Sailing: I was falsely accused of watching Nami bathe, but I'm blind.

Perhaps, in such an environment, he can hone his strength and will, and find it easier to find truly valuable intelligence and... substantial prey.

Challenges and opportunities coexist.

Kai was not intimidated by the chaos before him.

He quickly composed himself, adjusting his aura to the most inconspicuous state, while simultaneously raising his Observation Haki to its limit, vigilantly sensing everything around him.

Like a pebble merging into a stream, he silently flowed into the chaotic crowds of Demon Valley Town.

He needed to find a relatively safe place to stay as soon as possible (if this place existed), and then begin gathering information about the town, the legends of the Skypiea, and the bounty targets that were worth his attention.

In Magic Valley Town, this new trial has begun.

Kai cautiously made his way through the town of Mogu, searching for a place to stay temporarily and a way to gather information.

Ultimately, he chose a bar that looked quite large, but whose atmosphere was equally chaotic and noisy, as his entry point.

Such places are often where information is most concentrated, and where it is easiest to observe all sorts of people.

The bar was filled with smoke and the smell of alcohol.

Pirates and outlaws of all skin colors and attire huddled together, making loud noises and behaving recklessly.

Kai found a relatively inconspicuous spot near a corner, ordered the cheapest beer, and then subtly began to project his senses, listening to and feeling everything around him.

Just then, a loud, arrogant, and mocking laugh suddenly drowned out the noise in the bar, attracting everyone's attention, including Kai's.

"Hahahaha! Dreams? Sky islands? That's hilarious!" The voice was sharp and grating, full of contempt and disdain for others' ideals. "I say, have you guys gone mad from being adrift at sea? You actually believe in that kind of stuff from children's bedtime stories?!"

Kai focused his perception on the past.

The source of the voice was a tall, thin, stylishly dressed young man with a cynical smile on his face.

He was standing in the center of the bar, one foot on the table, looking down at people in a certain direction and mocking them.

Judging from the hyena-like, cowardly, and cruel aura emanating from him, Kai immediately deduced that this must be Bellamy, the somewhat famous rookie pirate from Mogu Town.

Behind Bellamy stood a man who was even taller and more imposing, with a more composed yet dangerous aura.

The man was dressed in a strange wrestler's outfit and wore a mask. Although he did not speak, Kai could sense a steel-like, overwhelming power emanating from him that far surpassed Bellamy's, and a cold aura of submission to some stronger being.

Kai vaguely sensed that this person's aura was somewhat similar to that of a certain executive connected to the Shichibukai Donquixote Doflamingo, whom he had previously learned about from intelligence reports.

This person is Sachs.

Bellamy's target of mockery was on the other side of the bar.

Kai sensed that there were three people there.

One of them, though appearing somewhat weak and disheveled (as if he had just gone through something), was exceptionally resilient and pure, like a rock. Facing Bellamy's mockery, he showed no sign of retreat or wavering, but instead radiated a more determined light of pursuing his dreams!

This aura... Kai's heart skipped a beat again!

It's Luffy!

Beside him were two familiar presences: one was Zoro, sharp as a sword and carrying a hint of suppressed anger, and the other was Nami, who appeared slightly flustered but whose eyes (in my perception) were very determined.

They're here too! And...it seems like they're being publicly humiliated by Bellamy?

Kai's fingers, gripping the wine glass, involuntarily tightened slightly.

Bellamy continued to mock in that nauseating tone, "Hey! Straw hat kid! Stop dreaming! The era of pirates has long since changed! Now it's an era of strength and reality! Dreams? What's that worth? Can it help you survive in the New World? Only by following the truly powerful (he was clearly referring to Doflamingo) and recognizing reality can you survive on this sea! Skypiea? Golden City? Don't be ridiculous! That's all nonsense for kids!"

Bellamy and Sakis behind him, along with many pirates around them who had been incited by them, burst into uproarious laughter, filled with merciless mockery of the word "dream".

However, despite such humiliation and ridicule, Luffy, as perceived by Kai, never refuted or became angry.

He endured it silently, his unwavering spirit remaining steadfast.

Even Zoro, standing next to him, though exuding an aura like a sword about to be drawn, seemed to be suppressed by Luffy in some way and did not make a move either.

Ultimately, under the increasingly excessive provocation and beatings from Bellamy and his men (Kai could clearly feel the dull thuds of fists and feet landing on his buttocks, as well as Nami's angry screams), Luffy and his two companions actually chose to... silently endure it, and then turned and left the bar.

This scene left Kai feeling incredibly confused and...complex.

On the one hand, he felt an instinctive aversion to Bellamy's naked "realism" and his ruthless trampling of dreams.

Although he himself experienced betrayal and harsh reality, deep down he did not seem to agree with this value system that completely denies dreams and only believes in power.

On the other hand, he couldn't understand Luffy's almost "naive" choice to endure humiliation in order to "avoid fighting trash," and even felt a slight... contempt? In his view, such provocation and insult should be met with a good punch! Tolerance would only embolden the other party! This was completely contrary to his current belief in the principles that "strength determines everything" and "weakness only invites bullying."

Kai silently took a sip of beer, savoring the bitterness of the ale in his mouth.

He did not intervene in the conflict.

This has nothing to do with him.

