One Piece Gunslinger

Okay, let's not say that Li Ang and Luffy don't have any deep-seated hatred. Even if there really is some conflict, given their relationship with Dragon, Li Ang would never harm Luffy.

Giving Luffy Seastone was for his own good.

This Seastone wasn't given away randomly; it was meant to help Luffy adapt to the feeling of powerlessness it brought, so that he could do some targeted training before going to sea.

As is well known, Seastone is the nemesis of Devil Fruit users. Seastone is a rare mineral found in the ocean, difficult to mine, and possesses considerable hardness. Most importantly, Seastone contains a substance called Pyrobroiin.

When a Devil Fruit user comes into contact with this substance, they become weak and lose the abilities granted by their Devil Fruit. This is why a Devil Fruit user, once handcuffed with Seastone handcuffs, is unable to resist and can only obediently submit to being killed.

The sealing properties of Seastone are unavoidable. However, the other property, which causes weakness upon contact, varies from person to person, depending mainly on individual physical condition and willpower.

Some people, like Luffy, become instantly powerless when handcuffed with Seastone, while others can move around like normal people. Some even retain a certain level of fighting ability and can perform some physical attacks while wearing Seastone handcuffs.

The reason Li Ang gave Luffy the Seastone was precisely for this purpose: to allow Luffy to come into contact with Seastone before setting sail and to increase his resistance to it to some extent. By occasionally handling Seastone, Luffy might eventually get used to it. If he could truly move around like a normal person while wearing Seastone, then Li Ang's goal would be achieved.

Then Li Ang explained the various properties of Seastone to Luffy, and told him a lot of scary things like how dangerous it is outside and how bad people are, before Luffy finally accepted the Seastone with a serious expression.

"Don't worry, uncle. I'll definitely be able to return this stone to you myself next time we meet."

"Oh? Is that so? Then I'll be waiting to see. I'll be waiting for you in the new world."

Hehe, Li Ang was completely unaware that this conversation was already somewhat reminiscent of the one between Luffy and Shanks, except that Shanks gave Luffy a straw hat that Roger had worn, while Li Ang gave him a broken piece of Seastone. The only difference was the value of the gifts they gave each other.

Furthermore, Leon didn't lose an arm for Luffy, so this scene and dialogue are only somewhat similar, and can't be compared to Shanks giving him the straw hat at all.

"Hey, I accidentally took a wrong turn and ended up in this windmill village. I didn't expect to help Luffy out in the process. Dragon, too, hasn't been home to see his child for so many years. It's me, his uncle, who came here to give Luffy this most basic training."

"But that kid really can eat. He said that night was the last meal, but this morning he insisted on making me cook another meal. Makino has really worked hard, taking care of Luffy for so many years."

Muttering to himself, Li Ang rowed the boat away from the windmill village. As the windmill village gradually disappeared from view, Li Ang began to feel a headache coming on.

The reason for Li Ang's headache was the 108,000-mile distance between his current location in the East China Sea and his destination on the Grand Line.

"Emma, ​​am I going to have to paddle through the Calm Belt again, get chased by a great white shark, and then paddle back?"

For Li Ang, one such high-speed boating experience was enough. He wasn't some seasoned veteran, and had no intention of going on a second trip. Being chased by sea kings at breakneck speed was far too thrilling; Li Ang, being an elderly man with a weak heart, simply couldn't handle it.

"Then, another option is to go through the Kingdom of Yutaka, which would also allow us to safely cross the Calm Belt and return to the Grand Line."

Undoubtedly, the Kingdom of Yutaka, which was captured by Leon and his party four years ago, lies on the Calm Belt between the East Blue and the Grand Line. It is a good shortcut, allowing them to return to the Grand Line quickly without taking any long detours.

"But I thought my vacation would be over by now, and I'd have to go back to that dark, endless, day-and-night work routine. I don't want to be a corporate slave anymore."

