Chapter 119: Even If We Search The Entire Sky
“OK! Brothers! I’m back again!”
“One night apart, and I miss you all so much~”
The next morning, Aoxi kicked open the door of that same tavern from yesterday, just like always.
“Boss, slice half a pound of beef, and warm up a bowl of cherry juice.”
Hopping up onto the stool with both feet, Aoxi casually tossed out a few large coins as usual.
Many customers in the tavern felt that those few five-hundred denomination coins looked familiar, probably the ones they lost yesterday.
“No beef.”
The boss didn’t even look up, took one of the coins, and handed over two cups of cherry juice.
“Got it~”
Aoxi didn’t argue further, pocketed the returned money, and turned to look at the other people in the tavern.
“How about it? Is there any good man brave enough to compete today?”
“Five thousand belly oh~”
A stack of banknotes slapped onto the table, but no one stepped forward.
Wealth is tempting, but Aoxi’s fierce performance yesterday still made everyone hesitant to approach.
Gambling is one thing, but throwing money away for fun is another.
Even the craziest gambler wouldn’t have any interest in a bet they were certain to lose.
Seeing no one signing up after looking around, Aoxi simply raised the stakes.
“Today the entry fee is only five hundred from you all, and there’s a special discount oh~”
“Discount? What discount?”
Someone started to get curious; after all, it was just asking, and it didn’t cost anything…
“Very simple~”
Aoxi raised her own right hand.
“Today, I’ll give you one hand.”
“Huh?”
Many pirates quietly watching from the side were all dumbfounded.
“Little girl, in arm wrestling if you give up one hand, what will you use to wrestle with? Your feet?”
After saying that, everyone’s gazes shifted downward to Aoxi’s small feet in red-and-white flat boots, dangling under the stool.
“Dumb~”
“How can you arm wrestle with feet… I mean you can use both hands.”
“Ah, ah~ Oh. So that’s the method~ Haha~”
The crowd awkwardly withdrew their gazes, while their hearts began to waver.
Five hundred belly… just the price of two cups of cheap, low-quality booze.
And fifty thousand belly was already a significant amount for them, enough to scrape by for a month if they tightened their belts.
Plus this time they could use both hands…
Even though the opponent was just a little girl, making money wasn’t embarrassing.
“I, I’ll do it.”
Today’s first victim appeared, a new face.
This pirate with an average Joe face slapped down a large coin, then directly extended his right arm.
“Hmm? I said you can use both hands oh~”
“Hmph! No need for both hands against a brat like you.”
The pirate across the table showed a confident smile.
He hadn’t seen yesterday’s defeat footage, so he spoke boldly.
But this time Aoxi gave her opponent plenty of face, ‘struggling’ for a good while before finally winning.
After all, the act had to be performed; she couldn’t give no hope at all like yesterday.
“Alright, you lost. Time to answer my question.”
“Huh? Question?”
“What question?”
This pirate was indeed new today and didn’t know what happened yesterday.
And those who lost yesterday hadn’t boasted about it everywhere.
“It’s about ‘Sky Island’ la~ This little girl heard the legend from somewhere and actually believed it.”
Someone had already spoken up for Aoxi; it was yesterday’s Skinny Monkey.
“Ha?!”
“How would I know about that kid’s fairy tale crap?”
The average Joe pirate, already in a bad mood after losing five hundred belly, sneered in disdain at the words ‘Sky Island’ and got up to leave.
Aoxi didn’t mind and continued calling for the next contestant.
Soon the second challenger sat down; there was no awkward lull.
After all, it was just five hundred belly for some fun, like a chat fee with such a cute little girl.
“Can I ask a question before the match? Little girl?”
“Sure.”
“Same price as you, five hundred a time.”
“Haha~”
The middle-aged pirate across from her shook his head with a laugh, then pulled out another coin.
“Can you tell me why you absolutely have to go to Sky Island?”
“Uh… that’s, that’s not something I can say. Ask something else.”
Aoxi remembered what Jhin had said before departure: investigating the truth of ‘Xan Dorra’ was a confidential mission, best not to let anyone know.
“Can’t say, huh… So by your words, Sky Island definitely exists.”
“Of course! Why else would we come all the way from the ‘New World’ to this place?”
“‘New World’?! You’re from the ‘New World’?!”
Now everyone in the tavern was stirred up.
The term “New World” was practically synonymous with the ultimate goal of navigation in the Four Seas and Paradise.
These pirates who risked it all from the Four Seas, crossing Reverse Mountain into the Grand Line—what they hoped for wasn’t just entering the ‘New World’ to make a name for themselves!
There wasn’t any “ONE PIECE” grand treasure back then.
Pirates willing to abandon the easy raiding life in the Four Seas and stake their lives on the Grand Line did so to carve out their own fame in that sea area reputed as the most dangerous, making their name echo throughout the world.
“Yeah, didn’t I say that?”
“You didn’t say that at all!” *n
The surrounding pirates spat out their sharp-toothed complaints.
“Ah, haha~ That’s not important.”
Aoxi scratched her head embarrassedly.
“Anyway, Sky Island definitely exists, and it seems to be in the sky near this island.”
“Then, that means the recording pointer’s direction is correct!”
“So what? Even if Sky Island really exists, so what? We can’t fly.”
“And this brat says she’s from the ‘New World’ and we just believe her?
Anyone can brag! I could say I’m a Celestial Dragon too!”
Even though Aoxi had laid out the facts, some still chose to turn a blind eye.
For a clock that’s been stopped for years, with its internals completely rusted solid, getting it to tick again would undoubtedly kill it.
“Anyway, ‘Sky Island’ doesn’t exist.”
“Alright, alright, stop arguing.”
“Whether it exists or not, if my companions and I don’t gather any valuable clues by tomorrow, we’ll leave.”
Aoxi was too lazy to argue with these people anymore; after all, that guy Jhin said they’d wait just one more day.
Worst case, have him fly up there and search bit by bit~
“So you’re giving up too, huh. I knew it…”
“No, we’ll find the location of ‘Sky Island’ using our own method, bit by bit, even if we have to search the entire sky.”
Aoxi stated firmly.
“Hmm?”
Hearing this, the middle-aged pirate across from her narrowed his eyes, as if carefully sizing up Aoxi.
“Search the entire sky, huh, you little brat…”
Fulaihai’er, who had been in the corner all along, silently put away his own notched cup, and slipped away alone while no one noticed.
『One more day of time, huh…』
