Night fell.
The desert burned during the day, but once night came, the cold cut through everything.
Under the leeward side of a sand dune, a campfire crackled.
The smell of roasted meat filled the air.
Sizzle...
Several sharpened hardwood sticks were planted beside the fire. Large chunks of translucent scorpion meat were skewered on them, roasting in the heat.
Although the conditions were rough, Aiden liked good food and always kept seasonings in the system's storage space.
To avoid looking too strange, he pretended to reach into his clothes. Using his wide coat as cover, he took out two small bottles from the system's storage space. He sprinkled a handful of cumin over the meat, then added a layer of red chili powder.
Boom!
As fat dripped onto the charcoal, the smell grew stronger at once.
The system's cooking skill helped him control the heat and seasoning. Even with simple ingredients, he could still make the meat taste good.
Grumble...
Tia sat across from the fire. Although she tried hard to keep a dignified posture, her stomach growled again.
After all, she had only eaten the apple Aiden gave her all day. She was already starving.
She stared at the meat skewer, roasted golden and crisp, with oil sizzling over the fire. She wanted to eat, but she still hesitated.
The strong scent of cumin kept tempting her, but when she thought of what the meat had come from, she resisted. In her mind, this was something only barbarians ate.
Aiden did not rush to hand the meat to her. Instead, he picked up a skewer himself, carefully tore off a small piece, and put it in his mouth.
"Mhm... the meat is firm, and it's not poisonous."
After confirming it was safe and tasted good, he handed over another skewer.
"Here, eat it while it's hot."
Although he had the system's storage space, it was only five cubic meters in size.
It was usually full after storing Berries, weapons, and essential clothes. Besides, he knew that in the One Piece world, it was easy to find ingredients on the spot, whether at sea or in the forest. Because of that, he never had the habit of storing large amounts of food.
Right now, they could only eat whatever they caught.
Tia looked at the meat skewer in front of her. The cumin aroma kept drifting toward her.
"Is this... really edible?"
She hesitated and took it, staring at the meat as if trying to find something wrong with it.
"Don't worry, I tasted it for you. It won't kill you." Aiden took a bite from another skewer and chewed with satisfaction. "In this hellhole, hot meat is already good enough. Don't be so picky."
Seeing Aiden eat so easily, Tia finally stopped holding back.
She took a small, careful bite.
The next second.
Tia stopped.
The outside was crisp, but the inside was soft. The spice and heat spread through her mouth, chasing away the cold and exhaustion in her body.
It was good.
Much better than she expected.
Her earlier resistance disappeared. Tia ignored the heat and started eating in larger bites. She still tried to eat neatly, but her speed gave her away.
Aiden watched her eat and almost smiled. Then he lowered his eyes and checked the compass hidden in his sleeve.
The needle still pointed southeast.
The location had not changed.
Aiden relaxed a little.
This meant the Time-Time Fruit had not been moved. That was good news for him. It meant he did not need to rush right now.
After they finished eating.
Tia wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth. The messy look caused by hunger faded, and her usual elegance returned.
She looked at the campfire in front of her. She did not rush to rest. Instead, she asked casually,
"Aizen, you said you were going to Wano Country to train your swordsmanship. What about after that? What are your plans?"
"After that?"
Aiden leaned against the sand dune. He rested his head on his hands and looked up at the strange starry sky.
Seven moons.
Exactly seven moons of different sizes hung in the sky, casting pale light over the desert.
Aiden instinctively wanted to ask, "Why are there seven moons in the sky?" but swallowed the words back down.
In this era, this question was probably common sense, like asking why there was a sun in the sky. If he asked, he might be treated as a fool or someone with amnesia, which would only bring trouble.
He looked away.
"After that... I want to go home."
"Go home?" Tia paused. "Where is your home?"
This time, Aiden did not answer right away.
He looked at the unfamiliar moons. He thought of the Marine Headquarters cafeteria, and then he thought of Gion, always in pink.
After a long time, he said softly,
"In a very... very far place."
Tia saw the change in his face and stopped asking.
She was a smart woman. She did not ask where that faraway place was. Instead, she changed the subject.
"Then what do you think of the current situation? The alliance of twenty kingdoms claims to be fighting for the world's order, aiming to overthrow the Great Kingdom's 'tyranny.'"
Hearing this question, Aiden looked back at the campfire.
He stayed silent for a moment.
Then he picked up a branch and gently poked the fire. He watched the embers scatter and spoke plainly.
"Tyranny, order... big words like that don't interest me."
"I'm just a lost traveler. I don't want to get involved in this kind of trouble."
Aiden looked at Tia and said it plainly.
"As long as it doesn't block my way home, I don't care."
The answer was blunt.
