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

Now Li Mingyuan understands why many people's female secretaries are young, beautiful, and attractive; after all, good-looking people are pleasing to the eye.

Unfortunately, although he was the nominal ruler of the unified empire in his previous life, his two secretaries were both scoundrels, one of whom could unleash the Tree World Advent and the other could impersonate Susanoo. At the time, he was a decent person, his mind filled with thoughts of how to do something great to live up to his good brother's trust, and he never considered such crooked thoughts. It was only now that he realized the truth, and there was a strange feeling about it.

"Judging from her behavior just now, Karina is still wary of me. Although this is natural, it won't do if it continues like this."

"We still need to think of a way to help Karina build up her goodwill towards me faster before paying the ransom."

As Li Mingyuan pondered, his gaze towards Karina's retreating figure gradually deepened.

After the ransom incident ends, Karina will disembark if he doesn't find a suitable reason. However, before that, while the ransom incident is over, Karina will continue to feel guilty towards him, and her affection level will increase very slowly. Finding a balance between these two will be a challenging task.

Hopefully, he can find a solution before things get to that point.

Li Mingyuan and Karina were each on one side of the boat. In the quiet night breeze, neither of them spoke, each lost in thought about the future.

Neither Karina nor Li Mingyuan could have imagined that they were both racking their brains over the same thing: how Karina could stay on Li Mingyuan's ship.

Despite their opposing stances, their thoughts strangely overlap, which is also a kind of mutual journey.

Another hour passed.

As the pitch-black night drew to a close, a glimmer of light gradually appeared in sight.

Li Mingyuan, who was leaning against the observation deck and enjoying the cold wind, yawned and stiffly stood up from the platform to stretch.

The round trip took longer than he expected. Luckily, the season was relatively good; otherwise, if it were winter, he might have frozen solid by now.

"Are the fish-men's physical abilities too high? This lookout tower is way too outdated. Who can withstand such a heavy load? If we're going to the Grand Line next, this ship needs to be properly repaired... At the very least, it needs to evolve from a lookout tower to a lookout room, like the Straw Hat crew's Going Merry went to the Sunny."

Looking back, Li Mingyuan glanced at the layout of the observation deck with some dissatisfaction and secretly resolved to tear it down later.

Immediately following behind, Li Mingyuan jumped off the observation platform without hesitation.

He lightly touched the mast with his toes a few times, and landed gracefully, walking towards the bow of the ship.

"Wake up, we're almost there, Karina."

Li Mingyuan tapped Karina's shoulder with his right finger and spoke.

Karina, who had been enjoying the sea breeze and looking in the direction of things, had somehow fallen asleep leaning against the edge of the boat. She had a silly expression on her face and was drooling. Li Mingyuan suddenly woke her up from her sleep.

"I didn't sleep! I didn't sleep!"

Karina responded instinctively.

She quickly wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, opened her eyes wide and looked at Li Mingyuan beside her, as if to prove that she had been seriously looking at the direction she was heading.

Upon seeing this, Li Mingyuan's lips twitched slightly.

It's a good thing this ship was able to dock safely.

"I didn't ask if you were asleep or not. I just came to tell you that it's time to disembark, Karina."

Li Mingyuan sighed.

"Huh? Oh! Really!"

It was only then that Karina seemed to realize the ship was almost at the shore. Looking at the island in the distance, where lights and firelight shone, she immediately showed a surprised expression. "They're really back so quickly! I thought I wouldn't make it to the banquet tonight."

"Wow! We can't just stand here and watch, let's go over there right away!"

With that, Karina excitedly leaped up and grabbed Li Mingyuan, seemingly intending to rush straight to the island.

But just before he could finish, Li Mingyuan forcefully pulled him back.

"What are you thinking? Do you still think it's some small, dilapidated cargo ship that you can just leave whenever you want? This big ship is ours now. Even if you don't lower the anchor, you should at least dock and moor the ropes."

