Chapter 4: Fleeing the Sacred Land, Contemplating the Future

Chu Yang’s use of abundant flammable materials created a fire far exceeding the original storyline’s scale, and now the entire Mary Geoise was engulfed in a sea of flames.

The situation had become so dire that the Celestial Dragons no longer cared about pursuing Tegger.

Even the newly arrived Kuzan joined the firefighting effort immediately.

Coupled with the fleeing slaves, the Holy Land's military was overwhelmed.

On the rooftop courtyard at the highest point of the Palace of the World, a lone figure silently gazed at the flames burning everywhere in the city.

As the true master of the Holy Land, Im felt no shame—instead, a wry smile curled on her lips.

After obtaining the highest power in the world, she had rarely encountered anything so interesting in her long life.

Especially over the past century, the boredom had made her lose interest in everything.

Today… was a rather pleasant diversion.

Im watched the unfolding events like a detached observer, deeply intrigued.

As for how many slaves escaped or how many Beri were lost, she cared not at all.

While Im savored this magnificent “bonfire,” Chu Yang and Tegger had already fled beyond the Holy Land’s borders, reaching the edge of the Red Line.

Chu Yang hadn’t expected this fish-man to keep following him.

He’d only helped him because the marines had blocked his escape route—he had no choice but to act.

That previous strike had nearly drained all of Chu Yang’s chakra.

Had it not been for the enhanced recovery granted by the Wood Release, he would have already passed out.

Along the way, Tegger kept studying Chu Yang.

The abilities Chu Yang had displayed made Tegger suspect he was a Devil Fruit user.

As to what kind of ability, Tegger was curious—but not foolish enough to press for details.

Their relationship wasn’t close enough to exchange secrets.

When they reached the cliff’s edge, Chu Yang stared down at the sheer drop thousands of feet below and the raging waves at the bottom, instinctively swallowing hard.

He didn’t suffer from acrophobia.

But such a terrifying height—even a normal person would feel weak in the knees at a glance.

“I remember there was a lift ship…” Chu Yang looked around, recalling the specialized lift ships that transported people to and from the Red Line.

“There are always many soldiers guarding the lift ship area, but now all those soldiers are busy putting out fires in the city—no one should be watching. If we find the lift ship, we can leave Mary Geoise without trouble.”

Upon hearing Chu Yang wanted to find the lift ship, Tegger immediately said, “I know where it is!”

Chu Yang stared at him in surprise—he was just a fish-man slave who’d escaped from prison.

How could he know this?

Seeing Chu Yang seemed doubtful, Tegger explained, “When I climbed up from below, I saw the lift ship.”

“I see…” Chu Yang nodded, then froze, “Wait—Itachi climbed up from where?”

Tegger pointed to the abyss beside them.

Now Chu Yang finally understood who this fish-man truly was.

In all these years, only one person had ever climbed to Mary Geoise by hand—the hero who freed slaves: Fisher Tegger.

Knowing Tegger’s identity, Chu Yang couldn’t help but scrutinize him, realizing he looked familiar—especially his bright red skin.

Tegger felt his scalp prickle under Chu Yang’s intense gaze and quickly said, “Young brother, don’t worry—I’m not lying to Itachi.”

“I know,” Chu Yang asked curiously, “Did Itachi come up here to set the fire too?”

Tegger, already misunderstood once, couldn’t bear the injustice and immediately explained, “I didn’t start the fire—I just took the chance to free some slaves…”

As he spoke, Tegger sensed something odd and frowned, “Huh? Why did Itachi say ‘too’?”

Chu Yang’s expression changed, and he hastily shifted the topic: “We don’t have time to chat— if we stay any longer, the marines will catch up. Take me to the lift ship.”

“Ah, right, right!” Tegger snapped back to focus and led Chu Yang along the cliff’s edge. After a while, they successfully found the lift ship’s access point.

Just as Chu Yang had predicted, the guards at the entrance were few—only four stood alone, and Tegger knocked each one out with a single punch, leaving them no chance to resist.

Tegger couldn’t help but sigh, “The security here is so weak—other places must be the same. I hope those innocent civilians can escape this hell and return home safely.”

What a truly benevolent soul…

Chu Yang, who preferred to mind his own business, deeply admired Tegger—and this admiration was genuine.

There was not a trace of mockery in it.

Under cover of night, the two boarded the lift ship and left the Red Line, returning to the embrace of the sea.

Directly beneath Mary Geoise lay a small town serving as the lift ship’s landing point.

Those traveling to and from the Red Line usually gathered in this town.

With no guards present, their arrival went unnoticed; as they walked along the quiet streets, Tegger suddenly asked, “Young brother, are Itachi planning to go home?”

Home?

A transmigrator has no home.

Chu Yang smiled bitterly, “My home is gone—I can’t go back.”

Tegger assumed Chu Yang’s family had been destroyed by slave traders and felt deep sympathy, then asked, “Then where will Itachi go next?”

True—where should I go next?

Chu Yang fell into thought.

I need to find somewhere to learn useful skills!

Whether it’s Haki or taijutsu, Chu Yang needed to learn something quickly—otherwise, next time he met one of his clones, he’d waste another chance.

Though freebies bring joy, freeload from oneself is meaningless.

What should he learn?

In Chu Yang’s view, the most valuable skill in the Pirate World was undoubtedly Haki.

Haki’s power was undeniable—it enhanced combat ability, and in some ways, surpassed Devil Fruits.

Moreover, Haki had none of the obvious drawbacks that Devil Fruits carried.

But the problem was—where could he find someone to teach him Haki?

Though many strong warriors in the New World knew Haki, with his current abilities—even with Wood Release—he’d likely just be delivering himself to death.

Outside the New World, the only place Chu Yang could reach was the Amazon Lily Kingdom, ruled by Boa Hancock.

There, men were forbidden; without a protagonist’s aura, Chu Yang would die if he entered—certainly for now.

Aside from Haki, the next best options were swordsmanship and taijutsu.

The only place currently offering advanced swordsmanship was the Shichibukai’s Dojo in the East Blue’s Shichibukai Village—the same dojo where Sanji trained.

For Chu Yang to return alone from the Grand Line to the East Blue was utterly unrealistic.

As for taijutsu, Chu Yang found nothing impressive—except Marine Six Powers, the Pirate World’s taijutsu overall was inferior to the Naruto World’s.

(End of Chapter)