Indeed, if we're just talking about the journey, then the Kingdom of Yutaka is definitely the best choice. Firstly, there's no danger from large sea kings, and secondly, there's no need to worry about supplies, as there are supply points along the way.

But most importantly, if Li Angzheng were to step into the territory of the Kingdom of Yutakana, he would be immediately arrested by the Revolutionary Army and sent back to headquarters.

To be honest, the entire revolutionary army is very concerned about such a major event as the chief of staff running away from home. Li Ang can keep it a secret for a while, but he can't keep it a secret for more than a few days.

Unlike a dragon, Li Ang didn't fly in the sky all day and was rarely seen. If he were discovered by the Revolutionary Army, his whereabouts would be immediately reported up the chain of command, and he would eventually be captured by Fujitora and forced to play mahjong with him.

Since resolving the Yutakana Kingdom incident with Leon four years ago, the entire kingdom has become the Revolutionary Army's largest source of economic and material resources.

Therefore, the Revolutionary Army has the largest number of intelligence agents and armed personnel deployed within the Kingdom of Yutaka. For example, the current King Sergei and his chief bodyguard Kevin are both members of the Revolutionary Army, and other personnel operate under their protection.

The Kingdom of Yutakana is a gold mine, and the entire Revolutionary Army is keeping a close eye on it. Before Leon left, he was very concerned about the affairs of the kingdom, which shows its importance to the Revolutionary Army.

Therefore, the Kingdom of Yutakana is a road that absolutely cannot be taken. Going there would mean being discovered, and once discovered, the holiday would be over.

So, Li Ang had no choice but to take the most conventional, and also the most convoluted, route: via the Reverse Mountain to enter the starting point of the Grand Line from the East Blue, and then proceed forward from there.

This is a path that almost everyone who dreams of becoming the Pirate King has taken, but Li Ang doesn't want to be the Pirate King. He's just forced to take this long detour.

"Well, it's alright," Li Ang comforted himself. "Just think of it as a pilgrimage, retracing the route Luffy and his crew took. That's the dream of so many One Piece fans. Although I'm not quite at the level of a die-hard fan like Bartolomeo."

So, with the mindset that "traveling is traveling anyway," Li Ang embarked on the route taken by the Straw Hat Pirates. And then, he couldn't stop, until he became the King of Travel, thus beginning the grand era of travel.

Okay, don't take the last sentence too seriously.

Chapter 138 I Really Just Want a Map

“So here’s the problem.” Li Ang looked at the endless ocean around him with a pained expression and muttered to himself, “How am I supposed to get to the next location? I don’t know the way at all.”

When Li Ang was obsessed with One Piece, he remembered the storyline of Luffy, where he went, and what he saw and heard along the way. But now, even though Li Ang knew the names of every place Luffy had been to since the series began, he didn't know the exact locations of those places; he only had a general idea of ​​where they were.

Even finding this starting point, Windmill Village, was a lucky accident; the rest of the place was completely a mystery.

"Oh my god, I feel like my IQ has dropped drastically lately. I've basically given up on watches. I wonder if it's because I've been working so hard these past few years," Li Ang said, slapping his forehead in frustration.

Of course, Li Ang's intelligence hadn't declined; it's just that before, every trip he took care of these trivial matters for him—how much water to bring, how much food to bring, what tools to bring, who would drive the boat, who would give the signal. These seemingly insignificant things, which he used to consider trivial, now he had to do all of them himself. So, it was inevitable that he would overlook some things.

The first time was a well-intentioned but rushed affair; we had to leave in a hurry and couldn't pack much. The second time, however, we lacked experience; we had a compass, food, and water—all the necessities—but no map.

"Forget it, let's just sail by feel, or rather, row. Anyway, we're just on this land in the East China Sea, so we'll just go wherever we end up. We'll figure out a map later."

As I kept thinking about this, the next scene unfolded.

"So, what brings you here today?"

"Ahem, just passing by, nothing more," Li Ang said apologetically. "If I really have to say what's up, could you give me a map of the East China Sea? It doesn't need to be too detailed, just a general outline will do."

"Just passing by?"

"I really was just passing by, and it was by accident. You have to believe me."

"You just happen to pass by and end up here?"

Li Ang is really something else; nobody believes his blunt truths.

It turns out that Li Ang's "go wherever you want" tactic was barely successful, except that the location was a bit too coincidental, so coincidental that Li Ang almost turned around and left.

However, after a day at sea, Li Ang also wanted to have some hot tea or something, so he shamelessly went ashore.

"I really admire myself. I said I wanted to walk the route Luffy had taken and go to the places Luffy had been, but I ended up in a place Luffy had never been before. My luck is incredible." Li Ang thought to himself as he walked into the village and headed straight for the Isshin Dojo.

That's right, Li Ang arrived at this place, which, although not the scene Luffy experienced, is Shimotsuki Village, where another popular character, Zoro, grew up. And the person talking to Li Ang is none other than Zoro's master—Koushirou.

At the same time, what is not widely known is that in the early years when the revolutionary army was still in a difficult period, Koushirou had already secretly funded the activities of the revolutionary army. Although he was not a member of the revolutionary army's organization, he could still be considered a revolutionary. Just by providing supplies and supporting thousands of revolutionary soldiers, he could be credited with a great achievement.

Unfortunately, although Koushirou possessed considerable skill, he had no intention of leaving the world to practice kendo. He simply ran a dojo in the small village of Shimotsuki, teaching children kendo.

Li Ang had visited Shimotsuki Village a few years ago, so Koushirou actually knew about Li Ang's identity as Chief of Staff, and had met with Koushirou before.

However, that time they weren't there to haul supplies. They were there to tell Koushirou that the Revolutionary Army was now on the right track and could support itself, feeding tens of thousands of revolutionary soldiers. They wouldn't need to come to the East China Sea to fetch food anymore.

When Koushirou learned that the revolutionary army no longer needed his financial support, he was not disappointed at all; on the contrary, he was very happy. He was pleased that the revolutionary army had gradually grown stronger and more powerful.

Although Li Ang said he didn't want any more supplies, he couldn't dampen other people's revolutionary enthusiasm by saying, "We don't need you anymore," and then turning around and leaving. That would be extremely unethical, especially since the other person had previously greatly helped the revolutionary cause.

Finally, Li Ang talked with Koushirou all night, saying things like, "Although you are not a member of the Revolutionary Army, you are still a revolutionary. Our Revolutionary Army will never forget everyone who has contributed to the revolution, and people will never forget every hero who has made silent sacrifices," and so on.

It's safe to say that giving someone lots of chicken soup for the soul is more effective than giving them alcohol; even a god would get drunk.

In the end, a promise was made with Koushirou: if the Revolutionary Army ever needed help in the future, he hoped that Koushirou would lend a hand.

And Koushirou naturally smiled and readily agreed.

So now our chief of staff is facing this awful problem: who the hell can believe that the revolutionary army's chief of staff just happened to be passing by and only wanted a map? Is the revolutionary army's chief of staff position really that easy? So idle that he's doing some incomprehensible things?

The chief of staff was certainly not idle. If Li Ang hadn't secretly run away, he would probably still be at headquarters dealing with all sorts of problems.

Upon meeting Koushirou, Koushirou welcomed Li Ang inside and warmly welcomed him. He then began to inquire, in a serious and methodical manner, about the revolutionary army's purpose.

Li Ang held the teacup in both hands, thinking to himself, "I'm telling you the whole truth, why won't you believe me? I really didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted a map. I'm here to ask for help in a private capacity."

Having no other choice, Li Ang had to tell Koushirou everything about how he escaped and how he ended up in the East Sea.

After hearing Li Ang's explanation, Koushirou chuckled.

"I never imagined that being the chief of staff of the revolutionary army was so difficult. There's no time to rest, and you have to sneak out for a vacation."