Li Mingyuan looked at Karina speechlessly, and couldn't help but rub his forehead and say, "If we just leave it like this, the ship will probably drift away somewhere tomorrow."

"Well!"

Karina stared at Li Mingyuan, as if she had only just realized the problem he had mentioned, and immediately looked dumbfounded.

"Ah, sorry, I'm used to being alone."

She looked at Li Mingyuan awkwardly and gave an embarrassed laugh.

"Besides, Karina, don't forget that you are now not only penniless, but also my prisoner. You are not allowed to run around without my permission. Don't think that just because I am lenient with you, you can really act without restraint."

Li Mingyuan shook his head. "Even laissez-faire has its limits."

Having said that, Li Mingyuan took the lead over Karina and walked ahead.

It seems the plan is to tie the mooring rope somewhere on the shore after boarding the ship and docking.

Karina followed behind Li Mingyuan listlessly. After being scolded, she knew she had messed up again, but what could she do? She had experienced so much today, and her energy was constantly being depleted. She was already exhausted. At least Li Mingyuan had a short rest at Alon Amusement Park, but she hadn't dared to relax for a moment and had been on edge the whole time.

When they were on the boat earlier, it was quiet and Li Mingyuan was on guard, so they relaxed. But somehow, they dozed off.

However, despite having a reason, Karina didn't dare to argue with Li Mingyuan. She could only keep her words to herself and silently follow Li Mingyuan to start working, trying to show that she was admitting her mistake.

A considerable amount of time passed.

After a flurry of activity, Karina and Li Mingyuan finally finished securing the boat to the shore.

"That will solve everything!"

Karina stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the pirate ship in front of her with satisfaction.

Li Mingyuan was currently organizing his pockets, mixing the bounty money pocket with the previous ones. He checked the amount again, and after confirming that everything was correct, he tied it back to his waist.

So, it's time to join the villagers and enjoy this festive feast.

Looking back at the island in the distance, which was bathed in a bright red glow, Li Mingyuan's expression was relaxed.

It was at this moment that...

"Huh? Who are you?"

Not long after Li Mingyuan and Karina had docked their boat, a rustling sound suddenly came from the forest on the shore, growing louder as it approached. Soon, a figure emerged from the bushes.

A villager with a flushed face and a wine jug in his hand walked to the shore.

Li Mingyuan recognized the villagers in front of him.

Although he wasn't a villager of Cocoa West Village, when he resolved the issue at Alon Paradise and returned to the cargo ship's sailors for the second time, he saw that the sailors seemed to be having some conversations with the nearby villagers, and the villager in front of him was one of the people he was talking to.

After a quick thought, Li Mingyuan confirmed that the other party posed no threat, and his expression returned to normal.

Needless to say.

Now that he had this uninvited guide, he could use the opportunity to find out where Cocoyasi Village was.

Li Mingyuan and Karina exchanged a glance, tacitly confirming each other's thoughts.

Meanwhile, in Cocoa West Village.

The villagers drank heartily and ate delicacies they usually couldn't bear to eat, venting their pent-up emotions from years of oppression.

No one knows how much pain they have accumulated in their hearts over the years. The fish-men's iron fist is far more cruel and ruthless than imagined. Even Cocoyasi Village, which Nami wants to redeem, is no exception. On the contrary, because of Nami, Cocoyasi Village has even received more attention. Dozens of villages on the entire island are shrouded in an atmosphere of fear, and there is not a single day of peace.

But precisely because the pain is unforgettable, they should cherish the happiness they have now when liberation arrives.

Every villager was laughing and crying, letting loose, dancing, talking, singing—everything imaginable was on display in the glow of the campfire, the drunken villagers doing their best.

When Li Mingyuan stepped into Cocoa West Village, this was the scene that greeted him.

The noise and bustle were almost unimaginable.

"There are so many people."

Karina kept glancing around. "But everyone seems drunk. Just how much did they drink?"

"Who knows?"

Li Mingyuan also smelled the aroma of wine and food filling the streets. He wondered what treasures the villagers had brought out. The tempting smells made his mouth water.

