One Piece: The sky is azure, I just time-traveled today.

Page 42

Ace stopped, tilted his head, frowned, and looked Liu Jiu up and down.

This person... seems vaguely familiar?

Have you seen this somewhere before?

He stared at Liu Jiu for several seconds, the inexplicable sense of familiarity growing stronger, but his mind felt like it was blocked by a stone, and he couldn't remember anything. This feeling made him somewhat irritable.

He put down the fish he was holding, walked up to Liu Jiu, and without any hesitation, raised his head and asked directly:

"who are you?"

His tone carried the straightforwardness characteristic of a young person, along with a hint of barely perceptible wariness.

Seeing this, Rouge quickly came over, took out her handkerchief, and naturally wiped the sweat and mud off Ace's face, gently reminding him, "Ace, how can you be so rude? This is Uncle Nine, Mom used to mention him to you all the time, don't you remember?"

Ace paused for a moment, then frowned even more deeply.

He did remember that name. His mother often mentioned it, saying he was a very capable person who had taken care of them when he was a little boy…

But... the specific appearance has long been blurred in my childhood memories.

Now that the real person was right in front of him, the vague sense of familiarity and the real sense of unfamiliarity intertwined, making him feel inexplicably... awkward.

Especially seeing how familiar and... dependent her mother was on this person?

An indescribable emotion welled up inside me.

It's like a small animal whose territory has been invaded.

He pursed his lips, avoiding Lu Jiu's hand as she continued wiping his face, and his gaze returned to Liu Jiu, a hint of stubbornness and deliberate provocation in his eyes, as he asked again, his tone stiff:

"What are you doing back here?"

That was a rather impolite question, even carrying a hint of asking them to leave.

Rouge's expression changed slightly, and she gently tugged at Ace: "Ace! How can you talk like that!"

Liu Jiu looked at the boy in front of him, who was standing up like a little hedgehog with sharp quills, and his expression remained unchanged.

Ace has grown up.

He was completely different from the little boy in his memory who was still somewhat bewildered and uneasy when Garp threw him here.

They developed their own temper and their own sharp edges.

And there's also... a hint of Captain Roger, the Pirate King.

Liu Jiu did not answer Ace's question, but simply looked back at him calmly, as if looking at a sulking child.

This calm only made Ace more uneasy. He felt like he had punched a cotton ball; he couldn't vent his nameless anger, and it was making him feel suffocated.

He snorted, turned his head away from Liu Jiu, bent down to pick up the fish from the ground, and said to Lu Jiu in a muffled voice, "Mom, I caught some fish. We'll eat it tonight."

Then, without waiting for Rouge's response, she picked up the fish and went straight to the water tank in the corner of the yard, where she began to scale the fish on her own, with her back to everyone, seemingly lost in thought.

Looking at her son's state, Lu Jiu sighed helplessly and gave Liu Jiu an apologetic look.

Liu Jiu shook his head slightly, indicating that it was alright.

He picked up the slightly cooled teacup and took a sip.

A mountain breeze blew by, carrying the scents of fish and vegetation.

The atmosphere in the courtyard became somewhat subtle because of Ace's sudden awkwardness.

Robin and Kuina exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of understanding in each other's eyes. This boy named Ace didn't seem particularly welcoming of his uncle's return.

Perhaps it's time to teach them a lesson!

The atmosphere at dinner was somewhat somber.

Rouge was a good cook; she made even simple grilled fish and wild mountain vegetables taste delicious. But Ace kept his head down, eating his rice, rarely picking up any food, and hardly speaking, as if he had a grudge against the rice in his bowl.

Liu Jiu continued eating in silence, his emotions unreadable.

Robin ate in small bites, her gaze occasionally sweeping over Ace, who was eating silently, and Kuina, who was rubbing her hands together and had a bright look in her eyes. She vaguely guessed what was going on.

Sure enough, as soon as she put down her chopsticks, Kuina wiped her mouth, stood up abruptly, and pointed her bamboo sword at Ace, who was still struggling with the last few grains of rice.

"Hey! Kid!" Her voice was crisp and clear, filled with undisguised fighting spirit. "Stop just eating! Get up and move around!"

Ace looked up, half a fish tail still dangling from his mouth, and frowned at Kuina: "What?"

"What?" Guina scoffed. "I can't stand your awkward look! If you're a man, don't cower, come out and fight!"

Robin also put down her chopsticks at the opportune moment, and calmly added fuel to the fire: "Ace, are you scared?"

"Who's scared!" Ace, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, abruptly threw down his chopsticks and stood up, his face flushed with anger. "Fine, let's fight! Who's afraid of who!"

He was just feeling frustrated and had nowhere to vent his anger when these two girls, who appeared out of nowhere, walked right into his line of fire!

He doesn't care whether the other person is male or female.

Rouge opened her mouth, as if to say something, but seeing Liu Jiu's calm eyes, she swallowed her words. Perhaps, letting the children fight it out and learn the pain wouldn't be a bad thing.

The three of them arrived at a relatively flat open space behind the house.

The cool moonlight spilled onto the grass, casting three long shadows.

Kuina, holding a bamboo sword, stood to one side, her eyes sharp, eager to try.

