Empty Space did not know that the world's greatest boss, at the request of the Five Elders, had shifted his gaze from the long years to him.
And he was to be struck by a heavenly punishment of darkness.
Empty Space was currently lying on a beach on a small island, leisurely drinking juice and sunbathing.
It was dusk last night when they rushed out of the hurricane zone outside the Devil's Triangle.
Seeing the sea was calm, they docked their ship in that sea area and rested for a night.
It was now noon on the second day.
Not long after they set sail from that sea area this morning, they spotted this small island with its remarkably beautiful scenery.
Behind the island, there were even more small islands, stretching as far as the eye could see.
It seemed this area was an archipelago.
No wonder they saw so many seabirds after leaving the Devil's Triangle.
Not far behind the beach, within the primeval forest, stood a towering cliff that looked as if it had been sliced by a single blade.
In the middle of the cliff, a sky-reaching waterfall poured down like an inverted Milky Way, its roar echoing across the entire island.
On the cliff faces on both sides, countless seabirds were entering and exiting their nests. Looking inland from the beach, the misty cliff, illuminated by the sun, was adorned with a giant rainbow, like a mortal realm, incredibly beautiful.
"Empty Space, we're going on an adventure!"
Dressed in adventure gear, with ropes slung around their waists and cowboy hats on their heads, the three of Ah Hua walked down from the Thousand Sunny, which was beached on the sand in the distance.
Passing by Empty Space's umbrella, they greeted him and then, laughing, rushed into the primeval forest behind the beach.
"Wait for me, Yohohoho~"
Behind them, Brook had also changed out of his gentlemanly attire and donned a cowboy outfit similar to Ah Hua's.
"Mr. Empty Space, I'm going to play with Ah Hua and the others too! Yohohoho~"
Passing by Empty Space, he also greeted him and then eagerly followed Ah Hua and the others into the jungle.
Their laughter could be heard from afar.
Shaking his head, Empty Space retracted his hand and glanced at Indigo lying beside him, smiling, "Indigo, aren't you going in to play?"
"Forget it, forget it."
"Kekekeke!!"
Indigo took a sip of juice, then turned to Empty Space with a faint smile, "I'm old now, I don't want to move anymore."
Empty Space, seeing the dark circles under Indigo's eyes, understood.
This fellow had been in his laboratory since leaving Thriller Bark, and he didn't know what he was researching??
It was likely that he had discovered some new infectious disease in Moria's lair!
With the accumulation of corpses over the years and the perpetually dim and damp environment, it was understandable that mutated viruses would breed there.
Indeed, after leaving the infirmary today, Indigo's first priority was to disinfect everyone, disinfect the Thousand Sunny, and then have everyone take the medicine he had newly developed.
Although everyone felt no discomfort, they did not refuse Indigo's good intentions.
In fact, given their current physical condition, most diseases and even poisons in this world were ineffective against them.
After all, their bodies were now beyond that of ordinary people.
Since coming to this world, Empty Space had never fallen ill; he couldn't even remember what it was like to be sick.
Just then, the sunlight in front of him was suddenly blocked.
Looking up, he saw Kuina, wearing a bikini and revealing her fair, smooth thighs as if made of sheep's fat jade, standing before him.
Empty Space said gently, "What's wrong?"
"Empty Space, let's go play in the water."
"Play in the water?"
Empty Space paused.
What a distant word!
But seeing the bright smile on Kuina's face and her expectant gaze, he threw off the blanket covering him and stood up.
"Let's go!"
Seeing Empty Space stand up, Kuina grabbed his hand and, turning, pulled him rapidly towards the sea.
Mm.
With Empty Space around, she wasn't afraid of the sea.
"Hehehe!!"
In the distance, Robin, wearing a purple bikini and a swim ring around her waist, saw Kuina pull Empty Space over. A smile also appeared on her face, which had gradually become fairer since leaving Alabasta.
For the two of them, who couldn't swim, if they wanted to go into the water to play, they had to have someone watching, and the tool, Empty Space, was the best choice.
"Kekekeke!!"
Indigo, watching the three playing in the sea, let out a loud laugh, "Youth is truly wonderful!"
Shaking his head, he raised his fruit cup and took a shallow sip. Then, putting down the cup, he also threw off his blanket and rushed towards the sea.
Arriving at the beach, how could one not play in the water?
Don't assume that just because he was old, his heart was also old.
...
In the forest, Ah Hua and the other two were competing to see who could hunt a larger prey.
They were not allowed to use weapons, only their fists.
Fortunately, this island was not like Little Garden, an ancient island, so the animals here were not as exaggerated as those in Little Garden.
Two hours later.
They each dragged out a massive, never-before-seen animal from the forest.
Even Brook had managed to snatch a nest of bird eggs and was rushing towards the beach.
Behind him, two large birds were cawing and chasing him in the sky.
He, meanwhile, was running and laughing.
When he saw Ah Hua and the other two through the trees, he quickly shouted for help, laughing.
"Haha!! Brook, you're too useless! How could you go steal bird eggs?"
Ah Hua patted his belly and laughed heartily.
"We happen to be short on bird meat."
Alo tossed aside his cowboy hat, reached up, and smoothed his flat, hat-crushed, emo hairstyle. Then, he drew out his冥狗 (Ming Gou - Nether Dog, likely a weapon name), aimed without looking, and with two casual shots, silenced the two large birds chasing Brook.
With their massive bodies, they lost the lift from their wings. Due to inertia, the large birds shot out of the jungle, swooshed past Brook, and plowed a long furrow in the sand, extending all the way to Alo's feet.
"Yohohoho~"
Brook quickly ran over, first thanking Alo, then kicked the dead large birds and laughed heartily, "I told you not to chase me, I just took a few of your eggs!"
"Now look, even you yourselves have fallen here and will become our food, Yohohoho~"
Saying this, he looked up at Ah Hua and opened the rolled-up part of his clothes on his stomach, "Ah Hua, look at this egg, isn't it beautiful! The first time I saw it, I felt it must be something rare and hard to find."
Hearing Brook's words, Ah Hua and the other two quickly stuck their heads out and looked into the clothes he had opened. Inside were a dozen fist-sized, golden eggs that shone with a golden halo in the sunlight, like golden eggs from a fantasy.
Everyone collectively swallowed.
Because of these golden eggs, no one knew why, but they emitted a fragrance that everyone had never smelled before.
This fragrance was like a real dish, making those who smelled it involuntarily feel their appetites whetted.
"Good stuff."
The three of them said in unison, then all stared at the golden eggs with sparkling eyes.
"Yohohoho~ It seems it really is good stuff!"
Seeing everyone's reaction, Brook also burst into laughter.
...