For fish-men, crossing the Calm Belt was far easier than it was for other races. By resonating with schools of sea creatures, they could avoid many dangers along the way.
Although it wasn't as simple and efficient as the Navy embedding Seastone into the bottoms of their warships, it was more than enough to ensure safety.
News of Chu Yang's imminent departure still caused quite a stir aboard the ship. Months of fighting side by side had led most of the fish-men to regard him as a true companion.
Even the more extreme fish-men led by Arlong no longer confronted Chu Yang head-on. Aside from their awe of his strength, there was also a trace of gratitude in their hearts.
After all, everyone had flesh and blood.
They all knew it in their hearts—without Chu Yang, far more fish-men aboard this ship would have died or been injured under the Navy's relentless pursuit.
Some people didn't say it out loud, but they remembered his kindness all the same.
An unspoken melancholy began to spread through the ship.
Except for Arlong, every fish-man wore a heavy expression.
"Everyone really likes you," Jinbe said, still unwilling to give up, trying once more to persuade Chu Yang to stay.
"I'll come back to see everyone within three years," Chu Yang promised solemnly—because he knew Fisher Tiger would meet his tragic end three years later, and he intended to change that fate.
The Sun Pirates spent three days crossing the Calm Belt.
They encountered a few sudden dangers along the way, but overall the risks remained under control.
After reaching the East Blue, Tiger took advantage of the moonlight to leave Chu Yang on a small island. He left behind a small boat, then hurriedly departed with his people.
Chu Yang spent the night on the shore. Early the next morning, he asked the local residents for directions to the Goa Kingdom, then purchased an expensive nautical chart.
The small boat was stocked with supplies left behind by Tiger and the others, sparing Chu Yang the trouble of buying provisions. Once he had gathered the necessary information, he immediately set off for Foosha Village.
Navigation in the Four Blues was practically effortless. Aside from watching out for unexpected dangers near certain islands, the open sea was actually the safest place to be.
This was the complete opposite of the Grand Line.
Having learned quite a few helmsman skills from Jinbe, Chu Yang handled the small boat with ease. The vessel, only a few meters long, cut swiftly through the wind toward its destination.
After another day or so, Chu Yang successfully arrived at the only port village of the Goa Kingdom.
Foosha Village!
A place hiding dragons and tigers—this was not only the hometown of the Navy hero Garp, but also the birthplace of the Revolutionary Army's leader, Dragon, and the future Pirate King.
It was the place where the Pirate King's son and the future second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army grew up—and where one of the Four Emperors, Shanks, would later leave behind an arm.
Looking across the entire history of the series, was there any starter village more legendary than this?
These people had single-handedly elevated the Goa Kingdom to heights far beyond what it should have had!
Before even reaching the harbor, Chu Yang spotted a massive pirate ship floating offshore. A Jolly Roger emblazoned with a skull fluttered in the wind.
The pirate flag was simple in design: at its center was a skull with three red claw-like scars across one eye socket, with two crossed blades behind it.
"The Red Force!"
At the sight of the flag, Chu Yang's heart jolted. Before coming here, he had worried that he might miss the period when Shanks was staying in Foosha Village. Now, all those concerns vanished in an instant.
No other ships dared approach the Red Force.
Chu Yang didn't recklessly steer his small boat toward it either. Instead, he slowly docked at another part of the shore.
He swept the Red Force once with his Observation Haki and found that only a small number of crew members were guarding the deck. He then headed straight for the only tavern in Foosha Village.
Foosha Village wasn't large. With a bit of asking around, Chu Yang easily found the tavern run by Makino.
"Where did this kid come from? You're already going out drinking at such a young age?"
"Hey, kid, where are your parents? You can't just wander into a tavern alone."
"There are pirates in there—you'd better stay far away."
Chu Yang ignored all these well-meaning warnings and went straight into the tavern occupied by the Red-Haired Pirates, where laughter and cheers filled the air.
The Red-Haired Pirates were like this—small banquets every three days, big feasts every five. The rest of the time, they were either fighting or on their way to fight.
Fight—party—fight—party…
An endless loop.
This tradition was inherited from the Pirate King Roger's crew. Later, Luffy's Straw Hat Pirates would follow the same pattern—though in Luffy's case, nearly every fight was a life-or-death struggle.
Inside the tavern, singing and dancing were in full swing. The atmosphere was lively, and young Luffy was fooling around.
His antics had the Red-Haired Pirates laughing uproariously.
Most people didn't notice the boy who had just entered from outside—except for the tavern owner, Makino.
"Little one, did you come to the wrong place? This isn't somewhere you should be eating," Makino reminded him kindly. Although she felt these pirates weren't bad people, she still hoped Chu Yang would leave quickly.
"One glass of rum, please," Chu Yang said calmly as he sat at the counter, his demeanor betraying a maturity beyond his age.
Makino froze for a moment, then shook her head firmly. Her tone, rare in its severity, said, "I'm sorry, but I can't serve rum to a child. Even if it's the lowest-proof kind, I can't."
Just then, a crew member noticed Chu Yang and immediately started heckling. "Come on, boss lady, give him a drink and put it on my tab. A little man is still a man—how can a man not drink?"
"How can you offer alcohol to a child?!" Makino shot him an angry glare. "Say one more word like that and none of you are getting any drinks today!"
The pirate could only sit back down awkwardly, drawing loud laughter from his companions.
If this were any other pirate crew, Makino's attitude would have been enough to get her killed. But with the Red-Haired Pirates, it just became an amusing joke.
As the laughter grew louder and the teasing gazes piled on, Chu Yang helplessly lied, "I'm already an adult. I just had an illness before, so I didn't grow very tall."
It was a clumsy lie—most people wouldn't believe it. But the simple-hearted Makino did.
"Really?" Makino covered her mouth in surprise, then hurriedly apologized. "I'm so sorry—I shouldn't have spoken so carelessly."
Chu Yang smiled. "If you can hurry up and put my rum on the table, I'll forgive you."
"Please wait a moment," Makino said, turning to fetch the bottle from the cabinet behind her.
"Heh… kid, lying to adults isn't a very good habit."
A red-haired man with a striking scar over his left eye suddenly leaned in close, slinging an arm around Chu Yang's shoulders. "I was curious about alcohol at your age too, so I get it. But you shouldn't lie next time."
Chu Yang didn't respond. He turned his face away in annoyance—whether he was displeased by the man's lecturing tone, or simply put off by the strong smell of alcohol on him, even he wasn't sure.
(End of Chapter)