Chapter 679: The Way of Talking About Love, Arriving at the Red Line!
After hearing Vegapunk's words, Ryuunosuke fell silent for a long time.
"I understand."
"Excuse me, Vegapunk."
He stood, then left the deck without another word.
The moment his back disappeared, a flicker of caution and unease surfaced in Vegapunk's eyes.
"Did he realize something?"
Plum stepped close and asked in a low voice.
The connection between them was special. When they communicated like this, outsiders could not pick up a thing. Even Gaino could only tell they were talking, not what was being said.
"I don't know," Vegapunk said, sounding genuinely tired.
"Ryuunosuke, the captain of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, has always been a mystery."
"His strength, his goals, everything about him runs on a logic that ordinary people don't have."
"So don't try to guess his thoughts with ordinary common sense."
Vegapunk looked almost helpless as he said it.
Plum had only just become truly human. Even so, Vegapunk himself still could not read Ryuunosuke's intentions.
At this point, he even felt like Ryuunosuke was testing him.
And all those tests traced back to one question.
What was Vegapunk's real purpose?
"So what do we do now?" Plum asked quietly.
"Stay here, or…"
If Ryuunosuke had started asking questions like that, it meant they could be targeted soon. If that happened, there would be almost no room to maneuver.
"Stay," Vegapunk said without hesitation.
"Only by staying do we have even the smallest chance."
"Don't worry. Our goals don't conflict with his."
"Even if he despises us, I won't care."
Plum expression darkened.
Vegapunk was doing all of this because of Plum. If it were not for her, Vegapunk would never have ended up trapped in this position.
Vegapunk noticed her mood immediately.
"Plum… do you feel like you've dragged me down?"
He asked it directly.
Plum nodded without hesitation.
"Yes."
"It's alright," Vegapunk said calmly.
"If you truly feel that way, then you have to treasure this life and live it to the fullest."
"Because you're my reason to keep moving forward."
"And you're my final dream."
As he spoke, Vegapunk tried to hug her.
But in his current state, he could not even touch her.
Disappointment flashed across his face before he could hide it.
"It's alright," Plum said quickly, forcing herself to sound steady.
"There will be a day when we can embrace each other."
…
Inside a cabin on the ship.
"We found something," Gaino said, looking awkward.
"But…"
"But what?" Ryuunosuke asked, eyebrow raised.
"Even if they're flirting, what's there to be embarrassed about?"
Gaino's face twitched.
"They were… talking about love."
He looked even more uncomfortable after saying it, as if he had just confessed to a crime.
Ryuunosuke stared.
"…Talking about love?"
"How romantic."
"To express love like that."
He sounded genuinely speechless.
If it was only romance, it should not look like that. Unless Vegapunk was simply cautious by nature, using that private method at all times so nothing ever leaked.
"Still," Gaino said quickly, desperate to change the subject, "they mentioned dreams."
"Captain, should we keep listening?"
He really did not want to endure any more syrupy talk. It made him feel like he was eavesdropping.
"Keep listening," Ryuunosuke said.
"If we miss special intelligence, we'll regret it."
"Captain," Najenda's voice came from outside, cutting through the cabin door, "we've arrived at the Red Line."
"I understand."
Ryuunosuke answered, gave Gaino a few quick instructions, then headed out.
When he stepped onto the deck, Luffy and the other two were already waiting.
"Is Grandpa here?" Luffy asked immediately.
Then he stared at the massive wall of land ahead with a confused expression.
"I don't see anything special about this place."
If something was wrong, there should be visible changes. If Garp had fought here, the air should still feel like a battlefield.
But the Red Line in front of them looked like it was asleep.
Silent. Heavy. Unmoving.
"Let's go up first," Ryuunosuke said.
"The old man and the others are up there."
The next moment, Gaino took control of the Ark of Eternity.
The ship rose into the sky and sailed toward the Red Line.
Soon, they landed on top of the Red Line.
The moment his boots hit the ground, Ryuunosuke's expression tightened.
"…The battlefield aura has been sealed off."
He could see the traces.
The fist marks carved into the ground were unmistakably Garp's.
The palm print belonged to Sengoku.
Tsuru's techniques were not as obvious, but the lingering scent and pressure in the air made it clear.
A battle had happened here.
And it had not been small.
Anyone who could force those three into a hard fight was a terrifying existence.
Yet information about the Red Line was always scarce.
Outside of rumors like King's origin, almost nothing reliable existed.
"Captain," Najenda said quickly, "we've located Mr. Garp and the others."
"They're currently in battle."
"Us…"
Bang.
Before she could finish, the four of them vanished from where they stood.
They reappeared in the direction of the fight.
The moment they sensed the battlefield clearly, every one of them looked heavy.
Garp and the others were in a very bad situation.
The others followed immediately.
…
Three hours earlier.
"Huff… where did all these monsters come from?"
Garp kicked away a massive lizard like beast beside him, breathing hard.
Even with the three of them working together, they had nearly died fighting these things.
If they were any weaker, they would have already been corpses.
"I don't know," Sengoku said grimly, "but the sinking of the Red Line is definitely connected to them."
"If the Red Line collapses down to the level of ordinary islands, and these monsters escape…"
His voice grew heavier.
Even with their strength, killing these things took real effort.
And they still had no idea how many monsters were deeper inside.
If they escaped into the sea, it would be hell for ordinary people.
It was not impossible for them to wipe out entire civilizations across the ocean.
"We're still on the outer perimeter," Tsuru said calmly.
"Do we go deeper to investigate?"
If every monster inside was this level, they might be able to manage.
At worst, they could retreat.
But if something even worse waited deeper in, they might die here.
"Let's go in and look," Garp said without hesitation.
"We have to go in."
Sengoku answered at the same time.
"Yes."
Both of them had already made their decision.
.....
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