A corridor lay beyond the door.
Doors of various shapes and sizes were scattered along both sides of the corridor.
There were swords, books, wine barrels, and cat claws, among other things.
At the end of the corridor was a spiral staircase, which led up to the restaurant of the Freedom. Hearing the sound, Ah Hua, who was already up and cooking eggs, turned to Kong Tai and said, "Wait a moment, Kong Tai. Everyone else isn't awake yet. If you have nothing to do, help me wake them up! The food is ready, and we're just waiting for the dishes."
"Okay!"
Kong Tai, who had just reached the last step, paused his foot in mid-air, looked at Ah Hua, nodded, and then turned to go back down.
To wake everyone up.
The 'everyone' here mainly consisted of Alo, Tao, and Indigo.
Kuina woke up earlier than Kong Tai every day. By now, she must have finished her morning exercises and be taking a bath!
As for Robin, she had lived in the dark world for a long time and was accustomed to waking up as soon as the sky began to brighten. Even though she was now in the safety of the Freedom, it hadn't changed the habit she had cultivated for nearly 20 years.
A moment later, Kong Tai came up from the spiral staircase, pulling the yawning Alo and the other two. They sat at the bar on the left, waiting for Ah Hua, who was inside the transparent kitchen, to prepare their breakfast.
The kitchen was large, resembling a bar, with sofas, a bar counter, and a dedicated area for watching television.
This was the large Den Den Mushi that Morgans had sent.
Creak—!
The wooden door of the kitchen let out a sharp squeak as it was pushed open from the outside.
Robin, wearing a purple dress with white floral patterns and holding a book, walked in from the door. At the age of 26, on the verge of 27, she had left the dry desert kingdom. Her face, which was gradually regaining its luster, exuded the unique intellectual beauty of a scholar.
Her burgundy high heels, which made a thudding sound as they stepped on the wooden deck, also lent her a touch of the sensuality befitting her age.
Following Robin was a figure in a pink kimono.
Unlike Robin's intellect and sensuality.
Kuina, at 17, had a cold and clear face. Her clear eyes, like a sharp sword, shimmered with a faint blue light under the morning sun. Her long, deep blue hair was casually tied back in a ponytail, giving her an imposing demeanor unlike that of most women.
And, of course, beauty.
And this woman, who possessed more valor than most men, would reveal a tenderness and attachment that only men could truly feel when she looked at the silver-haired man by the bar counter.
Like water, like wind, like this dawn breaking through the night.
The man seemed to sense the tenderness emanating from the woman. He turned his head, and his azure eyes also revealed a gentle smile.
However, his gentleness was tinged with a bit more tolerance and indulgence.
After breakfast.
The Freedom, with the morning sea breeze, gradually disappeared from their sight under the watchful eyes of Uncle Ryuhiko and his subordinates.
No one knew if this meeting would be their last.
Just as no one knew if Uncle Ryuhiko would truly reach the dreamland of his heart after boarding the rising current.
But just like this hopeful early sun.
People!
As long as their hearts are strong enough, they will surely realize their pursued dreams one day.
...
The Grand Line.
Unknown waters.
There was an island shrouded in thick fog.
Although the island appeared vibrant on the outside, the town on the island was filled with a sense of decline.
The houses and streets here seemed to have been scoured by time repeatedly, exuding the aura of passage of time.
And all that could be seen were white-haired elders, not a single young person in sight.
Strangely enough, on the street, one could even see many elderly couples, and instead of holding tender children, they held elderly people with wrinkled faces who acted like children.
Elderly children, elderly children, the elderly children held by the elders truly resembled ordinary children, and one could see the innocence and fantasy in their eyes that only children possessed.
Strange, strange?
The entire town, from inside to outside, from top to bottom, exuded an extreme strangeness.
It was as if time had plundered this place, and even the air seemed to be filled with the decay of ages.
In a house on the edge of the town, a withered old man with a wrinkled face sat at his desk, staring blankly at the book on the table, muttering incessantly.
"She's back, she's back, she's back..."
His name was "Sada Kabuli," and the townspeople usually called him Kabuli.
Sometime ago, it seemed as if the townspeople had entered an accelerated mode. They changed day by day. In less than half a year, their lives had progressed more than halfway through their entire lifespan, even the children.
He himself, a young man in his early twenties, had also become an old man in this half-year.
And all of this, everyone in the town, seemed to have lost their souls, believing such a thing was natural.
Except for him.
He didn't know why, why he was the only exception.
After reviewing a large number of books and consulting the historical documents of the island, he found the answer today.
It turned out that there had always been an untold scandal on their island.
When he was very young, he didn't remember it. If it weren't for the historical documents he found in the island's library, he wouldn't have remembered those events.
More than 20 years ago, the clan leader's son was engaged to a woman from a town family. This was supposed to be a joyous occasion.
However, when the two families were discussing the wedding arrangements, the bride suddenly disappeared.
She disappeared for more than half a year.
It was thought that the matter would be dropped. Since the girl had disappeared, she must have not wanted to marry. The groom's family, despite being the town leader, did not bully them.
But...
He remembered one dusk, under the setting sun, while he and his friends were playing on the beach outside the town, they saw a woman, a very beautiful woman, a woman with a huge belly, slowly disembarking on the island.
And this woman, he now realized, was the woman who had been engaged to the town's son.
It would have been better if she hadn't returned, or if she hadn't returned pregnant. But she had returned, and with a swollen belly.
This was a terrifying matter.
Because, according to their island's customs, a woman who was engaged to someone else but was pregnant with another man's child was to be subjected to the fiery ordeal!
That night, he was locked in by his father and had no idea what was happening outside.
All he knew was that amidst the whistling wind, he seemed to faintly hear a woman's hysterical roars, cries, and curses.
Looking back now, that sound was probably the woman's final curse.