With the help of the old fishermen, Liam and Robin's shipbuilding progress sped up significantly.
The fishermen chattered and debated the finer points of shipbuilding, arguing over whose techniques were more refined, while Liam casually walked by, carrying a tree trunk so thick it would take several people to hug it.
Some metal components were too difficult for the fishermen to process, even with their tools, so Liam glanced over and instructed B.I.B. to bend them bare-handed, kneading them like dough. Though it wasn't exactly effortless, it wasn't particularly strenuous for Liam, who had mastered the basics of Tekkai.
Liam flicked his skin. After years of honing his skills, occasionally self-hypnotizing and reinforcing his techniques, he had reached a point where… "Tekkai" was beginning to transform into a passive ability for him.
Hmm, it felt like maintaining a Super Saiyan state at full power.
Eliminating the excitement of transforming into a Super Saiyan… 'cough', it was about removing the stiffness that came with maintaining Tekkai.
The most basic level of this skill was demonstrated by that wolfman in CP-9, who could move at high speed while using Tekkai. This was child's play; Liam, the self-taught prodigy of Life Return, had naturally mastered this when he first learned Tekkai.
The more advanced level was integrating Tekkai into daily life, maintaining a certain level of defense while retaining the flexibility of normal skin. For example, Big Mom's "Steel Balloon."
Naturally, Liam's Super Saiyan… Liam's everyday Tekkai wasn't as exaggerated as Big Mom's "Steel Balloon," and it certainly couldn't compare to Kaido's level, which could withstand Luffy's Gear Fourth attacks.
However, with Liam's current mastery of Life Return and proficiency in Tekkai, even if he fell asleep or lay still, ordinary knives, swords, and bullets would struggle to break through his defenses for a while.
The little girl Amoline carried a small basket, delivering food to the shipbuilding crew alongside the village women.
"Huā lā!" The sea split open with a massive wave, and everyone stared in awe as Liam dragged the tail of a sea beast onto the shore.
"That's pretty average," Liam said, finishing the rice ball Amoline had brought him. He tore off a large chunk of roasted sea beast meat and stuffed it into the little girl's mouth.
The fishermen and women, who had never eaten such a gigantic sea beast, who would dare to catch such a monster at sea, laughed and ate, their mouths greasy, feeling more energized to continue their work afterward.
Robin stood barefoot on the beach, holding a fish the size of a rolling pin, and casually tossed it back into the water.
The next day, a small sailboat about half the size of the Merry appeared on the beach.
"It could've been a bit bigger," The fishermen lamented.
"No way, if it's any bigger, it won't fit," Liam thought the size was just right.
The small sailboat had only one room, which served as both the steering room and a lounge; Liam had specially placed a few chairs and sofas inside. As for the cabin, Liam didn't bother with it, at most storing some miscellaneous items there.
The women were puzzled. "Won't fit?"
Amoline giggled, looking at Liam's shoulder, where the green Den Den Mushi had humanized its expression to show a blank face.
But soon, she couldn't smile anymore, sadly holding Robin's hand and looking down without saying a word.
Robin crouched down and gently patted the little girl's head. "Your mother will definitely come back."
"Really?" Amoline looked up, tears welling in her eyes.
"You're much stronger than I was at your age," Robin smiled warmly. "Really. A mother… will never forget her daughter."
"Maybe one day, when you can also turn into a small animal, your mom will come home," Liam teased from the side, crossing his arms.
His comment startled the women who were seeing them off. "Let's forget about that… the villagers had quite a time with her mother a few years back…" He lowered his voice so the little girl wouldn't hear.
B.I.B. submerged beneath the small sailboat, supporting the bottom with both hands, and lifted it little by little, walking a few meters into the sea before gently placing it on the water's surface.
"Huā lā!"
The white sail billowed in the wind, and B.I.B. floated mid-air, holding onto the boat's side, looking back at the shore. The sail swelled, but the small boat remained still.
"Pā pā!"
Liam clapped his hands. "Cough cough! Everyone, look over here!"
The crowd turned to him, momentarily captivated by Liam's hands, slowly getting lost in the increasingly dark whirlpools of his eyes, which stirred their minds uncontrollably…
"You will not remember our faces, and you will slowly forget the events of these two days… You will find it easier to be happy and easier to forget sad things…"
Liam snapped his fingers, and the crowd awoke from their daze, feeling nothing unusual.
"Just consider it a shipbuilding fee," Liam smiled, leaving everyone puzzled.
Amoline and the others stood by the sea, watching the small sailboat drift away, waving their arms desperately. "Big Brother, Big Sister, goodbye~~"
.........
"Huā lā!"
The sail billowed. B.I.B. was at the helm in the cabin, and since it didn't have the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, it had a Log Pose nearby, pointing to the next island.
And on the deck…
"Robin, are we there yet?"
"Almost there, don't rush… don't you feel it?"
"I just feel…" Liam stood at the bow, gazing at the endless waves of the sea, lost in thought. "This conversation feels a bit strange…"
"What do you mean?"
The green Den Den Mushi crawled leisurely, and at the entrance of the City Fortress on its forehead, Robin, wearing sunglasses, sat with her legs crossed on a soft chair, flipping through a book. Hearing Liam's mumbling, she adjusted her sunglasses slightly to reveal her dark green eyes, puzzled. "What's strange?"
Liam, without turning his head at the bow, said, "Ah, we're here."
"Mm." Robin pushed her sunglasses back, the large lenses blocking the heat and making her feel even warmer.
Meanwhile, beneath the surface of the sea, the sea current surged, and a fish the size of a rolling pin swam swiftly and agilely. On the scales behind its head, there was a human-like dark green pupil.
Following this plump fish was a robust sea predator, eagerly chasing it for several kilometers, pursuing it from hundreds of meters below the sea to this area, finally catching up and impatiently swallowing it.
After a couple of chews, it couldn't taste anything. It naturally couldn't see that the moment the fish entered its mouth, it transformed into a flurry of petals, scattering in the water.
The sea fish looked up and saw a shadow rapidly enlarging next to the bottom of a human fishing boat. Then, with a loud "bang," someone jumped into the sea. In its final moments, it caught sight of a human who was about to drool… its head throbbed, and it lost consciousness.
Liam pulled the sea fish out of the water, shouting, "Good sister, quickly open the door!"
Robin rolled her eyes and patted the wall of the City Fortress beside her.
The little green Den Den Mushi, swaying on the deck, looked up just in time to see a sea fish falling from the sky, landing directly in its mouth. It rapidly shrank to an incredible size and was stuffed into its body…
(To Be Continued…)
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