Chapter 93: Rare Moments when Lufia is Away...
Ralph decided to help Apis and Ryu find the Lost Island and send Ryu home.
This decision could be described as killing several birds with one stone.
On one hand, it gave him a legitimate reason to confront the Navy's 8th Branch directly.
Using those corrupt Navy officers as stepping stones would help him gain fame across the seas and increase his Bounty.
A higher Bounty meant greater reputation, which also meant... it would be easier to win Lufia's affection.
Perhaps he could even boost that girl's fondness for him further?
On the other hand, stirring up trouble would naturally attract the Straw Hat Crew's attention.
Ralph believed that with Nami's navigation skills and intelligence-gathering abilities, she would definitely track him down once she saw his Wanted poster and news related to Warship Island.
This way, they could reunite.
But the benefits of this plotline didn't end there.
The Sennenryu's bones could create an elixir of immortality?
Ralph didn't believe a single word of such rumors.
While the world of Pirates did contain many miraculous things, if something like an "elixir of immortality" truly existed, the World Government would have monopolized it long ago—how could it remain available for some East Blue branch commodore to covet?
Compared to such baseless rumors, Ralph trusted the rewards from his system more.
If he could befriend the Sennenryu "Ryu"...
What kind of reward would the system give for gaining the friendship of a creature that had lived for over a thousand years?
Ralph was curious.
Moreover, this plotline was about to deliver another surprise.
The Kama Kama no Mi user, Eric.
That assassin hired by Commodore Nelson, with the ability to launch slicing waves, had caused the Straw Hat Crew considerable trouble in the original story.
With Lufia fortunately not around, Ralph had some... "plans" that weren't convenient to execute in her presence, and he might finally have the chance to implement them.
Of course, those were matters for later.
The most immediate priority was to extract information about the "Lost Island" from Ryu's memories.
But here, the process mattered more than the result.
Because Ralph already knew the outcome.
The true Lost Island wasn't some legendary hidden paradise in the seas, nor was it an ancient ruins site.
It was Warship Island—where Apis and her people had lived for generations.
Every thousand years, due to tectonic shifts, the submerged parts around Warship Island would rise above the sea surface.
That elevated area was the Sennenryu's nest.
Every millennium, Sennenryu scattered across the world would return—dying dragons would rest there in peace, while newborn dragons would hatch there.
This was why Ryu was desperate to find the "Lost Island."
It was his birthplace, the sacred ground of his species, the only "home" he wanted to return to after drifting for a thousand years.
In the original plot, the Straw Hat Crew followed Apis on a long detour, discovering a seemingly dragon nest-like secret realm, only to realize the truth was right under their feet.
Soon, it would be time for the Sennenryu flock to return, coinciding with the emergence of Warship Island's dragon nest from the sea.
Logically, Ralph didn't need to do anything—he could just wait.
But didn't he also want the Sennenryu's favor?
So, he had to play the good guy to the end.
He would use hypnosis to help the slightly senile Ryu remember on his own.
This way, Ryu would be grateful to him, Apis would trust him more, and the system rewards might be easier to obtain.
Perfect.
Moreover, one should never underestimate the animals in the world of One Piece.
Most animals possess intelligence no weaker than that of humans, and can even understand human speech and complex emotions.
Therefore, they will definitely remember the kindness you show them.
This also made Ralph's hypnosis of Ryu go exceptionally smoothly.
Although the thousand-year-old Ryu suffered from dementia and couldn't remember many things, he could still understand Ralph's gestures and commands.
When told to "stare at the cross," he stared;
When told to "close your eyes and relax," he obediently closed them;
When told to "recall your earliest home," his cloudy old eyes would flicker with confusion and effort.
"..."
In the cave, Ralph slowly put away the cross pendant.
Ryu lay on the ground, breathing steadily, his eyelids trembling slightly as if he were dreaming.
Apis crouched beside him, gently stroking Ryu's rough feathers with her small hands, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on him.
"How is it?"
She whispered, "Has Ryu remembered?" Ralph estimated the time, "Almost."
He turned and walked back to Ryu's side, crouching down and whispering into his ear at a volume only he and Ryu could hear:
"Ryu, think carefully... what does the place you truly want to return to look like?"
This time, his voice carried a guiding tone.
"Is it... something like a ship?"
Ryu's ears twitched.
"The mountains on the island, layered like sails?"
A low rumble sounded in Ryu's throat.
"After the seawater recedes, ancient stones are revealed, carved with patterns that look like you?"
Ryu's eyes slowly opened.
Those originally cloudy, confused eyes now seemed to have been wiped clean of dust, becoming clearer.
He raised his head and looked toward the cave entrance.
Then, he made a move that surprised Apis—
He stood up.
Not the slow, sluggish rise from before, but with an urgent momentum, his massive body pushing aside the vines and stones at the cave entrance as he stumbled out.
"Ryu!"
Apis exclaimed, quickly chasing after him.
Ralph followed as well.
Outside the cave, Ryu stood on the hillside, raised his head, and let out a distant cry toward the sky.
"Woo—awoo—"
The sound wasn't like a dragon's roar but more like the call of a large bird, piercing and echoing far and wide through the valley.
Then, he flapped his wings.
Those wings, which had previously seemed old and weak, now burst with astonishing strength.
Each flap stirred up fierce winds, rustling the surrounding trees.
Ryu's body slowly lifted off the ground.
Apis stared blankly at the scene, her eyes suddenly reddening.
In all the time she had known Ryu, she had never seen him fly so high.
Usually, he could only flap a few times, rising a few meters before landing again, because he was too old and too weak.
But now...
"Ryu!"
Apis shouted, "Where are you going?!"
Ryu lowered his head and glanced at her.
His eyes were no longer filled with confusion.
He let out another cry, then flapped his wings with all his might—
"Whoosh!"
A fierce wind swept up.
Ryu's massive form rose like a great leaf, soaring lightly as it circled above the mountain forest.
Apis stamped her foot in frustration:
"Wait for me!"
She looked around, searching for a way to follow, but this was a steep mountainside with no path to be found.
Just then, Ralph walked to her side.
"Hold on tight."
He said.
"Huh?"
Before Apis could react, Ralph had already wrapped an arm around her waist.
Then, he gave a light tap with both feet on the ground.
"Geppo."
Their bodies lifted into the air.
Apis gasped and instinctively clung tightly to Ralph's neck.
Like being pulled by invisible strings, the two of them ascended step by step into the sky.
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