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Chapter 106: Temporary Parting and a Chance Encounter with Ace
Bam!
Before he could finish, Nami punched him flying.
Sanji soared even faster than Usopp, landing squarely on top of the sniper who had just struggled to his feet. The two stacked together with a muffled thud.
"Don't cause more trouble, you guys!"
Nami was fuming, her fist practically smoking.
She glanced at Luffy, who was still lingering near Ganyu, grinning and watching the spectacle. She raised her fist again.
Seeing things going south, Ganyu hurriedly patted Luffy on the shoulder, signaling him to run.
But this guy's situational awareness was truly terrible. He stood there foolishly, pointing at Sanji and Usopp and laughing loudly.
Bam!
With a loud crash and a miserable scream, Luffy flew out of the cabin at an astonishing speed.
He crashed directly into a certain green-haired man doing weight training on the deck. With a loud clatter, Luffy took Zoro with him, and the two slammed together into the ship's gunwale.
The impact even dented the wooden railing.
It was visibly apparent that Zoro's face was distorted from the pressure, and the sound of bones cracking came from his body.
Luffy, on the other hand, was completely fine. Being a rubber man and having Zoro as a "meat cushion," he sat on the ground unharmed.
Watching Zoro slowly slide from the railing to the deck, Luffy scratched his head and said:
"Sorry, Zoro."
"Bas... tard. One of these days... I'm going to cut you..."
Inside the cabin.
Ganyu covered her cheek, feeling a mix of worry and amusement.
She patted Chopper, who was stunned beside her, and said:
"Doctor, a crew member is injured."
"Oh! Right, I'm the doctor!"
Chopper snapped out of it. With speed almost invisible to the naked eye, he rushed into the room, grabbed a medical kit bigger than his body, and then sprinted toward the crewmate he had originally feared most on this ship.
Ganyu nodded in satisfaction. This way, Chopper should be able to get closer to Zoro.
Luffy, Nami, good job.
.....
"Ganyu and I can arrive in Alabasta within an hour?"
Vivi looked at Nami and Ganyu in surprise and delight.
"That's right."
Nami stood behind Ganyu, holding both of her arms as if displaying a precious treasure, her tone full of pride.
"Ganyu's ability allows her to fly with you. If you leave now, you can reach Alabasta ahead of the ship by at least half a day."
"Really?" Vivi's eyes shone as she stared straight at the blue-haired, horned girl before her.
This young girl, who looks even younger than me and is too beautiful to be human, can actually fly?
Although she had a vague sensation of being carried through the air while unconscious on Drum Island, she had been delirious then and thought it was a dream.
"Of course it's true. It was Ganyu who carried you to the castle to find the witch doctor for treatment back then," Nami confirmed with a nod.
Ganyu nodded slightly as well, her eyes smiling. "Would you like to change the position this time?"
"Change the position...?" Vivi asked, confused.
"Last time I carried you in my arms [princess carry], this time I could carry you on my back," Ganyu said, her tone teasing.
"Uh..." Vivi's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, looking somewhat shy.
She lowered her head slightly, unconsciously twirling a lock of hair with her finger, and whispered, "Then... let's stick to carrying in arms."
Ganyu nodded and clapped her hands lightly. "A princess should indeed be princess-carried. Very reasonable."
Not long after.
Vivi changed into an outfit suitable for moving in the desert.
A dark brown windbreaker covered her body, and a white headscarf wrapped around her head to protect against sandstorms, revealing only her eyes.
She wore leather gloves on her hands, durable desert boots on her feet, and a water pouch and small bag containing essentials hung at her waist.
She looked sharp and capable, dressed completely like a desert traveler.
As a princess who grew up in the desert, returning there was like coming home.
Ganyu, however, didn't change much. She still wore her alluring black bodysuit and alluring qipao.
As a Qilin adeptus, her physical constitution was different from ordinary humans; she didn't need to worry about adapting to the desert environment.
However, under Nami and Sanji's repeated insistence and suggestions, she had to make some adjustments.
Nami insisted she wear a scarf to cover her neck.
"The sun in the desert is vicious. What if your neck gets sunburned!"
Also, a white headscarf matching Vivi's wrapped her conspicuous long ice-blue hair. Only her horns, which couldn't be helped, were left exposed.
