The next morning, just before sunrise.
*Creaaak~*
At the port of Red Adventure Island, a spatial gate opened on the deck of the Dream.
One by one, the members of the Dream Exploration Team stepped out.
"Phew~" Nami let out a long breath of relief. "Good, no one's here. They must all still be asleep."
Nojiko quickly urged them, "We're running out of time. The sun's almost up—we need to lift the anchor and leave right away."
Everyone jumped into action, pulling up the anchor and lowering the three sails. The Dream began to move.
As the ship slowly left the port, everyone on board started smiling.
To avoid running into that creepy, skin-crawling feeling again, the team had no choice but to quietly sneak aboard the Dream and slip away from the Red Adventure Islands.
By the time the sun finally rose over the horizon, the people of the Red Town were just beginning to wake up. One by one, they stepped out of their tents to get ready for the day.
The mayor walked out of his tent, stretched his arms, and took a deep breath of the fresh morning air.
He looked up at the sky and smiled as he spoke to the people around him: "It's morning! Let's give it our all today—our new home is almost finished!"
His eyes scanned the area and landed on the nearly completed buildings. A feeling of pride and satisfaction filled his heart.
The buildings were simple, but they stood as proof of everyone's hard work and the hope they shared for the future.
People nearby nodded in agreement, their eyes full of excitement.
One person said happily, "Yeah, we know, Mayor. But it's really thanks to the Dream Exploration Team that we've come this far so quickly."
The others all nodded as well, thanking them one after another.
Just then, a burst of shouting broke the silence.
"Something's wrong!"
A young man shouted loudly, panic and urgency in his voice.
Everyone turned their heads and saw him running frantically from the direction of the port toward the mayor.
"What happened? What's going on?" the mayor asked quickly, a wave of unease rising in his chest.
"Mayor, something big happened—the Dream Expedition Team's ship is gone!" the young man said, out of breath and looking terrified.
"What?!"
Everyone who heard it looked completely shocked.
The news hit them like a bolt from the blue, catching them off guard.
"How could the Dream ship be gone? Wasn't anyone watching the port last night?" the mayor asked, his face full of worry.
"I don't know. When I got up this morning, it was already gone…" the young man stammered, his voice full of helplessness and guilt.
"Mayor!"
"This is bad—the members of the Dream Expedition Team are missing too!"
"They might have already left!" shouted the port supervisor as he ran over in a hurry, yelling before he even reached the mayor.
"What?!"
"They left?"
"They left without even saying goodbye? Didn't they want us to thank them properly?"
"How could they just leave like that?"
"They probably didn't want us to send them off…"
"Leaving is always hard. They must have cared about us a lot, so they chose to leave without saying anything…"
After hearing what the port supervisor said, and realizing the Dream ship was gone too, everyone understood—they had left quietly, without a word.
"Sigh…"
Someone let out a soft sigh, trying to break the silence but unsure what to say.
Their eyes showed a mix of helplessness and sadness.
"If that's the case, all we can do is keep this kindness in our hearts and repay it when we get the chance…" The mayor looked around at everyone's face.
No one else said anything. They all stood there silently.
...
"Alright!"
"Let's not look so down. There's still a lot of work to do today. We can't let them down!"
"When they come back one day, we'll show them a brand new Red Town—better than ever before!" the mayor shouted, trying to lift everyone's spirits. His eyes shone with hope for the future.
"That's right!"
"Let's do our best!"
"The Dream Team wanted us to live well!"
...
After hearing the mayor's words, everyone set aside their sadness for now.
"Everyone, let's get moving! Let's try to finish building our new home as soon as we can!" the mayor called out. His voice echoed through the square, inspiring everyone there.
After the mayor spoke, everyone's spirits lifted, and determination returned to their eyes.
They got to work—some carried wood, others built houses, and some cleared the rubble.
They knew that only by working hard could they keep the promise they made to the Dream Expedition Team and build a better Red Town.
...
The sky was blue like a gem, with a few white clouds floating gently. The sun was bright but not too hot.
The sea breeze brushed across the water, making the waves sparkle like a giant mirror reflecting the sunlight.
The Dream sailed smoothly across the calm sea, its bow cutting through the waves and splashing up clear, sparkling water with a cheerful sound.
On the grassy deck, beach chairs were lined up, and everyone was lying back, enjoying the gentle breeze brushing against their faces.
————
"Damn it!"
"I hate getting disturbed while I'm relaxing…" Suddenly, Nami's face showed irritation.
Right after that, Kuina stood up.
She grabbed Wado Ichimonji and walked to the front of the ship. Not far away, a small pirate ship came into view.
At the bow of the small ship stood a middle-aged man, also holding a sword.
Ryuen kept his eyes closed, using Observation Haki to sense the man's presence.
"His aura's sharp... seems like a swordsman. He's alone. Looks like... he came here just for Kuina," Ryuen said softly.
"Must be because of that bounty," Nojiko guessed.
"Then he's in trouble. Kuina's been pissed about that bounty for the past couple of days…" Leah stood up with a grin, clearly expecting a show.
...
"Frost Blade Kuina... I'm here to challenge you..."
"One-Sword Style — Divine Waterfall Slash!"
A sharp voice suddenly rang out!
Before the challenger could react, a terrifying slash came down on him!
"Thanks!"
"I feel a little better now..."
Kuina bowed toward the wrecked pirate ship. The middle-aged swordsman was already gone.
---
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