71 changes

The afterglow of the sunset was drawn by the outline of the distant mountain peaks into strange shadows. As dusk fell, the originally pleasant temperature changed accordingly. In just a few minutes, the unique shade and decay of the forest replaced the fragrance of the trees warmed by the sun.

The branches and leaves swayed in the wind passing over the treetops, and the returning birds hopped and fluttered among them, making a rustling sound when fluttering their wings.

The highest mountain on the island, this forest is as quiet as yesterday.

It seemed that he got nothing again today, he turned around with a cold snort, glanced at the nearby subordinates, and waved his hand to signal for the team to return, feeling quite disappointed in his heart.

Since he safely landed on the island five days ago, he led people to wander in the forest every day, but every time he found nothing. Seeing that the estimated time was approaching, no one on the island could find the real entrance, no matter the navy or the sea. Thieves, disappointment and anxiety have spread in the dark.

"Lord Lieutenant General." Creevey, his adjutant walked up to his side and interrupted his thoughts in a low voice.

He raised his eyelids, his gaze was precisely on the shadow of a lush bush more than ten meters away, and he slowly covered the handle of the long knife hanging at his waist, "Come out~"

The guards quickly loaded their guns, surrounded the center of the circle, and the dense bushes stretching toward the depths of the forest shook violently a few times, and a young man with black curly hair came into sight carelessly.

Zhang Yang's fearless face was slightly taken aback when he saw the environment he was in, and then subconsciously put on a defensive posture, his bright black eyes were like flames hidden in his pupils, and his fighting spirit was burning fiercely.

After looking up and down at the young man in front of him, his eyebrows twitched, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Fire fist?"

"Sure enough, you are not dead, Portgas D. Ace." While speaking, the long knife slipped out of the scabbard silently, and a bright shadow as thin as lightning flashed across the slightly dark forest with its cold and sharp blade.

……

"Navy?" The young man raised the corner of his mouth, his eyes rested on his face, and the unruliness between his brows suddenly became intense, "The lieutenant general of this department is the ghost spider."

"Ah~ so you still remember." Narrowing his eyes, Ghost Spider didn't hide the disgust in his tone, "Refused to enter the new world with the title of Shichibukai, the king, and provoked Whitebeard ignorantly... I thought you would die, but I didn't expect to live. "

"Did he submit to the Four Emperors or did he run away with his tail between his legs?"

"Shut up!" The young man who had met him once was furious, "You bastard!"

……

Raising his wrist a little, the tip of the knife was imperceptibly aimed at the young man who was obviously planning to attack after being enraged. The ghost spider grinned cruelly, waiting for the opponent to seek his own death.

"Fire Fist—" The young man's nimble figure jumped high, and his raised arm hit the...

However, in recent years, the fruit ability that has resounded through the first half of the great channel has not appeared, and the person in midair opened his eyes wide, with a hint of puzzlement in his expression.

The ghost spider sneered and rubbed his body, and the sudden light of the knife enveloped the opponent's retreat, "It seems that you don't know that the devil fruit's ability is invalid on the island!"

And without the ability of Devil Fruit, the Fire Fist of nature, Portgas D. Ace is only a body of flesh and blood.

The moment the cold and sharp light of the knife fell on the target, the last ray of sunlight in the night fell into the forest through the distant mountain peaks, and the golden light burned and reflected on the young man, like a fire spreading.

"Fuck!"

"It's a fight!"

"Hey ah~"

"Help, ah, ah—"

The extremely noisy sound wave resounded through the sky in an instant, and the silent forest a moment ago became very lively.

Caught off guard, Ghost Spider's hand froze for a moment, but at this moment, a thin gray-black shadow suddenly pulled out from the ground, slyly and quickly wrapped around his wrist holding the knife, and then pulled it.

The blade sliced ​​through the air, but missed its original target.

Fire Fist Ace was slapped away by another thicker shadow, followed by a shrill scolding voice, "I have endured you for a long time! Yes! Beat him hard and don't show mercy! Fuck! The rampage all the way trampled on my old lady The waist is broken!"

Before the scolding was finished, a voice continued, "If you want to fight, get out! Especially the one with the knife, cutting horizontally and vertically will hurt the flowers and plants."

