Twenty days later…
Water 7!
"AAAAAH! I FINALLY MADE IT!"
Carrying an enormous backpack, Cain dropped to one knee on Water 7's stone-paved street and shouted in sheer excitement.
"Yeah. Getting here really wasn't easy."
Uta stood beside him wearing sunglasses, holding a red-and-white umbrella printed with a laughing-and-crying face.
As she looked around at the bustling city, she could not help sighing as well.
Only heaven knew what they had gone through on the way here.
With no Log Pose, Eternal Pose, or nautical chart, Cain had relied entirely on his own sense of direction to fly across the sea.
They had passed Karai Bari Island, Buggy's headquarters, where a crowd of pirates surrounded Cain and practically worshiped the ground he walked on.
Then came Raijin Island, where Cain had carried Uta while dodging the endless lightning storms.
In the Lulusia Kingdom, the citizens had surrounded him and launched a campaign against the "evil dragon," attempting to "rescue" Uta from his clutches.
They had even encountered Zou, the gigantic elephant carrying the Mink Tribe's homeland.
The sight of such an enormous creature reminded Cain that Zunesha constantly wandered the seas and was therefore extremely difficult to locate.
But since they were already there…
Cain secretly brought Uta onto the island and made a rubbing of the Road Poneglyph.
Unfortunately, they were discovered just as he finished.
Cain had no intention of fighting or making enemies, but secretly copying their Poneglyph was already bad enough.
Combined with his new status as a member of the Beasts Pirates, the Minks naturally drove them off the island.
Cain was even placed on a permanent blacklist.
The pink dragon was strictly forbidden from ever entering Zou again.
What surprised Cain most, however, was that he somehow managed to fly Uta all the way to Punk Hazard.
At the time, Akainu and Aokiji were in the middle of their battle.
The moment the two saw Cain appear in dragon form, they actually stopped fighting each other and attacked him together.
Naturally, the reason was the "importance" Fleet Admiral Sengoku had previously emphasized.
Although Sengoku seemed strangely concerned about this particular pirate, and Cain was Garp's grandson, he had now joined three Emperor crews in succession.
Neither Admiral knew that Cain had once been a Marine, but his danger was obvious.
Even though the two were currently rivals competing for the position of Fleet Admiral, they still agreed that an internationally wanted pirate appearing before them had to be arrested.
Cain had no desire to get involved in their duel. He could only dodge and fight his way out of Punk Hazard's territory.
After that, the route became much more familiar.
He crossed the Red Line and finally reached waters he recognized.
Since Ace and Luffy were still training, he chose not to disturb them and flew straight toward Water 7.
Then…
He got lost again.
After circling around endlessly, they had practically revisited every island Luffy had passed through, including the now-abandoned Thriller Bark, before finally reaching Water 7.
…
"All right, Cain. This is no time to collapse in despair!"
Uta patted Cain on the back, urging him to stand up from the pavement.
She looked around at Water 7's intersecting canals, sparkling beneath the sunlight, while numerous Yagara Bulls slowly carried tourists across the water.
"Luffy was with us on Sabaody, and we were constantly surrounded by people in Totto Land. Before news that we're here spreads, let's take this chance to properly explore the city."
"Yeah, you're right. Walking around sounds good."
Cain stood up and dusted off his trousers.
"We can also look for somewhere suitable to build a stage and prepare for your first official concert!"
Uta nodded, then lowered her voice conspiratorially.
"Then we'd better move quickly. We absolutely can't let Shanks and the others find us too easily!"
Uta knew about their agreement to report every concert location to Shanks, as well as his plan to train Cain at each stop.
But she had no desire to let the Red Hair Pirates witness her dates with Cain, their shopping trips, or any of their more intimate moments.
They had barely had any proper dates together in the first place. If Shanks and the others discovered them, the entire plan would be ruined.
Cain completely agreed.
However, just as he began considering where they should go first, his Observation Haki suddenly warned him of intense danger.
Cain's arm shot upward, and his fingers snapped shut.
Bang!
A dull explosion rang out as flames and smoke burst across his palm.
The sharp smell of gunpowder instantly filled the air.
"Was that supposed to be a bullet… or a cannonball?"
Cain opened his hand and allowed the scorching fragments of metal to fall onto the street.
"Hey, brat! If you block it that easily, you're going to make me feel like I've lost face!"
A figure carrying a rifle slowly emerged from the shadows of a nearby building.
Dressed in a heavy cloak, the man stepped onto a flight of stairs and looked down at Cain.
"You made me wait here so long I was nearly bored to death!"
He adjusted the bandanna around his head and smiled casually.
"I heard my idiot son had some trouble with his crewmates here before. But judging by what I've heard, they made up, and the kid grew quite a bit from it…"
"Oh, right. I forgot. You two weren't here for any of that."
"Yo. Good to see you again, Uta-chan… and you too, brat."
Seeing the man standing at the edge of the shadows, idly working the bolt of his rifle with one finger, Uta cried out in surprise.
"YASOPP!"
Cain merely wore an expression that said he had expected this.
"If you're here, Yasopp, where's Shanks?"
"The boss had something else to do, so he won't be coming. Naturally, I'll be responsible for your training this time."
"That trick you used against the boss with your Observation Haki really caught my interest. So I'll be personally training your Observation Haki."
Yasopp smiled, but there was nothing reassuring about it.
"And I won't be going easy on you."
"As for the stage for your performance, I've already arranged everything. Cain! Now come quietly with me for your train—"
Before Yasopp could finish—before the final words had even left his mouth—Cain suddenly crouched and swept Uta securely into his arms.
Then he stamped repeatedly against the air.
A rapid series of muffled explosions rang out as he launched himself into the sky!
"HEY! BRAT! LET SOMEONE FINISH SPEAKING!"
Yasopp stood frozen for a moment, staring at the two rapidly retreating figures.
Once he finally reacted, he took off after them at full speed and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Like hell I'm listening!"
Cain's voice drifted back from the air.
"We can train anytime! Why did you have to choose now?! We've spent twenty days traveling! Can't we enjoy ourselves for once? Stop chasing us!"
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