In a void of a single color.
The Freedom, and everyone on board, were like a sharp sword inserted into this expanse of red, bringing the vibrancy that a world should have to this monotonous color space.
"An island."
Putting down the cigarette he was holding, A Tao looked at Kong Tai and said, "Kong Tai, our destination is that island, right!"
"Mhm!" Kong Tai nodded. "The person I sense is in the temple at the center of this island."
As he spoke, he looked up at the void and continued, "This person is a flower, a flower whose body we might have already entered."
"Body~"
Everyone quickly snapped out of their excitement, looking around.
"You mean, we are inside its body right now?" Robin rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, then looked up at Kong Tai, his voice filled with shock. "Then, this abnormal red in this space, wouldn't that be this person's body!"
"Yes," Kong Tai nodded, then shook his head. "Not exactly."
"What do you mean?"
Hearing Kong Tai's vague answer, everyone looked at him with confusion.
Gazing at the island ahead, Kong Tai pondered slightly before calmly saying, "You can understand that this void outside has been influenced by an unknown creature, which is why it has become like this. You can consider this red void as the creature's domain, or an extension of its body. From what I observe, as long as it wishes, this space is no different from its body."
"Therefore, I said, we are now within its body."
"Oh..."
Although they still didn't fully understand, everyone was able to comprehend it a little better by combining it with Kong Tai's explanation of domains.
However, this scene, which seemed like a myth unfolding, still left everyone in awe.
"Sigh~"
Just then, a sigh came from Issho.
"What's wrong? Uncle Issho."
Seeing Issho sigh, Alo quickly asked.
They respected Issho greatly, not only because of his strength but also his age. After all, respecting elders and cherishing the young were qualities they all possessed.
"I was thinking, if only I could see."
Issho looked up at the sky, his eyelids split open, revealing pupils with only whites.
Just by hearing the voices of A Hua and the others, he could imagine how stunning the world outside was. Although he didn't lack imagination, he couldn't picture a world that was completely absent from his mind, no matter how astonishing it might be.
To be honest, this was the second time he had felt the urge to see the world since meeting Kong Tai.
The first time was when he wanted to see the faces of Kong Tai and the others clearly, and the second time was now.
He hadn't expected that in such a short time, the experiences of these young ones would be so astonishing and magical.
And now they had entered a world that seemed like a myth.
This made his always calm heart stir, bringing back the excitement he felt in his youth when he first set sail to travel.
Everyone present didn't know what to say to his words.
You blinded yourself, and now you want to see? Life isn't that easy! It could only be said to be self-inflicted, a cycle of karma.
However, Issho was merely sighing slightly. As he always said, he had experienced enough in his life and didn't care about a moment or two of astonishment. Although there was a slight regret, he had never regretted blinding himself, refusing to see the good and evil, the filth of this world.
Even though his eyes were blind and his vision was dark, at the end of that darkness, he could better feel the world and the unique light of humanity within it.
This brought him more joy than what he could see on the surface.
In a short while, the Freedom landed on the edge of the island.
Looking at the flower sea before them, which resembled a fairy tale, as if they were in a dream, everyone exclaimed in amazement.
If the flower sea hadn't seemed to welcome them, parting to reveal a small path as they landed, they would have thought this was a dream, a longed-for realm in the sky.
*Ssssh—!*
Stepping onto the island, the ground beneath their feet lacked the solidity it should have, feeling as if they were stepping onto the sea, causing their feet to sink slightly.
Looking at the dense, blood-red vines, woven haphazardly together like blood vessels, supporting them, the excitement of seeing this dreamlike scene vanished from their eyes, replaced by caution.
"Let's go! It's urging us on!"
Gazing towards the end of the path, at an ancient temple that seemed to have come from an ancient era, Kong Tai strode forward.
He said as he walked.
"Don't be nervous. We are like uninvited guests who have accidentally stumbled into the master's territory. The master is willing to see us, but doesn't care to deal with us because, in the eyes of the master of this place, we are no different from ants."
"Just treat this adventure as an excellent tour and enjoy this rare dreamlike scenery!"
He didn't feel any malice here, but he did feel danger. It wasn't a life-or-death crisis; there was nothing in this world that could truly harm him, not even a living god ahead.
But he wasn't alone; he had many companions behind him.
If he had truly felt malice, he would never have brought his companions. He would have come alone.
Therefore, as he reached this place, his senses became even clearer, and he lost the initial solemnity. His tone even became lighter, and a smile appeared on his face.
Just like a real tour, Kong Tai, holding Kuina's hand, walked with light steps, slowly admiring the island that seemed to float in the void, covered in flowers.
The flowers here were indeed beautiful. They had long stems, and at the top were petals like scattered heavenly flowers. The petals were long and narrow, curving inward at the tip, resembling a ball of bright red flowers. Outside the petals, a circle of long tendrils grew. Upon closer inspection, the tips of these tendrils seemed to emit a faint glow.
Kong Tai had seen this type of flower before, but compared to his previous life, the flowers here were more vibrant, and the stems were red instead of green. There were no leaves that didn't show flowers, nor flowers that didn't show leaves.
These strangely vibrant, blood-red flowers, forming a continuous sea of flowers, created a shocking expanse of crimson, like fire, like blood, like glory.
"Let's go!"
Seeing Issho follow Kong Tai without hesitation, A Hua and the others exchanged glances and quickly followed.
"Yohohoho!!"
"Such a scene, it truly makes one, makes one want to sing a song!"
Brook laughed heartily as he walked.
As soon as he finished speaking, he hummed a cheerful tune, as if such a tune could give everyone courage to face any difficulty.
And indeed, Brook's song seemed to ease the tension of A Hua and the others.