But they didn't rush to those banquets to feast.

Li Mingyuan remained polite, first turning around to say goodbye to the villagers from the neighboring village who were leading the way, and then leading Karina slowly into the village.

Even after entering the village, he did not reveal his identity immediately. Instead, he and Karina wandered among many unfamiliar villagers, wanting to experience the atmosphere of the village simply as visitors.

This situation is not unusual. Since the entire island is in a frenzy, and many people from neighboring islands have come to check on the situation at Alon Paradise before they have a chance to leave, and many people from other villages are celebrating together in various villages, even Li Mingyuan and Karina will not be recognized by the drunken villagers immediately if they do not make a fuss.

And so.

After enjoying a good meal and drinks, Li Mingyuan and Karina's faces quickly warmed up.

Karina had a higher alcohol tolerance, and her face was only slightly flushed. However, for Li Mingyuan, who had not yet fully adapted to the taste and aroma of alcohol in the One Piece world, the presence of a beautiful woman beside him had already made him unconsciously a little drunk.

Just as Li Mingyuan was getting a little tipsy.

"Hey! What are you doing here drinking quietly??"

It's unclear which villager had sharp eyes, but they seemed to have clearly seen Li Mingyuan's face and immediately cried out in surprise.

Before Li Mingyuan could reply, he immediately felt an arm draped over his shoulder. The next second, the villagers shouted excitedly, "Look everyone, who's here!"

"He single-handedly defeated the Arlong Pirates, destroyed Arlong Paradise, and saved us from those fish-men—it was him, the savior of our island!!"

An excited voice resounded throughout the village in an instant.

Before long, as if in response, various sounds of shock and cheers rang out from all directions around Li Mingyuan.

"Just now, didn't he mention the benefactor who defeated Ah Long?!"

"Wow! It's him! I've seen his face before, there's no mistake!"

"I can't believe it! He single-handedly defeated the Arlong Pirates!"

Along with the overwhelming sound came the villagers' enthusiasm.

Li Mingyuan was surrounded by layers upon layers of people, and even Karina was pushed aside by the frenzied villagers. Villagers kept reaching out to grab Li Mingyuan's clothes, and after a while, Li Mingyuan was repeatedly thrown into the air by the villagers.

Amidst the villagers' enthusiastic welcome, Li Mingyuan was passed around and pushed along until he reached the bonfire in the center of the banquet.

Being a popular man is really tough.

While drunk, Li Mingyuan looked at the scene before him and couldn't help but smile and laugh. He relaxed his body and let the villagers carry him around. In the end, he was forcibly placed in the innermost seat of a banquet.

"When did you get back? If I had known, I would have come to pick you up."

A somewhat familiar voice could be faintly heard in my ears, as if it were complaining about something.

Li Mingyuan looked to his side and saw a familiar dark-skinned beauty.

Nochigo.

"Isn't Nami here?"

Li Mingyuan leaned back in his chair naturally, casually glanced around, and asked a question.

"Hmm? What's wrong? Are you really concerned about Nami?"

"Unfortunately, Nami is not here right now, so I'll keep you company for a while."

Upon hearing this, Nokiko smiled and said.

At the same time that Li Mingyuan and Nojiko were talking, there were villagers around the campfire talking loudly. They seemed to be introducing Li Mingyuan to the other villagers, letting everyone see who had defeated the Arlong Pirates.

The noisy background noise reached his ears, and Li Mingyuan withdrew his gaze from Nokiko and turned to look in front of him.

Faced with the villagers' excited introduction and the constant gazes from all around, Li Mingyuan accepted everything and nodded to the villagers from time to time.

"Today, everyone here has experienced the terror of the Arlong Pirates. I never thought we would have a day when we could be liberated..."

"Everyone, please enjoy the banquet! That's the only theme of our evening!!"

After a lengthy introduction, a drunken middle-aged man in front of the campfire raised his bottle high and, amidst the cheers of the villagers, announced the official start of the night.