Year 1487 of the Sea Circle Calendar.

They had unknowingly been sailing above the White Sea for three months.

At last, they arrived at a small Sky Island located in the southeast, as marked on the map—Birka.

The entire island had an ancient atmosphere.

Unlike other Sky Islands bustling with vitality, Birka was mainly inhabited by the elderly and children.

The young people, unable to endure the oppressive environment, had all gone off to explore the world.

The warship docked at the shore, and the soldiers disembarked to interact with the residents of Birka and make some purchases.

Cricket looked at the buildings of Birka and felt a strange sense of familiarity:

“Sakazuki-san, why do I feel like I’ve seen these buildings somewhere before?”

Sakazuki glanced at Birka’s ancient-style structures and replied:

“The City of Gold, Shandora.”

Only then did Cricket suddenly realize that the architecture here had many similarities to that of Shandora.

The design of the houses, the towering altars, and even the carved patterns—

“Wasn’t Shandora an island that existed in the Blue Sea a thousand years ago? How come…”

Sakazuki’s voice echoed slowly:

“Did you not notice…”

“The Shandians…”

“They have wings too.”

Cricket stood frozen in shock.

Sakazuki called out to his adjutant to keep watch over the warship.

Then he disembarked and activated his Observation Haki, beginning to patrol the island.

Birka wasn’t a large place, but Sakazuki circled it several times.

Still, he found nothing unusual. All the buildings were normal houses.

“This is…”

Helpless, Sakazuki had no choice but to return to the ship and reconsider his approach.

As soon as he stepped back onto the ship, his Observation Haki picked up on a new presence—a child. He turned to the adjutant:

“Where did this kid come from?”

The adjutant smiled and said:

“He doesn’t have wings. Probably a child from the Blue Sea.”

“No idea how he ended up here.”

“Looks like he hasn’t had an easy life.”

Sakazuki showed interest:

“Let’s go take a look.”

With that, he headed toward the storage room below deck, the adjutant following with a grin.

In the storage room.

Crunch, crunch, crunch…

Enel held an apple in each hand, taking alternating bites.

His cheeks puffed up like a little squirrel as he chewed rapidly.

Just as Sakazuki was walking toward the storage room—

Inside, Enel seemed to sense something. He quickly lifted the lid of a nearby crate and hid inside.

He didn’t let go of the apples either.

Sakazuki and the adjutant, having also sensed Enel’s movement, exchanged amused smiles.

This was getting interesting…

Pushing open the storage room door, Sakazuki entered and said to the adjutant behind him:

“Karol, has anything gone missing from the storage room?”

Inside the crate, Enel tensed up nervously. What?! They noticed even just two apples were missing?

Karol looked at the crate Enel was hiding in and smiled:

“Seems like something’s missing, Vice Admiral Sakazuki.”

Sakazuki’s voice rang out:

“What’s the usual punishment for little thieves?”

Karol’s mock-cruel voice chimed in:

“For children who steal, they’re usually hung above the dining table for three days. The punishment is they can look, but not eat~”

Enel’s heart clenched.

These two are demons!!!!

He held his breath, praying they hadn’t discovered him.

With a gesture from Sakazuki, Karol walked to the crate Enel was hiding in.

He lifted the lid, smiling at Enel:

“What do you think~”

“Little thief.”

The moment Karol touched the crate, Enel knew—it was over!!!!

Panic flooded his mind.

After all, he was just a three-year-old child. His mind went completely blank.

It wasn’t until Karol lifted the lid and spoke that Enel snapped out of it.

He frantically hurled the apples in his hands at Karol, not caring they were only half-eaten.

Nimbly flipping out of the crate, he bolted for the door.

But before he made it more than a few steps, a force he couldn’t resist yanked him into the air. He flailed helplessly.

Karol chuckled, holding the two apples in his hands, and looked at the dangling Enel, whom Sakazuki had lifted effortlessly with just two fingers:

“Wasting food is a serious crime, little thief.”

“Then here’s your punishment~”

Hearing that, Enel panicked even more. He twisted and squirmed, eyes glistening with tears.

