Between Two Worlds: Nen and Haki

After realizing all this, Zane wasn't foolish enough to clash head-on with Sabaody Archipelago.

He was confident in his strength, but not to the point of being blind.

Unwilling to face Doflamingo directly for the time being, Zane decisively chose to turn back.

'I can't return to Mock Town for now, either,' Zane thought to himself.

Since Bellamy hadn't arrived, Doflamingo's side would surely try to contact him. Once they realized Bellamy was missing, they would inevitably send someone to investigate.

Mock Town, being Bellamy's home base, would definitely be a primary target for investigation.

After some thought, Zane ordered the crew to bring all the Eternal Poses from the ship.

When sailing on the Grand Line with its chaotic magnetic fields, an Eternal Pose was an indispensable tool.

The Bellamy Pirates were clearly well-prepared in this regard.

Soon, dozens of Eternal Poses were placed before Zane.

The base of each Eternal Pose was engraved with the name of its respective island.

Zane scanned them one by one, his gaze coming to a halt when he saw the name on one of them.

The name on the base was Water 7.

Zane wasn't surprised to see an Eternal Pose for Water 7.

As a world-renowned shipbuilding center, an Eternal Pose for Water 7 was something almost any crew active on the Grand Line would carry.

Similarly, Zane's gaze only lingered because this island had appeared in the original story.

After looking through all the Eternal Poses, Zane had someone call for the navigator.

Before long, a man wearing glasses came running over in a hurry.

This man was Eddie, the ship's navigator.

"Are there any uninhabited islands here that are home to many fierce beasts?" Zane asked, pointing at the Eternal Poses.

"...Yes, yes, there are. Captain, look at this one for Newcastle. This is an uninhabited island crawling with fierce beasts."

"We specifically went there once before, intending to capture some rare beasts to sell as special commodities at Sabaody Archipelago."

"However, after we arrived, we discovered that the beasts on that island were simply too powerful. Even Cap— uh!"

Eddie had been giving a fawning introduction, but he accidentally started to refer to Bellamy as Captain. Catching himself, he stopped abruptly and looked at Zane with a face full of terror.

"Continue!" Zane didn't bother to blame him for a mere slip of the tongue.

Seeing that Zane wasn't angry, Eddie felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He quickly continued his introduction. "Later, even Bellamy was heavily injured by the beasts on the island. We had no choice but to retreat."

Zane rubbed his chin. "Sounds quite promising. All right, we'll head to a nearby supply point first to stock up on provisions, and then we'll head straight for Newcastle."

Naturally, Eddie obeyed Zane's command and immediately went to the helmsman to give directions.

Having determined their next destination, Zane turned to look at Manlong, who was sitting cross-legged in a corner of the deck, devouring his food.

"How's the food? Feeling any better?"

"Mmf... I took the medicine the ship doctor gave me, and now that my stomach is full, my body has recovered, Boss!" Manlong swallowed the food in his mouth and stood up to approach Zane.

As if to make it easier for Zane to talk to him, he thoughtfully sat back down so that Zane wouldn't have to strain his neck looking up.

"Manlong, would you mind telling me about your situation?" Zane asked with a smile, having observed all of Manlong's behavior.

"I can do that!" Manlong nodded.

In truth, even if Zane hadn't asked, he had planned to explain eventually.

After all, now that he recognized Zane as his boss, how could he not give an account of his own background?

Then, with Zane listening, Manlong began to recount his story.

To put it simply.

Manlong was a hybrid of a human and a fishman, born and raised on Fishman Island.

Just as Zane had previously appraised him, crossbreeding truly produced miracles.

This was the case for Manlong.

Being a hybrid didn't make him weaker than other fishmen; not only was his fishman lineage that of a bowhead whale, but he was also naturally gifted with a remarkably tough body and monstrous strength.

However, this did not bring Manlong happiness.

Many fishmen on Fishman Island were extremely xenophobic.

Because he was a hybrid, Manlong was constantly ostracized by other fishmen, even in the chaotic Fishman District.

Realizing he would never find acceptance on Fishman Island, Manlong chose to leave in a state of utter dejection.

He headed for the human world with hope, seeking a place that would take him in.

Unfortunately, the human side was even more exclusionary.

If not for Manlong's natural gifts, he would have been beaten to death when he reached the first human town.

Thus, accepted by neither fishmen nor humans, Manlong began a life of wandering until he reached Mock Town.

The process of Manlong being captured by Bellamy was actually quite simple.

Due to his prominent fishman features, Manlong was targeted by Bellamy as soon as he wandered into Mock Town, with the intent of sending him to Sabaody Archipelago as a high-quality slave.

So, Bellamy drugged Manlong's food, eventually knocking him unconscious.

"Manlong, would you like to hear about my situation?" Zane spoke up after Manlong finished his story.

"If Boss is willing, I naturally wouldn't mind learning about your past," Manlong said steadily.

Zane smiled and began to tell his story.

His story was even simpler.

His father was of the Three-Eye Tribe.

Because of the harsh living environment for the Three-Eye Tribe, he had been hiding until he accidentally met an old man living in seclusion and Zane's mother.

The old man had once been a pirate. After retiring, he chose to live in seclusion with his only daughter to avoid being found by his enemies.

Later, the Three-Eye Tribe father and the mother met, got to know each other, and fell in love.

But happiness stopped there.

When giving birth to Zane, his mother died of complications, and his father passed away a few years later, consumed by grief.

Subsequently, Zane grew up under the old man's training.

Until this year, at the age of seventeen, the old man passed away when his old injuries flared up, and Zane decided to go to sea to find his own life.

After hearing Zane's story, Manlong became even more silent.

Especially when Zane lifted his forehead protector slightly to show him his third eye, Manlong took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, Boss. I will definitely protect you."

During his days of wandering the human world, he had seen many things.

Especially the slave trade.

Therefore, he had some understanding of the plight of the Three-Eye Tribe.

"Hahaha, you certainly have a lot of nerve saying that. As your boss, I should be the one looking out for you," Zane laughed heartily.

"By the way, sit a bit closer. I want to try something."

After a long chat, Zane had Manlong sit in front of him.

Manlong didn't even ask why, immediately obeying Zane's instructions.

Once Manlong was settled, Zane raised his hand and placed it on his back.

'As I thought, no aura nodes.'

As Nen aura flowed from his palm, Zane's gaze sharpened, and he couldn't help but feel a bit of regret.

The thing he wanted to test was indeed the aura nodes.

But the facts proved that people in the One Piece world did not possess aura nodes.

That Zane had them was entirely thanks to the benefits of the Bronze Gate.

[ Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comment means the world!

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