Chapter 27: The Written Exam and the Banquet

As night descended, a round moon lay quietly high above, casting gentle light over the world.

Smack… smack… smack! The sound of bodies colliding echoed from the deck, each blow louder than the last, until the fierce exchange abruptly ceased.

Qian Yue collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. “Spare me, miss, I can’t go on. I’m no match for you.”

“You’re so weak, you can’t even beat Xue’er.”

Xue’er bowed her head slightly, a bit shy. “Thank you for going easy on me.”

Qian Yue’s mood plummeted, as if a frost had wilted an eggplant.

Qing Si spoke, “He’s a doctor, never trained for combat. Of course he’s not much of a fighter. It’s all right, Qian Yue — get up and have a drink.”

Qian Yue propped himself up, took the cup from Qing Si’s hand, and downed it in one gulp. His face flushed instantly.

Qing Si watched his eyes; not quite there yet.

He poured another half cup and handed it over.

Qian Yue gulped it down, belched, and shook his head.

Seeing Qian Yue entering the right state, Qing Si continued, “Let’s have them go another round, shall we?”

“But he’s so drunk now. Is that really okay?” Xue’er eyed Qian Yue seriously.

Qian Yue grinned foolishly. “Again! Again! Miss Xue’er, don’t say I’m bullying you.”

He staggered to his feet. Xue’er clenched her fist and threw a straight punch, fast enough to show she wanted to finish quickly.

Just as her fist was about to strike Qian Yue, he sidestepped, deftly avoiding the blow.

Xue’er blinked in surprise. “Was that an illusion?”

She adjusted immediately, launching a flurry of punches, even adding right and left kicks and a whip kick. Yet not a single strike landed; Qian Yue dodged each one effortlessly.

Xue’er’s pupils narrowed. “Is that Observation Haki?”

Qian Yue pressed his middle and index fingers together and struck several concealed points on Xue’er’s body in a flash. Xue’er froze in place, unable to move.

“Big sister, I can’t move!” she cried.

Uehara Yuna, the big sister, stared at Qian Yue in disbelief. Even she hadn’t caught all his finger strikes. Had he been hiding his strength?

It didn’t seem so. The man named Qian Yue truly hadn’t known how to fight before. Wait — it must be the alcohol.

Qing Si, holding his wine cup, gave Yuna a sidelong glance. “Did you notice? He must have received professional training somewhere, but forgot. When awake, he unconsciously blocks it; when drunk, he fights instinctively.”

“I see.”

“Mr. Qian Yue, could you release me? I concede.”

Qian Yue moved quickly, and in a second Xue’er’s body was freed; she slumped to the ground.

Qian Yue smiled. “Don’t worry, just sleep and you’ll be fine.”

Xue’er found her strength completely drained, as if she’d suffered a stroke. Her body felt foreign.

Qian Yue took her hand, and after a moment said, “Miss Xue’er, you have an excess of internal heat. You need to eat more… to balance your health. Then you’ll become even more beautiful.”

With that, he collapsed, falling asleep right against Xue’er’s chest.

Xue’er’s cheeks turned crimson and her whole body trembled, but she didn’t push him away.

Qing Si was taken aback, thinking to himself, That rascal is pretending, surely.

Yuna paid them no mind and turned to Qing Si. “Are you pirates too?”

Qing Si shook his head. “No.”

“Then what are you?”

Qing Si thought for a moment. “We want to overthrow this world, topple the World Government, shatter all pirates, and build a new world.”

Yuna’s expression changed noticeably. The man before her dared utter such bold words. “Do you realize what you’re saying? Never mind the World Government, how could anyone possibly wipe out all pirates?”

Qing Si sighed lightly. “Find the Great Treasure, break their dreams.”

“Whether we succeed or not, we have to try, don’t we?”

Yuna considered. “So where are you going next?”

Qing Si replied, “To the New World — that place filled with monsters, where progress is swift. Whatever you wish to do, you need strength to back it.”

Yuna’s eyes brightened. “We want to go to the New World too. Why not go together?”

“Of course! We can’t even read sea charts properly, ha ha ha ha ha!”

Yuna was embarrassed. With skills like that, they want to overthrow the world?

After their revelry, Qing Si gazed despondently at the night sky. All the girls were drunk, surrounding him completely: some hugging his arms, some his legs, some riding atop him, lying across his chest and sleeping.

Though they looked slender, their weight was substantial.

Yuna lay on Qing Si’s chest, her gaze dreamy as she looked up at his handsome face. “Such a handsome man… kiss…”

Qing Si tried to struggle, but his limbs were tightly held. He had no choice but to accept his fate.

…

The next morning…

Qing Si slowly opened his eyes. It was already dawn, and a blanket had been draped over him. Yuna and the others were preparing breakfast.

Qing Si felt aches in his waist and back; he had no idea when he fell asleep last night.

He went into the kitchen, where Qian Yue was helping.

Yuna blushed slightly at the sight of Qing Si, but neither spoke, their tacit understanding making it seem as if nothing had happened.

After breakfast,

Following some negotiation, Qing Si managed to trick—no, invite—Yuna and her companions aboard.

They sailed two ships all the way to the Sabaody Archipelago. Qing Si sold the small ship he’d seized earlier for eight hundred thousand Berries.

Yuna sold her own ship for over a million Berries.

To reach the New World, there are two ways.

One is through Fish-Man Island, requiring a coating on Sabaody Archipelago, traversing the deep sea to Fish-Man Island, and only then entering the New World. This route is extremely dangerous, with only a thirty percent success rate.

Looking at the team’s overall strength, Qing Si decided the safer route was through the Red Line at Mariejois, though this meant abandoning their old ships.

It required spending a fortune to buy new vessels.

Now they numbered seven. Qing Si’s group didn’t need a large ship; selling their old vessels was enough for a smaller one.

A few days later,

Qing Si finally arrived in the New World.

They bought a small ship, and under Yuna’s guidance, set sail toward the nearest island.

Their supplies were limited, so they had to restock at every island they passed.

Qing Si stood on the deck, gazing ahead.

Qian Yue and Xue’er sparred with each other. With Xue’er’s practice and Qing Si’s coaching, Qian Yue’s combat skills were improving at an astonishing pace.

Qing Si grew ever more curious about his past.

What had caused him to forget his earlier life? Qing Si had tried to probe, but Qian Yue insisted he only remembered things after the age of twelve.