But when Tia heard it, she relaxed a little.
For her current situation, a strong person who only wanted to mind his own business was the safest option.
Once she understood that...
Tia took a deep breath and made a decision.
"Aizen, I'm sorry."
She looked straight at Aiden.
"I hid some things from you before. I didn't tell you my exact destination."
"Actually... I'm going to Wano Country too."
"You're going too?" Aiden showed the right amount of surprise. "Didn't you say you were going to sea from Port Karkas?"
"Going to sea is how I get there."
Tia pressed her lips together and said,
"I didn't tell the truth before because I wasn't sure who you were. After all, that place is a war zone now. Anyone going there is treated with suspicion."
"Although I can't tell you the exact reason I'm going there yet, I want to make a deal with you."
"A deal?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.
"That's right."
Tia nodded and continued.
"As you can see, with my current physical condition, I can't reach Wano Country alone."
"I need you to protect me along the way, until I arrive at my destination safely."
Speaking of this, Tia lifted her chin slightly. Even like this, she still sounded proud.
"I have enough money with me. I will cover all expenses on this journey."
"And once we reach Wano Country, I can use my connections to introduce you to the sword masters of the Kozuki clan. I'll also give you a good reward."
"How about it? This is a good deal, right?"
After hearing this, Aiden did not agree immediately. He rubbed his chin, acting like he needed time to think.
In truth, this was exactly what he wanted.
Wasn't this perfect timing?
Since their destinations were the same, and there was a rich woman willing to pay for his travel expenses, why not?
"Alright."
After a few seconds of silence, Aiden reluctantly nodded.
"I happen to need a guide anyway, and traveling alone is quite boring. Deal."
With the deal made, the tension between them finally eased.
After they stopped talking, the air around them went quiet again. Only the campfire popped from time to time.
Before they knew it, the night grew deep.
Tia curled up. Although the campfire warmed her front, the cold from behind crept up her back and made her shiver.
She looked around. Besides endless sand, there was no place to shelter from the wind.
She knew very well that in this kind of place, sleeping outside without a tent or sleeping bag was no different from suicide.
Looking at the calm Aiden across from her, Tia hesitated.
"Umm..."
She hesitated, but couldn't help asking,
"Are we... just going to sit here all night? The temperature is still dropping. If we don't find a place to hide from the wind, we'll freeze stiff."
"Sit all night? Then we won't have the energy to travel tomorrow."
Aiden stood up, dusted the sand off his pants, walked to the leeward side of the dune, and started digging a hole.
"What are you doing?" Tia looked confused.
"Digging a bed."
Aiden quickly dug a shallow pit, then lay down in it. He used his hands to cover himself with the surrounding sand, which still held some of the day's warmth, leaving only his head exposed.
Actually, with Aiden's current body, the cold meant nothing to him. Not to mention sleeping in a sand pit, even sleeping directly on ice would not freeze him.
The reason he did this was to set an example for Tia.
If he did not show this method himself, someone as proud as her—who had hesitated even over roasted meat—would never bury herself in the sand, even if she froze.
He let out a comfortable sigh and looked at the stunned Tia.
"Don't just stand there. Sand holds heat better than air, and the layer underneath still keeps some of the heat from the day. If you don't want to turn into a frozen mummy by tomorrow morning, copy me and bury yourself."
"Bury... bury myself?"
Tia looked at the dusty sand pit. She liked being clean, so her first instinct was to refuse.
But the freezing wind gave her less than three minutes before forcing her to give in.
She copied Aiden's actions and clumsily dug a pit beside him. She carefully lay down in it and covered her body with sand.
Strangely, the biting cold disappeared almost at once, replaced by warmth.
"Good night, boss."
Seeing her lie down properly, Aiden's voice came over, sounding lazy.
Tia turned her head and looked at Aiden, who only had his head exposed beside her. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
"Good night... Mr. Bodyguard."
...
At noon the next day.
When they finally crossed the last towering sand dune, the view suddenly opened up.
The sight before them made even Aiden pause.
Looking down from the high ground, countless massive wooden sailing ships were moored in the waters of Port Karkas. Their sails and ropes gave the port an old, rough look.
But next to those wooden ships, there were actually more than a dozen streamlined transport ships made entirely of silver metal.
They had no sails. The vessels were smooth from bow to stern, gleaming under the sun with a cold metallic shine. They looked completely out of place beside the wooden ships hanging with rough ropes.
Clearly, although this drawn-out war had lasted for decades, not every country in the world was involved.
The main war was between the Great Kingdom and the alliance of twenty kingdoms. Outside those two sides, neutral powers still existed, like the port in front of them.
"This mix of wooden ships and metal vessels is really..."
