sea sooner as well…"

"Feels so long… time moves so slowly."

"Three years isn't long."

Dandan exhaled a smoke ring toward the window: "Before you know it, it'll be gone."

Dadan gazed out the window and blew out a smoke ring: "In the blink of an eye, it's already passed so quickly."

On a small island in the East Sea.

"Sky's Woe Caravan—what a cool name. Even the Marines can come up with good names sometimes."

Buggy, drinking with his crew in a tavern, stared at the newspaper and said:

"Traveler Luo En… bounty of 670 million Berries… hmm, truly a formidable figure."

"Having inherited the power of Golden Lion is so lucky… unlike me… that bastard Shanks!" Buggy remembered his own experience with the Devil Fruit and nearly wept, gulping down liquor in frustration.

"Inheriting the power of the Golden Lion is really great, unlike me… that bastard Shanks!" Buggy thought back to his own experience of eating the Devil Fruit back in the day and wanted to cry, unable to help himself as he forcefully poured alcohol into his mouth.

A woman's voice came from beside him.

A woman's voice came from the side.

The drunken clown Buggy nodded and replied, "Yeah."

"Huh... wasn't his bounty just 430 million Beri not long ago? How did it suddenly go up again?"

Listening to that very surprised woman's voice.

"You don't even know this? The recent hot North Blue incident — surely you've heard of it? That traveler Luo En actually escaped from Admiral Akainu and Navy hero Garp, and what's more..."

The drunken Buggy prattled on endlessly, as if he had experienced it himself. Coupled with his rich body language, the people in the surrounding tavern had unknowingly crowded over.

By the time Buggy came back to his senses, the newspaper in front of him had somehow vanished.

In a corner of the tavern, a girl with short orange hair sat there looking at the newspaper she had stolen from Buggy.

"The Calamity of the Sky traveler, huh..."

"You guys really are amazing."

Nami rested her cheeks on her hands, gazing at the photos of Luo En, Luo Bin, and other familiar faces on the bounty notices in the newspaper, her smiling eyes curving into crescents.

………………

129, Teaching the Breathing Technique

Beside a small uninhabited island in the North Blue.

The Traveler was docked at the island's shore.

Luo Bin and Conis went to gather fresh water and fruit, while Bonney and Kung Fu Sea Lion Xiao Qi went hunting to stockpile meat.

And Luo En and Kuina were on the side near the coast, engaged in a swordsmanship duel.

Luo En, wielding the black blade, sliced through Kuina's Two-Sword Style in a single strike. The pitch-black, crescent-moon-like slash did not lose momentum as it landed on the coast not far away, completely cutting off a small section of the shore and sending it sinking into the sea.

Kuina turned her head to glance at the collapsed coastline far behind her, then looked ahead at Luo En, who was slowly sheathing his blade, and could not help but sigh:

"Sure enough, I still can't beat you."

"You've already become much, much stronger than before. Honestly, it's quite beyond my expectations."

Luo En said earnestly.

Kuina's swordsmanship was now roughly at minor completion of the Iron-Cutting realm, her Armament Haki was about lv3. Combined with the Two-Sword Style swordsmanship she had developed and her rudimentary Breathing Technique, her strength was absolutely not weak.

Hearing Luo En's words, a smile appeared on Kuina's face as she said to him: "In that case, the promise of that Bai Xue Night — I've successfully completed it, right?"

On that Bai Xue Night on the eve of their parting, she and Luo En had made a promise: by the time they next met, she would become a female swordsman strong enough to astonish him.

Luo En, with the black blade at his waist, smiled and nodded at her.

"Indeed that's the case."

……

After gathering a large amount of supplies, they left this island.

Luo En and the others learned the latest news on the North Blue.