"No wonder..."
Hearing what Jie Liu said, Zoro remembered the scene on the ship where Sanji almost fell earlier.
Luffy, standing nearby, immediately said, "Don't worry, old man, I will definitely take Sanji to the Grand Line!"
"I saved that kid's life when he was little, so he's always wanted to stay by my side to repay me," Jie Liu said wistfully, sitting on his seat. "But I can't leave the East Blue for some reason, so I've always wondered if someone could take him away. Then I met you."
Luffy nodded quickly. "After I beat up that guy Kibutsuji Muzan, I'll come back here to pick up our chef!"
"Let's go to Syrup Village. You might find what you're looking for there," Jie Liu said, looking at Luffy who was wolfing down meat. "People from The Black Order are also active there. I think... since they've shown up, it should be related to demons."
"The Black Order..." Makima's figure appeared in Luffy's mind. The moment he thought of that woman who always seemed to have a faint smile but actually felt distant, Luffy felt goosebumps all over his body.
If there was anyone he truly feared in his life, it wasn't his grandpa who often hit him, nor Zephyr, who was always serious and hated pirates, but Makima. He had met her only a few times, but each time, he felt like he was being watched.
He had heard from Uta that Makima was the Fleet Admiral of The Black Order, so when The Black Order was mentioned, he immediately thought of Makima.
"What's wrong?" Zoro asked with interest, seeing Luffy shiver. It was the first time he'd seen Luffy make that kind of face.
"I thought of someone really scary..." Luffy said in a low voice. "Alright, since Uncle Jie Liu said so, let's go check out that Syrup Village later?"
"Hey, hey, hey, weren't we just going to look for Bellemere and the others?" Zoro said, looking speechlessly at Luffy, who was coming up with ideas one after another. And wasn't he forgetting that they didn't have a navigator right now?
Their original navigator, Nami, had become a demon. How could she obediently lead them anymore?
Although the East Blue wasn't as harsh as the Grand Line, where it was impossible to move without a permanent log pose, trying to navigate with just a village name was like finding a needle in a haystack.
"Oh right, Bellemere and Nojiko too." Luffy remembered when Zoro mentioned them. But looking at Nami, who seemed to be sleeping, he said, "Nami looks fine now. Let's go to Syrup Village first. Besides, we don't know where Bellemere and the others are right now."
Since both options were like finding a needle in a haystack, they might as well go to a fixed location.
"I have a navigation chart to Syrup Village," Jie Liu said, looking at the two. "I think Sanji should also be heading in that direction. If you see him, please take care of him."
"Don't worry, uncle, I'll definitely protect our chef!" Luffy grinned broadly, then quickly stuffed more meat into his mouth.
"Hey, don't steal my meat!" Zoro yelled, and stopped talking, quickly engaging in a meat-grabbing battle with Luffy.
Before long, Luffy's stomach was bulging from all the meat. Zoro looked at him with some disdain and said, "The pastries Uncle made are really delicious. You guys who only know how to eat meat truly don't know how to enjoy life."
"Meat is the most delicious thing in the world!" Luffy, round and full, looked lazy.
After eating his fill, Zoro was about to set off when he realized Luffy had fallen asleep at some point.
This guy...
Zoro felt a little helpless. But he was also very tired, especially since he was still injured.
However, sleeping in the restaurant wasn't a good idea. Although Jie Liu had always appeared calm and even hearty, he was after all a pirate from the Grand Line. Zoro thought about it and decided to take Nami and Luffy back to the ship.
As for Shell, he had left while they were eating.
Back on the ship, he casually threw the two into a room and returned to his own bed, drowsily preparing to sleep.
In his daze, Zoro felt something approaching. His body turned cold, as if he had fallen into the deep sea.
His breathing became difficult. He hadn't slept long before Zoro suddenly sat up in bed. He looked at the three swords by his bed. The strongest black blade, Dark Moon, was emitting a faint glow at that moment.
Like moonlight in the dark night, Zoro stared blankly at the faint glow, and suddenly remembered the suffocating feeling from his dream.
His pupils contracted. At this moment, he seemed to sense something from his sword edge.
"Luffy!"
Zoro immediately got up and ran to another room to wake up Luffy, who was asleep.
Luffy opened his eyes groggily and mumbled, "Zoro, what's up?"
"We have to leave here quickly."
Zoro said sternly, "Kibutsuji Muzan is here!"
"What?!"
Luffy instantly became alert. "Where?! I'm going to beat him up!"
"Can you do it now?" Zoro said coldly. "Don't forget, both of us are still injured. Do you think you can defeat Kibutsuji Muzan in this state? Moreover, it's nighttime, which is his most suitable combat time."
Luffy fell silent for a moment. He nodded. "Okay, then let's leave here first! Head for Syrup Village!"
Jie Liu said Syrup Village had the clues they needed. Luffy asked for specifics, but Jie Liu didn't say. So, they would go there. If they encountered Kibutsuji Muzan on the way, they would fight. If not, they would go look for those so-called clues!
Zoro understood Luffy's intention and didn't object to this bold proposal. He was equally brave.
The two, now awake, immediately set sail and left in the night. About an hour after they left, the sea around the Baratie became strange.
It was as if a whirlpool was moving around. In the darkness, beneath the water, a deeper darkness seemed to be moving.
"Hmm?"
The dark figure felt confused. He couldn't find the whereabouts of the three people his master had mentioned here.
His nose was pointed, and his body was strong and robust. The fact that he could move and breathe easily in the sea indicated he was a fish-man.
In his eyes, one was engraved with Upper Rank, and the other had the number three.
Upper Rank Three, the Fish-Man Demon!
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