Starting with two Kamui, they raised the flag of rebellion in One Piece.

"What's wrong... you suddenly stopped talking."

Perhaps Li Mingyuan was distracted for a while.

Just as Li Mingyuan was still pondering, Karina, who had looked dejected moments before, had quietly raised her head. Observing Li Mingyuan's expression, she tentatively asked, "Speaking of which, are you really going to let me off the hook? Is it because you discovered my identity as a woman that you're willing to show leniency?"

"Um?"

Li Mingyuan looked up at Karina.

"After all, I stole your money. A normal person's anger wouldn't subside so easily, right? Even if there's a ransom, now that the culprit is in our hands, we can't avoid a severe beating to vent our anger."

Karina blinked and said, "Aren't you even a little angry that you're letting me off so easily?"

Li Mingyuan looked at Karina in surprise, wondering what was going on this time.

"I didn't expect there to be such a requirement."

"How about I finish it now?"

As he spoke, Li Mingyuan slowly raised his hand.

Karina was so frightened by what she saw that she shuddered and quickly waved her hands and shrank back.

"No, no, no! I was just saying. Of course, it would be best if it weren't there."

Karina gave an awkward laugh and said cautiously, "I'm just afraid that you might still be angry inside, and then regret it later because you feel like you've lost out. So I want to hear confirmation from you directly so I can feel more at ease."

"Stop thinking about all that nonsense. Since I agreed to your demand for money in exchange for your life, I won't change my mind easily. Instead of wasting your time overthinking, you should think about how to row the boat in a way that saves both of us energy to get to shore."

Li Mingyuan lowered his hand, leaned back against the small boat, and said calmly, "Let's make it clear beforehand that I still have to deal with those fishmen after we land. So I need to conserve my energy and take a short rest to relieve the fatigue from the battle on the cargo ship."

"During this time, you will be responsible for rowing the boat to the shore."

"I?"

Karina opened her mouth wide and pointed to herself.

"If you don't want to, I can just call any sailor over, and he can row you down for a swim."

"It's not that I'm so unwilling."

Karina's expression changed, and she hurriedly grabbed the oar, forcing a smile as she said, "That's right, it always takes some time to prepare mentally."

"Let's draw it, let's draw it."

With that, Karina rowed the boat vigorously, starting to steer it in the direction the other sailors were swimming.

Just as Li Mingyuan yawned and nestled inside the small boat, she took advantage of his inattention to secretly turn her face and glare at him angrily.

They actually made the dignified Phantom Thief Karina do hard labor!

She'll let it slide today because he let her off the hook, but if he dares to treat her like this again after we get ashore, she'll never give him a kind look again.

"That's right, I only started rowing out of gratitude! It wasn't because I couldn't escape!"

"I'll let you off this time, but you better remember this!"

Karina turned her head away fiercely, thinking to herself.

Sooner or later, she will avenge herself and steal Li Mingyuan's wallet.

This is just a minor, temporary setback; it's nothing serious.

Be patient, be patient!

Karina rowed hard, sweating profusely. Perhaps because she had a goal in mind, she didn't feel so tired anymore, and the boat's speed increased, gradually catching up with the other sailors.

While Karina was still panting, Li Mingyuan was already lying down in the small boat. He closed his eyes, put his hands behind his head, leaned against the edge of the boat, and felt the sea breeze. His expression was relaxed and natural.

Time slipped away swiftly in the brief moment Li Mingyuan was distracted.

Approximately fifty minutes later.

Perhaps because the cargo ship was being transferred to a smaller vessel, the arrival time was slightly later than the initially estimated thirty minutes.

Even so, the destination is still within reach.

When Li Mingyuan opened his eyes again, Karina was completely slumped in the small boat, too exhausted to move. Near them, several small boats were neatly moored on the shore.

The group had already arrived at the island where Alon Paradise was located.

"Oh? That's pretty fast."

Li Mingyuan yawned, stretched lazily, and slowly sat up on the small boat.

He casually patted Karina, who was sweating profusely beside him, and said, "You've worked hard, Karina."

"Huff...huff...it's not like you're the one rowing the boat..."

Karina barely managed to lift her head, too exhausted even to feign ingratiation. Looking at Li Mingyuan, she said weakly, "Even if you said you'd had a hard time, I didn't feel comforted at all..."

"hehe."

Li Mingyuan chuckled softly, "Even so, it's all thanks to you that I was able to rest so comfortably."

"Once this matter is over, I'll consider reducing your ransom payment."

"R-Really?!"

Upon hearing this, Karina, who had been slumped on the small boat, suddenly had a bright look in her eyes.

She struggled to her feet, grabbed Li Mingyuan's pants, and panted, "What are the specifics? How much or how little can you charge?"

"...How about 50,000 Berries?"

"Only fifty thousand?!"

Karina screamed and immediately collapsed back onto the small boat.

To her utter surprise, the fruits of her hard work as a renowned phantom thief amounted to a mere 50,000 Berries. Had she simply taken even a small item from the cargo ship today, it would have been worth far more than 100,000 Berries.

Completely demoralized, Karina was now slumped on the ship like a dried-up eggplant.

Li Mingyuan found it somewhat amusing.

However, regardless of the circumstances, this nearly one-hour break truly relieved a lot of his fatigue.

Li Mingyuan looked away and examined his hands. Compared to when he was on the cargo ship, he had recovered nearly 80% of his strength, and the soreness in his arms had completely disappeared.

At this level, even without activating the Sharingan, taking down the remaining fishmen would be a piece of cake, not to mention the battles to come. Without the crew watching, he could use the Sharingan at will.

Although Karina might see something while he's with her, this risk can be avoided if he considers that she is not only his prisoner now, but he may also bring her under his command in the future.

"Perfect."

After confirming the status, Li Mingyuan lowered his hands, his expression calm.

Only then did Li Mingyuan refocus his attention on his surroundings.

The shore where the small boat is now moored is surrounded by a forest, and the outline of a village can be vaguely seen further away. However, the extremely exaggerated building of Alon Amusement Park is nowhere to be seen.