One Piece: The Eternal Flame

"Why? Since the supplies on the island are very scarce, why don't you go out to sea?"

"Eh, the ancestors of the Nine Snakes for generations"

"The ancestral precepts of the Nine Snakes just don't let men go to the island, it's not that you can't go to sea."

"but"

Heather never thought that she would be left speechless by a little girl's words. Amazon Lily's supplies are indeed lacking. It is just an island, and its supplies cannot be abundant.

If according to this little girl's suggestion, everyone forms a pirate group to go to sea to plunder supplies, it seems that it is indeed better than sitting here and eating nothing, but...
"This kind of thing needs the consent of our Lord Snake Girl." Heather said.

-

"No." Gu Luoliosa sat on the seat made of a snake body, her seaweed-like black hair made her delicate and small face even more, her expression was very firm at the moment, "If the Nine Snakes go out to sea and become pirates, they will definitely attract attacks from the navy. After all, we are just an ordinary country."

Heather knelt down on one knee and lowered her head, completely daring not to look at the empress at this time.

Xia Qi sighed, "But you all have to go out sooner or later, don't you need men to reproduce on the island?"

"Oh." Lu Jiu has always been an observer. When Xia Qi finished speaking, she immediately covered her slightly opened mouth in surprise, "Xia Qi, you, how do you know so much?"

Xia Qi had no choice but to say, "Please, don't always take me as an idiot, okay, what's so surprising about this kind of thing, the parents who lie to their children and say that it was a big sea roll are the idiots."

Latin nodded in agreement. It is better to tell the child about physiological knowledge as soon as possible, otherwise he will be like some idiots on the ship who still think that men and women can have children by sleeping in the same bed.

"So how does it reproduce here?" Xia Qi asked.

"It's okay to tell you." Gu Luoliosa changed his posture and leaned on the snake. "The Nine Snakes organize a trip to the sea every year. Women of the right age can board the boat voluntarily and sail away from the windless belt to a fixed island. After a year, those who go to sea for the second time will go to that fixed island, and this will happen every year."

"Wouldn't it be dangerous if a ship was full of pregnant women?" Lu Jiu asked.

Gu Luoliosa looked at her, "Our ship is dragged forward by two huge swimming snakes, and the speed is very fast. Generally, there will be no pirate ships to attack us in the calm zone. And every time we go to sea, we are led by the empress of the Nine Snakes. There have only been more than a dozen accidents in history."

"But you're busy like this."

"That's why the Empress stipulates that she doesn't need to get pregnant, and she doesn't need to find a man."

"Do you want to do the same?" Xia Qi asked.

"I don't think I will fall in love with any man." Gulo Liosa smiled, "Okay, let's talk about you, thank you very much for telling us the news from the outside world these days."

"This is a thank you gift for taking us in," Xia Qi said.

"But your captain"

"What he gave is his stuff, and the information is my thank you." Xia Qi tilted her head, "My mother said that one should know how to repay her kindness. I am not with them, so of course we have to express our thanks separately."

"Xia Qi." Lu Jiu and Latin looked at each other. The child still followed through with his duplicity, saying that his daughter followed his father, but he didn't see Gary like this.

"Actually, I still feel very kind to you." Gu Luoliosa liked Xia Qi very much. This feeling was very inexplicable. She tilted her head, "What's your mother's name?"

"Daphne, her name is Daphne."

Xia Qi felt heavy about mentioning her mother's name, but when she finished speaking, Gu Luoliosa suddenly changed from a lazy and casual state to surprise, "Daphne?"

"Yes." Xia Qi took a step back, "Any questions?"

Latin narrowed his eyes and became vigilant. Once Gu Luoliosa wanted to make any aggressive moves, he would immediately protect Xia Qi.

Gu Luoliosa noticed her gaffe, and sat down again. The big blue snake vomited a snake letter, and she held her forehead and said, "Although I hope it's a coincidence, the last empress was also called Daphne."

"what?"

"However, she died after going to sea once."

"Dead? Have you met an enemy?"

"No, she is terminally ill. I don't understand the pain. She always cries and howls in pain in the middle of the night, and often clutches her chest and can't breathe. No one can save her until one day, she leaves Amazon Lily alone."

"Sounds really serious." Lu Jiu showed sympathy, and Latin nodded beside her.

Gu Luoliosa continued: "She knew exactly what disease she had. She passed on the throne to me the day before she left, and told me that she must not suffer from the same disease as hers, otherwise it will be extremely painful."

"So, what's the disease?" Xia Qi asked, grieving for the woman who had the same name as her mother.

Gu Luoliosa took a deep breath and said solemnly: "She said that the name of this disease is lovesickness."

"Huh?" Latin couldn't hold back, and asked with question marks all over his head. His voice was rough, and it sounded like a man's voice.

Gulo Liosa looked up at him, "You"

Latin hurriedly covered his mouth, nervously waiting for the other party's next words, but don't see through his gender, it's not that he wants to be a man.

"Your voice is quite unique. It's no wonder you have to talk a lot. It turns out that's the case." Gu Luoliosa was very unfamiliar with men, and her Latin voice didn't remind her of men.

Latin and Lu Jiu breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Jiu hesitated for a moment and said, "Is lovesickness real?"

This disease is not fatal.

If Colin was there, he would definitely correct Lu Jiu's thoughts. Lovesickness and mental illness share a commonality—it can lead to symptoms such as madness, depression, confusion, mania, and delusions, and severe cases can be fatal.

"I clearly remember that what the late emperor said was lovesickness. Will people outside also suffer from this disease?"

"This kind of disease is usually caused by falling in love with someone but not being able to be together." Lu Jiu explained: "Uh, she left here, maybe she is looking for her lover."

"How is it possible!" Gu Luoliosa stood up abruptly, "It is impossible for the first emperor to do this. She must have left in order not to drag us down."

"Master She Ji, do you have a portrait of the late emperor here? Do you think I am very kind because I look a lot like the late emperor?" Xia Qi asked.

"Yes, you look very similar to the late emperor." Gu Luoliosa ordered Heather to get a portrait of the late emperor—they didn't take pictures of phone bugs, and such records were drawn on paper with natural pigments.

When the portrait was unfolded, a woman with short black hair came into view, with a smile on her face, almost like Xia Qi.

"Mom." Xia Qi opened her eyes wide, and tears flowed down her cheeks. The suffering of years of wandering turned into grievances, and Xia Qi covered her mouth and began to cry softly.

How could it be possible that Latin was shocked in his heart, Gary's wife was actually the last emperor of the Daughter Kingdom, this, this status will be different immediately, okay?

Everyone is obviously a pirate, but you still have a hidden identity as the husband of an empress?
Lu Jiu hugged Xia Qi distressedly, and comforted her along her slender back: "Cry, cry, just cry."

Gu Luoliosa opened her mouth. With her intelligence, she has already realized why the late emperor left at this moment.

Abandoning the country and fleeing, is it because of a man that he abandoned the entire Nine Snakes?

"Is lovesickness really worth her doing?" She couldn't help feeling deeply puzzled.

"Lovesickness isn't worth it, but love is." Latin couldn't hold back, and spoke.

Gulo Liosa looked up at him, and said after a moment of silence: "Your voice is indeed very low-level."

"Tsk, your focus is too wrong. Hey! Even the empress should respect others!" Latin said angrily.

Xia Qi had cried enough, sniffed and came out of Lu Jiu's arms, Lu Jiu's clothes were already wet, she whispered: "I'm sorry, I made your clothes dirty."

"It's okay, clothes are not important compared to you." Lu Jiu rubbed her head, "Don't you know that your mother is the first emperor here?"

Xia Qi shook her head.

"Then does your father know?" Lu Jiu had an answer in her heart. Gary probably didn't know Daphne's true identity, otherwise he wouldn't be so calm when he boarded Amazon Lily.

"I don't know." Xia Qi shook her head.

"Let's talk about everything when the captain and the others come back." Latin held his cheeks and sighed, "When will they come back?"

"Master Snake! That ship is back!" the woman's announcement interrupted Latin's words, "They stopped at the same place last time."

