Both time-traveled characters ended up as villainous henchmen.

Irit Town.

He Nian strolled along the street, pushing a cart and continuously purchasing various daily necessities requested by Edmund.

Of course, the most common type is the bitter cedar wine, which has a bitter taste but a unique fragrance.

Almost every week, he would go to town to buy a bunch of things.

"Brother He Nian, when will you continue telling us stories today?"

On the street, a group of children saw He Nian and immediately surrounded him, asking him questions eagerly.

"Don't rush, let me finish shopping first, then we'll meet at our usual spot."

He Nian was already used to this and responded to the children's request with a smile.

Half an hour later, He Nian and a large group of children gathered under the big tree in the town square.

He Nian didn't waste any more time and continued to tell the children various stories of Taoist priests slaying demons and monsters.

At first, the children were attracted by He Nian's physical changes, but after they got to know him better, they kept asking him to tell them stories.

Originally, He Nian wanted to tell the children the magnificent legend of the two supreme beings fighting to the edge of the universe and obliterating the Great Dao, but the children were not interested in that. Instead, they were very interested in the special wedding, funeral and blessing ceremonies that He Nian had performed.

So he catered to their interests and told them stories of Taoist priests slaying demons, accompanied by a lot of special folk knowledge. These slightly scary stories quickly captivated most of the children in the town.

It has evolved into what it is today.

After dealing with the children, He Nian pushed the stroller back to Edmund's small building.

Just as I put the things down from the cart, I heard Edmund shouting from inside the house, "He Nian, your chance to prove yourself has come! Quickly grab your so-called magical artifacts, a big business opportunity is coming your way!"

"Huh? Old man, you've had too much to drink again?"

"This time it's for real, I'm not kidding you. It's the Loft family on the island, that famous and wealthy family. Miss Loft personally requested that you demonstrate!"

"No, I absolutely refuse to play along this time!"

"This wasn't a performance. It was that little girl who actually believed the exorcism stories you told and asked you to come to their house to perform a ritual!"

Moreover, the Loft family is willing to pay that amount!

Edmund held up his hands and gestured, "One million Berries!"

"what?"

He Nian was stunned. It was one thing for a child to believe it, but how could a rich young lady believe it?

But for the sake of the money, He Nian did it!

An hour later, He Nian, carrying the peach wood sword he usually made for telling stories to children and wearing a simple Taoist robe made from a bed sheet, arrived at the Loft family's large villa with Edmund.

The Loft family butler looked at the two of them with undisguised contempt and disgust in his eyes, but he still politely led them to the room of Miss Loft, Queenie Loft.

"I heard from the children that your stories were very interesting, so I invited you over on a whim."

Queenie explained with a smile, though she sounded weak and listless, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.

This is a brown-haired girl with some freckles on her face. Judging from her appearance alone, it is hard to imagine that this eighteen-year-old girl would believe those stories that are meant to make children happy.

However, He Nian noticed something was amiss as soon as he stepped into Queenie's room.

It was cold and damp.

A chilling, deathly atmosphere emanated from the room.

Edmund, as the gravedigger, also sensed something amiss, but he was far less perceptive than He Nian.

He Nian could even vaguely "see" the ghost.

"No way, did I really run into that?"

He Nian murmured softly, holding the peach wood sword, and slowly walked towards the place in the room where the coldest aura was strongest.

There, a stone sculpture of cute animals and a little girl stands quietly.

The statue depicts a little girl interacting intimately with animals, creating a very heartwarming scene.

The stone is warm and smooth like jade, shimmering with pale blue fluorescence in the shadows. If you ignore the lingering, chilling aura of death emanating from it, it is an excellent work of art.

He Nian remembered that although the world of One Piece did not have a systematic special energy cultivation method, the world was full of fantasy.

In other words, it's not surprising that ghosts are appearing.

What he found truly strange was that the ghost in Queenie's room actually caused the hidden power within him to react.

Could the power of a world unto itself truly be recreated here...?

For a moment, He Nian's mind was filled with wonderful fantasies, but soon reality shattered his illusions.

Don't come any closer! Your presence is too strong, I can't stand it!

The dark shadow that clung to the stone statue suddenly let out a sharp roar at He Nian.

Only He Nian could hear the roar; Queenie and Edmund didn't notice anything unusual.

He Nian became even more excited upon hearing this and immediately strode forward.

As soon as he approached the stone statue, the dark shadow vanished amidst a mournful scream.

It's not...that simple?!

He Nian's hand holding the peach wood sword froze in mid-air. The excitement he had felt from discovering the hidden power within his body instantly plummeted.

It seems that the filth clinging to the stone statue was almost gone, and if Queenie hadn't been so weak recently, it might not have even been discovered.

He sighed inwardly, but his hands kept moving. He had to go all out with the act, or he wouldn't get the money.

After going through the whole process, Queenie felt much more at ease, and since the dirty thing had indeed disappeared, she paid the money quite readily.

"By the way, Miss Loft."

After taking the money, He Nian casually asked, "Where did you buy this stone statue?"

He was unwilling to give up, and perhaps he could use a similar statue to fully unleash the hidden power within him.

"It wasn't bought," Queenie said with a smile. "This stone sculpture was a birthday gift my father commissioned to carve for me. It was finished right here at home, and the stone was even sourced from Mayor Derek's quarry. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Very beautiful, Miss Loft's father is very thoughtful."

He Nian answered with an unchanged expression, but his heart skipped a beat when he heard Mayor Derek's name.

Edmund, who was drinking pine nut wine nearby, also showed a dramatic change in his expression upon hearing about the quarry.

He Nian happened to capture this scene.

A quarry? Perhaps... it seems necessary to ask Edmund about this.

Soon, He Nian and Edmund returned from Loft's villa to the two-story building next to the cemetery.

In the living room, Edmund was about to drink a glass of wine when He Nian interrupted him.

"Old man, how much do you know about the mayor's quarry?"

Edmund's expression showed obvious pain upon hearing this. He tried several times to drink to cover it up, but ultimately failed to swallow.

After a long silence, Edmund finally spoke, his voice slightly hoarse:

"You're quite clever, kid. I wish my son had been as smart as you back then."

How could he have believed that old devil Derek and gone to work in the quarry?

"If he hadn't gone in, the mine wouldn't have collapsed, and he wouldn't have died at such a young age..."

Edmund covered his face with his calloused hands as he spoke, unable to continue.

He Nian stepped forward and patted the old man on the shoulder, no longer making things difficult for him.

He slowly walked outside and looked at the tombstone that Edmund often swept and cleaned not far away.

If we consider the romantic and fantastical undertones of the One Piece world, then the most likely explanation for the appearance of ghosts and spirits imbued with intense resentment, besides Devil Fruit abilities, is that a tragic injustice has occurred.

Combined with his initial intuition...

There's a problem with the quarry and Derek's house.