One Piece: Start as a mythical beast, practice to become stronger

Sky island.

The place where the Shandian people live, the Hidden Cloud Village.

I walked and asked along the way.

Enelu, the self-proclaimed tour guide, played no role at all in this process.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm a Sky Islander, how dare you come over here..." Enel lowered his head and defended himself in a low voice.

Then he changed the subject: "Gan Foer is really something. He asked us to come to this unfamiliar place without even telling us the way."

After crossing the winding mountain roads and the flowing sea of ​​clouds, and after asking questions and receiving guidance along the way, Jinan and his two companions finally set foot in the territory of the Shandiya people.

Night has fallen, and the remaining twilight hangs dimly on the horizon, giving the land a mysterious dark blue hue.

The Shandia people's settlement is hidden among the mountains, like a natural fortress.

It does not appear gorgeous, but is displayed silently in a simple and solid posture.

Between the houses one could see flickering flames, giving off the warm scent of human activity.

But when Jin'an and his two companions passed through the low bamboo fence and went deeper, they could clearly feel the subtle tension in the air.

The Shandia people in the village seem to be naturally wary of the arrival of strangers.

There was scrutiny in their sharp eyes as they looked at each other with subtle movements, as if they were communicating something silently.

At the call of their parents, the children hurried away, leaving behind only a few shortened figures and puzzled eyes.

Whether from the attitude of the Shandia people towards them or the slowly increasing number of figures here, the three of them felt an obvious sense of distance.

They slowed down their pace slightly, trying to reduce the distance between them and this foreign land in an unobtrusive way.

Jin'an used gestures to tell Tianyueshi and the other person not to act rashly and to behave in a peaceful and friendly manner.

Just then, an old man walked out of the house slowly. His steps were very steady and his eyes were as sharp as a bird of prey.

In one hand he held the scepter that symbolized his tribe, and with the other he stroked his graying beard.

He stopped not far from Jin An and the other two, and broke the silence with an old but powerful voice: "Outsiders, what are you doing here?"

Jinan and the others quickly exchanged glances.

suddenly.

Jin An calmly took a step forward under the surprised gaze of the Shandia people, made a respectful gesture in front of his chest, and said:

"Respected elder, we are explorers from Qinghai. We have heard of the wisdom and bravery of the Shandian people, so we come to visit and learn from their noble ways."

There was no trace of arrogance in his words, but instead there was a bit of sincerity and respect for the other party.

A barely perceptible change flashed across the face of the Shandian leader, like a fleeting ripple on hard stone.

He was silent for a moment, his eyes turned from the three people, and finally tapped the scepter in his hand and said: "In this case, shouldn't you go to where the Sky Islanders live? We have nothing here that can attract you."

Before the voice died down, the other residents of the village seemed to relax a little, let down their guard a little, and began to gradually approach the three new faces.

The firelight flickered in their eyes, reflecting some contradictory emotions - they were wary of the unknown, but also had a desire to explore the people from Qinghai.

Under the nervous gaze of the Shandia people, Jinan and his companions continued to move forward.

At the same time, the Shandia people quietly tightened their weapons, still on guard against the three people who were approaching.

"We have no ill intentions, you don't need to be so defensive."

Jin An walked into the Hidden Cloud Village and spoke in a steady voice, placing his hands where the other party could clearly see them, indicating that the three of them were not carrying any weapons.

Seeing that the three men were not carrying any weapons, the people of Shandia felt a little relieved.

Seeing that the people around him were less vigilant, Jin An directly answered the other party's question:

"We've already been to Sky Island."

"What?!" The Shandian leader raised his voice slightly, "Are you sent by the Sky Island people?"

Jin An nodded and then quickly shook his head, "We don't belong to Sky Island, no one can assign us tasks."

"It's just that Gan Fowle wants to change your lives which have not changed in the past few hundred years. We came here just to make it happen."

Wapa, who was standing next to the chief, moved, but was stopped by the chief.

The leader of the Shandians stood in front of the crowd, his face marked with wrinkles of time and traces of wind and frost. Although his figure was no longer as majestic as before, his eyes still sparkled with determination.

He raised his hand slightly and signaled to Jin An and the other two to look around.

“You can look at the faces of the people around you.”

The Shandia people around stood in their respective positions with different expressions, but most of them had a look of disdain or indignation on their faces.

In their hearts, the conflict with the Sky Islanders is an epic of blood and tears, a deep racial grudge that is deeply rooted and indelible.

This hostility has lasted for nearly four hundred years. Generation after generation of Shandia people have remembered every conflict with the Sky Islanders in tears and blood, and every scar is unforgettable.

Countless times on dark and windy nights, the children in the village fell asleep to their mothers’ lullabies, and that song was filled with unforgettable hatred and sorrow.

As peacemakers, the three Jin'an people naturally hoped to resolve the long-standing feud.

However, the hatred of the Shandian people has been brewing for the same period of time as the lost homeland.

During this period of time, the sedimentation is deeper than that of mountains and rivers.

The leader was silent for a moment, closed his eyes, and seemed to be recalling the painful past. Then he said, "Your intentions are good, but some wounds are too deep to be healed by words."

One can read a deep resentment in the eyes of the villagers.

It’s not that they don’t yearn for peace, but when their land and dignity are taken away, and when all traces of their lives are eroded by the other side, the insurmountable gap in their hearts cannot be bridged by simple reconciliation.

At this time, the soldiers in the village walked among the crowd, holding weapons made from rough iron ore in their hands, which showed their firm attitude in their hearts.

Even when facing foreign envoys of peacemaking, their attitude was defensive and inviolable.

What the Sky Islanders occupied was not only their territory, but also the years and memories of their ancestors. This was a pain that the Shandia people could not bear.

Tian Yueshi stood at the crossroads of fate, feeling powerless but also understanding the deep hatred that could not be reconciled by his own efforts.

Everyone knows when the cycle of revenge will end, but at the same time, they cannot easily overcome the scars that time has left on this nation.

"..."

"We can all understand the hatred that has lasted for almost 400 years."

"We can't interfere with your choices."

"We're not here to make you change your mind."

"But I want to tell you that the Lamp of Shandora is at the top of the huge vine that runs through Arpaillado."

The road is right under everyone's feet. Jinan has already told them the best solution. It now depends on their choices.

...

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