Moonlight slipped through the cracks of the wooden window, casting a silvery band of light beside the bed.
Ryan fished out a cigar from the bedside—it was something he'd casually taken from Golden Lion's collection. The cigar was thick, wrapped in dark brown tobacco leaves.
With a light flick of his fingers, a faint golden flame danced between them, slowly circling the cigar. A sizzle sounded as a crimson ember ignited in the darkness, illuminating half of his profile.
He took a deep drag, the rich tobacco flavor mixed with a faint smokiness spreading through his throat. He exhaled a perfect smoke ring with contentment.
The smoke ring floated leisurely upward in the moonlight, gradually dispersing and intertwining with the lingering scent of orange blossoms in the room, creating a strangely soothing atmosphere.
"Hah…" Ryan let out a long sigh, a look of ease spreading across his face.
He had long mastered the art of smoking, especially at times like this—a cigarette after the deed, better than being an immortal. The old saying held true.
The warmth in his chest slowly spread, leaving his entire body feeling pleasantly relaxed and lazy.
He suddenly felt that this was what it meant to truly live.
Not the coldness of having his blood drawn in a laboratory, nor the frenzy of fighting beasts, but this kind of comfort tinged with the flavor of life, where even the spiciness of the cigar felt vivid.
Nojiko stirred beside him, the soft rustle of fabric breaking the silence.
Ryan turned to look. She was lying on her side, her cheeks flushed as if drunk, the blue strands of hair on her forehead damp with sweat and clinging to her smooth skin.
She was still breathing lightly, her chest rising and falling with each breath. A few faint red marks lingered on her wheat-colored skin, like traces left by the moonlight's kiss.
Noticing Ryan's gaze, Nojiko slowly opened her eyes. Her expression was still hazy, as if veiled in mist, but it clearly conveyed genuine gratitude: "Thank you… Mr. Ryan."
Her voice was slightly hoarse, softer and lower than usual.
Ryan raised an eyebrow and blew out another smoke ring. It landed precisely on her hair, dispersing and tinting the blue strands with a faint gray. "I said it was a fair trade. No need for thanks."
In his view, this was as simple as paying for goods—no need to complicate it with emotions. He had dealt with Arlong for her, and she had paid the price. Clear and straightforward, no debts owed.
But Nojiko shook her head, propping herself up on her elbows. The blanket slipped from her shoulders, revealing the winding blue tattoo on her chest.
"It's not the same," she said, her gaze clearer now, her tone more solemn. "Arlong and his crew… they didn't just take our money. They destroyed so many homes. There was one family whose child had his leg broken just for looking at them a moment too long…"
Her voice trailed off, her fingers unconsciously picking at the bedding. "All these years, we've lived like rats—afraid to go out during the day, afraid to light lamps at night. It's you… you who let us hold our heads high again."
At this, she looked up, her blue-gray eyes shining with intensity, and said earnestly, "This isn't something a transaction can settle."
Ryan watched Nojiko's earnest expression and didn't argue further. He took another drag of his cigar, letting the tobacco's spiciness spread across his tongue.
Truth be told, he didn't care about any of this. Saving the village was merely incidental. What he had truly wanted was the person right in front of him.
"Why did you come to Cocoyasi Village?" Nojiko suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
She had always been curious about how this man, who was so powerful he seemed otherworldly, had ended up in this remote little village.
Ryan exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze drifting toward the moonlight outside, which was spilling over the orange tree branches in the yard. "By accident."
That was the truth. After leaving the Floating Island, he had been aimlessly drifting on the Flame Cloud, completely going with the flow. Bumping into this village was purely coincidental.
"Then... where are you going next?" Nojiko pressed, her fingers subtly tightening, gripping the bedding beneath her.
"Don't know." Ryan thought for a moment, twirling the cigar between his fingers. Embers flickered with the movement. "The world is so big. I want to travel around and see it all."
When he left the Floating Island, he truly hadn't thought about what to do.