Moreover, he also vaguely sensed that Bellamy and Sachis behind him were not weak, especially Sachis, whose aura was quite dangerous.

He didn't want to get involved rashly before he had a clear understanding of the situation.

He simply kept the conflict and Luffy's peculiar reaction in his heart.

He vaguely sensed that Luffy was even more...incomprehensible than he had imagined.

The distance between him and the Straw Hat crew is not only physical, but also in terms of their ideals and paths, and it is growing ever wider.

During his stay in Mogu Town, Kai carefully searched for suitable bounty targets while continuing to gather various intelligence.

Meanwhile, he heard more and more rumors about "sky islands" and "rising ocean currents".

At first, he didn't care about it and thought it was just nonsense.

But when he personally "witnessed" Luffy being mocked for mentioning Skypiea in the bar, and in the following days, when he sensed that there seemed to be several different forces in the town (including some people who looked like scholars or explorers, as well as some mysterious pirates) secretly investigating and searching for a way to get to Skypiea, his interest was piqued.

Sky islands...do they really exist? And what kind of strange natural phenomenon is that "upwelling current" that soars into the sky and can send ships up to 10,000 meters in the air?

Driven by curiosity and an instinctive desire to explore the unknown (and perhaps also a subtle desire to verify whether Luffy and his crew were truly pursuing a vague fantasy), Kai began to gather information about the rising ocean currents through various channels.

He contacted a contact in Mogu Town of an information broker he had previously worked with, paid some Berries, and inquired about information regarding the rising ocean currents.

"Upwelling currents? Hehe, you're interested in Sky Islands too, bro?" The shrewd and cunning-looking information broker sized up Kai with an ambiguous look. "That's a hot topic."

However, that thing is no joke; it's even more dangerous than the Bermuda Triangle! If ten ships rush up there, you'd be lucky if even one safely reaches the sky island!

"I was just curious."

“Tell me what you know,” Kai replied calmly.

"

The information broker shrugged, took the money, and revealed some half-true, half-false, and vague information to Kai: "It is said that the upwelling current is not always there, but appears periodically."

As for the exact time and place... no one can say for sure.

However, recent rumors suggest that, based on ancient texts and observations of unusual ocean currents, the next upwelling current is likely to occur in the next few days near the massive cloud formation known as the 'Cephalotax Cloud' south of Gaya Island…

The information broker also mentioned some scattered information, such as the need for special modifications to the ship and the need to find the so-called "compass bird" to determine the exact location, but it was all vague and obviously hearsay or with reservations.

Kai silently noted down this information.

Although vague, it at least gave him a more concrete understanding of the concept of "upwelling currents".

He also sensed that the atmosphere in Mogu Town had indeed become somewhat unusual during this period, with undercurrents swirling around it, and it seemed that quite a few people were indeed preparing for the upcoming "grand event".

So, should I join the fun? To witness that legendary spectacle with my own eyes (or even with my own eyes)? Or perhaps... even try to travel to that ethereal floating island?

Kai thought for a moment, then shook his head and rejected the idea.

The risk is too great.

According to the intelligence broker, the success rate of rushing to the sky island is extremely low, and the slightest mistake could result in the ship being destroyed and everyone on board dying.

His current goal is to become stronger and find his own path; there's no need for him to take such a huge risk for a vague and unfounded legend.

Furthermore, he wasn't particularly interested in the so-called "Golden Land".

Wealth is important, but it is not his core pursuit.

Compared to treasure hunting, he prefers to acquire wealth and enhance his strength through a more direct method that aligns with his principles: hunting down wanted criminals.

Most importantly, he sensed that Luffy and his crew seemed to have found a way to reach Skypiea and were actively making preparations.

He didn't want to have anything to do with them, much less follow the same "adventurous" path.

Different road non-phase plan.

A few days later, Kai was practicing his Haki and swordsmanship on a secluded beach outside Mogu Town.

Suddenly, he sensed an extremely large, chaotic, and destructive energy erupting from the sky above the sea south of Gaya Island!

Immediately afterwards, an enormous column of water, connecting the sea and the sky, roared and shot into the heavens like a mythical dragon! The power of that water column was so terrifying that it even stirred up the ocean currents and atmosphere several kilometers away!

Kai immediately raised his perception to the limit and "looked" in that direction.

He could clearly "see" (perceive) that in that massive, devastating upwelling current, there was a specially modified, somewhat dilapidated but exceptionally sturdy ship (the Going Merry), being swept up by that terrifying force, rushing towards the sky like an arrow released from a bow!

On the ship, those familiar presences—Luffy's excited shouts, Nami's terrified screams, Zoro's calm demeanor, Usopp and Chopper's tearful embrace, Sanji presumably protecting the lady, and Robin's composed observation—were all clearly perceived by him.

They...they really succeeded! They really rode the legendary upwelling current and soared into the sky! They soared towards that unknown, legendary sky island!

Chapter 58: Making a thousand Marines perform a Nami-level empowerment! Serves you right for framing me!

Kai stood quietly on the beach, letting the strong winds caused by the huge water column blow his clothes.

He watched the ship's aura rise and shrink in his own perception, until it finally disappeared completely into the distant sky, as if it had merged into a completely different world.

A complex and indescribable emotion welled up in Kai's heart once again.