Sailing: I was falsely accused of watching Nami bathe, but I'm blind.

These powerful predators also follow the law of the jungle, and the active energy emanating from Kai, a "two-legged creature" that often roams near their territory, and the occasional bloody scent it leaves behind, undoubtedly aroused their interest.

To make matters worse, the island is not entirely isolated.

Besides the residents of Whispering Town, occasionally some lone villains—such as pirates being hunted, fugitive criminals, or simply outlaws who make a living by plundering—choose this wilderness as a hiding place.

These people are often more dangerous than wild beasts; they are cunning, cruel, and have no moral bottom line.

When they discover Kai, their seemingly solitary and perhaps even disabled (blind) "prey," greed and malice will fester like venomous snakes.

Thus, Kai's life entered a new phase—hunting and being hunted.

He was no longer merely a hunter chasing his prey, but also became prey coveted by a more powerful being.

Danger is everywhere; it could come from a low growl deep in the dense jungle, or from a cold arrow shot from some hidden corner.

He experienced several truly life-or-death situations.

Once, while he was chasing an injured antelope, he inadvertently wandered into the territory of a one-eyed giant wolf.

The giant wolf was almost the size of a calf, covered in a black mane as black as steel, and its single eye gleamed with a bloodthirsty ferocity.

It saw Kai as both an intruder and prey, and lunged at it with a roar.

Kai could only rely on his increasingly refined senses and reaction speed to barely dodge between the wolf's claws and fangs.

He used the complex terrain around him to constantly maneuver around the giant wolf, and each dodge consumed a huge amount of physical and mental energy.

Finally, seizing a fleeting opportunity, he plunged the razor-sharp short knife he had seized from the gang leader into the giant wolf's intact eye! Amid the wolf's agonizing howls and frantic counterattack, Kai narrowly escaped, sustaining several more deep, bone-revealing claw marks on his body.

On another occasion, he was targeted by two guys who called themselves "bounty hunters" (who were actually more like thugs taking advantage of his misfortune).

The two worked together seamlessly; one used a musket for long-range suppression, while the other excelled in close-quarters combat.

For the first time, Kai experienced the immense pressure of facing multiple enemies with different attack methods.

Gunshots interfered with his auditory judgment, while the close-quarters fighters constantly reduced his space to dodge.

He was beaten so badly that he was almost driven to the brink of despair several times.

But under immense pressure, his potential seemed to be unleashed.

He began to use his perception more subtly in combat, not just to sense attacks, but also to sense his opponent's breathing rhythm, heart rate, and even emotional fluctuations! He seized upon his opponent's slight impatience caused by consecutive missed shots, predicted the angle of his next shot, made an evasive maneuver in advance, and used this opening to rush in front of the melee fighter.

Chapter 23 Patience and Waiting

He didn't use any fancy moves; he simply used the most direct, ruthless method to plunge his dagger into the opponent's heart! After eliminating the close-combat threat, facing the panicked gunman trying to escape, Kai displayed astonishing speed and accuracy in pursuit, ultimately ending the fight by smashing the opponent's head with a thrown stone.

Every life-or-death battle like this is like a cruel baptism.

Through bloodshed and pain, Kai's understanding of combat deepened, and he explored his own potential even further.

He is no longer the Kai who only needs to provide support and can rely on his partners on the Straw Hat Pirates.

He became calmer, and even in dire straits, he could force himself to keep thinking.

His judgment became more decisive, without the slightest hesitation, because he knew that any hesitation on the battlefield could lead to death.

His actions became more ruthless, leaving no room for compromise, because he understood that showing mercy to the enemy was to trample on his own life.

His eyes (if they could be seen) grew increasingly deep, containing a maturity far beyond his years and a cold, unyielding strength.

Loneliness and hardship did not crush him; instead, they forged him like a furnace, making him stronger and more dangerous.

He is like a knife honed repeatedly in the dark; though its sharpness is concealed, once drawn, it will surely drink blood.

As the days went by, Kai survived tenaciously on this abandoned island, like a weed.

He had completely adapted to life in the wilderness; in fact, one could say that this environment, full of danger and primitiveness, made him feel more "at ease" than human society.

Here, the rules are simple and straightforward—power determines everything.

There are no hypocritical words, no complicated calculations, only the purest competition for survival.

However, the vow in Kai's heart, like an inextinguishable flame, constantly reminded him that staying here was not a long-term solution.

Confined to a deserted island, even if he becomes the king of this wilderness, what good will it do? He can hunt the fiercest beasts and repel all the ill-intentioned villains, but that won't make him stronger, at least not to the extent he desires.

More importantly, this prevents him from fulfilling the vow he made in the cave—to make those who betrayed and abandoned him see his existence and pay the price for their past foolishness.

To do this, he must leave here, venture into a wider world, and embark on that great voyage filled with challenges and opportunities.

