At the break of dawn, a new day began.
A procurement boat drifted on the sea, with Tang An studying the map at the bow.
The map marked several islands and towns, such as Gothic Island, Shells Town, Orange Town, Cocoyasi Village, Syrup Village, Shimotsuki Village…
As he looked at the marked locations, some vague memories became more apparent.
If he remembered correctly, Nami was in Cocoyasi Village, and Zoro was in Shimotsuki Village.
Tang An’s current direction was towards Cocoyasi Village.
Nami seemed easier to target compared to Zoro.
He wasn’t sure if Arlong had already taken over Cocoyasi Village, which could pose some unexpected challenges.
He would have to adapt as necessary.
After setting the course, Tang An resumed his daily training.
He had already achieved eight steps with Shave and aimed to reach nine steps in one go.
When one is entirely focused on something, time always flies.
Before he knew it, dusk had arrived, and the day was coming to an end.
After training, he took a shower, changed into his elastic boxer briefs, and made himself something to eat.
Lately, Tang An had developed an enormous appetite, eating like a beast.
This was a good sign.
In the world of pirates, strong individuals typically had large appetites, indicating that Tang An was making progress every day.
After resting for a while, Tang An resumed training.
There was nothing else to do besides training.
That movie he had brought along had been watched a hundred times over in the past half month, losing all its novelty.
Around midnight, Tang An dragged his tired body to bed.
Before sleeping, he didn’t let his guard down. He placed a cabinet against the cabin door as a warning.
The sea was dangerous, and pirates could attack at any time.
He estimated that by early tomorrow morning, he would reach Cocoyasi Village.
However, things rarely go as planned. The bright, clear sky suddenly turned dark with rolling clouds, and a torrential downpour began without warning.
The procurement boat rocked like a leaf in the stormy weather, thunder and lightning flashing around.
Tang An wasn’t sure how long he had slept, but it couldn’t have been more than two hours.
Although the East Blue wasn’t as perilous as the Grand Line or the New World, the sea’s weather was unpredictable, just like Tang An’s situation now.
Rushing to the bow to stabilize the boat, the rain pelted him like bullets.
Tang An felt a mix of fear and desperation, sensing that the sea might swallow him at any moment.
How did Luffy manage to drift in a barrel?
Was this the protagonist’s aura?
With his heart in his throat, Tang An endured the storm for what felt like an eternity. As the sky began to lighten, the storm gradually subsided.
Sitting on the deck, gasping for breath, Tang An had considered using his random teleportation ability several times.
The procurement boat was shattered and leaking, and Tang An had lost his bearings despite having a map.
The boat could sink at any moment, and being lost only added to his troubles.
“Do I really have to use random teleportation?”
Tang An estimated that the boat could hold up for about an hour. If he hadn’t patched the hole at the bottom, he would already be in the sea.
Unless necessary, Tang An didn’t want to use random teleportation.
Looking at the vast ocean, with nothing but water in every direction, Tang An felt a deep sense of despair.
The only slightly positive news was that the boat was still drifting, so there was a slim chance he might encounter another ship or an island within that hour.
Despite the slim odds.
Time ticked away, and if nothing changed by the end, Tang An would have no choice but to use random teleportation.
“Heaven hasn’t forsaken me!”
Just as the boat was about to give out,
Tang An spotted an island.
It was like an oasis in the desert. Tang An clung to a barrel and swam towards the distant island.
After about half an hour, Tang An lay spread-eagle on the beach, gasping for air.
After resting for a bit and regaining some strength, Tang An got up to explore.
“Not bad luck.”
Climbing a small hill, he saw a path winding through the forest, indicating this wasn’t an uninhabited island.
Following the path for over ten minutes, Tang An found a dojo and, in the distance, a village.
Descending to the dojo, he heard the sounds of training in the yard, and his expression turned odd.
Seeing a green-haired boy training furiously with a wooden sword in his mouth, Tang An didn’t know what to say.
He had arrived in Shimotsuki Village.
Green hair, a wooden sword in the mouth, and training hard—there was no mistaking it.
Roronoa Zoro.
A storm had brought him to Shimotsuki Village.
“Who are you looking for?”
A delicate girl about eleven years old, in a kimono, holding a wooden sword, noticed Tang An.
Tang An guessed who she was.
Koshiro’s daughter, the person Zoro always wanted to surpass when he was young—Kuina.
She hadn’t died yet?
But it was close.
“Oh! Hello, I was on my way to the Goa Kingdom for business, but I got separated from my companions in last night’s storm. When I woke up, I found myself on this island. I followed the path up the mountain to get here.”
Tang An pointed to the path behind the mountain.
“I see.”
Kuina looked at the dusty and somewhat disheveled Tang An, who indeed seemed to have survived a shipwreck. Plus, it had rained last night.
“Could I have a cup of water?”
Tang An licked his dry lips, genuinely thirsty.
“Please follow me.”
Kuina was kind and led Tang An into the courtyard towards the dojo.
“Please wait here.”
“Okay.”
Sitting on the dojo’s veranda, Tang An watched Kuina leave and then glanced at Zoro training hard nearby, lost in thought.
He had initially planned to go to Cocoyasi Village, but plans couldn’t keep up with changes.
Since he had found Zoro, there was no reason to leave without killing him.
He needed a plan.
He had an idea.
Tang An’s eyes lit up. He pulled out the Sunflower Manual and quickly tore off the page with the phrase, “To master this technique, one must first castrate oneself.”
Now, it was up to fate.
He had thought the Sunflower Manual was useless, but it still had value.
“Understandable in any world.”
That was the Sunflower Manual’s description.
It meant anyone could understand it, even if the writing systems were different.
“Here’s your water.”
At that moment, Kuina returned with a bowl of water.
“Thank you.”
Tang An placed the Sunflower Manual on the ground, slipping the torn page into his golden finger’s storage space.
This golden finger had its storage space, but it could only store items it produced.
Kuina was surprised to see the book, as she hadn’t noticed Tang An carrying anything earlier.
“Is the dojo master here?”
Tang An felt much better after drinking the water.
“Do you need something?”
“I would like to ask the master for a boat, and in exchange, I offer this swordsmanship manual.”
Tang An picked up the Sunflower Manual.
“The Sunflower Manual?”
Kuina didn’t recognize the four characters but strangely understood them.
“Yes, I heard it was written by a great swordsman, but I can’t understand it. Since this is a dojo, the master must be a swordsman and could find it useful.”
Tang An lied without batting an eye.
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