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

Page 23

"They're still somewhat useful."

His tone was still rude, but less hostile than before.

Rouge heard Dadan's words, but didn't turn around. She just smiled slightly and continued to tease Ace in her arms.

Ace was amused by her and giggled, his clear laughter echoing in the courtyard.

Liu Jiu, who was in the corner, twitched his eyelids slightly, as if glancing in their direction, before returning to his original state.

A mountain breeze swept by, carrying the scents of earth and grass.

Time slips away quietly amidst the changing seasons of the mountains and forests and the growth of children.

Ace could already walk unsteadily and utter a few indistinct words. He would point to the sky and call out "bird," hug Rouge's leg and call out "Mom," and when Liu Jiu occasionally looked at him, he would grin, revealing a few tiny teeth, and mumble "Jiu."

The open space in front of the bandit's hut became his little playground for exploring the world. Rouge always followed him closely, her eyes gentle and focused.

Liu Jiu remained silent, but seemed to be spending more time indoors than before. Sometimes he would sit by the door, watching Ace clumsily chase butterflies or try to climb onto Dogura's back. His gaze was calm, revealing no emotion.

Until one early summer morning.

Just as Rouge finished dressing Ace, Liu Jiu stood up from the corner, picked up his ever-present knife, and slung his already empty backpack over his shoulder.

His actions were no different from usual, but Rouge's heart sank suddenly.

She realized something.

Liu Jiu walked up to her, his gaze sweeping over her face and Ace's face, who was clutching her clothes and looking around curiously.

"I am leaving."

It was still those three bland, unchanging words.

Rouge opened her mouth, but something seemed to be blocking her throat. She wanted to ask, "Where are you going?", she wanted to say, "Can't you stay?", she wanted to tell him that Ace still needed him, and that this...home needed him too.

Countless words rolled on the tip of my tongue.

But in the end, she said nothing.

She simply looked into his unfathomable eyes, which never revealed any thoughts of leaving or staying, and suppressed all her reluctance and desire to keep him in her heart.

She pursed her lips tightly, forced a smile as calm as possible, and nodded gently.

She bent down, picked up Ace, and made him face Liu Jiu.

"Ace, say goodbye to Uncle Nine."

Ace didn't seem to understand what "goodbye" meant. He just looked at Liu Jiu, waved his little hand, and mumbled again, "Jiu..."

Liu Jiu looked at Ace, reached out, and gently touched Ace's cheek with his knuckles.

The movement is brief, stopping as soon as it touches the target.

Then, he turned around, pushed open the wooden door, and went out.

Rouge carried Ace and followed behind him.

The bandits were still asleep, and it was quiet outside the hut, except for the early birds chirping in the woods.

Liu Jiu didn't look back. He walked steadily down the mountain path, step by step.

Rouge carried Ace and followed silently behind, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light. Ace, nestled in his mother's arms, gazed curiously at the familiar yet unfamiliar scenery around him.

There were only the sounds of footsteps and the rustling of the wind through the trees.

We walked all the way to the seaside.

That familiar little boat is still moored in that secluded bay, gently rocking with the waves.

Liu Jiu walked to the small boat and inspected the hull and sails.

Then, he turned around and faced Rouge and Ace.

The sea breeze ruffled his slightly disheveled hair, but his expression remained unchanged.

Rouge, holding Ace, stood a few steps away, her smile faltering, her eyes slightly reddening.

"Take care," Liu Jiu said, looking at her.

Lu Jiu nodded vigorously, her voice tinged with a barely perceptible sob: "You... too."

Liu Jiu's gaze finally landed on Ace.

The little guy seemed to sense the atmosphere of parting, and stopped laughing and playing. He just stared at him quietly with his big eyes.

Liu Jiu didn't say anything more.

He jumped onto the small boat and untied the mooring rope.

The sails were raised, and the sea breeze billowed the canvas.

The small boat slowly sailed away from the shore, heading towards the vast and boundless sea.

Rouge held Ace, standing still, watching.

Watching the small boat become a black dot on the sea, watching the black dot grow smaller and smaller, until it finally disappears completely where the sea meets the sky.

The sea breeze ruffled her long hair and the hem of her clothes, and also dried the tears that finally welled up in her eyes.