Only with stronger opponents and more complex environments can he continuously push his limits, gain enough power to shake the world, and make his name resound across the sea once again (or for the first time truly)!

Once this thought arose, it spread and grew rapidly in Kai's mind like a vine, becoming clearer and more urgent.

He began to shift some of his energy from simply surviving and cultivating to finding a way to leave the island.

He left the familiar mountains and forests, and spent several days carefully traversing the wilderness to return to the coast.

The salty sea breeze brushed against his face, carrying an air of freedom and vastness, stirring a slight ripple in his long-dormant heart.

He stood on the reef, facing the boundless sea, and listened intently.

He can "hear" the powerful rhythm of the waves crashing against the rocks, "hear" the loud cries of seagulls soaring across the sky in the distance, and "feel" the strength and speed of the ocean currents from different directions.

He even tried to extend his perception to the distant horizon, attempting to catch the faint whistles or engine roars of the occasional passing ships.

For him, who was blind, the ocean was not a void, but a vibrant and vast world full of sound, breath, and the flow of energy.

At this moment, the sea was no longer just a barrier separating him from the outside world, but also a symbol of his hope and future.

He began searching near the coast.

He needs to find a way to leave.

He tried to use his experience in surviving in the wilderness to find some sturdy, buoyant wood, as well as some tough vines that could be used for binding.

He wanted to build a simple raft using his own strength.

This idea is extremely risky; for a blind person to navigate a raft across a perilous sea alone is tantamount to suicide.

But he had no other choice; this was the most direct and likely method he could think of.

However, building a raft is no easy task.

Finding suitable materials was difficult, and it was time-consuming and laborious for him to move, bind, and secure the heavy timber all by himself, resulting in slow progress.

More importantly, he had no experience in sailing and could not accurately judge ocean currents and wind direction. Even if he built a raft, whether he could successfully set sail and reach the next island was unknown.

After several days of trying with little success, Kai had to start considering another possibility—finding a boat he could sneak onto.

This method is also fraught with enormous risks, and may even be more dangerous than building your own raft.

Whether it's a merchant ship or a pirate ship, if you board it without permission and are discovered, the consequences are usually not good. At best, you'll be beaten up and thrown overboard; at worst, you might be killed.

But compared to drifting aimlessly on the sea, taking a boat with a clear destination seems to be a more "efficient" option.

He began to linger more frequently near the coastline, especially in the area surrounding the Whispering Town harbor.

Using his powerful senses, he scanned the nearby sea like radar, carefully "listening" and "feeling" every ship that approached or anchored.

He needed to find a suitable target—a ship about to depart, possibly heading into the depths of the Grand Line, and offering him the opportunity to infiltrate silently.

This process requires patience and waiting.

He was like a hunter lurking in the darkness, waiting for that fleeting opportunity.

The sea breeze caressed his increasingly thin but ever-sharper-eyed figure, and the sound of the waves became the only background music as he waited.

He knew that leaving the island would be his first step toward a new life, and also the true starting point of his path of revenge.

Opportunity often favors those who are prepared and patient enough, even if they are in the dark.

After lying in wait on the coast for several days, Kai finally got what looked like a good opportunity.

A medium-sized cargo ship slowly entered the outer harbor of Whispering Town and docked at a relatively secluded temporary berth, seemingly for a brief resupply and rest.

Chapter 24 Port

Kai was "sensing" the ship from a distance.

Its waterline is very deep, indicating that it is carrying a large amount of cargo.

The atmosphere on the ship wasn't particularly lively, and the crew seemed somewhat relaxed, with security not being particularly tight.

More importantly, he vaguely "heard" the crew mentioning their next destination, which seemed to be a well-known transit island on the Grand Line, in the same direction as he had expected.

This ship looks like a suitable target.

Nightfall provides the best cover for stealth fighters.

When the moon was obscured by clouds and most of the port was plunged into darkness, Kai took action.

Like a ghost blending into the night, he silently slipped from the reef area into the cold seawater, and then, relying on his sense of the current and the ship's structure, swam to the side of the cargo ship.

The hull was huge and rough, covered with slippery seaweed and barnacles.

Kai reached out and felt around the rivets and seams on the hull, looking for a foothold to climb.

His movements were gentle and nimble, without making the slightest unnecessary sound.

While blindness brought many inconveniences, it also made him extremely reliant on his sense of touch and hearing, which ironically became an advantage for him in stealth.

Like a gecko, he clung tightly to the hull, slowly climbing upwards.

He could clearly "hear" the footsteps and conversations of the patrolling crew on deck, and "feel" the vibrations and breaths coming from different parts of the cabin.

He carefully avoided all areas that might expose him and eventually found a small hatch in the middle of the ship, near the waterline, which seemed to be used to dump garbage or debris.