Asca Island.
It was the name of the island where Kouta and his group suddenly landed.
After about half an hour of processing, before nightfall, everyone worked together to clean up the bodies of the pirates. After burying the bodies of the marines and village guards, they held an island-wide banquet for Kouta and his party.
Even the island's marines attended this banquet.
Although they were marines and their stances were different, they did not dislike Kouta's group. Instead, after this incident, they developed a sense of respect for Kouta and the others.
The banquet, filled with laughter yet tinged with sadness, was held on this ancient island, bathed in the last rays of the setting sun, and continued until the full moon hung high and the starry sky stretched for thousands of miles before dispersing.
During this time, Kouta also learned why Saka had become the way he was, and heard news of Zoro from him.
It turned out that after leaving the Isshin Dojo, this guy had been working as a bounty hunter in the East Blue.
On one hand, it was to hone his swordsmanship, and on the other, it was for money and for his own sense of justice.
However, since meeting Zoro a few months ago and teaming up with him to hunt pirates.
His peaceful life had undergone earth-shattering changes.
Although his strength was not very high in the East Blue, he could basically handle pirates with bounties in the millions if he planned carefully beforehand.
But since Zoro arrived, their targets were no longer in the millions, but famous pirates throughout the East Blue.
Zoro's strength was naturally not to be feared, but his own strength was a bit insufficient to keep up with Zoro.
So, on one occasion while ambushing pirates, they were jointly ambushed by other pirate crews.
It was during this ambush that he was severely injured and fell into the sea.
Later, by sheer luck, he was rescued by a merchant ship and brought to the Grand Line.
Perhaps fate was playing a trick on this guy. The merchant ship that rescued him was originally very strong and capable of defeating ordinary pirates. Their destination was Water 7, and they did not encounter any formidable pirates along the way. However, after passing through Alabasta, they encountered rare extreme weather.
And it was this weather that buried the merchant ship he was on, causing him to fall into the sea once again.
He was also very lucky this time, as he drifted to Asca Island and was rescued by Maya, where he remained until now.
It had to be said that to fall into the sea twice and be rescued both times, especially the second time falling into the sea in the Grand Line, and still survive, this guy must have done countless good deeds in his past life. And he also met the beautiful Maya.
This made Hua and the other two envious, and they all proposed to spar with him.
Saka, not knowing his limits, actually thought that Hua and the other two were still at their old dojo level and agreed without thinking.
The subsequent scene, you can probably imagine!
Anyway, that night, Hua and the other two slept very comfortably. As for Saka...
Well! He had Maya to take care of him, so it's hard to say who was more comfortable.
In any case, each had their own benefits.
...
The next day.
Daylight was like a young man about to kiss the girl of night, but was bitten on the lip by the girl, dyeing the sky red.
Then, under the sun's rays, night hid away, and daylight was pushed onto the sky by the sun. The smudge of red on its lips was scattered across the land by the dawn's glow, illuminating all things with the sun's warmth.
It also illuminated a house on Asca Island.
Kouta, who was sleeping soundly, rubbed his eyes under the mischievous fluctuations of the dawn, then groggily opened his eyes, yawned, and got out of bed, throwing off his covers.
He walked to the door, pulled it open, and saw the bonfire from last night's banquet still burning in the open space outside.
However, this bonfire, which was like a star in the night, was not very bright during the day. It only shone with its not-so-brilliant but warm light under the sun.
Above the fire, a pot hung.
Above the pot, a pale hand was dropping ingredients into it. Clearly, Maya, who had woken up early, was cooking breakfast.
"Good morning, Maya."
"Ah..."
Maya's hand paused in dropping vegetables. She then turned and smiled gently at Kouta, "Good morning, Kouta."
"Haha!! Has that kid Saka not woken up yet?"
"No, not yet!"
A blush flickered across Maya's face as she turned back to continue cooking.
Last night, witnessed by both parties, she and Saka had gotten engaged.
Although they were not yet truly together, they could already be considered husband and wife.
"Haha!! Still shy!"
Kouta laughed heartily, leaning his left side against the doorframe. Then, from somewhere, he produced two apples, threw one to Maya, and raised the other to take a bite. With a "crunch," the sweet and crisp fragrance instantly filled his mouth, clearing his slightly groggy mind from just waking up.
Indeed, no wonder Enel liked eating apples so much.
These apples from the Sky Islands, for some reason, were full of juice, sweet, crisp, but not greasy.
He also liked the wine from the Sky Islands.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but run his left hand over his waist, raise his wine gourd, and take a sip.
This wine was unlike Bass Ale. It had a high alcohol content, and its rich aroma was accompanied by a refreshing coolness that penetrated the heart.
For someone with a weak constitution, drinking this wine would be like eating ice in winter.
But for Kouta, this wine was like eating popsicles in the height of summer. Moreover, this wine had the unique fruity flavor and sweetness of the Sky Islands, making it one of the top three wines he had ever tasted.
This wine was also not as abundant as Gan Fall initially said; its production was very low.
Therefore, when he left the Sky Islands, he not only emptied the wine cellar of Angel Island but also asked Gan Fall to brew more, so he could still buy it in the future if he wanted to drink it.
Maya took the apple, wiped it, and brought it to her mouth. She gently bit through the skin, and its sweetness, different from the apples on the sea, made her eyes light up. She first glanced at Kouta, then took a large bite of the apple.
She chewed a few times, swallowed slowly, and a satisfied expression appeared on her face.
The blush that had appeared on her face since Kouta came out would take a long time to fade.
Last night, Kouta and the others learned about Saka's past few years, and Maya also understood what Kouta and the others meant to Saka.
That was why they got engaged with Kouta and his grandmother "Eliza" as officiants.
When facing Kouta, although she was no longer nervous, she still felt a little shy.
After all, as Kouta said, he was indeed her brother, and she was his sister-in-law.
Soon, everyone else started to wake up one after another.
Then, they happily ate the breakfast Maya had prepared long ago.
Afterward, led by Maya and Saka, they went to explore and play on the island.
This exploration lasted for a whole day.
The island, after all, was an island with a thousand years of history, so there were many ruins on the island, mainly underground ruins. With Kouta's group there, there was naturally no fear of danger. However, precisely because Kouta's group was there, and with Robin specifically, the exploration was a bit slow.
After touring the entire island, it was already sunset.
Under the setting sun, everyone sat on the edge of a cliff, talking about their dreams. From afar, carried by the wind, their laughter could be heard.
Youth!
Perhaps it was in these gatherings that it became more precious.
No matter where they would be tomorrow, at least... today, at this moment, when they were still a group of youths around seventeen years old.
They laughed freely, spoke loudly, and fantasized about their futures...