She looked down at Ace, who seemed a little uneasy in her arms, and hugged him tightly.

"Ace, it's just us left..."

Her voice was soft and faded into the sea breeze.

Ace, who was in her arms, seemed to understand and reached out his little hand to touch her cheek.

Rouge took a deep breath of the salty sea breeze, turned around, hugged Ace, and walked back to the depths of the forest step by step, resolutely.

That was her home.

She has children.

And that silent man, just as he had come, quietly left their lives, once again merging into the boundless sea.

Like a passerby who has completed a phase of their mission.

Chapter 23 Nico Robin

Westsea, O'Hara.

The sea breeze in winter is exceptionally fierce, like a whip covered in ice shards, lashing the skin and causing a sharp pain.

On the rocky shore, a small, thin figure was crouching there, carefully turning over the slippery rocks, searching for something that might have been washed ashore by the waves and could provide some food.

It was Robin. She was much thinner than other children her age, her ill-fitting old clothes hung loosely on her body, her little face was red from the sea breeze, and her lips were a little chapped.

She was very hungry. She was being fostered by relatives, but the food she received was meager and often withheld. She had no choice but to go out and find food herself.

Occasionally, you can find small shellfish or small fish stunned by the waves in the crevices of the rocks. Today, I wasn't so lucky; after searching for a long time, I only found a few skinny oysters the size of a fingernail.

Just as she was about to pry open the oysters, several children with rosy cheeks and wearing thick cotton-padded coats spotted her and gathered around her, laughing and joking.

"Look! It's that freak without parents!"

"She's scavenging for food in the trash!"

"Freak! Stay away from us!"

The children picked up pebbles from the ground and threw them at her. The pebbles weren't big, but they still hurt when they hit her head and body.

Robin didn't cry, nor did she resist. She simply lowered her head silently, shielding her head and the meager spoils in her arms, curling up behind the rocks, letting the malicious mockery and pebbles fall on her.

She knew that resistance would only invite more abuse. Enduring it was the only way for them to leave.

Sure enough, the children got bored when they saw that she didn't react, cursed a few more times, and then ran away.

Robin slowly released her grip only after the footsteps faded into the distance. She brushed the dust and pebbles off her clothes, looked at the few small oysters in her arms, and carefully put them into her pocket.

This amount of food is far from enough.

She left the rocky area and headed towards the woods near the shore. In winter, there were few decent fruits in the woods. She could only identify the edible, bitter-tasting wild grasses and mushrooms, gathering them little by little.

My stomach was growling with hunger, and my vision was blurring.

Just as she parted a clump of withered yellow bushes, she tripped over something and almost fell.

She looked down and saw a strange-looking fruit lying at the base of the bushes. It had spiral patterns, an unnatural, almost poisonous deep purple color, and a smooth skin that gleamed eerily in the dim light.

Robin had never seen this fruit before. He also didn't know if it was edible.

But hunger had already overwhelmed everything.

Perhaps... this strange fruit is edible?

She hesitated for a moment, but ultimately picked up the fruit. She wiped it with her sleeve, closed her eyes, and took a bite.

"vomit--!!!"

An indescribable, extremely nauseating and bitter taste exploded in her mouth! It was a hundred times stronger than the bitterest herbs or the astringent wild fruits she had ever eaten! It rushed straight to her head, making her stomach churn!

She instinctively wanted to vomit, but her throat moved against her will.

She swallowed that indescribable mouthful of fruit flesh.

Robin clutched his throat, retching violently until tears streamed down his face. It was awful! How could anything in the world taste so awful!

She was filled with regret and wanted to throw away the rest of the fruit.

Just then, she suddenly felt a strange heat rising from her stomach and quickly flowing to her limbs and bones. It felt like something had entered her body... something strange.

She looked up blankly.

Then, she saw a scene that terrified her—

Without warning, two...arms suddenly grew out of nowhere on her body!

Yes, two arms that looked exactly like hers, but suddenly grew on her body!

Those two arms were still swaying slightly, with slender fingers, just like her own hands!

"what--!!!"

Robin screamed in fright, fell to the ground with a thud, and crawled backward on all fours, trying to get away from the two eerie arms.