In the past, he had seen many wonders in the pirate world—the waterfalls of Reverse Mountain that could flow upward, the Cloud Rivers of Sky Island that could be walked upon, and Fish-Man Island, said to be a "paradise for men"...
As he spoke, he turned to look at Nojiko, a hint of casual invitation in his eyes. "Want to come with me?"
Nojiko was stunned, clearly not expecting such a question. She instinctively glanced out the window, where the outline of the orange grove was faintly visible under the moonlight. That was the place she had grown up in, with her family and her memories.
"I can't leave." She shook her head gently, her tone apologetic but firm, without the slightest hesitation. "The village has just recovered. There's still so much to do—the docks need repairing, fishing boats need buying, and the children's school has to be rebuilt..."
"Right, your roots are here." Ryan wasn't surprised, just smiled and took a drag from his cigar. The sizzle of burning tobacco was unusually clear in the silence.
He wouldn't force her. Everyone had their own choices, just as he had chosen to leave the Floating Island, and Nojiko had chosen to stay and protect the village. There was no right or wrong.
Silence fell again, the room filled only with the sound of Ryan smoking and Nojiko's soft breathing. The moonlight slowly shifted, climbing up Ryan's sharply defined profile, casting a cold, hard outline over him, yet reflecting a gentle light in his eyes.
Suddenly, Ryan turned toward Nojiko, leaning in close. The scent of cigar smoke mixed with his own unique, sun-warmed aroma washed over her.
His eyes held a teasing glint, a roguish smile curling at the corner of his lips. "Since you're not leaving, shall we continue?"
Ryan's stamina was astonishingly good. The intense battle earlier had been nothing more than a warm-up for him. He still had energy to spare, like a ship freshly refueled.
Nojiko's face flushed bright red, as if set on fire, even the tips of her ears turning pink.
She instinctively shrank back, a hint of timidity in her eyes, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum. "I... I'm a bit tired. Could we... rest for a while?"
Nojiko's head nearly buried itself in her chest, but inwardly, she was astonished.
Ryan was already tall and strong, and earlier, she had felt as if she were about to fall apart, her bones disassembled and reassembled, too lazy to even move a finger. Yet his stamina was still this good, and he looked completely unfazed...
Truly, he was the man who could defeat Arlong with a single strike and effortlessly wipe out all the Fish-Men.
Ryan watched her shy demeanor, the amusement in his eyes deepening as he leaned close to her ear and whispered something only the two of them could hear. His warm breath brushed against her earlobe, carrying the scent of tobacco and sunshine.
Nojiko looked up in surprise, her lips slightly parted. Her blue-gray eyes were filled with disbelief, as if she had just heard something utterly fantastical. Her face instantly flushed a deep crimson, and even her neck took on a pink hue.
After a moment of hesitation, she bit her lower lip but did not shy away, as if she had made up her mind about something.
Nojiko straightened her back, reached up to tuck a stray strand of blue hair behind her ear, revealing her smooth neck and delicate collarbone. Then, without hesitation, she gently lifted the blanket and slipped inside. Her movements weren't hurried, but they were decisive.
Ryan watched the distinct rise and fall beneath the blanket, like waves stirring on a calm sea, and a teasing smile curled at the corner of his lips.
Yet somehow, this small satisfaction felt like a drop in the ocean, utterly insufficient to quell the inexplicable restlessness in his heart. A scorching current seemed to surge within him, spreading through his veins to every limb, filling him with an excess of restless energy—like a long-suppressed flame desperate for release.
Could this be the Dragon Nature...?
The thought had barely surfaced before he suppressed it. In the darkness, he could clearly feel the warmth and heartbeat of the person beside him—a rhythm steadier than the ocean waves. The scent of oranges and a faint hint of soap from Nojiko lingered around him.
Whether it was Dragon Nature or not, he felt that this kind of life was quite good... At the very least, it was far more interesting than drifting alone at sea.