Aiden looked at the port for a moment. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed the world over eight hundred years ago looked like this.
"Don't just stand there. We need to go into the city."
Tia tugged Aiden's sleeve.
The two walked down the dune and arrived at the city gate. Although it was open to the outside, the security was very strict.
Two rows of fully armed soldiers guarded the entrance, checking people entering the city one by one.
"Heh, it seems this so-called neutral zone isn't as free as I thought."
Aiden muttered in his mind.
"Take off your hoods! All outsiders must register their identities!"
A soldier's shout came from a distance.
Tia's steps stopped abruptly. She lowered her head even more.
She was almost certain this sudden, heavily guarded checkpoint was set up for her. They wouldn't even need to look closely. Her aqua-blue hair was simply too obvious.
"What's wrong?" Aiden asked, looking at the hesitant Tia.
Tia gritted her teeth, pulled Aiden to an inconspicuous corner, and lowered her voice.
"If we go in like this, I will definitely be detained and questioned. My identity is a bit... troublesome."
She glanced at the guards, who were inspecting single women especially strictly, and clenched her fingers.
"Let's... pretend to be a married couple."
"Huh?"
Aiden widened his eyes and looked her up and down.
"I agreed to be a bodyguard, but I'm only selling my skills, not my body. Are you trying to take advantage of me?"
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Tia glared at him in embarrassment.
Since she was a child, everyone who knew her knew she hated being touched by men.
Because of this, the guards searching for her would never expect her to endure such close contact with a man and pretend to be married.
That was exactly why the act might work.
"Alright, since you put it that way, what else can I say?"
Aiden shrugged. He grabbed a handful of mud from the ground and, before Tia could object, smeared it directly on her face.
"Then let's do the full act. We'll say we're a refugee couple."
Tia was about to snap, but hearing Aiden's reasoning, she held back the urge to throw the mud back in his face and let him do it.
A few minutes later.
The two arrived at the checkpoint.
"Halt! What is your business? Take off the hood!" a guard shouted sharply.
The next second, Aiden changed his expression at once.
He casually reached out and grabbed Tia's waist. He even went a step further, pressing half her body firmly into his arms. He put on the shameless smile of a street scoundrel.
"Hello, officer! You're working hard, officer!"
"We just fled from the west. My wife injured her face on the road. I'm afraid it might scare you, so maybe we can skip looking at it?"
Aiden didn't want to cause trouble. In this unfamiliar place, fighting his way through would be simple, but it could bring more trouble later.
Being held so tightly by Aiden, Tia went stiff.
But she knew she couldn't break character now.
So, she took a deep breath, buried her face against Aiden's chest, and let out a weak, trembling sound.
"Mhm..."
"Injured?"
The guard looked at the two suspiciously, clearly not fully convinced. He reached out, used his spear to lift the corner of Tia's hood, and glanced inside.
He saw a face covered in mud and dust, black and yellow. In the dim light, it really did look like a terrible burn scar, messy and dirty.
"Tsk."
The guard frowned and looked away.
"Alright, alright, hurry up and go in. Don't cause trouble in the city!"
The guard waved impatiently.
"Got it!"
Aiden chuckled. He kept his arm around Tia and swaggered through the city gate.
They turned two corners. After making sure no one was following them, Tia shoved Aiden away like she had been shocked. She turned her back and panted heavily, her face red.
Aiden stood aside with his arms crossed, waiting quietly for her to catch her breath.
Looking at her slightly trembling back, Aiden did not expect her reaction to be this intense.
After a long while, Tia's breathing slowly leveled out.
"Let's go."
Seeing her turn around, Aiden noticed that although she still had a blush on her face, her eyes had cleared. He pointed down the street ahead.
"Since we're in, the first thing is to find a place to stay."
The two walked into an inn that looked decently clean.
"Innkeeper, we need a room."
Aiden instinctively reached into his shirt. He pulled out a stack of Berries he had just taken from the system's storage space and was about to slap them on the counter.
A pale hand grabbed his wrist.
"What are you doing with that paper? Wiping your sweat?"
Tia looked at him strangely.
"They only take gold coins from various countries here, or you trade goods. What use is paper with faces printed on it?"
Aiden froze and silently put the Berries away.
He had forgotten. The World Government had not been formed yet, and Berries had not been issued.
"Also, didn't I tell you?"
Tia sighed.
"I will cover all expenses on this journey."
After saying that, she turned her back and took a gold coin from a hidden lining in her clothes.
The gold coin had a complex crest on it. She purposely blocked the symbol with her finger, only showing the shiny gold material.
The innkeeper leaned forward when he saw the gold coin.
"Are you two...?"
"A married couple, looking for a room."