Robin stood a little further away, seemingly casual, but his aura was calm, and his gaze carried a hint of scrutiny.

Ace stood opposite them, unarmed (he didn't have his pipe weapon with him), slightly hunched over, like a young leopard poised to pounce, glaring fiercely at the two girls in front of him.

"You two, come at me together!" Ace roared, trying to overwhelm his opponents with his imposing presence.

Kuina shook her head, pointing her bamboo sword at Robin: "Bookworm, don't move yet. Let me test this kid's mettle first!"

She didn't want to take advantage of him, and besides, she also wanted to assess this boy, who had made her uncle come back specifically to visit and had quite a bad temper, on her own.

Robin nodded and took a step back, indicating that he would not interfere.

Seeing this, Ace snorted: "One at a time? Do as you please!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure suddenly shot out! He was incredibly fast, with a wild, explosive force, and his fist went straight for Kuina's face!

It has no rules or methods, it's just a wild style learned from street fighting, but it's incredibly powerful and the angles are ruthless!

"Well done!" Kuina's eyes lit up. Without dodging or evading, she precisely pointed her bamboo sword upwards to meet the fist!

The fist and knife clashed, producing a crisp sound.

Ace felt as if his fist had struck a hard iron plate; a sharp pain shot through him, and his attack instantly crumbled. He grunted, using the momentum to flip backward, dissipating the force, and sprang up again the moment he landed, launching a sweeping leg attack at Kuina's lower body!

"Too slow!" Kuina moved lightly, easily dodging the attack, and then slashed down with her bamboo sword, aiming straight for Ace's calf!

Ace reacted quickly, pulling his leg back and jumping to narrowly avoid the attack.

The two exchanged blows quickly under the moonlight.

Ace's attacks were wild and unconventional; relying on his outstanding physical abilities and fighting instincts, his offensive was like a whirlwind.

However, Kuina's swordsmanship is a systematically honed killing technique—simple, efficient, with an impenetrable defense and precise, ruthless counterattacks. Her bamboo sword always appears in the most tricky positions, interrupting Ace's attacks and forcing him into a frantic state.

Another head-on collision, and Ace was once again knocked back, his arm numb. He was panting heavily, his eyes even more fierce, yet he couldn't hide the shock within.

That girl with the wooden sword... is so strong!

He was stronger than any wild animal he encountered in the mountains!

"Is that all you've got?" Kuina flicked her bamboo sword, her tone tinged with disappointment. "It seems your tough talk earlier was just empty words."

"Shut up!" Ace was completely enraged. He roared and pounced again! This time, he held nothing back, pouring all his power and fury into this attack!

However, the gap in strength cannot be bridged by anger.

Kuina's eyes narrowed, and her bamboo sword traced a mysterious trajectory, striking Ace's wrist with pinpoint accuracy as he charged forward!

"Ugh!" Ace cried out in pain, his entire arm instantly going numb and weak.

With a flick of her wrist, Kuina's bamboo sword rose and gently touched his chest.

A force, not too strong, but enough to make him lose his balance, came.

Ace staggered back several steps, but eventually lost his balance and sat down hard on the grass.

He sat there blankly, staring at Kuina standing in the moonlight, her sword sheathed, his face filled with resentment and disbelief.

He...lost?

He lost to a girl who didn't look much older than him?

Although the other party was using a wooden sword.

The immense sense of defeat was like ice water poured over his head, turning all his anger and awkwardness into nothingness, leaving only bewilderment and a trace of... indescribable shame.

Kuina walked up to him, looking down at him with a slightly provocative tone, but her eyes were more serious:

"If you're not satisfied, you can come after me for revenge anytime! By the way, don't say I'm bullying you, grab whatever weapon you're good at!"

Ace lowered his head, clenched his fists, and remained silent.

It's okay to lose this time, we'll definitely win next time!

Chapter 45 Unnamed Draft

After that duel under the moonlight, Rouge looked at Ace, who was clearly somewhat depressed but still holding back a lot of energy. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke to Liu Jiu.

“Mr. Liu Jiu, if you’re not in a hurry to leave, why don’t you stay here a little longer?” Her tone was filled with cautious expectation. “Ace… perhaps needs someone… to guide him.”

She could see that the appearance of Kuina and Robin, especially Kuina's formidable strength, had a significant impact on the proud and arrogant Ace. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but someone needed to keep an eye on him to prevent him from getting carried away.

Liu Jiu's gaze swept over the figure in the courtyard who was silently chopping wood, venting his anger on the firewood as if it were an imaginary enemy. He then looked at Lu Jiu, who had a worried expression on her face, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded.

One word, simple, yet it brought a sigh of relief to Rouge, and a reassuring smile appeared on her face.

So, Liu Jiu and his two companions temporarily settled in this simple bandit hut on Mount Kelubo.

Life seemed to have returned to a familiar rhythm, but with some differences.

Guina was a restless soul. The tranquility of the mountains was a bit boring for her, so she dragged Robin along and began her "exploration" of Mount Colbo.

"Bookworm, look! That tree is so tall! Let's climb up and take a look!"

"Guina, that's a cliff, it's dangerous..."