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Chapter 78 is out!!!! +40 advanced chapters monthly
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"You, ah... what a silly little fool. I was only gone for three extra days. With my strength, how could anything have happened to me?"
Baishui lightly pinched Aqi's cheek, offering a gentle but firm warning. "No more letting your imagination run wild like this. If you pull a stunt like this again, I won't go easy on you!"
"Mhm, I know. I promise there won't be a next time!" Aqi nodded meekly, completely compliant, nuzzling into his hand like a tame kitten.
"Alright, you rest for a bit. I'm going to go buy you something to eat, and I'll be right back," Baishui said. He carefully tucked the covers around her, stood up, and headed out the door.
Twenty minutes later, Baishui returned.
In his hands, he carried a bowl of incredibly fragrant, piping-hot porridge. He gently helped Aqi sit up against the headboard, fluffing a pillow behind her back for support.
"Here, let me feed you."
Baishui brushed aside Aqi's attempt to take the bowl herself, insisting on doing it for her. He scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and offered it to her.
"Is it good?" he asked after her first bite. Even though he had tasted the porridge before buying it, everyone's palate was different. What tasted fine to him might not suit Aqi, especially in her weakened state.
"Mhm, it's delicious!" Aqi beamed, her eyes crinkling into happy little crescents. She looked the picture of a blissfully pampered woman.
Having a boyfriend is the best!
The Aqi sitting here now felt like a completely different person from the girl just a few hours ago. One had been clinging to life by a thread; the other was merely a bit weak. The power of love truly was a miraculous thing.
"As long as you like it." Baishui smiled softly, raising the spoon for another bite.
A part of Aqi almost wished she could stay sick forever; that way, Baishui would never leave her side. But she knew better. A man as extraordinary as Baishui couldn't just stay tethered to her side all the time.
What she didn't know, however, was that this illness had cemented a fierce resolution in Baishui's heart. From now on, he would never accept a mission that took longer than three days unless it was an absolute emergency. He was going to properly stay by Aqi's side.
He hated being alone! He wanted bonds!
Aqi was the only woman he had truly acknowledged in this life, and he fully intended to grow old with her.
Aqi, naturally, couldn't read his mind, but she felt that this exact moment was infinitely beautiful. The man she loved was right here in front of her, going nowhere, just taking care of her. This was probably the most wonderful thing in the world. She didn't know how other couples lived their lives, but she was entirely satisfied with this. The most romantic thing she could imagine was simply growing old beside Baishui.
Time flowed peacefully as Baishui nursed Aqi back to health.
Even though her illness had merely been born of lovesickness and anxiety, it had given Baishui a massive scare. He didn't let her leave the hospital until the doctors absolutely confirmed she was perfectly fine.
In his past life, Baishui had never quite understood the old poetic verses about 'wasting away in longing for the one you love.' But now, he understood it completely. Aqi was the living embodiment of those words.
The day of her discharge finally arrived!
The sun was shining brightly, and a gentle breeze was blowing—perfect weather for an outing, and equally perfect weather for setting sail.
Out on the deck of their newly acquired ship, Baishui sat cross-legged. Aqi leaned comfortably against his shoulder, her eyes half-closed as she let the ocean breeze play with her hair. She listened intently as Baishui recounted the events of his latest mission.
When she heard about the brutal battle with Tosun that had left them both heavily injured, her face immediately clouded with worry. When he described the bizarre, gravity-defying currents of Reverse Mountain, her expression shifted to one of absolute awe.
Her awe peaked when Baishui brought up Laboon. Aqi's face was painted with unabashed curiosity; she simply couldn't fathom that a creature of such terrifying proportions actually existed in this world.
"Through my relentless efforts, this mission turned out to be quite the lucrative haul," Baishui chuckled.
"Here. This is the money I extorted from Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Keep it safe; it should be enough to cover your expenses for a while!"
Baishui handed the seventy-five-million Berry card to Aqi. There wasn't a single ounce of reluctance on his face; if anything, he looked relieved to pass it off.
"Units, tens, hundreds, thousands..."
"Hundred thousands... millions... ten millions?!"
The moment Aqi took the card, her eyes latched onto the long string of zeros, and she instinctively began counting. But the further she counted, the more her scalp tingled with shock.
Seventy-five million Berries! She hadn't seen that much money in her entire life!
"Are... are you really... giving this to me... to keep?!" Aqi turned her head mechanically, her cheeks flushed bright red in sheer disbelief. She looked incredibly cute.
"Of course I am. Spend it however you like. It's only seventy-five million anyway. Once you run out, I'll just go shake Sengoku down for some more!" Baishui replied, waving a hand dismissively.
If this were his previous life, he probably would have lost his mind. After all, seventy-five million Berries converted to a massive fortune back on Earth—easily enough to let someone live in luxury for the rest of their days.
But in the world of One Piece? Was seventy-five million Berries a lot?
Not at all. You couldn't even buy a top-tier ship with that! If it weren't for Franky calling in favors, Straw Hat Luffy's Thousand Sunny would have cost at least two to three hundred million. Any decent, large-scale ship usually started at fifty million and went up from there. To Baishui, seventy-five million really was pocket change.
