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Chapter 25
There were also some reckless pirates and thugs who came to harass Rouge and Annie.
They all turned into piles of white bones.
After nearly a hundred pirates died at Vilin's hands, no one dared disturb the three of them anymore.
"What a bunch of annoying pests. Finally some peace and quiet!"
Vilin stretched lazily, looking a bit irritated.
"Hehe, of course! Vilin, you're so domineering~"
Rouge giggled and pounced into Vilin's arms, hugging his right arm teasingly.
Seeing Rouge clinging to Vilin's right arm, Annie refused to be outdone and quickly latched onto his left arm.
"Vilin, I want to buy some dance books. Let's go to the bookstore!"
"Okay."
Vilin naturally wouldn't refuse Annie's request.
The three of them quickly headed toward the largest bookstore in the Southリス Kingdom.
Soon Annie dove into the stacks, searching eagerly for dance books.
Seeing how enthusiastic she was, Vilin had no choice but to sit with Rouge on a chair and wait.
"Vilin, I've been learning some dances from Annie lately too~ Want me to perform for you tonight?"
"The striptease kind, okay~?"
While Vilin was lost in thought, Rouge leaned close to his ear, breathing warm, moist air as she whispered seductively.
The moment he heard "dance," Vilin instantly perked up.
His gaze grew noticeably hotter.
"Good. Come to my room tonight."
"I'll give you some proper guidance."
"What are you two talking about? So intense."
Just as the two were getting closer, an untimely voice pulled them back to reality.
Looking at Annie staring curiously at them, Vilin gave an awkward smile.
He glanced at the dance books in her arms and asked,
"All done?"
"Mm."
"I'm planning to create my own dance. I've even thought of the name—'Dance of Life'."
"Isn't that a pretty name?"
"Yeah, it really is. I'm looking forward to seeing your creation."
Vilin lovingly stroked Annie's smooth hair.
The three of them then left the bookstore and continued walking the streets.
They wanted to experience the local culture and customs of the world's islands.
Along the way, the three sampled all kinds of new and unique foods.
In the blink of an eye, the Aitrias Pirates had stayed on this island for three days.
Once all supplies were fully restocked, the Aitrias Pirates set sail once again.
At the same time, the Navy branch reported the Aitrias Pirates' movements to Headquarters.
Garp—who was currently rushing toward the first half of the Grand Line—received Vilin's updated intelligence immediately.
Vilin, of course, had no idea the Navy was closing in.
Aboard the Flying Bird,
Vilin resumed his daily, unbreakable training routine.
It's worth noting that after enduring the daily pain of cellular strengthening alongside Vilin, Rouge's physical condition had improved dramatically.
Combined with her development of the Smooth-Smooth Fruit, her current strength had already reached the level of a Navy Headquarters Captain.
Seeing Rouge work so hard to grow stronger, Annie began to feel a sense of crisis.
She started insisting on training with them.
This caused Vilin's already limited life energy to deplete even faster.
Feeling somewhat helpless, Vilin had no choice but to target any passing pirate crews.
Whenever lookout Annie spotted a pirate ship, they were all wiped out without exception—ending their journeys prematurely.
Along the way, Vilin also rescued several female slaves captured by pirates.
"Sir… could you please take us in?"
"Our country was destroyed by pirates!"
Among the female slaves, an elegant blue-haired woman knelt before Vilin with a pained expression.
She begged him to take them in—even as laborers, they were willing.
The other beautiful girls followed her lead and knelt as well.
Seeing how pitiful they looked, Vilin had no choice but to keep them aboard.
This increased the Aitrias Pirates' crew size once again.
Among them was the blue-haired woman named Aurora.
Vilin noticed her excellent management skills and put her in charge of ship supplies and miscellaneous tasks.
Now the Aitrias Pirates had grown from just over ten members to more than twenty.
The ship became noticeably livelier.
In this cheerful atmosphere, the Aitrias Pirates sailed steadily toward Reverse Mountain.
The Grand Line is a ring-shaped ocean area intersecting perpendicularly with the Red Line.
It is the most wondrous—and most dangerous—sea route in the world.
On both sides of the Grand Line lie the perilous Calm Belts.
To enter the Grand Line from the Four Seas, one must either cross the Calm Belts or pass through Reverse Mountain.
Reverse Mountain is also the starting point of the Grand Line.
From Reverse Mountain, seven magnetic currents extend outward.
At the beginning, one may choose any route.
But once chosen, the route cannot be changed.
You can only follow the path island by island.
Eventually, all seven routes converge at Sabaody Archipelago.
South Blue, Reverse Mountain.
After a month of sailing, Vilin and his crew finally saw the full view of Reverse Mountain.
"Everyone get ready—we're about to enter Reverse Mountain!"
"The currents will become extremely violent soon. Find something solid to hold onto so you don't get thrown off!"
Hearing Vilin's warning, the female crew members immediately ran to secure themselves.
Vilin still felt uneasy.
He quickly extended more than twenty arm-thick vines from his body, firmly binding everyone close to him.
As the Flying Bird rushed upward along the raging current toward Reverse Mountain, the crew felt the ship's speed suddenly skyrocket.
They were all flung backward.
Fortunately, Vilin's vines held them securely, preventing anyone from being thrown overboard.
On the deck of the Flying Bird, Vilin stood firmly at the bow.
Feeling the fierce wind whipping against him, a surge of heroic ambition rose in his chest.
He, Vilin, would build a powerful family in the world of One Piece.
That was his dream.
As his conviction grew firmer, Vilin felt his Haki subtly strengthen.
Soon the Flying Bird was carried by the raging current all the way to the peak of Reverse Mountain.
Seeing the ship suddenly fly upward, the crew let out excited screams.
Rouge clung to Vilin's neck like a koala, holding on tightly.
She cheered nonstop while marveling at the never-before-seen spectacle.
Finally, the Flying Bird shot through Reverse Mountain's current and plunged into the sea on the other side.
The ship's speed gradually slowed.
Looking at the now-empty twin peaks behind them, Vilin thought to himself:
In a few more years, the Rumbar Pirates should be entering the Grand Line from West Blue as well.
Entering the Grand Line, Sophia walked over to Vilin.
She waved the Log Pose in her hand and said,
"Captain Vilin, the first island on our route should be Whiskey Peak."
Yes—Vilin had deliberately chosen the same route as the Straw Hat Pirates.
He didn't want to miss any of the god-tier Devil Fruits the Straw Hats had encountered.
"Mm. Just follow the Log Pose."
"Understood."
After reporting, Sophia flicked her golden hair, swayed her slim waist, and headed back to her room.
She still had more navigation knowledge to study.
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