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

They were playing a game that he considered absurd and blasphemous, while he was trudging alone for survival, for becoming stronger, and for a heavier and darker goal.

There is also a kind of... barely perceptible stinging pain.

The lively atmosphere emanating from the island, filled with trust and bonds (in whatever form), stood in stark contrast to his current loneliness and coldness.

That pure friendship he once possessed, yet which was ruthlessly taken away, haunted him like a ghost, once again piercing the most sensitive corner of his heart.

Perhaps... there's also a trace of... nostalgia, something he himself is unwilling to admit? Nostalgia for those simple and pure times when one could trust their companions without reservation and would do anything for them?

No! Kai shook his head violently, forcibly banishing these distracting thoughts from his mind.

What's past is past.

He could no longer indulge in those useless emotions.

He has his own path to follow.

He turned around, no longer trying to perceive any information on Long Chain Island, but silently feeling the vibrations of the ship beneath his feet and the sea breeze blowing in front of him.

His silhouette appeared even more lonely in the setting sun, but also more... resolute.

The merchant ship continued its voyage on the Great Sea Route for 607 voyages.

Having learned from past mistakes, the captain chose a relatively safer but potentially more circuitous route, hoping to avoid those dangerous waters and notorious pirates.

However, trouble is sometimes like a shadow; even if you try to avoid it, it may still creep up on you unexpectedly.

That afternoon, the sea was calm and the sun was shining brightly.

Kai is meditating in his cabin, honing his awareness of dominance.

Suddenly, an extremely powerful and extremely cold aura, seemingly capable of freezing one's soul, appeared within his perception range without warning!

The aura was so sudden and powerful that Kai's meditation was instantly interrupted, and the hairs on his body seemed to stand on end! He immediately raised his perception to the limit and probed towards the source of the aura.

He "saw" a leisurely figure "riding" on the sea in an unbelievable way not far in front of the merchant ship! It was a tall man with curly hair and an eye patch (Kay could sense that the eyes under the eye patch were not empty but real, though they always seemed to be half-open, exuding an extreme sense of laziness).

He rode an ordinary-looking bicycle, and that bicycle moved smoothly across the ever-undulating sea, as if it were solid land beneath his feet! What alarmed Kai even more was that wherever the bicycle passed, the sea quickly froze into a thick layer of ice! An icy road stretched out towards the merchant ship as he rode!

Amazing! Incredibly strong!

Kai's heart pounded! This power to freeze the ocean at will, this unfathomable, icy aura that seemed capable of freezing everything, and the other person's... seemingly lazy and nonchalant, yet like an ancient iceberg, concealing a terrifying and suffocating pressure...

Admiral! Aokiji Kuzan!

The name and related titles flashed through Kai's mind instantly! When he was gathering intelligence, he had paid special attention to the Navy's three highest combat forces—the Admirals.

Among them, Kuzan, codenamed "Aokiji," is known for his Ice-Ice Fruit ability and his unique, lazy, and carefree sense of justice!

How could he be here?! Is he here to hunt me down?! Kai's heart leaped into his throat.

Although he didn't think his current "reputation" was enough to alarm a naval admiral to come and hunt him down, the sudden appearance of such a powerful figure in front of him still made him feel unprecedented pressure and a sense of crisis!

He immediately concealed all his presence, minimizing his own presence, while preparing for the worst-case scenario of fighting or fleeing at any moment.

However, Aokiji did not seem to take the small merchant ship seriously, nor did he show any hostility.

He rode his bicycle leisurely to the side of the merchant ship, and then lightly jumped onto the deck.

His languid gaze swept over the crew and passengers on deck who were terrified and trembling at his presence, and finally, his gaze lingered on Kai for a moment.

Chapter 59 Nami gets a head-turning buff and rolls her eyes! Straw Hat watches helplessly!

Kai could sense that Aokiji's "gaze" seemed to linger on his eyes for a moment, then swept over the "Tranquility" staff sword in his hand, as well as the unique domineering aura emanating from him that, though deliberately restrained, could not be completely concealed.

That brief glance made Kai feel as if he had been completely seen through! He even had the illusion that behind the other person's seemingly lazy eyes lay a wisdom that could see through everything!

Fortunately, Aokiji didn't seem to be very interested in Kai.

His gaze quickly shifted away, as if he had only seen a slightly unusual blind man.

He yawned, then slowly walked to the captain's cabin and exchanged a few words with the captain, who was also quite frightened.

Kai tried hard to catch their conversation.

Aokiji seemed to be asking questions about whether there were any unusual occurrences in the nearby waters or whether he had seen any trace of any particular pirate crew.

The captain, of course, spoke frankly and without reservation.

The conversation ended quickly.

Aokiji seemed to have gotten the information he wanted (or not), yawned again, then jumped back onto the sea, mounted his magical bicycle, and slowly drove off in another direction along the frozen sea route, as if his appearance had been nothing more than a trivial interlude.

Only when Aokiji's aura completely disappeared from his perception range did Kai slowly breathe a sigh of relief, only to find that his back was soaked with cold sweat.

That's incredible! Is this the strength of a Marine Admiral?!

The mere aura he exuded was enough to exert immense pressure on him! The power that seemed capable of freezing everything was unheard of! If they were to actually fight, Kai had no doubt that he wouldn't even be able to withstand a single blow!

This unexpected encounter with the Navy's top combat power was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, making him clearly realize the enormous gap between himself and the world's truly top-tier powerhouses!

His previous victories and the bounty hunters he hunted down were probably nothing compared to a naval admiral.

It seems that I still have a very, very long way to go...

