"Eneru, full speed ahead! Our target is Nine Serpent Island!"
"Heh heh, understood!"
The next second, the Shadow cut through the sky like a black lightning bolt, streaking towards Nine Serpent Island.
Nine Serpent Island, also known as Maiden Island, is a country inhabited only by women.
Cheng Xiaoyu had to reach Nine Serpent Island before Straw Hat, as he didn't want that reckless fellow to ruin his plans.
It seemed Kuma had sent each member of the Straw Hat to the most suitable place for them, but that wasn't actually the case.
In Cheng Xiaoyu's opinion, at least Luffy shouldn't have appeared on the Empress's island!
I didn't bother with you before I came, but now that I'm here, you naturally have to get out of the way!
How could the most beautiful woman in the Pirate World be given to a glutton who only knows how to eat!
That would be too wasteful…
The Shadow's speed was extremely fast, and in less than two days, the outline of Nine Serpent Island was already visible in the distance.
"Hmm? What's that?" Eneru pointed at an object wrapped in a pink bubble in front of them.
At this moment, a huge pink air cushion was streaking across the sky at an extremely fast speed, heading straight for Nine Serpent Island.
Cheng Xiaoyu looked closely, wasn't that Straw Hat, who had been sent flying by Tyrant Kuma?
"I've searched high and low for something, only to find it effortlessly! Eneru, change direction and intercept him!" Cheng Xiaoyu's lips curled into a cold smile.
The Shadow made a sharp turn, blocking Luffy's flight path.
The huge sail collided with the pink bubble, emitting a muffled thud.
The bubble burst, and Luffy fell from the sky, landing heavily on the Shadow's deck.
"Ouch…"
Luffy rubbed his head, slowly waking up.
He subconsciously pulled out the Vivre Card from his pocket and carefully identified the direction on it.
Seeing that the pointer on the Vivre Card still pointed to the location of his companions, Luffy let out a long sigh of relief: "That's great, everyone is fine…"
"Long time no see, Luffy." Cheng Xiaoyu walked up to Luffy and greeted him.
Luffy looked up and saw a tall man standing on a huge black flying ship, looking down at him.
The man had short black hair, a pair of deep black eyes, and a faint smile on his chiseled face, exuding a powerful aura.
Luffy looked up, stared at Cheng Xiaoyu blankly for a long time, then scratched his head: "Huh, who… are you?"
The smile on Cheng Xiaoyu's face instantly froze.
This guy, he actually forgot about him?!
"East Blue, grilled fish!" Cheng Xiaoyu suppressed the displeasure in his heart and reminded him through gritted teeth.
"Ah? It's you! That… Cheng…!" Luffy suddenly realized, pointing at Cheng Xiaoyu, but couldn't recall his name.
"Cheng Xiaoyu." Cheng Xiaoyu helplessly supplied.
"Right! Cheng Xiaoyu!" Luffy grinned, "Speaking of which, how come you seem a little different from before?"
"How am I different?" Cheng Xiaoyu asked with some interest.
"You've gotten taller!" Luffy replied seriously.
"…." Cheng Xiaoyu was speechless.
"Wow, is this your ship? It's so big!"
"Just average… not bad!"
"Are we in the sky now?! Cool! Just like that guy's ship!" Luffy continued, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
When Luffy's gaze swept over Eneru, who was standing behind Cheng Xiaoyu, he couldn't help but become serious again: "Ah?… Eneru!"
"How come you're with this guy?" Luffy pointed at Eneru and asked cautiously.
"Don't be nervous, he's my Shadow helmsman now." Cheng Xiaoyu said lightly.
"Shadow helmsman?" Luffy looked puzzled, clearly not understanding what that meant.
"It's too troublesome to explain now, you just need to know that he's my companion now." Cheng Xiaoyu waved his hand and said indifferently.
"Oh." Luffy nodded, half-understanding.
"Aren't you in a hurry to find your companions? How about letting my Shadow take you? Flying in the sky is much faster than swimming in the water."
"Okay! You're giving me a ride again, same as last time we met, I feel a bit bad about it." Luffy scratched his head and laughed loudly.
"Grrrrr…"
Just then, Luffy's stomach suddenly let out a loud protest.
Having flown for several days without eating, this glutton was already starving.
"Gin, go grill some fish!" Cheng Xiaoyu shouted.
When he said fish, it was actually the meat of the Sea Kings they had hunted last time.
"Gin? Your chef!" Luffy was dumbfounded again.
"Hmm, they're all Shadow crew members now, what's wrong?" Cheng Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow.
"No, nothing… just a little surprised."
Luffy shook his head, then his eyes lit up again, staring at the sizzling meat Gin was grilling.
"It smells so good! As long as the meat isn't a Shadow, it's fine! I'm digging in!"
Watching Luffy devour the food, Cheng Xiaoyu couldn't help but shake his head.
Not long after.
On the deck of the Shadow, Luffy had eaten his fill and was now lying on the deck, basking in the sun.
"Ah, it feels so good to be full!" Luffy sighed contentedly, "Cheng Xiaoyu, thank you so much!"
"You're welcome." Cheng Xiaoyu said lightly, "Once we fly to Maiden Island, you can go find your companions."
"What about you?" Luffy asked indistinctly, his mouth still stuffed with grilled meat.
Cheng Xiaoyu looked at Luffy's appearance and couldn't help but find it amusing, "I'm going to Nine Serpent Island to do something."
"Oh oh, okay." Luffy was clearly not interested in Cheng Xiaoyu's whereabouts; his attention was entirely on the grilled meat in front of him.
The Shadow flew rapidly through the air, and before long, a peculiar island appeared in Cheng Xiaoyu's vision.
It was an island with half of it dug out, with houses built in the excavated part, making the whole thing look like a giant bowl.
Many Sea Kings floated on the surrounding sea, clearly, this was Nine Serpent Island, the island where the country of women was located, and it was also in the Calm Belt.
The Shadow slowly descended into the port of Nine Serpent Island.
As soon as the ship landed, a group of female warriors armed with bows and arrows surrounded the Shadow.
They were all tall and beautiful, but their eyes were full of vigilance and hostility.
"Who are you? How dare you trespass on Nine Serpent Island!" A leading female warrior shouted loudly.
Cheng Xiaoyu stood at the bow of the ship, scanning the surrounding female warriors, with no trace of tension on his face.
He said lightly to Eneru behind him: "Eneru, you pilot the Shadow and take Luffy to meet up with his companions."
"Received."
Eneru bowed slightly, then left the Shadow with Luffy.
"Hey, Cheng Xiaoyu, be careful!" Luffy didn't forget to remind him before leaving.
Cheng Xiaoyu smiled slightly, watching Luffy leave.
When Luffy's figure disappeared from his sight, the smile on Cheng Xiaoyu's face instantly vanished, replaced by a cold expression.
"How noisy." Cheng Xiaoyu coldly spat out three words.
The next moment, an invisible Haoshoku erupted from Cheng Xiaoyu, sweeping across the entire port.
"Conqueror's Haki?!"
The blonde female warrior leading them turned pale, and before she could react, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted to the ground.
The other female warriors also fell one after another, like wheat being mowed down, collapsing in swathes.
The entire port instantly fell into silence.