He had escaped the island last night and set sail as soon as dawn broke. He had been waiting here until now.
"Young man, can you take this old man with you?"
Kabuli quickly sat up, then placed his hands on the sides of the small boat and slowly stood up. He then looked at Kong Tai with hopeful eyes.
Although he knew there were many merchant ships heading to Water Seven, and ordinary merchant ships were usually willing to help those in distress at sea, especially considering his current appearance as an elderly man, a harmless old man.
And from Kong Tai's attire, demeanor, and the Freey, it was clear that Kong Tai was not a merchant.
If not a merchant, then...
"A pirate."
This was the last thing he wanted to encounter, but he didn't know if he would encounter another ship if he missed the Freey today. Moreover, judging from Kong Tai's face, he didn't seem like a vicious person. Instead, he exuded a warm and approachable aura that made people feel at ease at first glance.
Also, the moment he saw the Freey's flag, a voice in his heart seemed to tell him that he must board this ship.
That was why, as soon as he saw Kong Tai, he showed hope and eagerly made his request.
"Hmm..."
Kong Tai rubbed his chin in thought, then looked down at Kabuli and chuckled, "Sure."
"Hoo~"
Upon hearing Kong Tai agree to his request, Kabuli subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief and was about to turn to retrieve his luggage.
Just then, Kong Tai's next words froze him in his tracks.
Kong Tai said with a hint of excitement in his voice, "You can come aboard our ship, but you have to tell us the reason for your extreme old age."
"Reason?"
Behind Kong Tai, Guina, who was leaning on his back, poked her head out from his left shoulder, staring at Kabuli with curiosity and muttering to herself, "Hmm... it is indeed strange. His eyes are so clear. Such eyes could not belong to an ordinary old man on the verge of his twilight years."
Kong Tai reached out and pulled Guina out, making her stand properly. Then, with a thought, the wine gourd on the tea table behind him flew over and was caught by his right hand.
He pried open the stopper, took a sip of wine, and looked down at the stunned Kabuli with a smile. "Well? Tell us!"
"Perhaps we can help you solve your troubles!"
As he spoke, he released his right hand, letting the wine gourd hover in front of him, and his entire being suddenly exuded a towering sharpness.
The sharpness flashed and vanished, causing the Freey, which was swaying with the waves, and Kabuli's small boat to become instantly calm.
It was as if they were no longer at sea but on a placid lake.
Kabuli gazed at the wine gourd suspended in the air to the right of Kong Tai's head and felt the calm sea beneath him. His stunned expression instantly snapped back.
He first looked left and right.
When he saw the turbulent sea not far from his small boat, his pupils contracted.
"What is this?"
He turned and stared at Kong Tai with disbelief.
Clearly, Kong Tai's abilities had surpassed his imagination.
The ability to calm the sea, and the fleeting sharpness that seemed to split the heavens that Kong Tai had displayed earlier, all reminded him that the person before him was no ordinary individual. He might even be a remarkable figure.
Kong Tai, seeing Kabuli's reaction, offered no explanation. With a slight smile, he tilted his head back. The wine gourd flew to the top of his head, tilted, and a stream of silvery-white, transparent liquid that shone in the sunlight like warm jade, poured down from the gourd's mouth into his mouth.
Gulp, gulp!!
After two large gulps, the wine gourd returned to its place, and Kong Tai exhaled a breath of wine.
Sometimes, to make someone believe you, you need to show some strength appropriately.
Although he didn't know what trouble this person had encountered to become so aged, in this world, the most likely cause was a Devil Fruit.
To become aged, not in the sense of physical weakness, but a true aging as if time and life had been drained from the entire body.
Then this Devil Fruit could not be an ordinary one.
How could a fruit related to time and life be ordinary?
That was why Kong Tai was interested in the person before him.
Even if he didn't say anything, Kong Tai would still let him board. After all, in Kong Tai's eyes, he was not a bad person, nor an evil one.
He was just a commoner.
"You..."
With a hint of hesitation, but as if something had occurred to him, his gaze towards Kong Tai revealed an even brighter spark of hope than when he first saw Kong Tai.
"Can you really help me?"
"Are you truly willing to help me?"
No one wanted to leave their homeland, especially someone like him who had lived his entire life on his island and had rarely ventured out.
His childhood, his childhood sweetheart, his dear friends, and the land he deeply loved were all there.
If he hadn't been the only one awake, he wouldn't have escaped alone.
While escaping was for survival, another reason was to find someone who could help him and his island.
"As long as you tell me, I will definitely help you. After all, I am very interested, aren't I?"
Kong Tai looked at Kabuli and smiled, revealing his teeth.
His smile carried a hint of confidence, as if any problem could be easily solved.
In this world, he knew of only three confirmed time-related Devil Fruits.
These were the "Time-Time Fruit" possessed by Toki.
By "Slow-Slow Fruit" possessed by Foxy.
The "Rewind-Rewind Fruit" possessed by Ain.
And the "Yomi Yomi no Mi," "Ope Ope no Mi," and the unnamed fruit of Jewelry Bonney, which might or might not be time-related.
The Yomi Yomi no Mi could break the boundaries of life and death, transcend time and space, and bring back the soul from the underworld after death for resurrection.
Whether it was eternal life, however, remained to be seen.
As for the Ope Ope no Mi, although it seemed to be space-related, it possessed the ability of immortality, which could be considered a form of time manipulation.
Jewelry Bonney's fruit allowed her to switch between different ages at will.
Each of these fruits could be considered a heaven-defying existence.
Encountering a time-related fruit here naturally piqued his interest.
Moreover, it seemed to be an evil entity, which made him even more eager to investigate. It was like an adventure, wasn't it?
Kabuli looked deeply at Kong Tai, then let out a breath and nodded.
"Alright, I will tell you, but let's be clear, it is very dangerous there. If you hear it and decide not to go, I won't blame you. But if you do go, you will bear the consequences yourselves."
Although he felt an unprecedented power emanating from Kong Tai,
that woman had completely, by some unknown method, absorbed the time of the entire island, including the town.
While he sympathized with that woman, he was filled with fear.
And this fear had only intensified as he left the island and his body showed no signs of recovery.
"Don't worry, we know ourselves."
Kong Tai laughed heartily, dismissing Kabuli's warning of danger.
Although there were many fruits in this world that granted powerful abilities upon consumption, these fruits were indeed formidable but had a significant drawback: they were difficult to develop.
Often, one's state after consuming the fruit remained stagnant.
For example, Sugar's Hobby Hobby Fruit, isn't it bugged?
But it would be useless against users of Armament Haki or those with exceptionally strong Observation Haki.
Perona's Negative Hollow Fruit was also bugged, but like the Hobby Hobby Fruit, it was countered by Haki users.
In fact, in this world, when a person truly cultivated Haki to its peak, they could already be considered a top-tier fighter.
For instance, Garp, Zeff, and the previous Fleet Admiral "Kong."
They were all peak Haki users, capable of driving away great pirates.
Such powerful individuals, combined with the firepower of Marine warships and their immunity to seawater, could instill fear in over 99% of the pirates in this world.
Hmm...
And Roger, Rayleigh...
Many, many more.
Of course, including Kong Tai.
Although his Haki had not yet reached its peak potential, his current Haki had already surpassed more than 99.9% of the people in this world.
So, why should he fear a Devil Fruit user in the first half of the Grand Line?
Even if this person had eaten a time-related or life-related Devil Fruit.
This wasn't arrogance, but a manifestation of his confidence and self-awareness.