……

After being dazed for two seconds, the ghost spider slowly turned its face and looked around.

The whole forest came to life, and the moment the ray of sunlight hit Firefist Kid.

It was the parasitic vines on the nearby trees that whipped his knife and fire fist away. Those parasitic vines that were originally hanging on the thick trees now spread their teeth and claws like octopuses in the sea. Against the trees they cling to, they look like flying demons.

In the direction where the fire fist appeared, he cursed from the bushes, waved countless branches, danced and danced, and supported his waist (if it had one).

The voice of the urn commanded a rock standing among the vegetation.

After the forest came to life, the ghost spiders and their locations, whether it was the ground vines they stepped on, the stones on the road, or the nearby trees, large and small, all scattered like flying, and the chaotic scene was like flying dogs.

It was as if all the inconceivable creatures were being burned, and the plants even pulled out their roots from the soil, clearing a large area for humans as if fleeing for their lives.

"It's time to fight~ Humans are so rude."

"Yes, yes, it's really annoying to shout and kill!"

"Yeah, yeah~ It hurts the innocent every time~"

"Being hacked, broken, trampled, we are the ones who are unlucky~"

"Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr e~"

Inhuman creatures made up of trees, flowers, vines, moss, and stones surrounded the ghost spiders, whispering and complaining while watching the excitement.

There are also birds nesting deep in the treetops and poking their heads out of the branches and leaves.

Little squirrels, little rabbits, little... In short, the creatures that should exist in the forest all have thoughts at this moment, and can speak a language that humans can understand.

……

After slowly sizing up the huge number of inhuman groups, he then turned his attention to the Fire Fist kid. The young man who had been kicked out earlier fell to the ground, his eyes widened, and his expression looked like he had seen a ghost.

The corner of Ghost Spider's mouth trembled, and he slowly retracted his knife into its sheath. He had just put away his weapon, and then he heard another commotion erupting around him. After a brief silence from the non-human creatures, the discussion became louder and the content became more unbelievable.

"Hey~ Don't fight anymore? It's a waste of us paying off~"

"Don't you want to deal with us? Humans are so cunning~"

"I still want to bury the young people under the root system~"

"How do you know it's the young people who lost? Maybe it's the marines next to you~"

"Don't want to keep it for yourself just because someone's parents are handsome~"

"Don't worry about me, he looks so handsome, think about it, what's wrong? Look at that little freckle~"

"cut!"

Chattering chattering chattering chattering chattering chattering chattering chattering.

The ghost spider who had a headache couldn't bear it anymore and shouted, "Shut up!"

Turning his face away, he stared ferociously at the living forest group, ground his molars, and then turned his gaze back, staring at Fire Fist Ace, who hadn't regained his composure, Ghost Spider narrowed his eyes slightly, "You— —”

Before the words came out, the change happened again, and the non-people who had run to the side to prevent being affected by the fight exclaimed in a low voice, "Oh, the time has passed, what a pity~"

Then there was a flurry of soldiers returning to their positions, some trees ran back to the hole they dug out, some rocks wobbled back to their original positions, vines quickly wrapped around the trunks, and moss covered the shadows again.

It took only a few minutes for the swaying branches of the bushes to subside, and the forest was eerily quiet again.

……

Standing there for a long time, he clicked his tongue, and the ghost spider turned his head to Creevey and said, "Let's go."

"Yes, Lieutenant General." The adjutant took the order in a deep voice, and then waved his hand. The soldiers with their guns on standby lifted their guards, and the group set off on the return journey calmly and quietly.

The soldiers took a step forward under the leadership of Adjutant Creevey. Ghost Spider pursed his lips and strode forward without looking at the young pirate who was sitting blankly.

The forest under the night is very dark, and after the sky is covered by the dense shade of trees, everything becomes blurred.

Not long after, the ghost spider noticed and heard a breath catching up from behind, it was Fire Fist Ace.

The young man didn't speak but speeded up, and soon walked to the position beside him, within the distance that both sides could tolerate, he couldn't help squinting from the corner of his eyes.

