Above the ocean, the waters stretched endlessly, waves rolling endlessly.
Vladimir rubbed his forehead, his expression one of discomfort, as if an ordinary person had just ridden a wild roller coaster — his mind still spinning slightly.
"Even I feel like this… traveling into the future is something ordinary people simply wouldn't be able to endure."
He murmured softly to himself, gradually regaining his composure.
He looked around. It was still the sea, and the Red Line remained in the distance.
The sky was unchanged, white clouds drifting lazily, and the sound of crashing waves filled his ears. Everything seemed exactly the same as before.
"How much time… has passed?"
Vladimir stood upon the sea surface, staring blankly at his surroundings.
There were no obvious changes… or rather, being in the middle of the boundless ocean, it was impossible for him to perceive any difference.
"First, I need to find a way to confirm how much time has passed."
With that thought, Vladimir extended his perception outward.
One hundred meters… one thousand meters… three thousand meters… He scanned an area fully ten nautical miles in every direction before finally sensing a faint trace of human presence.
"A ship… likely a pirate ship. Perfect."
Vladimir smiled faintly and began walking across the water.
As he moved, he gestured casually. Instantly, the little golden fish splashed out of the sea and landed lightly upon his shoulder.
Vladimir had intended to recall the avatar back into his body, but the feedback he received indicated that the Space-Time Fish was currently in a state of Forced Transformation.
This was quite interesting. Based on his calculations, he had traveled at least several months, perhaps even a full year, into the future.
Normally, a Forced Transformation only lasted seven days — which should have long since expired. Yet it hadn't.
Vladimir concluded that time travel had no effect on the duration or restrictions of his transformations.
But these were minor details, hardly worth dwelling on.
Meanwhile, ten nautical miles away…
A pirate ship was cutting through the waves, sailing steadily forward.
It wasn't a large vessel, with a displacement of less than a thousand tons.
On the deck, a dozen or so pirates stood gazing out across the vast ocean.
"Captain… is this really the legendary Grand Line?"
The speaker was a woman — the only woman among them. She wore a hunting cap, had an attractive figure, and her face shone with excitement.
"They say it's the legendary 'Graveyard of Pirates'!"
"We entered the Grand Line from the North Sea and ran straight into a storm. The weather and magnetic fields here are completely crazy."
"Wait… there's something ahead!"
A burly man spoke in a low voice, raising a telescope to scan the waters ahead.
"I-Impossible!" His face went pale with shock, and he stammered in disbelief. "He's… walking on the water!"
"What is it?" asked the Captain.
He was a young man, twenty-four years old. He wore a fluffy winter hat with leopard-print spots.
Heavy dark circles hung under his eyes, and two small gold earrings dangled from his ears.
But the most striking thing about him was the long sword he held close — a blade named Kikoku.
It was a great ōdachi, technically unranked and not among the famous blades, yet widely known as a cursed sword.
Hearing his Captain, the burly man swallowed hard, trembling with fear.
"A monster! There's a monster walking on the sea, coming straight toward us! He's about…!"
His words cut off abruptly. Through the lens, the figure walking on the water had simply vanished.
"Did I… imagine it?" the man muttered blankly.
Hearing this, the rest of the crew rolled their eyes.
"Raggy, what on earth are you going on about?"
"A mirage maybe?"
"Idiot! Mirages happen in deserts, genius."
The group relaxed and began chatting casually again.
...
Only Raggy remained uneasy, scanning the horizon frantically with his telescope.
"Hahaha…"
Suddenly, a soft chuckle rang out. It didn't sound particularly distinct among their conversation, yet every single person froze instantly.
The Captain's expression shifted. His muscles tensed. After a brief hesitation, he slowly turned around.
When he saw what was behind them, his pupils contracted sharply.
A man!
A young man dressed entirely in white, handsome features, with an ethereal, unfathomable aura.
A faint smile played at the corner of his mouth, and perched upon his shoulder was a tiny golden fish.
He was standing right there, looking at them with clear interest.
"Who… are you?" The Captain was stunned, completely shaken.
The rest of the crew finally reacted and instinctively took several steps back.
"No need to be alarmed. I bear you no ill will. If I did… you would have been dead long before you even saw me coming."
Vladimir's gaze swept calmly across the dozen people on deck, then shifted to the Jolly Roger fluttering in the wind, his expression thoughtful.
"What pirate crew is this?"
Raggy forced himself to speak despite his terror.
"We… we are the Heart Pirates! I'm Raggy. That's Captain Law. This is Shachi. That's Penguin…"
Before he could finish, Vladimir cut him off.
"You're Law? No wonder you looked familiar."
He looked directly at the Captain.
Law frowned deeply. "Who are you? Do you know me?"
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