Gu Luoliosa flicked her long, wavy hair, "This time, let them come into the royal city!"

-

"Everyone, Master She Ji said, please go to the Royal City."

"Ah? Didn't you say that men are not allowed to go?"

"This time it is the order of Master Snake Fairy."

The royal city of the Nine Snakes was built on a high mountain, and its architectural style was quite majestic. At this moment, the streets, windows of houses, and roofs, as long as they could stand, were full of women.

Like watching a monkey, he looked at the men walking in the middle of the road with curious and probing eyes.

"Although I've been to Flower Street before, this is the first time I've seen this kind of formation." Alder smiled sarcastically.

"I don't think we're wearing the same clothes." Abel complained, "By the way, Ace, don't you usually wear a coat with your arms open, why didn't you show it this time?"

"It always feels weird." Ace tugged at his collar, "It's weird."

"Hey, you said that Snake Girl suddenly changed his mind and let us in, do you want to eat us?" Demon showed a wretched smile, "Yeah~ That Snake Girl is really beautiful."

"So this place is actually a primitive cannibal tribe?" Gray looked horrified, "Is there really a cannibal tribe?"

"My mother and the others are not in danger!" Ace was a little anxious.

"With Latin here, self-protection must be no problem."

"It's not the eat~ it's the 'eat'."

"Which one to eat?"

"It's the kind of thing that should be done between a man and a woman." Alder hooked Gray's shoulder with a smirk on his face, and leaned closer: "When we get to the next island, I will take you to play~"

Gray blinked and smiled, "Okay."

Following the guides to the palace where She Ji was, everyone came to a large hall, where several low tables were arranged neatly and filled with fragrant food.

Gulo Liosa was already waiting with Lujiu and the others.

"Lu Jiu." Ace's eyes lit up like a puppy seeing its owner, and he rushed over to sit next to Lu Jiu, and he could even see a cheerfully wagging tail behind him.

Lu Jiu narrowed her eyes and smiled, reaching out and rubbing Ace's head, "We were just talking about when you would come back."

"Some things are delayed, otherwise I can come back sooner." Ace smiled and said, "We also caught a few Neptunes on the way. When the banquet is held at night, I will give you barbecue, yes, yes!"

He stood up again and pulled the white beard over, "This is Newgate! I like him so much!"

Whitebeard glanced at Ace, who smiled frankly, not feeling that what he said was a bit too abrupt, and they only spent a few days together with all their efforts.

Where did this inexplicable favorability come from?
After he and Lu Jiu greeted each other, Lu Jiu said to Ace seriously: "Ace, although it was sudden, we have more important things now."

"Huh?" Ace was taken aback, and found that everyone's eyes were on Gary.

Gary himself was naturally at a loss, and began to stammer, "What, uh, what's the matter?"

"Did they fall in love with Gary? They shouldn't." Alder discussed with his younger brother in a low voice.

"Maybe there is something wrong with the aesthetics." Abel muttered.

Gary stared at him viciously, "Hey, I'm listening."

"How did you and my mother meet?" Xia Qi patted the table, "Really!"

"I..." Gary's face turned red immediately, "How can I tell you this kind of thing, ahem! Speaking of it, when I was still young, I followed the scientific research team traveling all over the world and met your mother on an island. Unfortunately, we left that island afterwards, alas."

"A few years later, we met again on an island, and we got together after that."

"Gary, you don't have much talent for storytelling." After Perry finished his evaluation, he heard a faint sob.

I don't know what it was because of the imaginary, or the love is really touching. Many people in the Pirates cried out of shame.

Even Gray sniffed and said solemnly to Gary, "Gary, it's okay, you still have us."

"Captain!" Gary cried too, "I will always love my wife."

Gulo Liosa sighed, and couldn't bear to disturb the group of men crying for a moment.

"Don't cry!" Xia Qi didn't have that much sympathy, she didn't feel that the story Gary told was touching at all, she just wanted to know what the truth was, "So do you know that my mother used to be the empress of this island?"

"Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

"Daphne is the former queen of Amazon Lily."