But Aqi was already spiraling into a state of absolute euphoria. Looking like a starry-eyed little money-grubber, she sat frozen in place, clutching the card to her chest.
Baishui couldn't help but shake his head. It's only seventy-five million. Is it really worth getting that excited over?
Their voyage home was smooth sailing. They didn't run into any pirates, nor did they cross paths with any blind Sea Kings.
This left Baishui with an abundance of free time, which he put to use by initiating a spontaneous, steamy session of outdoor intimacy right there on the deck. Of course, keeping in mind that Aqi had just recovered from a severe illness, he kept things gentle and brief. If he caused her to relapse because of his own urges, he would never forgive himself.
"You're terrible!" Aqi muttered, resting her head on Baishui's arm. Her face was flushed as red as an apple, looking incredibly enticing.
Baishui really was a master of tricks.
He had actually used a massive sum of Berries to lower her guard, and while she was completely distracted by the money, he had stripped her bare! By the time she realized what was happening, he was already taking her. Even if she had wanted to refuse, it was too late. Once the passion was ignited, it wasn't easily extinguished.
Perhaps it was this blatant daytime debauchery that angered the heavens, because fate decided to send an emissary to interrupt their peaceful journey home.
The Don Krieg Pirates!
The Overlords of the East Blue!
Led by Don Krieg—a man bearing a bounty of 17 million Berries and commanding the largest pirate armada in the East Blue—they were second only to Arlong in terms of regional infamy.
His flagship was the Dreadnaught Sabre, a massive, three-decked galleon. It featured a black panther figurehead, and its Jolly Roger bore a skull flanked by two hourglasses, symbolizing the impending doom of his prey.
The Dreadnaught Sabre was the very same ship that would later be cleaved clean in half by the Shichibukai, "Hawk-Eyes" Dracule Mihawk.
But lately, Don Krieg had been having a rough time. He was stressing over how to acquire enough large vessels to complete his grand armada. He firmly believed that once his dream fleet was assembled, he would be able to crush the Arlong Pirates and claim the undisputed throne of the East Blue.
No matter how hard he searched, however, he just couldn't find any ships that met his lofty standards.
But just then, he spotted a vessel drifting over the horizon. A very large vessel.
His spirits instantly lifted. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating; sure enough, a massive ship was sailing right toward them. A surge of excitement coursed through him.
Based on his years of plundering the seas, he could tell at a glance that the approaching ship was at least in the same weight class as his own flagship. If he could capture a vessel like that, the title of East Blue's Overlord would practically be in his grasp!
"Boys, it's time to work! Target at twelve o'clock!" Krieg roared, standing fully armed at the bow of the ship and pointing his weapon forward.
"Arooo!"
His crew, a massive mob of thugs and cutthroats, had been lounging around lazily just a moment prior. But the second they heard that order, they transformed into a pack of starving wolves, howling and cheering for blood.
Meanwhile, on Baishui's ship...
Baishui, who had been resting, suddenly opened his eyes. A smirk full of profound amusement tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Well, what a surprise running into him here. How rare." He chuckled to himself. "But if you want to rob me, you'd better be fully prepared. I'm no defenseless sheep."
"Aqi, we have guests. I need to go welcome them," Baishui said, gently patting Aqi.
She jolted upright from the deck like a startled rabbit.
"Aren't you a little too jumpy?" Baishui laughed, shaking his head helplessly.
"Did we run into pirates again? These guys look pretty tough. Who are they?" Aqi asked. With Baishui by her side, she wasn't the least bit afraid of a pirate attack; she was simply curious.
"That's the Don Krieg Pirate Armada. Their captain is Don Krieg, bounty of 17 million Berries. He's a man trying to become the Overlord of the East Blue," Baishui explained smoothly, not putting an ounce of weight on Krieg's name.
In truth, to even register on Baishui's radar these days, a pirate needed a bounty of at least a hundred million. After his life-and-death battle with Tosun, anyone under the hundred-million mark simply didn't interest him. There was no one in the East Blue capable of giving him a real fight.
"Look, they're heading right for us! I think they want to rob us!" Aqi pointed at the rapidly approaching pirate galleon.
"Then they definitely picked the wrong target. I'm usually the one doing the robbing around here. No one robs me," Baishui smirked.
If they want to steal my ship, they better have the strength to back it up!
On the Dreadnaught Sabre...
"Boss, why do I feel like that guy over there looks really familiar?" Gin the Man-Demon muttered, standing dutifully beside Don Krieg.
"Oh? Now that you mention it, he does look a bit familiar. Where have we seen him before?"
Prompted by Gin's observation, Krieg narrowed his eyes and took a hard look at the man standing on the deck of the opposing ship. He realized Gin was right—the guy definitely looked familiar, as if he had seen his face somewhere important.
But for the life of him, he just couldn't place the name.
"Who the hell is he?" Krieg muttered, scratching his head in frustration.
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