Looking at Huoquan without any traces in the dark sky, the ghost spider snorted, and also remained silent. He knew why the young man looked so confused, but how could he, a navy, have the kindness to explain it.

A pirate is a pirate. He didn't directly kill the opponent just now, which was already a compromise of the ghost spider's mission. Fire Fist knew nothing about this island, so it had nothing to do with him.

This island, Fragment Island, is also known as the "Island of Rejection". The island rejects reality and normality. All the things that the world takes for granted cannot exist on Fragment Island, such as the devil fruit ability.

Everything on Shard Island is upside down with the outside world, and the ability of devil fruit users disappears, and they become like ordinary people, even if they fall into the sea, they can still swim.

On the contrary, the absurd, weird, and unthinkable things in the eyes of outsiders are taken for granted here.

For example, the forest that has just been revived, and the Shard Island are also normal phenomena, or it should be said that the reality of this island exists in the realm of nothingness.

Life that is completely different from humans is the master of Shard Island. The barren island in the eyes of humans is actually a very lively gathering place, gathering mountain spirits, ghosts, myths and legends, and all life that does not exist in reality in human cognition.

After thinking about it, the ghost spider was a little annoyed. Being in the forest was an excellent opportunity. Without knowing the secrets of this island, Fire Fist would surely die under his sword because he underestimated the enemy. Who would have expected it?

Portgas D. Ace was actually the leader this time.

On Shard Island, non-human beings have life and thoughts, and the original residents of the island coexist with it in different spaces at the same time. Residents call the heterogeneous space "Li Town".

Every three years from July on the universal calendar until the night of the full moon in August, Lizhen can break through the boundaries of space and merge with reality. However, a leader is needed to truly enter that alien world.

The conditions of the guide are unknown, and they are only chosen among the countless outsiders who rushed to the Shard Island in July and August of that year. When the trigger is just like that, the guide will lead the surrounding people into Li Town when the sun goes down.

Residents of Shard Island call it the 'Magic Hour'.

……

Li Town on Shard Island, in the entire Great Channel... not too many people know about it, the navy, pirates, world government, and the forces that know the existence of Li Town all keep secrets by coincidence.

The reason... is that after entering the town, you can get very precious things.

Residents of Li Town, those aliens are very interesting, as long as they agree, the things exchanged can be very attractive to the outside world.

Because they are monsters, they know many things that human beings cannot know, such as ulterior secrets, treasure maps confirmed to be destroyed, and precious prescriptions with astonishing effects.

Non-human creatures have little interest in the human world, as long as they have the ability to impress them, what they want is easily available.

whatever it is.

According to the information collected by the Navy Headquarters, one of the most amazing things about Lizhen is that someone exchanged time here to extend life.

In other words, the residents of Lizhen can prolong human life.

Of course, the ghost spider did not come to the Shard Island for a long life at an unknown price. He received the highest order from the Navy Headquarters in order to exchange a piece of information from the residents of Li Town.

about…

Well~ Shaking his head, the ghost spider suppressed the task that came to his mind, paused slightly, raised his eyelids and looked at the stars and lights in the night at the foot of the mountain, and slowly narrowed his eyes.

……

Creevey, the adjutant who was leading the soldiers ahead, turned back the moment he saw the lights in the town. The ghost spider glanced at the adjutant who was smiling but did not speak, nor did he stop his gentle adjutant from deliberately lagging behind. Take a few steps and talk to the young pirate at the end/row.

Unconsciously slowing down under the feet, the ghost spider pricked up its ears, quietly listening to the whispered conversation between Creevey and the Firefist boy behind him, walking all the way down the mountain, and all the way Creevey picked up Shard Island and told him Listen to Fire Fist.

About the guide, about the town, about... After the magic moment is triggered, the whole island will inevitably fall into the night walk of the ghosts.

Of course, the navy couldn't be so kind. If it weren't for Fire Fist as the guide, he couldn't die early, let alone escape from Shard Island because he couldn't accept it. Who would have the patience to laugh at the enemy.

On the night of the full moon in August, when fantasy and reality are separated, if the guide before that died accidentally, there would be no way to find the entrance to Li Town this year.