But the character forged through years of wandering kept him from crying.

“Eat these two apples.”

When Karol said those words, Enel felt an even deeper sense of dread.

But then he realized—wait, eat them?

He looked left and right at the smiling Karol and the faintly amused Sakazuki.

His face flushed red. There was no doubt now—he was being toyed with!

“Bastards! Let me go!!!”

“I… mmph mmph mmph!”

Karol shoved the apple into Enel’s mouth:

“Kids who curse get hung up, you know~”

Realizing they meant no harm, and given the “cruel” punishment, Enel accepted the apples with both hands.

Crunch!

He took a huge bite and stopped talking.

Sakazuki carried Enel and followed Karol out of the cabin.

They headed toward the office. What followed gave Enel a firsthand experience of the emotion known as “social death.”

“What the…”

“Eh? Where did this kid come from?”

“When did he sneak in?”

“Who was on guard?”

“Huh? I was on duty during the day. Impossible.”

“Hahaha…”

Born with Observation Haki, Enel clearly heard the soldiers’ gossip from afar.

Within moments, his face turned red for the second time, and he hung limply, pretending to be dead.

Click!

Karol shut the door. Sakazuki placed Enel on the sofa and asked:

“What’s your name?”

Enel turned his head awkwardly. But when he caught sight of Karol’s smiling eyes, he stiffened and obediently replied:

“Enel.”

As expected, Sakazuki continued asking:

“How did you sneak in?”

That was Enel’s biggest secret. No way he could just tell them:

“That’s because your guards are too dumb.”

Sakazuki’s deep voice echoed:

“You can sense others’ movements, can’t you?”

“What’s the approximate range?”

“All the way to the bow? The port? The town?”

“I see. All the way to the town.”

At those words, Enel’s eyes widened. He clenched his fists. This man was definitely a demon!!!

He had frozen up the moment Sakazuki mentioned sensing others’ movements.

And when Sakazuki guessed it reached the town, he panicked even more.

That’s how Sakazuki confirmed the range of Enel’s Observation Haki.

That range… what a talent… He asked again:

“Where are your parents?”

Enel’s expression dimmed and he spoke with a low voice:

“I don’t have any. I’ve been wandering since I can remember….”

Looking at the downcast Enel, paired with his tattered clothes, Sakazuki thought—he’s still just a kid.

He lost the urge to continue questioning:

“Karol, take him to get cleaned up. Do we still have children’s uniforms? Let him change into one.”

Karol stepped forward and scooped Enel up, ignoring his struggles:

“Yes, Vice Admiral Sakazuki.”

Enel used his skinny arms to push at Karol’s arm:

“Hey, I haven’t agreed—mmph mmph!”

Somehow, Karol had pulled out another fresh apple and stuffed it into Enel’s mouth, then walked out.

Splash—!

After being washed, Enel looked much cleaner. Karol found a new child-sized Marine uniform and dressed him in it.

Since they occasionally took in children whose villages had been destroyed, they had uniforms for all ages.

Karol brought Enel in front of a mirror:

“Alright, take a look.”

Staring at his reflection, Enel felt a bit dazed.

It was the first time in his life he had been taken care of by someone… This feeling… Tears welled in his eyes.

Enel turned and ran out the door, dashed off the ship, and disappeared into the town of Birka.

On the deck, Sakazuki leaned against the railing, watching Enel run into the town. He turned to Karol:

“How is it?”

Karol smiled as he looked in the direction Enel had vanished:

“Everything’s been arranged. Should last him a while.”

Sakazuki nodded.

…

Birka Island.

Beneath a bridge in town, Enel sat catching his breath:

“Tch, who asked for your kindness?”

Then, worried he might dirty the new clothes, he quickly stood and straightened himself. Suddenly, he noticed something in the upper pockets of his shirt.

He reached in.

Two thick wads of high-denomination Extol bills appeared in his small hands.

Enel lowered his head, his face hidden, struggling to maintain his expression.

Plip. Plip. Plip…

—

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep