Pirate: It’s not a phantom beast, it’s a phantom god!

Chapter 354 Taolong's Wonderful Adventure

"Miss La, I'm here."

Taolong, standing outside the wooden fence, announced his arrival.

He dared not make a loud noise. Everything in the courtyard was so quiet and peaceful, which gave him a sense of inexplicable peace of mind, as if there was a separate little world on the other side of the fence.

He feared that his arrival would disturb every blade of grass and tree in this little world, and even more so that he would disturb the girl whose back was turned to him.
"Ah."

The girl responded softly upon hearing the voice, and then gracefully stood up.

The girl's dazzling blonde hair fell as she moved, filling Taolong's vision, and Taolong subconsciously looked away.

The garden, which had been as quiet as night, seemed to be bathed in the light of the rising sun as the girl got up. The tranquility faded, replaced by dazzling vitality... Every plant and tree here seemed to have awakened from its slumber.

……

She smoothed out the wrinkles on her skirt slightly and turned her gaze to the somewhat awkward man standing outside the fence.

"Long time no see, Taolong."

It was still that highly recognizable voice, ethereal and sacred, like a celestial being cleansing one's soul.

"Thank you for rushing back from Wano Country."

"..."

Tao Long opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

He didn't know when it started, but Taolong found he couldn't clearly see Ra's face. The face seemed to be shrouded in a magical light, and every time he looked at it, it was just a blur.
But from the tone of the other person's greeting, he could tell that La was wearing her usual faint smile.

La greeted everyone in a very casual manner, as if she were interacting with an acquaintance... She seemed to treat everyone this way, but this naturalness made Tao Long feel somewhat flattered.

You should know that cadres of his rank are almost never seen now. In their memory, La only showed up frequently in the first two years, and then disappeared as if he had vanished without a trace.

If Kaido is the visible pinnacle of the Beasts pyramid, then Nara is the sun illuminating the entire pyramid... She is like an outsider, maintaining an unseen and insurmountable distance from everyone in the pirate crew.

And the members of the pirate crew accepted this as a matter of course.

Just as no one would deliberately look up to check if the sun is still there, people will habitually look down and bask in the sunlight they take for granted day after day.

But now, Taolong must raise his head alone and face the golden sun.

"No, it's not hard work, Miss La."

"May I ask what brings you here?"

Taolong tried his best to control his gaze, making it fall back on La, so as not to appear too impolite.

La was dressed simply today—a gray-white dress without any patterns.

Seemingly to prevent getting it dirty, she also wore a light blue apron tied around her waist with a brown leather belt, looking exactly like the clothes worn by young girls doing farm work in the countryside.

Of course, the wing-like gold decorations behind her ears remained, as if they were part of the girl's body.

Unlike usual, she was wearing an ornament on her chest today—an inverted pyramid-shaped object that appeared to be made of gold.

It was slightly too big for a girl's size.

On the front of the gold ornament was a uniquely shaped 'eye' pattern... The 'eye' seemed to have magic, with a faint light flickering in its pupil.

Taolong couldn't resist the urge to uncover the secrets hidden within.

“There is indeed something quite important, but…” “?!”

La's words brought Taolong, who had almost lost his composure, back to his senses.

"Miss La, I...!"

Realizing that he had been staring at the other person's chest, Tao Long felt extremely rude.

Just as he was about to bow his head and apologize, he saw La step forward and open the small gate of the fence, gesturing for him to enter the courtyard.

"Let's talk inside first."

"..."

Facing the garden gate that was slowly opening to him, Taolong hesitated for a moment before finally mustering the courage to step inside.

The black leather boots felt incredibly comfortable against the soft grass as they stepped on it.
The natural fragrance of grass and trees filled his lungs with each breath, as if bringing him new life.
Hey~
Just as Taolong was immersed in the simplicity of nature, a strange and ethereal voice suddenly rang out in his heart without warning, causing him to pause in his actions.

"Huh? This is..."

Before he could look around and search for the source of the ethereal sound—as if crossing the barriers of the world—everything before Taolong's eyes suddenly began to extend infinitely into the distance.

The houses that had blocked his view had vanished, and the azure sea on the horizon had disappeared as well. In their place stood magnificent, towering mountains that seemed to pierce the clouds, and a majestic, bottomless canyon.
He discovered that he had somehow transformed into a vast open field, where herds of animals resembling deer were grazing on the green grass in the distance...

A sharp cry rang out overhead, and a strange bird with a long tail swept low through the air, its pure black feathers shimmering with iridescent colors in the sunlight.
"What, what, what is this...?!"

A pink rabbit, a yellow fox, an orange cat, a brown puppy, and a red-and-blue-maned foal...

Many animals that Tao Long had never seen before appeared in his field of vision. Everything suddenly became so unfamiliar that he involuntarily took a few steps back.

"Miss La-La?"

The situation, completely beyond his comprehension, made Taolong subconsciously call out the name that brought him comfort, but there was no response.
"Miss La?!"

He raised his voice and called out again... but still received no response.

The figure that was just moments ago so close has now vanished without a trace.

Taolong was like a child who had been abandoned, left behind in this strange world by someone.

……

Outside, she stretched out her hand to support the collapsed Tao Long, gently placed him on her wicker chair, and then gently stuffed a durian-like fruit into Tao Long's arms.

If Taolong were still awake, he would surely notice that this durian resembled the hedgehog fruit he had brought back a few years ago.

However, the durian looked wrinkled and wilted at this moment, and even the thorns on its shell had slumped down... as if it were about to rot.

Ding bell~
On Ra's chest, the wondrous Eye of Ugato on the Millennium Blocks shimmered with dazzling golden light.

The immeasurable divine power was being rapidly consumed at a rate that would leave Ossi and Obe speechless, forcibly connecting the two dimensional worlds.

La's expression didn't change much; she just looked at Taolong, who was sitting in the wicker chair with his eyes closed, with a hint of anticipation...

"So... who will your 'AIBO' be?"

　I've been moving these past few days, and with family members coming over, updates might be a bit irregular.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)