Alone and Infinite

Only then, satisfied, did he slip away through another window.

Li Xia sat on the inside of the window seat, resting her cheek on her hand, gazing absently at the scenery outside the window.

The sunlight on his face gave him an amazingly soft look. In Heitan's eyes, Li Xia sitting by the window seemed to blend into the scenery outside, like a painting.

The vast sea kept the scenery outside the car window almost unchanged; if it weren't for the vibrations of the car body, one would almost have the illusion of being stationary.

There weren't many passengers in the carriages. Sea trains were originally a regional mode of transportation and were not widely used at all.

The passengers on the train were all from the Long Island Loop – Water Seven – Judiciary Island loop.

"Meow! Meow! Meow meow meow!"

Kurozumi meowed a few times into the Den Den Mushi, and surprisingly, the marines responded with strong, clear voices from the other end:

"Yes!"

Li Xia also came to his senses and looked on with amusement. In fact, the marines didn't really understand what Kuroko was saying.

All they needed to hear was 'Major Black Cat's' familiar voice, just enough to put their minds at ease.

As long as Colonel Xia and Major Black Cat are still around, and they talk to the branch every day, the marines of the G188 branch will stand tall enough.

The entire Jaya Island region will remain calm.

"Next stop—Water City!"

A somewhat aged and rough voice came from the loudspeaker in the carriage. Li Xia recognized the voice; it belonged to an old woman named Kokoro.

He is also the stationmaster of Silft Station in Water Seven, responsible for train operations.

"After Black Charcoal left, Kera said she would pick us up at the station."

Li Xia picked up the clothes hanging on the back of the chair. Since he was 'absconding,' he naturally wouldn't be wearing his navy uniform.

Kerla arrived in Water Seven a week in advance, saying he wanted to find a way to get close to the mayor of Water Seven, Iceberg.

Upon hearing that Li Xia was also coming to Water City, he volunteered to pick him up and arranged for his food and lodging.

That would be best. As a member of the Revolutionary Army, Kerla often disguised himself to scout outside, so he was already very familiar with the area.

Li Xia was also happy to relax, wondering what kind of identity Kela had acquired, all of which seemed very mysterious.

"Meow!"

Kurotan put away the Den Den Mushi and jumped off the chair.

"Welcome back next time—on the sea train—burp!"

Kokoro, carrying a bottle of liquor and hiccuping, stood by the door, waving and greeting each passenger.

A few people were waiting sparsely on the platform, and Li Xia immediately spotted Kera standing out in the crowd.

She seemed like a completely different person from when we first met. She wore a black suit, a short skirt, and black stockings, and her originally slightly curly hair had become smooth.

Even her face was adorned with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. The transformation from an energetic young girl to an intellectual lady was nothing more than a change of clothing.

"Here! Summer!"

Kerla waved his hand, attracting everyone's attention.

"Hehe, are you surprised? Guess what my identity is now?"

"The Iceberg's Secretary?"

Li Xia glanced at it briefly before looking away, and Kella's face immediately fell.

"You guessed it so easily?"

It really is Iceberg's secretary. If I remember correctly, Iceberg's secretary is Kalifa, a beautiful woman with long blonde hair.

He is also a member of CP9, the world government's secret intelligence agency.

"Mr. Iceberg interviewed me and thought I was very capable, so he made me his secretary."

Kalifa wanted to ask someone to help carry her luggage, but she discovered that Li Xia hadn't brought any luggage at all.

So he waved again and summoned the local mode of transportation, the 'Bru'.

This is an amphibian that can ride on water; it is gentle, fast, and has a strong carrying capacity.

Basically, every resident of Water Seven keeps one.

As Blue's flippers lazily paddled in the water, the small boat slowly moved forward.

Kella asked curiously:

"Why did you suddenly decide to come to Water Seven?"

"Let's relax. I've been catching pirates for a week. I heard this place is a famous bathhouse."

Li Xia's gaze swept across the narrow streets on both sides of the waterway. Most of the people here had smiles on their faces and walked at a leisurely pace.

Clearly, the people here live well, even better than the residents of most other areas.

"Hehe, I get it, I get it!"

A slightly 'lewd' smile appeared on Kerr's face.

Li Xia glanced at her in surprise, then stopped talking and focused on appreciating the unique scenery.

In reality, he didn't have any particularly good ideas about Enies Lobby; there weren't many opportunities there.

He definitely wouldn't touch the Straw Hat Pirates; Li Xia was still hoping they would cause a ruckus on Enies Lobby and raise his bounty.

Putting everything else aside, Luffy's bounty increased from 1 million to 3 million, which is not just two more contribution points, but eight!

Based on the purchasing power of contribution points, Luffy alone could earn at least 200,000 Hall Points.

Aside from Luffy, his identity as a Marine Headquarters Captain and the commander of G188 branch determined that he could not be deeply involved in Enies Lobby.

On the contrary, the other apostles may have received missions from Enies Lobby, so we can try to squeeze something out of them.

This world mode is 'identity rivalry', which is a type of limited rivalry.

This special mode means that the Crimson Key can only be obtained by killing the two Apostles when they are in an 'enemy relationship'.

For example, if Li Xia is a naval officer and the other side's apostle is a pirate, then killing them would be beneficial.

If the other apostle is also a naval officer, merchant, or civilian, the Crimson Key will not drop.

Therefore, choosing an identity is extremely important after entering the world of One Piece.