"That's right, especially since Commander-in-Chief Ryu is so incompetent, and General Fujitora does nothing but play mahjong, yet he dumps all sorts of things on me. I feel like I'm going to vomit blood."

Once this happened the first time, Li Ang couldn't stop pouring out his grievances and poured out his heart to Koushirou. Koushirou also acted as a good listener, not offering any opinions, but simply listening quietly to Li Ang's complaints.

And so they talked and listened, and before they knew it, the sun had set.

Seeing this, Koushirou interrupted, "It's getting late. Why don't you stay here for the night and not set off again?"

Looking at the sky, Li Ang realized something was wrong; he hadn't stopped in time, and it was already evening. Li Ang had only originally intended to pick up a map.

Chapter 139 Set a Small Goal

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, the two had almost finished eating. Then a figure finally arrived, belatedly: "Master, what did you eat today? It smells so good."

Upon seeing this person, Koushirou replied, "You're back so late again today. Did you get lost on the way?"

That's right, this person is Zoro, the Three-Sword Style disciple of Koushirou, who is currently training in Shimotsuki Village.

"Still as hopeless as ever in terms of directions, still as green as ever with that algae-like haircut. Same recipe, same taste, only now I look a little younger."

When Li Ang saw Zoro covered in sweat, he knew without a doubt that Zoro must have been lost for a long time before finding his way back.

"No, I didn't get lost. I just, yes, I just practiced a little longer today."

Seeing Zoro's feeble explanation, Leon didn't believe him at all. Zoro's ability to get lost had surpassed the "hopeless" level, reaching a world-shattering level. He would get lost in even the simplest places, and even on a straight line, he would go astray. He would disappear at the first opportunity, and if there was no opportunity, he would create one to get lost.

Koushirou, of course, understood Zoro's characteristics. In such a small place as Shimotsuki Village, Zoro had lived there for many years, but he still got lost every day.

However, Li Ang had no intention of dwelling on this issue, and Koushirou wouldn't say anything, so they tacitly accepted Zoro's rather weak explanation.

“This is my master’s friend, you can just call him Uncle Li,” Koushirou introduced naturally. “And this is my personal disciple, Zoro. I have taught him everything, the rest is up to him to comprehend. In the future, he will be the one to inherit the dojo.”

Zoro didn't think much of it. Since he was his master's friend, he casually called him "Uncle Li".

However, Li Ang was in a real bind. He couldn't escape the identity of this "uncle" anymore; not only would Luffy have to call him "uncle," but it seemed Zoro would also have to call him "uncle" from now on—that one title added up to a whole generation.

"It seems you have high expectations for Zoro, entrusting him with everything," Li Ang could only continue the conversation.

“That’s right.” Koushirou laughed. “Zoro is my most talented disciple. Who else would I pass the training on to if not him? Besides, Zoro is like family to me now.”

He then invited Zoro to come and eat.

"Delicious, really delicious." Zoro had never eaten such delicious food before. He didn't look very presentable when he came to eat, and now he was like a starving ghost, wolfing down the food on the table.

Seeing Zoro wolfing down his food, Li Ang suddenly had an interesting idea and asked Koushirou, "Since Zoro will inherit the Isshin Dojo in the future, his strength must already be very formidable."

"No way! Zoro is just getting started, he's far from there." Koushirou quickly waved his hand upon hearing this.

This isn't Koushirou being modest; it's the truth. Although Zoro's future achievements are limitless and he possesses immense talent, he hasn't even set sail yet, hasn't experienced the trials of life and death, and hasn't fought against powerful opponents. He's still just an apprentice who hasn't completed his training.

However, Zoro was not happy and said, "Master, I think I am no longer a child. In the dojo, apart from you, everyone else combined can't beat me."

Upon hearing this, Li Ang immediately felt that there was a chance. After all, Zoro was still too young, and he reacted immediately to the slightest provocation, unable to hide his thoughts at all.