"Being too conspicuous will attract unnecessary attention."
Nami said seriously while helping Ganyu tie the headscarf. "The situation in Alabasta is tense right now. You need to keep a low profile."
Sanji, meanwhile, rummaged through the kitchen and stuffed a small backpack for Ganyu, filling it with all sorts of things:
"Miss Ganyu, these are special energy bars to replenish your stamina if you get tired from flying... this is a water bottle, I filled it with fresh water... this is sunscreen, the UV rays in the desert are strong... these are emergency medicines, this is a signal flare, in case you encounter danger..."
"Wait, Sanji, I'm just dropping someone off, not going to war." Ganyu was stuck between laughter and tears but accepted the backpack anyway. "Thank you for your concern."
Then.
Under the gaze of everyone on the ship, Ganyu scooped up the fully dressed Vivi.
Vivi was slightly taller than her, but she was very light; Ganyu felt almost no burden holding her.
Ganyu nodded to her watching crewmates. Just as she was about to take off, Zoro walked over and forcefully shoved a sword into her arms.
"This is...?" Ganyu looked down. Good heavens, Wado Ichimonji.
Why is he giving me this sword?
Zoro said flatly, "I know you can use it. If you accidentally run into that Warlord, use this to cut him."
But I don't know Armament Haki...
Ganyu was a bit speechless but smiled and nodded. "Okay."
"Ganyu, if you see Ace, remember to tell him I'll be there soon," Luffy suddenly remembered and hurriedly reminded Ganyu.
"Mm." Ganyu naturally nodded in agreement.
After scanning the group one last time, she suddenly soared into the air. Accompanied by Vivi's cry of surprise, the two gradually moved away, disappearing into the sky.
....
About an hour later.
Alabasta Kingdom, a remote port city.
A young man wearing an orange cowboy hat, shirtless, with a strange tattoo on his back, was walking down the street.
His name was Portgas D. Ace, currently the Commander of the 2nd Division of the Whitebeard Pirates.
His purpose for coming here was to hunt down a sinner who had killed a comrade and betrayed the pirate crew—Marshall D. Teach, nicknamed "Blackbeard."
That guy had killed Thatch, the Commander of the 4th Division, to steal the Dark-Dark Fruit, and then defected.
As a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace had a duty to clean up the mess.
However, ever since seeing a certain rookie pirate's bounty poster worth 30 million, he now had another goal: to try and meet up with his little brother whom he hadn't seen in three years.
Ace rubbed his stomach as he walked, which let out a growling sound.
His gaze constantly scanned his surroundings, clearly looking for a suitable restaurant.
As for why he was looking—naturally, it was because he had no money. If he wanted to eat without money, dining and dashing was the only option.
"This one looks pretty rich. I'll go here."
Before long, his gaze locked onto a restaurant not far away that was full of customers.
Just as he lifted his foot to step into the restaurant, his body suddenly stiffened.
A glint of red light flashed almost imperceptibly in the corner of his eye, and he jerked his head up to look at the sky.
The street was bustling with pedestrians coming and going, yet no one noticed a figure flying rapidly dozens of meters above their heads.
But Ace saw it clearly.
Not only did he see that it was actually two people—one carrying the other while flying—he also saw clearly that one of them, despite wearing a headscarf, had a pair of horns protruding from their head.
Ordinary humans didn't grow horns on their heads, but he happened to know someone who did.
"Could it be Yamato escaped?"
"No, that's not right. She can't fly, and her body isn't that... petite... It must be someone else."
Ace rubbed his chin in thought as an idea popped up.
"Could it be she has a little sister?"
Yamato was a friend he had made two years ago.
For certain reasons, she was trapped in Wano Country by her father. The two had promised that if there was a chance in the future, they would set sail together.
Ace naturally hadn't forgotten this promise. He thought that after capturing Teach, he would get stronger and then challenge Kaido to rescue Yamato.
Just as Ace was thinking, the figure in the sky happened to cast a glance downward at that very moment.
A pair of beautiful red-violet eyes looked over. Upon seeing Ace, they widened slightly, clearly surprised.
"She knows me?"
Although he couldn't see the person's face because of the headscarf, Ace recognized the change in emotion in those eyes.
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