The advantage of being in the navy is that you can capture pirates to earn contribution points, which can then be directly redeemed.

Pirates, on the other hand, can plunder without any scruples because plundering is more direct and convenient, and many powerful apostles like to join pirates.

In fact, if the Advent Mode hadn't directly given him the identities of the Navy and the Revolutionary Army, Li Xia would have originally wanted to choose the pirate.

They even discussed the pirate flag and the name of the pirate crew, Awoo and Kurotan, for a long time.

Hmm, the Totoro Pirates, just hearing that name doesn't sound very ferocious.

"Okay, no kidding."

Kerla's expression turned serious, and even his voice involuntarily lowered slightly:

"Xia, you're right. Iceberg does indeed harbor a well-hidden resentment towards the World Government."

Although he never showed it in his daily life, it was quite obvious in the subtle ways.

Based on my investigation over the past few days, this aversion seems to be related to his childhood, but I'm still trying to find out the specific reasons.

This was inevitable, as Iceberg, an orphan, was adopted by the legendary shipbuilder Tom along with Franky from a young age. Tom treated them as his own children and taught them the skills of shipbuilding.

For the two of them, Tom was a true mentor and father.

Tom was eventually killed by the World Government for the ridiculous reason that he had built a pirate ship for the Pirate King Roger, but the real reason was that the World Government wanted to obtain the blueprints for the Ancient Weapon Pluton from Tom.

Therefore, Iceberg's feelings towards the World Government are not simply 'dislike', but rather—hatred!

For many years, he and his junior apprentice Frankie, one in the open and the other in the shadows, have protected the blueprints left by their master Tom, their tacit understanding is extraordinary.

"Then you should work hard. My suggestion is that Iceberg can be a member of the revolutionary army hidden in the shadows. Start from this aspect and explain the ideology, program, and how to carry out effective struggle."

Don't use those old, empty slogans—like the inevitable overthrow of the Celestial Dragons' tyranny.

Li Xia regained her composure and gave serious advice.

The main quest is based on performance, which is basically about causing trouble. So, does bringing Water Seven to the Revolutionary Army's side count as causing trouble?

"Iceberg is an extremely rational and pragmatic person—"

Li Xia paused here, realizing that Kerla knew nothing about the iceberg's past, but after a moment's thought, he continued:

"After his master Tom was executed, he was able to gradually take over the legacy left by his master and expand it more and more, eventually bringing the entire Water 7 under his control, while being sufficiently respectful to the Navy and the World Government."

He will absolutely not switch sides unless he sees something tangible and real hope.

Seeing that Klar was about to ask a question with his mouth agape, Li Xia interrupted the spellcasting:

"This is information I came across by chance within the Navy. It was because of this information that I suggested trying to recruit Iceberg as a member of the Revolutionary Army."

I see! That makes sense now.

Kerla nodded, abandoning his reckless approach of seeking an opportunity to reveal his hand, and secretly kept Li Xia's words in mind.

"Thank you! Let me treat you to dinner; Water Seven has lots of delicious local specialties!"

Feeling like she had suddenly found her direction and was no longer lost in the mission, Kera was invigorated and cheerfully said:

"Like watery pork!"

"No."

Li Xia decisively refused:

"You've only been with the company for a short time, so it's best to demonstrate sufficient professionalism and dedication during this period."

If they can't even perform their secretarial duties well, how can they convince Iceberg that the revolutionary army is capable of accomplishing greater and more difficult tasks?

Kerla was completely stunned. After a long while, he suddenly stood up, clenching his fists, his whole body seemingly burning with raging flames.

"Thank you! I understand!"

Li Xia watched the figure running quickly towards Carrera Shipbuilding Company, stretched out his hand, and opened his mouth.

No, you should have told me where the hotel you arranged is.

Forget it, I'll just find it myself.

Upon finally arriving at the hotel, Kurotan had barely entered his room when he threw himself onto the bed.

After curling up into a ball, it made a comfortable snoring sound.

The City of Seven Waters is also a tourist destination, especially with the arrival of the 'Masquerade Carnival', which has long been packed with people.

The reason they were able to find such a hotel was because Kerla finally remembered to book one.

The scenery here is exceptionally beautiful, with a rather healing feel to it.

Li Xia pulled over a deck chair, lay down on it, and looked at the magnificent, sapphire-blue sea, feeling a sense of peace in her heart.

Then a slight drowsiness washed over me, and I slowly closed my eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, Black Charcoal was lying next to her, burying its head in the soft white fur on her belly, making soft, purring sounds.

The sun had already set, and the cool moonlight bathed the entire sea, but the thought that the moon was covered with revolutionary soldiers made him even more anxious.

This otherwise beautiful scenery suddenly lost some of its charm.

Li Xia stood up, and with just a slight exertion, a buzzing sound like that of a tiger or leopard emanated from within his body.

After sleeping for a few hours, he felt a unique sense of rejuvenation.

"Meow?"

Black Charcoal raised his head and looked at Li Xia curiously.

"It's nothing, just stretching my body."

Li Xia felt unusually good. He sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, half-thinking and half-discussing with Heitan, and slowly said:

"Given the current situation, all the efforts we've made will take some time to show results."

The final victory will be at the Marineford War; the current stage of the story doesn't offer many good opportunities.

So I plan to use this time to strengthen my skills, which means to study aggressively.