The sky was darkening.
The sun, as if it had been drinking, showed a blush on its face, and its rays were no longer as scorching as they were at noon.
Facing the sea breeze, it was instead filled with warmth.
And the clouds where the sky and sea met, were now adorned with a golden halo.
From afar, it looked like a piece of golden cotton, casting a golden light on the island beneath the clouds. The island, shrouded in thick fog, surprisingly possessed a trace of sanctity and solemnity, as if it were a divine island from a dream.
"This is your hometown? The Luminous Island you spoke of?"
At the bow of the Freedom, Kong Tai looked at the beautiful island in the distance and turned to smile at Capri, who was sitting on a chair behind him, "I have to say, the name is quite fitting."
He retracted his gaze and looked at the small island in the distance, which resembled an oil lamp with its wick lit, beneath the clouds.
A smile appeared in Kong Tai's eyes.
Even from afar, he could feel an unusual aura emanating from the island.
The island looked very young, yet the entire small island was filled with a sense of twilight, just like Capri. It was as if the island, like a person, had had its time stolen by something.
On the way, they had all listened to Capri's story about the woman and learned about what had happened on the island.
Logically, it was impossible for everyone on the island to be unaware of what was happening, while only Capri remained conscious.
Because Capri seemed like an ordinary person, and ordinary people could not resist the power of a Devil Fruit.
And after such a profound blood feud, whether the person on the island was the woman herself or her descendants, they would not have let anyone on the island go!
Including Capri.
This was rather strange.
If she could steal the time of everyone on the island, including the island itself, how could she not have known that Capri had escaped?
According to Capri.
Ever since the nun, who resembled the woman from over twenty years ago, arrived half a year ago, the island had been shrouded in thick fog, and only at dusk would the fog gradually dissipate, revealing the island's true appearance.
Furthermore, there was a barrier around the island, like a spatial labyrinth, that would mysteriously lead people back if they approached, no matter how they tried to get out.
Then how did Capri manage to escape?
How did the islanders sustain their lives?
And even if he were conscious, as an ordinary person, he could not have traversed the traps laid by a Devil Fruit ability!
All of this was filled with strangeness. It seemed the woman on the island had other motives, and perhaps she didn't just want revenge.
"Interesting."
He made no comment on the woman's experience from twenty years ago. Sometimes, backward customs did lead to many tragedies; this was not exclusive to this world but existed in any world where humanity resided.
As for the woman seeking revenge on Capri's previous generation, he would not interfere, nor could he. After all, it was a personal vendetta.
Let alone the woman, even if anyone had suffered such a tragic experience, they would not easily let go of their hatred.
However, although the woman had her reasons, and Kong Tai sympathized with her, he would not let her off so easily.
Because while she sought revenge, she had implicated Capri's generation.
This generation had nothing to do with the woman from twenty years ago!
Well... one's perspective is shaped by one's position.
From his viewpoint, the woman at this moment was undoubtedly a villain, and he would only do what he thought was right. As for other matters, he did not wish to bother with them.
If, as he suspected, the woman had intentionally or unintentionally let Capri go to seek help, or for some other reason, then it would prove that the woman was not beyond saving.
Perhaps she was merely venting her anger and did not wish to kill the islanders!
These were mere speculations, and the true answers would only be known once they landed on the island.
Before long.
As the sun began to set, the island, shrouded in mist, slowly opened its gates like a painted scroll, allowing the Freedom to approach the island smoothly and anchor in a deep bay.
The island was small and not on the main shipping routes, so while it was desolate, it had no proper docks.
There was only a simple dock made of trees, for the convenience of the islanders going out to sea and landing on the island.
Although small sailboats were sparsely moored in the harbor at this time, the tattered sails and the overgrown shore suggested that this place had not been visited for a long, long time.
In his opinion, it had been many years, not the half-year that Capri had mentioned.
Gazing at Capri's retreating back, a flash of red light appeared in Kong Tai's eyes, but he quickly retracted it.
Along the way, he had used his Observation Haki multiple times, even employing his Haki of Supreme King, but no matter how he looked at it, Capri was just an ordinary person.
And such an ordinary person could not escape his observation.
He shook his head and didn't think further.
After landing and walking inland.
Not far...
They were blocked by a distorted wall of air.
Kong Tai looked at the air wall before him, a glint in his eyes.
While this could stop most people, it couldn't stop them. Looking at the air wall, Kong Tai's gaze seemed to pierce through space, seeing houses and streets eroded by time within.
And people?
He saw, in the center of the town, on the high ground, inside the church, a figure burning like a scorching sun, like a wick.
And at this moment, as if sensing Kong Tai's gaze, the figure like a wick suddenly turned its head, its eyes like two balls of fire, casting a cold gaze towards Kong Tai.
Their gazes met, causing the air wall before them to distort. Then, with a thunderous clap, a crackling sound reverberated in everyone's hearts.
"A strong individual?"
"A peak expert?"
"And more than one."
Kong Tai's face showed an unprecedentedly solemn expression. This was completely different from his previous thoughts. He had thought that the people here were just lucky to have obtained a Devil Fruit related to time or life. Upon arriving, he realized it was not as he imagined.
The figure standing in the church, amidst the afterglow of the setting sun, its aura replaced the sun in the sky. In his vision, it erupted with a scorching light comparable to the midday sun.
But this light was no longer warm, but filled with coldness and dominance.
The strength of this aura even surpassed most of the powerful individuals he had encountered on his journey, reaching the height of Admirals like Mihawk and Kizaru.
And behind him, there were two more figures, one apparent, one hidden, one cold, one frantic.
As for any further auras, he paid them no mind.
Such peak experts, with no renown, in his understanding, could only be found within that organization.
"World Government."
Thinking of this, he abruptly turned and looked in Capri's direction.
He saw that Capri, at some point, without anyone sensing it, had stepped past the air wall beside them.
In the distortion, he seemed to have had his soul extracted. From the inside out, he was completely different from how they had seen him before. His face was contorted with madness, his eyes blood red and filled with hatred.
He didn't know who he hated, but he had completely changed.
With a ferocious cry, his body fully entered the air wall.
And just as his head was about to enter the air wall, he seemed to experience a moment of clarity, the madness in his eyes returning to a calm state, reverting to how Kong Tai had first seen him.
And his last words to them were:
"Run quickly."