Bas Island, Winter Island.
On a plain of pure white snow, a low rumble suddenly echoed.
Bada fumbled under a stone in front of him for a moment, then suddenly seemed to press a mechanism.
The stone slowly slid to the right, revealing a dark, sloping passage leading downwards.
Bada glanced at Kong Tai and entered first.
His subordinates, carrying large bags, quickly followed.
It was truly amazing, hidden within the mountain. No wonder his Observation Haki couldn't sense it.
Kong Tai looked at the not-so-large passage entrance, a smirk on his lips, full of curiosity.
Judging by its appearance, it was definitely not built by the Bath Empire during their conquest. It must have been from before.
Perhaps this was once the wine cellar of the old Bath Kingdom, used for storing wine.
Thinking of this, he quickly followed. He might find plenty of Bath wine left.
After Kong Tai and the others had all entered the passage, Bada, who remained at the entrance, pressed a stone on the right wall.
With a flash, the stone above the passage entrance rapidly slid back into place, completely sealing the opening. The passage plunged into darkness, as deep as an abyss.
Everyone stood still, not panicking, all waiting for Bada.
Bada didn't keep them waiting long.
He pressed another stone next to the previous switch. The entire passage, with a flash, suddenly became as bright as daylight.
Looking up, they saw that lighting fixtures were installed at regular intervals along the walls of the passage.
As the lights turned on, they could see the passage clearly.
The entire passage spiraled downwards, like the staircase of a castle.
"Boss, let's go this way!"
Whether it was an illusion or not, it felt like Bada's group had become much lighter and more eager in their footsteps after entering the passage.
It was as if someone was waiting for them ahead.
Walking down the spiral staircase for a while, they stopped before a large wooden door.
Bada stepped forward, grabbed the handle, and knocked gently.
*Dong—!*
The sound was not loud, but in the confined underground space, it was deafening.
*Creak—!*
The wooden door suddenly opened from within.
"Wow!"
"It's Uncle Bada and the others! You're back!"
A few small children rushed out first. They shouted inside for a moment, then rushed to Bada's subordinates, trying to take the packages from their hands.
The children took a package from a subordinate, sniffed the aroma of food coming from within, and swallowed.
However, the children didn't open the packages. Instead, they lifted them with all their might and walked towards the wooden door, shouting as they went.
"Everyone come out and help! Uncle Bada and the others brought back a lot of things this time!"
Hearing the shouts, more children poured out from the door.
These children all had one thing in common: they were very thin.
It seemed they were suffering from long-term malnutrition due to hunger.
The children were not noisy. They politely greeted Bada first, then took the packages from Bada's subordinates, their faces beaming with excitement, as if it were New Year's. Several of them carried the packages into the wooden door together.
Bada's subordinates, devoid of their former aggression, were now gentle, all smiling as they watched the children.
Some subordinates, looking at the adoring gazes of the children, puffed out their chests with pride.
Kong Tai and the others watched all of this quietly, without a word.
Ah Hua and the other two had long lost their smiles.
The scene before them was indeed not something to smile about.
Kong Tai looked at Bada, a red light flashing in his eyes.
He swept his gaze across the entire passage, filled with children and the elderly.
"Bada, are these all that's left of the Bath Kingdom?"
"Yes!"
"Boss, please come in!"
"Although the Bath Kingdom is gone, we still have some Bath wine left. I think it's enough to entertain you."
He chuckled, "Haha! Boss, you mustn't mind if our hospitality is not up to par!"
"How could I?"
Kong Tai stared into Bada's eyes, a smile appearing on his face.
Even in the endless, silent Winter Island, hope for life could be nurtured.
He felt Bada's spirit, and the smiles on the children's faces.
He felt that they did not resent the world, and even if the world was terrible, they still faced it with smiles.
"Hahahahaha!!"
"Let's go! Bada, let me see the Bath wine I've been longing for!"
"Boss, this way please."
Bada suddenly regained his noble demeanor, straightened his back, and walked through the large door first.
Upon entering, the space inside was vast.
The floor in the center was covered with packages, surrounded by hundreds of children, while along the walls sat countless elderly people.
These elders all looked at Bada with smiles, as if they were looking at their king.
If not for Bada these past few years, they wouldn't know if they could have survived.
"Bada, you're finally back."
Just then, a stunningly beautiful red-haired girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed as a maid, walked over quickly and began to scold Bada.
"I told you not to push yourself so hard. This time you almost got wiped out."
Clearly, this woman knew what had happened at the docks.
She then turned to look at the subordinates who had followed Bada in. Seeing that they were all unharmed, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But then, when she saw Kong Tai and his group, she froze.
Her face turned pale, and cold sweat streamed down her forehead.
Sensing the maid's state, Bada's eyes flashed with concern. He then reached out, ruffled her hair, and said softly, "Don't be afraid, Liya, they are not bad people."
"This food, you could say, was given to us by them."
"Oh..."
Liya felt a weight lift off her shoulders upon hearing Bada's words.
She then looked at Kong Tai curiously, especially at Kuina behind him. Kuina was around the same age but was already a celebrity famous throughout the Grand Line.
Kong Tai looked at Liya and smiled gently, speaking politely.
"Hello, my name is Kong Tai. I'm Uncle Bada's guest."
Liya was momentarily stunned by Kong Tai's sunny smile, then blushed and said hastily.
"Y-you, hello! I am Bas Liya. You can just call me Liya."
"Hello, Liya. My name is Ah Hua."
Ah Hua looked at Liya, adjusted his glasses, and quickly asked.
Seeing Ah Hua go first, Ah Luo couldn't be outdone. He slicked back his flamboyant pompadour and winked at Liya.
"Hello, Liya. My name is Ah Luo, the only unparalleled handsome man in the East Blue."
"Ugh!"
Ah Hua bent over, gagging. "You, handsome? Don't be ridiculous, okay!"
"What did you say?"
"I said, you, handsome."
Ah Hua straightened up, dug into his ear, and looked at Ah Luo with disdain. "Didn't you hear clearly? Do you want me to say it again?"
"You, brat, seem to want to fight again!"
"Do you think you can surpass me just because you've eaten too many radishes these past few days!"
Veins bulged on Ah Luo's forehead as he charged at Ah Hua.
"If you want to fight, let's fight! Who's afraid of whom!"
Ah Hua, not to be outdone, also charged at Ah Luo.
Just as their foreheads were about to collide.
*Dong—!*
*Dong—!*
Two fists, without mercy, slammed both of them to the ground, leaving large bumps on their heads simultaneously.
"We're guests in someone else's home, don't embarrass us, alright!"
Kuina retracted her hands and smiled at Liya.
"Don't mind them. These two are always like this. Just think of them as part of a circus."
Saying that, she extended her hand. "Hello, my name is Kuina."
"Hello, hello!"
Liya looked at Kuina, shook her hand briefly, then quickly let go.
Ah Tao, smoking a cigarette, exhaled a smoke ring and looked at the two lying on the ground with a contemptuous smile.
"Idiots."