After leaving the palace, Andy wasted no time, passing directly through the capital and entering the dense forest. With his personal affairs settled, it was time to focus on getting stronger. Only by being powerful could he truly live a life of freedom in this world. After a moment of thought, Andy decided to clear out the West Blue before heading straight for the Grand Line.
With his decision made, he started walking toward the coast.
"Huh?" Andy suddenly stopped, his eyes fixed on a bush a few hundred meters away. "Wang Zhi? You were waiting for me!" he exclaimed. "I guess you really can't live without me, can you? Hahaha, come here!"
When Wang Zhi heard Andy's call, he was so startled he nearly had a heart attack. He frantically looked around, and upon seeing that it was just Andy, he was instantly filled with joy. He walked up to Andy, lowered his head, and rubbed his cheek against him, letting out a soft growl as if he were trying to get attention.
"Hahaha, good boy, good boy... no, good tiger, good tiger. I'm glad I gave you all those bones today," Andy said, laughing as he stroked Wang Zhi's furry head.
Just then, a raging fire erupted in the palace. The flames seemed to want to burn the entire building to the ground, and Andy's gaze instantly shifted in that direction.
"So she took her own life… well… Wang Zhi, I don't have a mother anymore. I don't have love," Andy sighed, still stroking the tiger's head. He was sad for three seconds before he climbed onto Wang Zhi's back. "Let's go, Wang Zhi. Take me to the coast, and I'll give you some more meat."
Roar! Wang Zhi let out an excited roar, then galloped toward the seaside. The soft moonlight filtered through the forest, casting shadows on the ground as the two of them sped toward the coast.
By the time they reached the seaside, it was already early morning. Andy slowly woke up on the tiger's back, the sound of waves crashing against the shore in his ears. The sadness in his heart seemed to be washed away by the sea breeze.
"Mmm~" He sat up, stretched, and let out a satisfied groan. He then lightly jumped off the tiger's back.
"Here you go, Wang Zhi. This is your reward. I said I'd give you meat, and I'm a man of my word. I'm pretty good to you, aren't I?" Andy said with a grand gesture, taking a cow that was almost the same size as Wang Zhi out of his system space.
Roar! Seeing the plump cow, Wang Zhi let out an excited low growl, clearly very satisfied with his reward. Finally, he wasn't stuck with those dry bones from noon.
"Enjoy it. No need to thank me. I'm going back to sleep," Andy said, patting Wang Zhi's head. He yawned, walked to a clear spot, quickly set up his tent, and crawled inside to sleep soundly. Wang Zhi looked in Andy's direction, then lowered his head to look at the cow. He dragged the cow away from the tent and began to feast.
Under the moonlight, the sound of waves intertwined with Wang Zhi's chewing, creating a peaceful scene.
The next morning, a thin mist gently hugged the coast. Andy slowly woke up in his tent to the sound of birdsong and the rustling of wind through the leaves. He reached out and unzipped the tent. A dazzling ray of sunlight poured in, the golden light piercing through his sleepiness.
Andy squinted, raising a hand to block the sun. His eyes were momentarily dazed as if he had just woken up from a dream. He slowly crawled out of the tent and stretched his entire body in the morning light. He turned and saw Wang Zhi curled up next to the tent, sleeping soundly. The tiger's body gently rose and fell with each breath, like a small mountain guarding him.
A slight smile appeared on Andy's lips. "What a good dog... no, I said it wrong again, good tiger," he murmured, his tone full of affection.
As if hearing Andy's voice, Wang Zhi's ears twitched, and he opened his amber eyes. Seeing Andy standing in front of him, he let out a low, gentle growl, as if to say, "Good morning, Master." He then proudly lifted his head with a hint of smugness in his eyes, as if responding to Andy's praise: "Of course, I'm the best!"
Andy was amused by his expression and burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Good tiger, good tiger. I'll go wash my face, then I'll give you some more meat, okay?" He laughed as he walked toward the river in the forest, cupped the cool stream water in his hands, and splashed it on his face, instantly feeling refreshed.
Soon, the man and the tiger ate breakfast together, facing the rising sun. Andy ate roasted meat and occasionally tossed a piece to Wang Zhi. Wang Zhi lay lazily beside him, slowly eating a large crocodile that Andy had thrown to him. He occasionally looked up at Andy, his eyes full of satisfaction.
After breakfast, Andy knew it was time to set off. He walked over, gently patted
Wang Zhi's head, his voice tinged with reluctance. "Buddy, I have to go. Take care of yourself."
Wang Zhi seemed to understand and let out a low whimper from his throat. Andy felt a pang in his heart, but quickly stood up, got on his jet ski, and sped toward the distant horizon. Wang Zhi stood rooted to the spot, watching his back until he could no longer see him.
Time flowed by like water, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed. The year 1514 of the Sea Calendar was approaching, and Andy had been drifting on the sea for a month, searching for wanted pirates. However, his gains were small.
He had only encountered and defeated four pirates with bounties under ten million, earning a total of 34 million bounty points. This meager amount was a drop in the bucket for him.
A month later, Andy's jet ski docked in a dilapidated kingdom—the Silvia Kingdom. He chose not to land at the port but instead came ashore on a secluded beach.
This country was once a prosperous place on the sea route from the West Blue to the Grand Line, where almost all ships would stop for supplies.
However, ever since the Silvia Kingdom was expelled from the World Government's allied nations for being unable to pay the exorbitant "Heavenly Tribute," it became a target for various forces to plunder.
Merchant ships no longer docked there, and the royal family had fled with their remaining wealth, leaving the common people to suffer in poverty and war.
Andy stepped onto this land and immediately felt an unprecedented sense of chaos. In his Observation Haki, the city seemed like a living hell. Arson, murder, and looting were everywhere. The streets were filled with the wild laughter of thugs and the wails of victims. It seemed that only those who fled into the mountains could find a shred of peace.
But this had nothing to do with Andy. The reason he came here was that he had heard he could often encounter wanted pirates here. As soon as he landed, he felt a level of chaos he had never experienced before.
"A bit tragic, huh?" Andy's gaze swept toward the city. "But this is definitely a 'good place'." A cold smile appeared on his lips, and he began walking toward the heart of the chaos.
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