At the same time, this experience also gave him a deeper understanding of Fujitora's choice.

Perhaps only by reaching the level of a naval admiral, possessing the power to influence the world order, can one truly shake those deeply rooted rules and achieve that seemingly unattainable "benevolent justice"?

Kai fell into deeper thought.

His determination to become stronger became even stronger, but he also realized that relying solely on his current cultivation methods and hunting targets would probably be far from enough to reach that level.

He needs greater challenges, faster growth, and... to find a path that can truly transform him!

With a clear understanding of the gap in his own strength and a deep reflection on the path ahead, Kai continued his journey.

Finally, he arrived at his destination—Gold Exchange Island, an island located in the middle of the Grand Line, renowned for its extremely prosperous commerce and trade.

Gold Harbor Island was one of the most important commercial hubs on the Grand Line, where merchant ships from all over the world gathered and various rare goods and information circulated.

The level of prosperity here far surpasses that of Silver Sand Island or even Alabasta.

Of course, behind the prosperity, there are also more complex forces and more turbulent undercurrents.

Various chambers of commerce, underground organizations, and even secret agencies of the world government all have their own strongholds and conflicts of interest here.

Kai chose this location because of its advanced intelligence network and the potential for higher-level opportunities.

After settling in, Kai immediately contacted key nodes in the intelligence network he had previously established, spending a large sum of money to begin gathering information on higher-value bounty missions and how to further enhance his strength.

Soon, a special mission message caught his attention.

This mission did not originate from the Navy or ordinary bounty hunter guilds, but was issued through an extremely secretive underground channel that is said to have close ties with certain secret departments of the World Government.

The mission is to recover an "important item" that was stolen by a former CP agent (CipherPol, a secret intelligence agency directly under the World Government).

The intelligence report was vague about the specifics of this "item," only mentioning that it concerned a major secret that "could affect the balance of the world."

The defector agent is extremely powerful, proficient in all six styles, and very cunning. It is currently speculated that his most likely escape route is to the world-famous "Water Seven" to seek help from the black market forces or shipwrights there in order to completely escape the pursuit or sell the items.

The reward for this mission is incredibly high, almost double the bounty Kai received for hunting Mr. X! But the risks are equally enormous.

This isn't just about facing a powerful former government agent; it could also involve power struggles within the World Government and unimaginable secrets! If handled poorly, it could attract the pursuit of the CP department or even higher-level forces!

However, this mission held a fatal attraction for Kai!

First and foremost, the high compensation is naturally an important factor.

Secondly, facing off against a former CP agent who is proficient in the Six Styles is an excellent opportunity for him to test his own strength and learn (through combat perception) higher-level physical techniques.

Most importantly, this mission might bring him into contact with aspects related to the World Government! He has always been filled with curiosity and a touch of... scrutiny stemming from Fujitora's influence on this vast organization that rules the world.

Understanding the inner workings of the world government and exploring their so-called "secrets" might give him a deeper understanding of the truth of the world, and perhaps even... find some new answers about "justice" and "order".

This is definitely a high-risk, high-reward challenge!

Kai carefully weighed the pros and cons and finally decided to take on the mission! He needed this kind of challenge to stimulate his growth faster!

He paid a deposit and obtained more detailed (though still limited and potentially misleading) intelligence about the target agent, including his possible codename, physical characteristics (though not very useful to him, but could be used for verification), the six techniques he was skilled in, and the forces he might come into contact with in Water Seven.

Then he began preparations to head to his next destination—the Water Seven!

In preparing to travel to Water Seven and gather intelligence on the target agent and the city, Kai inevitably hears a lot of information and rumors about the "Water Train"—the "Smoking Tom".

"A water train? That's the pride of Water Seven!" A local resident in a tavern boasted to the visiting travelers, spitting as he spoke. "The Smoking Tom! Built by our greatest shipwright, the legendary Mr. Tom! It can travel at speeds on the raging seas just like on land! Connecting Water Seven with San Faldo, Pukki, and even Enies Lobby!"

“Yes, yes! Thanks to the Smoking Tom, transportation between our islands has become so convenient! It’s simply a miracle!” The people around him chimed in.

Kai listened quietly, a hint of curiosity in his heart.

A sea train that can operate stably on the unpredictable and perilous Grand Line? That is indeed an amazing technological marvel.

He could imagine the incredible shipbuilding skills and ingenious design required to overcome the threats of waves, sea monsters, and even harsh weather to make a train travel at high speed on the sea! That legendary shipwright named Tom must have been an extraordinary figure.

He also learned that the maintenance and operation of the water train is now handled by two of Mr. Tom’s apprentices: the Carrera Company, led by Iceberg, and another apprentice, Franky, who is said to have left Water Seven but is equally skilled (although most of the rumors about Franky are negative, saying that he is a weirdo and a mob boss).

Carrera Company is currently the largest and most famous shipbuilding company in Water Seven, possessing the island's top shipwrights and technical expertise.

As for the disciple Franky who left, he seems to have led an underground organization called the "Franky Family," which makes a living by dismantling ships and acting as bounty hunters (mainly capturing small-time pirates to exchange for alcohol).

Besides the water train itself, Kai also heard some more secretive and dangerous rumors.

“Hey, have you heard? About the design blueprints for the ancient weapon ‘Pluto’…” Kai keenly caught a few words from an information broker’s whispered transaction.

"The Hades blueprints? Isn't that transit group just a legend? It's said that the '37 Qi 2' technique was lost long ago... 911 Wine"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! It's said that... that world-destroying blueprint has been kept by a shipwright in Water Seven! That's why Mr. Tom was taken away by the World Government back then!"