Those crimson eyes, reminiscent of the Rinnegan, made Arashi instinctively think of that mysterious figure in the Flower Room of Mary Geoise.
Although the original work only gave a vague silhouette of this being, the final scene still provided a close-up of her eyes.
In all the known One Piece anime storyline, there is only one person with such red eyes—that supreme existence in Mary Geoise who can make the Five Elders kneel: Imu!
From the figure shown in the original work, as well as the scene of Imu releasing butterflies in the Flower Room, it was clear that Imu was a woman. Not just any woman, but one with an exceptionally beautiful figure.
Moreover, the way Imu walked toward the Empty Throne—her posture and slender silhouette—further confirmed that she was female.
Of course, all of this was just speculation.
After all, Imu in the original work was far too mysterious.
More importantly, how could the supreme ruler of the Celestial Dragons possibly appear alone in the West Blue?
At last, the small boat drew close to the Traveler, aligning itself parallel to the ship as it moved forward slowly.
"The Traveler?"
The woman standing on the small boat blinked her crimson eyes, then tilted her head slightly as she looked toward Arashi on the deck. There was still not the slightest ripple in those red pupils. "A traveler?"
Arashi said nothing, only smiled and nodded.
"Oh~"
The woman withdrew her gaze, then turned and walked to a chair at the center of the small boat, sitting down gracefully.
Every movement carried a natural aura of a sovereign.
Seeing this, Arashi also remained silent. He pulled over a chair beside him and sat down, his gaze fixed evenly on the woman.
The woman showed no anger at Arashi's undisguised stare. More accurately, she simply didn't care.
Time passed second by second. The woman remained extremely quiet, Arashi did not speak, and the sea itself seemed to have fallen into an eerie stillness.
Inside the cabin, Perona and Robin didn't know what was happening, but obediently refrained from coming onto the deck.
Still, when the small boat approached the Traveler, they caught sight of the veiled woman sitting calmly aboard it.
"Who is that woman?"
Unable to suppress her curiosity, Perona asked Robin beside her. "Drifting alone at sea like that… she must be really strong, right?"
Robin didn't answer, because she was equally curious.
Having spent so many years in the West Blue, she could say with certainty that this was the first time she had encountered a woman daring enough to sail alone like this. Even so, though she had never seen someone like her before, she could sense danger emanating from the woman.
This woman was strong—extremely strong.
Most importantly, the aura around her was almost identical to Arashi's—both possessed that calm, detached dominance of someone who looked down upon the world.
Just as Robin and Perona were left in silent awe, the woman sitting quietly on the small boat suddenly raised her head again. Facing Arashi, her red lips parted slightly.
"If you continue along this route," she said softly, "you'll reach the most dangerous place in the West Blue."
"Oh?"
Arashi blinked in surprise. "The most dangerous place in the West Blue?"
"Yes."
The woman nodded faintly. "Take care of yourself, traveler."
As her voice fell, the small boat beneath her abruptly turned and accelerated away in the opposite direction of the Traveler.
"What a truly unconventional woman."
Watching the small boat speed off, Arashi slowly narrowed his eyes.
He couldn't confirm whether she was the woman from the Empty Throne, but one thing was certain—she was powerful. Incredibly, unimaginably powerful.
More importantly, from the moment she appeared to the moment she left, there was no emotional fluctuation whatsoever. Like the cold-blooded assassins in many films he had seen—utterly devoid of feeling.
Especially those crimson eyes—cold, indifferent, as if nothing in the world mattered.
As though everything in existence was hers for the taking if she wished, and something to destroy with a wave if she didn't.
"Arashi…"
"Mr. Arashi!"
After watching the mysterious woman disappear, Perona and Robin rushed out onto the deck, both looking at him with confusion.
"Don't look at me like that," Arashi said with a slight shrug. "I don't know who she is either."
"I thought she was some powerful figure from the West Blue," Perona pouted. "If I'd known, I would've gone out and made her depressed. Acting all arrogant like that—so annoying!"
"If that had happened, we'd be in serious trouble," Arashi said with a smile, patting Perona's head. "I don't know who she is, but one thing is certain—she's extremely powerful. Even though she tried to hide it, that kind of presence… even Mihawk is far inferior."
"S-so strong?"
Perona looked up in shock, her face filled with disbelief—and a hint of dissatisfaction.
Arashi nodded with a smile, then turned to Robin. "Robin, if we follow this route, do you know where the next stop is?"
Robin didn't answer. Instead, she took out the Eternal Pose.
As she looked at the direction indicated by the pointer, she froze for a moment. Then her face turned pale, and the hand holding the Eternal Pose began to tremble slightly.
"It's your hometown—Ohara, right?"
Seeing her reaction, Arashi immediately understood.
"How could this be?!"
Robin clearly hadn't expected their next destination to be Ohara. Ever since the Navy launched a Buster Call on the island and branded her the "Devil of Ohara," putting a bounty on her head, Ohara had vanished from the map.
And yet now, the Eternal Pose was pointing directly toward Ohara—a place that no longer existed on any map. How could she not be shocked?
At the same time, memories of her childhood resurfaced—the fleet that destroyed Ohara, the inescapable nightmare. Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Of course, her shock was understandable.
The Eternal Pose in her hand was not an ordinary one from this world, but one provided by the system for Arashi's journey. Any place Arashi intended to visit or pass through would appear on it.
More to come.
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