One Piece: Voyager of the Sea

Jialai tightly clutched the bag, keeping her head lowered as she walked forward. Only when exhaustion caught up did she stop, realizing she had stopped in front of a restaurant. Perhaps the smell of food had coaxed her to halt.

Taking a deep breath, Jialai whispered to herself, "Don't be afraid, Jialai. It'll be fine."

But despite her encouragement, her feet felt as though they had grown roots, unable to move. In fact, Jialai had never told anyone that this was her first time alone in a restaurant. The restaurant itself wasn't frightening, but the island gave off the distinct vibe of being a haven for pirates, and she feared encountering something she wouldn't know how to handle.

Although she knew she might be overthinking, Jialai couldn't shake the fear. It wasn't so much the fear of the restaurant, nor of the pirates; it was more the fear of what lay ahead in her future.

She encouraged herself repeatedly, and driven by hunger, Jialai finally pushed open the door to the restaurant.

Inside, the place was lively. People were eating, talking loudly, and laughter echoed from all directions. Jialai kept her head low, feeling the weight of many eyes on her.

"Calm down, Jialai," she muttered to herself.

She slightly raised her head and looked around, noticing there were no empty seats. After a brief hesitation, she made her way to the counter where an empty chair awaited her.

"Please give me a… fast meal," Jialai ordered.

The waiter, a middle-aged man, appeared friendly enough but had a piercing gaze.

"Is it not okay for a young lady to dine alone?" Jialai muttered, still avoiding eye contact.

The waiter laughed heartily. "Haha… Of course you can," he said, quickly bringing her meal over. As he placed it down, he leaned in and kindly warned, "You should hurry up and leave after you're done eating."

"Thank you," Jialai replied, though she didn't quite understand why he said that, especially since she felt a subtle pressure from the curious eyes behind her since she entered.

As soon as Jialai finished her meal, she quickly rushed out of the restaurant, only slowing down once she was a good distance away. She leaned against a nearby wall to catch her breath, glancing back and finding that no one appeared to be following her. With a sigh of relief, she patted her chest. "I guess I was just being paranoid."

What else could she do? After all, she had been kidnapped and almost turned into a slave when she first arrived in this world.

With no one to rely on, she could only be careful and vigilant.

Jialai found a secluded corner and gently opened the bag to count the contents—around two hundred thousand Berries.

She hadn't expected the man to be so generous. Jialai chuckled bitterly as she held the bag.

As the day turned to dusk, Jialai wandered aimlessly, trying to adapt to her new life.

With no prior experience in this world, Jialai could only rely on her intuition to find a decent restaurant to stay in for the night.

Lying in a soft bed that evening, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Perhaps living in this town wouldn't be so bad. Jialai comforted herself sleepily before deciding that the next day, she would officially say goodbye to Jebaru and Bepo.

Jialai had intended to take a quick nap, but when she woke up, it was already close to ten o'clock. Panicking, she hurriedly packed up and rushed out.

Bepo hadn't mentioned when they would leave, so Jialai hoped they would leave by the afternoon.

As she hurried down the street, passing by a hat shop, Jialai suddenly stopped.

A hat… The Red Heart Pirates all had a habit of wearing hats. Maybe she could buy one for Jebaru and Bepo as a farewell gift. With that thought in mind, she pushed the door open and went inside, picking out two fluffy white hats. Her gaze then landed on a beret with a white top and black dots on the edges. Jialai remembered that the man might look good in that style of hat, and on an impulse, she purchased it as well.

Walking down the street, she carefully held the gift bag close to her chest and quickened her pace toward the harbor.

However, after walking a short distance, a shadow fell before her. Looking up, Jialai saw three tall figures blocking her way.

"Hey there, little lady. In such a hurry to go somewhere?"

Jialai furrowed her brows. These people were bold, even in broad daylight? Glancing around, she noticed that the townspeople had discreetly steered clear of the path or pretended not to see.

She couldn't believe her bad luck. Jialai silently wanted to howl at the heavens. Why did other people who traveled to this world seem to have all the luck, while she kept running into trouble?

Despite these thoughts, she maintained a cautious demeanor and asked, "What do you want?"

"Seems like you've got something important there. Mind showing us what's so interesting?" One of the men stepped forward, reaching for the bag that Jialai was clutching to her chest. Instantly, Jialai stepped back, unwilling to let go. After all, inside the bag were the hats she bought for them and the remaining ten-odd thousand Berries she had.

But unfortunately, the man wasn't going to let her retreat. Before she could move away, the bag was snatched from her grasp, and she was seized by her arm.

A sharp pain shot through her arm as if it might snap. Jialai grimaced in pain but refused to yield. "Give it back to me!"

"Well, looks like the little lady's got some money," another man sneered as he rummaged through the bag, pulling out the money while tossing the hats onto the ground.

"You've taken the money—can't you let me go now?" Though Jialai was upset about losing the money and the hats being dirtied, she knew survival was her top priority.

The three men laughed menacingly, their eyes leering up and down her body. Jialai's heart sank, and with no other option, she turned sharply and bit down hard on the arm of the man holding her. Without hesitation, she tore off a large chunk of flesh.

"Ahhh…" A blood-curdling scream rang out.

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