Aiden and Tia said it at the exact same time.
After speaking, the two exchanged a glance, and Tia quickly looked away.
"Great! Since you're married, it's easy."
The innkeeper smiled in a way that made the meaning clear.
"Too many people have come here lately, so we're fully booked. Luckily, we have exactly one large room with one big bed left. You two don't mind, right?"
Aiden's eyebrow twitched.
He looked at Tia. He thought she would refuse, and they would just have to find another place.
Unexpectedly, Tia only stayed silent for a second before nodding. She spoke calmly.
"We'll take it. It's just fine."
When they first came in, Tia had noticed a few suspicious people in the lobby. Since they were pretending to be married, booking two rooms would basically tell everyone, "There's a problem with these two."
"Got it! Second floor, turn left!"
...
The room wasn't big, but it was tidy. Most importantly, it had a private bathroom.
As soon as they entered, Tia stared at the bathroom, unable to look away.
She had rolled in the desert for two days. She was covered in sand and sweat, and Aiden had smeared mud on her face before entering the city. For someone who loved being clean, this was worse than death.
"I'm going to bathe first."
Tia turned around and told Aiden very seriously,
"You stand guard outside. No peeking, and no coming in. Otherwise... even if I can't beat you, I'll take you down with me!"
"Okay, okay, go on."
Aiden waved his hand. He sat down in a chair, pulled out the black blade, and started wiping it.
"I have no interest in peeking."
"You!!"
Tia choked on her anger.
She looked at Aiden, who had already lowered his head to focus on wiping his blade, and actually felt a bit annoyed.
Even though she hated perverted men, she was still a great beauty. This guy barely reacted to her at all. No one had ever ignored her like this before.
She stomped her foot angrily, grabbed the plain cloth dress they had just bought at the inn, and rushed into the bathroom.
Soon, the sound of splashing water came from inside.
Aiden kept wiping the blade outside. Hearing the water splashing, he did not react.
He always had good self-control. Besides, his top priority was returning to his own era. He had no room in his head for romance.
Half an hour later.
Click.
The bathroom door opened.
White steam drifted out as Tia stepped from the bathroom.
Aiden was holding a cup of water, taking a drink. He instinctively looked up.
He looked up, and the cup stopped halfway to his mouth.
He had known she was beautiful under the dust.
He had not expected the difference to be this obvious.
She had washed away the dust and grease on her face, revealing pale skin. Because of the hot steam, her cheeks were red.
Her aqua-blue hair fell wet over her shoulders, still dripping water.
She was only wearing a simple coarse cloth dress, but the plain fabric could not hide the way she carried herself.
Aiden stared for two seconds before he caught himself.
"What the..."
Aiden swallowed and looked away.
"These looks... aren't they too unfair?"
Being stared at so openly by Aiden, Tia's face turned red.
She instinctively clutched her slightly loose collar and glared at him in embarrassment.
"What... what are you looking at!"
"Cough..."
Aiden snapped out of it. He coughed awkwardly to cover it up and quickly looked away.
"Nothing. I just thought... you definitely look better cleaned up. You don't look like a mud monkey anymore."
"You're the mud monkey!"
Tia was so angry she grabbed a cup and motioned to throw it at him.
...
Late at night.
There was only one bed in the room.
They were still pretending to be husband and wife, and the single bed made the silence awkward.
Tia held the blanket close and watched Aiden move a chair to the window.
"Hey..."
She hesitated, her voice a bit dry.
"That bed... is actually quite big."
As soon as she said it, she regretted it. Her face heated up. That sounded way too much like a hint.
"Don't misunderstand! I mean... you can sleep on the other side. We have to travel tomorrow, and sitting there all night will..."
"Alright, just go to sleep."
Aiden cut off her rambling explanation.
"I'm a bodyguard. Keeping watch is my job."
Aiden said plainly.
"Besides, if I actually lay down on it, you probably wouldn't dare close your eyes tonight, right?"
Tia bit her lip and did not argue.
Indeed, while she didn't hate this man, old habits and caution made it hard for her to share a bed with a man right away.
"Go to sleep."
Aiden adjusted his posture to lean back more comfortably. He turned his head and gave her a side glance.
"Relax, I have no interest in taking advantage of someone. Unless you sleepwalk over here, this chair is my territory."
"Who... who would crawl over!"
Tia glared at him in embarrassment and anger. She then angrily pulled the blanket over herself, wrapped herself into a ball, and rolled over with her back to him.
The room went quiet again.
Although she acted tough, hearing his steady breathing behind her made Tia slowly relax.
She had been running for days. Now that she was warm and safe, sleep came quickly.
Not long after, the sound of steady breathing gently echoed in the room.
She fell asleep.
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