hotmtlnovel Page 14
Page 14
I don't think I ran into those people just now?
He recalled the feeling of that snap of his fingers.
An invisible force extended out naturally, like an extension of an arm.
It seems like he always has?
I just didn't pay much attention to it before, and there was no need to use it.
He tried raising his hand again and gently flicking it at a piece of driftwood floating on the sea in the distance.
The broken planks silently exploded into a cloud of even finer wood chips, which were quickly swallowed by the waves.
Liu Jiu stared at the vanished wood chips.
So, this is... domineering?
He lowered his hand without any particular reaction.
I just think that replenishing supplies will be easier in the future.
He adjusted the angle of the sail, steering the small boat toward the next possible "supply point".
The sea breeze ruffled his slightly disheveled hair.
His figure appeared somewhat lonely on the vast sea.
Yet it also carries a certain something that is frightening.
Like a legend that has been dissolved, leaving behind a vague and dangerous shadow.
Chapter 13 Latest News
They drifted at sea for more than half a year.
The news arrived with a wet newspaper that had been blown onto the small boat by the sea breeze.
On the crumpled pages, the bold, black-lettered text stood out sharply:
[Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, has been arrested by the Marines in Loguetown! He will be publicly executed soon!]
The accompanying image shows Roger being escorted by the Navy while wearing Seastone handcuffs. His face is expressionless, with even a faint, inscrutable smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
Liu Jiu picked up the newspaper and glanced at it.
The sea breeze carried a salty, fishy smell, making the pages rustle.
There was no surprise on his face.
From the moment Roger disbanded his pirate crew.
That man had already seen the future. He chose to usher in a new era in his own way.
Now, a new era is about to begin.
He put down the newspaper and looked at the undulating waves in front of the small boat.
East Sea...Rogge Town...
He sat in silence for a while.
Then he stood up, walked to the bow of the boat, and adjusted the angle of the sails.
The small boat traced a slight arc on the sea surface, changing its course.
He's going to the East China Sea.
There's no particular reason.
I just feel that since I'm in this world, I've boarded that ship, ate there for so long, and cleaned the deck for so long.
Now the captain is about to embark on the final leg of the journey.
He should go and see him off.
It can be considered... fulfilling that brief and crude act of offering incense.
The small boat cut through the waves and headed towards the eastern sea.
The atmosphere at sea was noticeably different along the way.
Pirate ships, which used to be a rare sight, are now much more common. They come in all shapes and sizes, and all resemble sharks that have smelled blood, converging in the same direction.
The air was thick with a restless atmosphere, a mixture of ambition and madness.
Naval patrols have become much more frequent, creating a somber atmosphere.
Liu Jiu's small boat blended in with the other boats, completely inconspicuous.
He still relied on robbery to replenish his supplies. Now, however, he acted with greater decisiveness, often rendering his victims helpless before they even saw his movements. He took what he needed, never lingering, and never taking lives.
His small boat, like a silent gray shadow, steadfastly sailed toward Roggetown in the increasingly congested waterway.
The closer they got to the East China Sea, the more discussions there were about the execution.
"Roger...is he really going to die?"
"The era of One Piece has ended..."
"No! A new era is about to begin! Hahaha!"
"I've heard that Roger left behind a huge treasure on Laugh Tale! One Piece!"
"Find it! And you'll become the new Pirate King!"
The spark of madness, ignited by Roger himself, is quietly spreading across this vast sea.
Liu Jiu listened to the discussions, some expressing regret, some excitement, and some ambition, without showing any expression on his face.
He simply cleaned the small boat again one evening.
The food and fresh water were checked.
That should be enough to last until we reach Loguetown.
He gazed eastward at the sea that was gradually being shrouded in twilight.
The beginning is also the end.
He was going there to see with his own eyes the man's end.
A dense mass of heads stretched from the port all the way to the towering execution platform in the town center. Like a surging, multicolored tide, they filled every street, every window, and even climbed onto the rooftops.