Compared with catching the high-reward criminal Ace the Fire Fist, that secret mission is more important. As a lieutenant general of the Navy headquarters, Ghost Spider knows which is more important.

……

When it was time to enter the island town, Fire Fist Portgas D. Ace, who was originally behind, rushed forward, and the ghost spider stopped immediately, raised his eyebrows and stared at the people blocking the way.

Perhaps because of Creevey's gentleness and frankness, the young pirate's thorn-like rebelliousness faded away, and his breath became more relaxed.

The two looked at each other quietly for a few seconds, Huo Fist raised his hand to scratch his hair, his eyes drifted slightly, and he muttered a few times before he said as if he was being strangled, "Thank you for leading the way, Lieutenant General Ghost Spider, next time we will have a fair fight Let's go~"

Without waiting for others to respond, the young man picked up the cowboy hat that had been hanging on his back with his backhand, put on the hat that was almost a mark, pressed the brim of the hat, and then turned around.

At this time, the soldiers waiting nearby let out a soft gasp, their eyes fell on the back of the young pirate together, their expressions were full of disbelief and deep alert.

When the other party turned around, Ghost Spider stared at Huo Fist's exposed back, his pupils constricted slightly, but he didn't stop him, just staring at the man to leave.

The nimble figure of the young man quickly merged into the brightly lit town.

The ghost spider quietly lowered its eyes, glanced at the trembling fingers, and snorted coldly. Just a moment ago, he almost drew his knife, wanting to kill the pirate on the spot regardless of the mission, but temporarily suppressed his impulse/movement.

Portgas D. Ace, the young pirate who was born in the East China Sea and became famous a year ago after entering the Great Channel, refused the invitation of Shichibukai, the king, and immediately challenged Whitebeard when he arrived in the new world, and then there was no news.

Marineford's speculation about his life and death in the Navy headquarters is different from that of the outside world. The high-ranking members of the navy agree that Fire Fist is alive and was not killed by Whitebeard.

Ghost Spider had seen Fire Fist before, and he was in charge when the navy tried to recruit Fire Fist. Having seen the pirates in the East China Sea, Ghost Spider was also convinced that Whitebeard would not kill this young man.

Because the young pirate's eyes hide an unyielding flame.

That kind of persistence without regrets and courage without turning back is a trait that Whitebeard likes very much, one of the Four Emperors, the strongest pirate Whitebeard Edward.Newgate's sons had a more or less similar nature.

It's just... It's one thing to know, but it's another thing to actually encounter the two sides. Just now, looking at the tattoo on Portgas D. Ace's back, the ghost spider almost reflexively shot and killed the other party.

Fire Fist has become Whitebeard's command, and it is even more powerful than one of the Four Emperors. It also represents that the Navy will have a difficult enemy in the future.

……

In the blink of an eye, his mind turned back and forth, but in the end the determination to complete the task prevailed, and the Ghost Spider tightly clenched the corners of his mouth, restraining his fluctuating hostility.

"Lord Lieutenant General?"

"That's all." Sighing, the ghost spider stopped Creevey's decision to order the sea soldiers to follow, "Whitebeard's subordinates will not let him take risks by himself, there must be their accomplices on this island."

After all, it is a new world. Even if Shard Island has not been taken into the hands of any of the Four Emperors, it is not a good idea to fight these big pirates before making full preparations.

When the navy came this time, most of the troops stayed on the fleet, and the warships, like other ships, stayed on the islands in the nearby sea area.

Now is not a good time to start a war, not to mention that Huoquan is the person chosen by Lizhen.

Turning his head and staring at the direction where the Fire Fist disappeared, the ghost spider immediately closed his eyes and walked towards their temporary residence.

The town in the night is no different from any other prosperous and peaceful island. The stone roads are smooth and clean, the pedestrians look comfortable, and the houses on both sides of the street are illuminated.

Even though ferocious men with the aura of weapons passed by from time to time in the streets and alleys, the townspeople behaved calmly, not at all afraid that these thugs might wash the place with blood.

In the real human towns of Shard Island, the residents are much more peaceful than other islands. They treat navy pirates and even unidentified people equally. Perhaps because they know the purpose of these people who came here, the residents are not afraid of any kind of force.

