Yasa hoisted the insolent old man by the collar, a single slap dislodging several teeth. The man's mouth now held only two remaining teeth, hanging precariously from their sockets.
Under Yasa's icy gaze, the old man's courage evaporated, leaving him trembling so violently he nearly wet himself.
"Speak," Yasa commanded. "Where on Birka Island is the Cloud Float Current punishment carried out? Give me a proper account, and you might keep your miserable life."
"Mercy... mercy!" The old man's voice shook as he spilled his knowledge. "The Cloud Float Current is usually performed on this beach. The village chief issues the order after a full village vote..."
He vomited forth every detail he knew, including his childhood transgression of spying on the chief's wife bathing, desperate to avoid further beatings.
"Oh? You've proven somewhat useful," Yasa sneered.
Some people only respond to force. In this world where strength reigns supreme and laws mean nothing, violence can't solve every problem, but without it, no problem can be solved at all.
"Don't say I don't respect my elders or care for the young. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you off. But if you dare breathe a word about me asking you anything... you'll answer to the consequences." Yasa sneered, unwilling to waste more breath on this old man.
He was in a good mood today and didn't want to start killing, which might bring bad luck, so he spared the old man.
If they found the Rumble-Rumble Fruit on this sea voyage, everyone would be happy. If they didn't? Heh, they'd have to use human lives to appease his anger.
"Yes, yes, yes!" The old man nodded repeatedly, scrambling away so fast that many younger men would have been ashamed of their own speed.
Ignoring the old man fleeing as if his life depended on it, Yasa's figure blurred as he returned to his Waver stored at the edge of Birka.
This time they wouldn't be searching near the coast, but venturing deep into the White White Sea. Naturally, they needed something to conserve their energy.
Once aboard the Waver, Yasa pushed it to maximum speed, heading straight for the heart of the White White Sea.
His heart was pounding violently. This sudden, almost impulsive feeling made him certain they would encounter something significant on this voyage.
His Observation Haki grew increasingly powerful, bolstering his confidence in his judgment.
"My deduction cannot possibly be wrong. Enel hadn't visited Angel Island before destroying Birka, which means he must have found the Rumble-Rumble Fruit in the White White Sea!"
Yasa narrowed his eyes, letting the sea breeze whip through his hair. Waver sliced through the waves, leaving behind a shrinking Birka Island.
"Enel was only seven at the time. If I waited for him to sail himself or get punished for mistakes, who knows how long that would take? I can't afford to waste time here."
His heart raced, blood boiling with anticipation as the premonition intensified.
After leaving Birka, Waver slowed its pace. Yasa scanned the surroundings—though mist obscured the horizon, no ships appeared within view.
Undeterred, Yasa stripped off his clothes, took a deep breath, and plunged into the White White Sea.
If not on the surface, then surely beneath the waves—or hidden within the swirling mists beyond his sight.
He searched meticulously, inch by inch, unwilling to miss a single spot. If he were to overlook the Rumble-Rumble Fruit due to his own negligence, the regret would haunt him forever.
An individual's strength is truly insignificant, and Observation Haki cannot be fully utilized underwater. For a whole year, he had deliberately trained himself to discern the movements of undersea currents. Though the results were not striking, they were by no means fruitless.
Whenever seawater flowed past an obstacle, Yasa would inevitably detect it. He would then take a closer look to confirm whether it was the fruit.
When one becomes fully immersed in something, time often passes by unnoticed.
The sun set, and night descended.
Yasa had searched for an entire day yet remained empty-handed. However, he didn't lose heart. He firmly believed that the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, just as he had deduced, was hidden somewhere in the White White Sea, waiting for him.
Because the more he searched, the faster his heart would beat. He saw this ability as the embryonic form of Observation Haki's future predictive power.
One day in the future, when the seed sprouts, Observation Haki will reach its peak.
Far from Birka Island, the sea beasts in the White White Sea grew increasingly massive, rivaling the Sea Kings of the Blue Sea in size. Yet Yasa showed no fear, barely acknowledging their presence.
A year prior, Yasa had been startled by their sudden appearance during his aquatic training. Later, he discovered these creatures were all bluff and bluster—hollow threats with fragile bodies.
Each beast was essentially a balloon-like entity that could be easily punctured. Their true forms were no larger than a palm, hardly enough for a single bite.
Ignoring the sea beasts' empty roars, Yasa rested for three hours on his Waver before resuming his fruit-hunting journey.
One day passed. Then two. Three days of empty returns.
At noon on the third day, the sun pierced through the mist rising from the cloud sea above.
After three fruitless days of searching, Yasa suddenly noticed a massive Tower Ship appearing kilometers ahead in the sea.
The ship was enormous, with multiple layered decks spanning hundreds of meters in length—larger than any vessel Yasa had ever seen.
He couldn't imagine how such advanced shipbuilding technology could exist in this world, especially when it was constructed entirely from wood.
The suddenly appearing Tower Ship was already in a state of disrepair, emitting a musty odor. Its weathered surface bore the marks of time, covered in green moss.
The ship above lay silent, like a ghost vessel.
Yasa's breathing quickened instantly, his heart pounding so fiercely it seemed about to leap from his chest, blood rushing to his head.
It must be here, it must be here.
He roared inwardly, the sudden surge of possessiveness nearly driving him mad. His obsessive craving for the Rumble-Rumble Fruit threatened to consume him completely.
His thirst for power had transformed him from a commoner into a cunning, ambitious schemer.
Eagerly leaping from the Waver onto the ten-meter-high deck of the Tower Ship, Yasa pushed open the dilapidated wooden door and swiftly entered the cabin.
As expected, the interior of the ship was vast, capable of accommodating thousands of people, much like the cruise ships from his previous life.
The door opened to reveal sunlight illuminating the floor, which was strewn with bones in disarray, leaving no safe place to step.
The undecayed clothing and exquisite jewelry showed these dead had been either wealthy or of noble status in life.
Yasa cared nothing for this. His eyes were drawn to the boxes of gold and jewels at the far end of the cabin.
It wasn't that he coveted riches. At the center of the treasure lay a half-open wooden box, revealing a dazzling blue light that made his heart race—like lightning shining through the darkness!
PS: The Rumble-Rumble Fruit has appeared!