Merchants, fishermen, thugs, and onlookers... but more often, there were pirates whose eyes gleamed with wildfire, swords at their waists, and who had gathered from all corners of the world. They mingled among the crowd like sharks lurking beneath the rocks, waiting for the moment destined to be etched in history.
The air was so thick it was almost viscous enough to wring out water. The smells of sweat, cheap tobacco, and the salty, fishy sea breeze, combined with the suffocating heat and oppressive excitement generated by countless people gathered together, created a peculiar atmosphere.
The whispers were like the buzzing of countless flies, creating a low, muffled background noise.
Liu Jiu's small boat stopped some distance from the harbor. He didn't want to squeeze into the almost bursting dock. He found a secluded spot on the rocks, moored the boat, and alone, walked along the coastline into the bustling town.
Instead of squeezing into the most crowded center, he found a relatively high spot on the edge of a rooftop with a view of the main street and sat down. It wasn't the best location, but the view was good enough.
Time crawled slowly in the thick air.
Suddenly, a huge, uncontrollable commotion erupted from the direction of the port, like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting an explosion!
"Roger! It's Roger!"
The crowd surged forward as if shoved by an invisible hand, only to be held back by the navy maintaining order with their rifles and shields. Shouts, screams, and curses exploded, almost lifting the sky.
Liu Jiu's gaze fell on the main road that had been cleared by the navy and led straight to the execution platform.
At the end, that figure appeared.
Gol D. Roger.
He walked between two tall naval soldiers, wearing heavy sea stone handcuffs and dragging iron chains on his feet.
He wasn't dressed in the disheveled state of a prison uniform, but still wore his familiar, somewhat worn captain's coat. His steps were steady, one step at a time, on the stone path leading to death.
The sunlight was a bit too bright, so he squinted slightly. His straw hat was long gone, and the wisps of hair on his forehead were being blown by the wind.
The clamor and frenzy on both sides were like waves crashing against the rocks. Countless gazes—aweful, hateful, curious, and fanatical—fell upon him as if they were tangible.
But he seemed detached from it all.
There was no fear or frustration on his face, not even anger.
The corners of his mouth even held that familiar, slightly wild smile that Liu Jiu recognized.
He walked slowly, as if he were surveying his own territory.
His gaze occasionally swept over the frenzied crowds on both sides, passing over the young and excited faces of the pirates hidden among them, who would one day stir up trouble.
He didn't look like a prisoner heading towards death.
More like a king walking on a triumphant road.
To complete his final coronation.
Liu Jiu sat on the edge of the roof, watching quietly.
Watching that man, under the spotlight of countless eyes and amidst the deafening clamor, step by step, walk towards that tall wooden platform that symbolized the end.
The sea breeze swept across the rooftops, bringing with it waves of heat and shouts from the crowd below.
Liu Jiu's expression remained unchanged.
Just like back then, on the deck of the Oro Jackson, watching that figure standing at the bow laughing.
Watching him walk so arrogantly on the last stretch of his life.
The wind on the roof was a bit strong, making Liu Jiu's hair fly wildly across his forehead.
His gaze shifted from the back of the king walking toward the execution platform, slowly sweeping across the boiling, surging sea of people below.
Then, among the throng of heads, he spotted some familiar silhouettes.
Although they had tried to disguise themselves by wearing ordinary clothes and blending into the crowd, he could still recognize them.
In the shadows of an alley near the port, leaned a tall, blond man. His hood obscured most of his face, revealing only his sharply defined jawline. But his composed demeanor, and the longsword at his waist, its sharpness undeniable even when sheathed…
He stood there alone, silent, like a reef, isolated from the surrounding noise. His gaze remained fixed on the figure walking towards the execution platform, his eyes behind his glasses as deep and unfathomable as the sea.
Not far away, beside a fruit stall, stood a boy with red hair wrapped in a headscarf. He bit his lip tightly, his hands clenched into fists, his body trembling slightly with excitement and sorrow. The oversized straw hat on his head was pulled down low, but Liu Jiu wouldn't mistake the pair of bright red, stubborn eyes beneath the brim.