Because both island residents and outsiders understand that once the island residents are harmed, the alien space creatures will inflict terrible revenge on the enemy, and the deterrence of Li Town has led the landers with force to keep themselves safe.

The existence that is not recognized by most human beings, and even dismissed as absurd, is actually the guardian of the real residents of Shard Island, and it is precisely because of this that the residents of this island, reality and fantasy, live in peace.

While walking, carefully avoiding a group of laughing and chasing children, looking at every innocent smiling face passing by, the cold light in the ghost spider's eyes softened imperceptibly, as if the cool night air became warm in the children's laughter hot.

Such ordinary lights in the world are exactly what they have been pursuing for half their lives with the belief of 'guarding'. Even if... Shard Island's deterrent to invaders comes from another world, in the eyes of ghost spiders, there is nothing wrong with it.

What does it matter if the power is not held by the navy, as long as the harm can be contained?The fear and covetousness of those high-ranking officials in the center of Mariejoya Terra Continent towards Lizhen is simply unreasonable.

……

Xu was so distracted at this moment that the ghost spider came back to his senses when his leg bumped into a soft soft touch. He lowered his head in astonishment, and saw a... er, no, it was a ball... No, it was a small hairy head bumped into it. to him, and then fell to the ground on all fours under the reaction force.

Under the light from the lights on both sides of the road, the little ghost has curly yellow hair on his head. He looks like three or four years old at most, and the little ball looks like a little turtle turning its shell.

The corners of his eyes trembled slightly, and the ghost spider stared expressionlessly at the little ghost who staggered to his feet, raised his head, his chubby face was half crying.

A few seconds later, Creevey rushed forward to pick up the child, coaxed him softly, and then hugged him closer, "Lord Lieutenant General."

"Hmm~" Ghost Spider nodded, expressing that he understood the doubt expressed in the adjutant's eyes, and quickly glanced at the little Maotou who was wrinkling his face, his eyes sank slightly.

This kid has a curly haired head, a face and facial features that have not yet been opened, but it is obvious...it looks very familiar.

A moment later, before the ghost spider or Creevey could do anything, a shadow pounced from the corner of the street, the wind suddenly rose, accompanied by the roar of the beast, and its sharp claws pierced the air.

The ghost spider quickly drew its knife forward, barely stopping the sharp claws that were rushing towards Creevey.

With a ding sound, the two powerful forces collided and staggered instantly. The blade cut off the shadow that was passing by in front of my eyes, but the moment it touched the real object, the attacker turned into nothingness strangely.

Squinting his eyes, turning his feet slightly, the ghost spider turned his face, and the tip of the knife turned a little bit.

The thing re-condensed more than ten meters away, and the lights reflected its appearance and cast it on the wall of the house on the side of the street. It looked like a huge and ferocious beast... His eyes fell a little, and the corner of the ghost spider's mouth twitched slightly.

"Qiaoqiu? Is it Qiuqiu?"

The animal lying on the ground and posing an attacking posture was about the size of a house cat, with fluffy flowers, stubby ears, and oily eyes...it was clearly a ball.

Out of the corner of his eye, he quickly gave Creevey a look. After receiving the signal, the adjutant slowly backed away with the child in his arms. The ghost spider walked forward a few steps at a leisurely pace, and asked tentatively, "Qiaoqiu?"

Hua Tuanzi bared her teeth, purred lowly, and stared at Creevey with her round eyes.

After looking at the hairball carefully for a while, the ghost spider put the knife back into its sheath and said in a deep voice, "Go and buy some fruit, right away!"

"Yes!" Some of the soldiers immediately took orders and left.

……

While waiting for the soldiers to get the fruit, the ghost spider quietly stared at the hairball, somewhat suspicious in his heart, thought for a while, and then asked, "Have you not seen Qiuqiu since the year before last? Creevy? "

"Why are you here?"

As a senior plush control, Ghost Spider likes the hairy dumpling next to General Huang Yuan very much. He has liked it since the first time he saw it. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tries, neither Mao Tuanzi nor General Huang Yuan will give him any face.

