Chapter 69: Adventurer’s Heart by the Sea

Behind Karl stretched an endless ocean. The sun hung high in the sky. The weather was perfect, not a single cloud in sight.

“Where am I? Eh, forget it, I’ll just go explore.”

Karl didn’t want to head straight for any set island. He just wanted the thrill of adventure, so he spent the whole night soaring aimlessly through the sky.

Spying an island in the distance, he quickly descended toward it.

Karl landed in a quiet, deserted spot by the shore.

“White Tiger, I’ll have to trouble you to wait here for a bit.”

“Of course, but if you shrink yourself even smaller with your Bone-Shrinking Art, you could come with me inside.”

White Tiger heard this, immediately recoiling two steps with a look of utter resistance, shaking its head hard. There was no way it wanted to endure that kind of discomfort again.

Its tongue lolled out, face full of regret. If it had known, it wouldn’t have come along in the first place.

“Hahaha!”

“Sorry, you’ll just have to wait here for now!”

“I’m heading out.”

Ever since Karl had set out to sea, he’d slowly rediscovered a childlike sense of freedom in himself.

Leisurely days like these were something he’d never experienced before.

No need to think about work or jobs, no worries weighing him down. He could do whatever he wanted, skip whatever he didn’t—life couldn’t get any better.

And with Titan’s Gift, not only had his body grown stronger, his lifespan had shot up to three hundred years.

That meant he now had plenty of time, with many laid-back years ahead. Every time he thought about it, a wave of contentment washed through him.

Down at the docks, a brawny sailor was hauling crates with all his might.

“Sea fish, fresh caught today! Just fifteen Berries a jin—can’t get fresher!”

“Fruit! Fresh fruit for sale, cheap and juicy!”

“Your clothes are so expensive! There are way cheaper ones anywhere else.”

As soon as Karl stepped into the town, he was greeted by a chorus of hawkers and bargaining voices. He closed his eyes for a moment, soaking it all in.

Just from the sounds, it almost felt like he’d gone back to China. His eyes grew misty at the thought.

“System, can I ever go back home?”

He needed to know—did he still have a chance to return?

“Host, complete the final mission to choose to return to Blue Star.”

“Wait, there’s a final mission? Why haven’t I seen it?”

Karl’s eyes flew wide open at the system notification, heart pounding with shock. He hadn’t expected there was truly a way back to the ancient East.

Sure, his mom back home loved to nag him about getting married, but that didn’t mean he didn’t miss home.

“What’s the final mission?”

He desperately wanted to know what he had to do to return to China, to the arms of his parents.

“After completing Main Quest Three, the final mission will unlock!”

“I’m only on Main Quest One… I haven’t even seen Main Quest Two yet.”

“Eh, whatever. At least there’s hope. I can fight for that now.”

A big grin spread across Karl’s face.

At first, he just wanted a sliver of space to survive in this One Piece World. Then, with the system’s influence, he dreamed of changing the world’s fate and giving himself a better life.

After awakening thanks to the Snow Lion Admiral, he even wanted to liberate the entire pirate world and let them feel the crimson tide.

Now, with the prospect of going home, he was even more eager to clear all these quests and finally return.

“Time to pick up the pace!”

“I can guess what that ultimate mission is—probably taking down Im.”

“Sorry, but I can’t wait till you’ve set sail, Luffy.”

Right now, Karl brimmed with confidence. With the Guoman System’s help, there was no way he couldn’t overthrow Im.

…

“Uncle, excuse me, can I ask where this place is?”

After sorting out his thoughts, Karl found an old man selling fruit by the roadside.

“Hmm? Young man.”

“This is the Goa Kingdom.”

“Is this your first time here?”

The old man eyed him kindly. Plenty of people came to Goa for the first time.

“Haha, it is, sir. My first time here. I wanted to ask—have you ever heard of Windmill Village?”

Karl hadn’t expected to arrive at the Goa Kingdom, and suddenly found himself interested in Windmill Village. He wanted to see where Luffy had grown up—a bit of a nostalgic pilgrimage.

“Sure!”

“Buy some of my fruit, and I’ll tell you.”

Seeing the old man’s canny look, Karl bought a few apples.

“Crunch!”

“That good enough, sir?”

He picked up an apple and took a bite, dropping some coins on the stall.

The old man’s smile stretched from ear to ear as he pocketed the coins, then pointed in a certain direction.

“Windmill Village is by the end of Goa Kingdom, just over that way.”

“Oh yeah? Thanks a lot, sir.”

Karl glanced in the direction the old man pointed, silently committing it to memory.

He said his goodbyes, then strolled aimlessly around the port-town.

“Same old, same old. Nothing worth exploring.”

“Whatever, let’s go check out the end station.”

Karl realized most towns in the One Piece World were pretty much the same—once you’d seen a few, the similarities piled up.

If he really wanted adventure, he’d have to find special islands—like Machinery Island, or Skypiea.

“That’s mine!”

“Yeah right, it isn’t!”

“Brat! Put that down!”

“Or you’ll regret it, you know what’s coming.”

Karl stood atop a giant tree, watching as a few adults bullied a teenage boy at the end station.

“Alright boys, let’s rough him up a little.”

“Get him!”

The leader kicked the boy to the ground, and his thugs crowded around to beat him up.

No matter how viciously they hit him, though, the boy clung tightly to the metal box in his arms.

“You’re just a useless burden.”

“Your own father abandoned you.”

“Why hold on to that stupid box?”

“You should just give it to me!”

The leader yanked the boy up by the hair.

Still, the boy didn’t say a word, curling up tight and hugging the last gift his mother left him.

“Let go!”

Just as one of the adults reached for the metal box—

“Raargh!”

“Tiger! Run for it!”

“Run!”

The whole bunch scrambled away in terror, tripping over each other to flee.

The leader even tossed the boy aside and led the pack out front.

“D-Don’t come any closer.”

“I taste awful, really! You wouldn’t want me!”

The boy couldn’t even stand as he watched White Tiger step closer and closer.

His face went white, body trembling as he dragged himself away—trying to escape, even if it was probably pointless. At least pretending gave him a sliver of comfort.

“What’s your name?”

The boy froze mid-crawl, thinking the tiger was talking. He turned his head toward the sound.

The massive tiger was lying peacefully, letting a stranger pet its fur.

Seeing this, the boy finally relaxed—he knew the man must’ve saved him.

He sat up, clutching his box, and spoke softly.

“My name’s Sparrow. Lake—Sparrow Lake.”

With those words, relief swept through him and he promptly fainted.

“Sparrow? What a coincidence—I’ve met a Captain Sparrow, too.”

“But how did I end up taking care of another kid?”

“Well, might as well help him out.”

Actually, now that he knew he could return to Blue Star, Karl felt totally at ease. He also realized he couldn’t bring certain pirate world attitudes back with him, so he needed to find some balance before he went home.

If he got too used to the lawless ways of this world—where lives meant nothing—he might make some terrible mistake back home, and regret it forever.