Chapter 104: One Step, One Sword
Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1512.
The Sabaody Archipelago.
A vast cluster of islands born from the roots of giant mangrove trees, each grove marked by a number, each region ruled by its own unwritten laws.
The ship that entered Grove 44 looked no different from the countless other vessels coming and going. It drifted in with the tide, docked without fanfare, and paid the required fee like every other civilian ship that came to this bustling haven of entertainment and commerce.
At the bow stood a middle aged man with an untidy beard and weathered clothes. After finishing the docking procedures, he turned toward the cabin and raised his voice.
"We're here. This is the Sabaody Archipelago."
Inside the cabin, a little girl carefully led Axel and the others out.
"Watch your step," she said softly, worried that Axel and Issho might trip over the threshold.
Axel smiled at her voice, then lightly tapped the floor with his wooden sword before slowly stepping forward.
That motion had become second nature to him over the past year.
Every two steps, he tapped twice.
At a glance, it looked similar to the way Issho used his cane sword to feel his path. But Axel's tapping was not just a method of navigation. Every tap served a purpose.
Ever since awakening Observation Haki, he had discovered that he could connect it directly to his brain, greatly increasing the precision of his calculations. More importantly, by combining Observation Haki with vector manipulation, he had found a new way to train.
Observation Haki was perception.
Sword practice was repetition, control, awareness, and the gradual unification of body and blade.
By merging the two, Axel turned each tap into a simulated sword swing. Through vector manipulation, he could recreate the strain and control of a real strike while simultaneously using Observation Haki to read the world around him.
Which meant that every tap was one swing.
One step, one sword.
Through Toba's deal, they had obtained the right to cross the Holy Land of Mary Geoise and pass through the Red Line. But crossing that vast stretch of red earth had taken time. A lot of time.
For an entire year, they had walked.
Ten hours a day, nearly every day.
At roughly three thousand steps an hour, that meant thirty thousand steps, and thirty thousand swings, every single day.
In one year, Axel had swung his sword nearly ten million times.
That was a number many swordsmen would never reach in a lifetime.
And the results had not been limited to swordsmanship alone.
The combination of Observation Haki and his natural calculating ability had expanded his control dramatically. Where once he could only manipulate energy within a range of dozens of meters, now his perception and influence stretched outward in all directions, forming a circular field nearly a kilometer wide.
He stepped out onto the dock first.
Issho followed close behind, still looking much the same as before, quiet, calm, and unhurried. Hawkins came last. His face remained as cold and unreadable as ever, though compared to the man Axel had first met, there was now at least a little more life in him. Axel had long since realized that Hawkins was not emotionless. He was simply terrible at showing emotion.
If anything, his humor was even worse.
Every now and then, before dealing with an enemy, he would coldly remark things like, "Your death rate today is very high," or, "Your luck is terrible."
Seeing all three of them safely off the ship, the bearded man smiled in relief.
"This is the Sabaody Archipelago," he said again, this time with more warmth. "The most famous thing here is the bubbles. They come from the natural resin secreted by the Yarukiman Mangroves. Once the resin expands in the air, it forms those floating soap bubbles everywhere."
He paused, then sighed with some regret.
He had almost forgotten that Axel and Issho could not see them.
Issho bowed first. "Thank you very much for bringing us here."
Axel followed with a smile. "Thank you for the ride, Uncle Rebil."
Hawkins said nothing, but he lowered his head in thanks as well.
Rebil quickly waved both hands. "No need, no need. It was just a small favor. Compared to what you did for me, this is nothing."
He meant that sincerely.
Not long ago, his small boat had accidentally collided with a noble's vessel. The noble, enraged, had demanded an outrageous compensation fee. When Rebil could not pay, the man's eyes had fallen on Billie, who had been hiding inside the cabin, and he had tried to take her as collateral instead.
Rebil had resisted.
That resistance would have cost him his life if Axel and the others had not appeared when they did.
It was a story so common that it almost sounded fake. An ordinary father in danger, a cruel noble abusing his status, heroes arriving at the critical moment. Yet that was exactly what had happened.
To Rebil, Axel and the others had not only saved him. They had saved his daughter too.
When he learned they were trying to reach the Sabaody Archipelago, he immediately volunteered to bring them himself.
After another round of thanks, Rebil's expression grew serious.
"You need to pay attention to the numbers on the groves here," he warned. "They matter."
He carefully explained the layout of the islands.
Groves 1 through 29 were the lawless zone.
Groves 30 through 39 were the amusement and leisure districts.
Groves 40 through 49 were tourist areas.
Groves 50 through 59 were the shipyards and coating districts.
Groves 60 through 69 belonged to the Marines.
Groves 70 through 79 were the hotel zones.
Then his tone turned even more solemn.
"Stay away from Groves 60 to 69. The Marines won't let outsiders wander in freely. And no matter what, do not go near Groves 1 to 29. That area is a cesspit. Human traffickers, slave auctions, all kinds of filth. It's dangerous beyond words."
Hearing that, Issho silently committed the numbers to memory.
One through twenty nine.
That was the area he had come for.
"Also," Rebil said, lowering his voice, "there's one more thing, and this is the most important. If you see anyone walking around with a bubble hood over their head…"
He stopped mid sentence, belatedly remembering that Axel and Issho could not see.
So he turned to Hawkins instead.
"You remember this. If you ever encounter people like that, no matter what happens, keep these two away. Pin them down if you have to. And absolutely do not look those people in the eye."
Axel knew exactly who he was talking about.
The Celestial Dragons.
The self proclaimed descendants of the twenty kings who had founded the World Government eight hundred years ago. A nest of rotten aristocrats who treated everyone else like insects.
Rebil emphasized it once more. "Remember that. If you offend them, you'll die."
Hawkins answered in his usual flat voice, "Don't worry. I didn't see us dying."
Rebil blinked in confusion.
He did not know whether this young man was being reassuring or simply strange.
Then he asked, "Where are you planning to go? I can take you there first. I don't come here often, but I know the general routes."
Axel shook his head.
"No need. You should leave with Billie as soon as possible. This place is going to get very noisy soon."
"Noisy?" Rebil repeated, utterly baffled.
Under the rule of the Celestial Dragons, who would dare stir up trouble here?
He could not understand, but he no longer tried to ask more. These three were clearly no ordinary travelers.
So he simply nodded.
Axel and the others turned and slowly walked away from the dock.
Billie stood behind her father and watched Axel's retreating figure with obvious reluctance.
Rebil noticed it at once.
He let out a quiet sigh.
Children's feelings were simple, pure, and painfully transparent. Billie had clearly taken a liking to the boy who had saved her. But Rebil could also see what his daughter could not.
They were not walking the same road.
Not in any sense.
He gently placed a hand on her head and said, "Silly girl, your paths are different. Some people are only meant to pass through your life. Just let it go."
Billie nodded as if she understood.
But her eyes still turned red, and before long, tears quietly gathered at the corners.
.....
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