The former refused to ask him to be close to him, and the latter refused to send him out to be raised by him.

Later, the ghost spider heard that the yellow ape said that Qiuqiu is actually not a cat, but a kind of magical creature that is on the verge of extinction, a rare beast that lives in the rainforest of Spring Island, and girls flock to it.

The reason why Qiuqiu, whose lifespan is only ten years recorded in the Magical Creatures Encyclopedia, can continue to live is because the master has evolved. Unfortunately, the evolution has been forcibly stopped, and Qiuqiu needs to sleep for a long time after passing the species-limited lifespan.

For nearly 30 years, the ghost spider seldom saw the ball in the next ten years, and he hadn't seen it even once since the year before last. He asked the yellow ape but there was no answer. His old friend always smiled strangely, half angry Half crazy.

Such extremely depressive pain caused the ghost spider not to continue to ask questions, but to hide his confusion and regret in his heart, but unexpectedly tonight...

After thinking about it, his mood became happy, and the ghost spider carefully approached the flower ball squatting on the ground, trying to touch the fluff that he had missed for a long time without a trace.

"What are you doing? Kidnappers?"

The hoarse and lazy voice appeared very close for no reason. The young woman's voice had a strange softness. It should be an unfamiliar voice, but it was strangely familiar.

The body froze imperceptibly, and the ghost spider withdrew its outstretched hand, and slowly, slowly stood up.

Turning his face away, he saw the strange woman standing next to Creevey for the first time, with snow-skinned cherry lips, exquisite eyebrows and eyes, black and white pupils glistening, as if they would confuse people's hearts.

After quietly looking at him for a while, she turned her eyes away a little, stretched out her hand, and said softly, "Baby, don't cry~ come and hug~" her tone was unbelievably soft, and there was an obvious look of doting in her eyes .

She reached out and hugged the kid in Creevey's arms, bowed her head and kissed the child's brow, and then left without saying a word.

The strange thing is that Creevey didn't react at all, as if he was stunned, his expression was blank and dazed.

The ghost spider recovered from his daze, and asked in a low voice, "Who are you?"

Hearing this, she tilted her head slightly, raised the corners of her eyes and glanced at him slightly, the corners of her mouth slightly curled up but did not speak, and in an instant she disappeared without a trace, like mist melting into the air.

The woman who waited for no reason to appear disappeared completely, Creevey trembled suddenly, and staggered a few times before he barely stabilized. After that, all the soldiers guarding nearby fell silently to the ground in an instant.

This shock was no small matter, and the ghost spider hurried forward to check, "Lord Lieutenant General, he probably passed out." Creevey said weakly, "That woman..."

Walking to the nearest soldier, checking his breathing and pulse, and confirming that the signs of life were normal, the ghost spider put away his hands, looked back at the empty spot where a ball of hair was supposed to be squatting, and licked his lips. At the corner of his mouth, he said in a hoarse voice, "Inform General Huang Yuan that the person he is looking for is in Li Town."

What a surprise, Ghost Spider clicked hard. He knew that in the past two years, their admiral, Polusalino the Yellow Ape, went to the sky to find a woman, and she had no name or specific appearance, only knew it was Very beautiful woman.

Rumors from the navy camp and well-informed people from the outside world are very unpleasant. For a while, there were flatterers who offered all kinds of stunning beauties on their own.

The ghost spider didn't know who the yellow ape was looking for, but judging from the situation just now, the woman who appeared and disappeared inexplicably was probably the person Polusalino couldn't find anywhere.

Because of Qiuqiu, the two generals, Huang Yuan and Akainu, said that they were not the owner of Qiuqiu, but the woman who was able to make Qiuqiu follow her must be its owner.

It doesn't matter if you misidentify, anyway, Polusalino has been disappointed for almost two years, and he doesn't care about another failure.

……

In the waiting signal tone of Brulu broadcasted by the phone snail, the ghost spider narrowed its eyes and raised its hand to hold its heart, only to feel that its heartbeat had been weird and out of order from the very beginning.

When I saw that woman, it was as if countless fragments were frantically rolling in the depths of my mind, as if something hidden in the deepest part was about to break out of the ground.