One Piece: Star Sea Legend

Chapter 21: A Reunion

Qin Ming’s fishing net was caught by a large bird, and before he could let go, the bird dragged him and the net into the air, flying rapidly forward.

The sound of the wind whistled in his ears. Glancing down at the sea below, Qin Ming tightly gripped the net and began climbing upwards.

The bird, which had caught the net, occasionally swerved during its flight, causing Qin Ming’s body to sway uncontrollably. Several times, as he climbed, he nearly lost his grip and was almost thrown off.

If he could reach the top of the net, he could potentially ride on the bird’s back, which would be far better than the constant risk of falling into the sea.

With this thought in mind, Qin Ming continued to climb. His hands, gripping the net, never loosened, and his palms were soon bloodied from the friction.

Although both Qin Ming and Luffy had been taken into the sky by the bird, Qin Ming’s situation was undoubtedly more precarious at the moment.

As for Luffy, he had been grabbed by the head by another bird and was now spinning in circles in the air, lagging behind Qin Ming.

Zoro, meanwhile, was rowing furiously in his small wooden boat, trying to catch up to Qin Ming and Luffy, who were being carried away by the birds. However, the speed of his boat was no match for the birds’ flight, and he could only watch helplessly as the two drifted further away.

After some time, as Qin Ming was about to reach the top of the net, he spotted land ahead—a small town, it seemed. His heart leapt with joy.

But then it struck him: even if he reached the land, how would he get down? The birds were at least forty to fifty meters above the ground. If he fell from that height, he would either die or be severely injured.

After all, Qin Ming wasn’t like Luffy, who was made of rubber and could withstand falls much better. Qin Ming’s resilience was nowhere near Luffy’s level.

Just as Qin Ming was pondering how to first get onto the bird’s back, he saw a cannonball flying towards him from a distance.

This left Qin Ming dumbfounded.

“Damn it! I haven’t even figured out how to escape, and now I’m being attacked by a cannonball? This is just ridiculous!”

The cannonball was heading straight for him at an alarming speed. In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of him.

Just before the cannonball hit, Qin Ming let go of the net and dropped to the lowest part of it. He quickly grabbed the net again to prevent himself from falling to the ground, but his hands were now raw and bleeding from the rough netting, causing him immense pain.

BOOM!

As Qin Ming was stabilizing himself after the drop, the cannonball exploded.

In the split second before the explosion, Qin Ming clearly saw a large red nose printed on the cannonball. It was a Buggy Ball, the signature ammunition of Buggy the Clown, a pirate known for his immortality.

“Damn it! It’s that red-nosed Buggy who’s firing at me! I swear I’ll get him for this!”

Qin Ming cursed Buggy’s ancestors a thousand times in his mind, but he knew that survival was his top priority now.

When the cannonball exploded, Qin Ming’s vision was filled with a fiery red light. The heat around him was unbearable, and the scorching waves of air made him feel as if he were being roasted alive. His mouth was dry, and he felt extremely uncomfortable.

Although he had let go in time to avoid being directly hit by the cannonball, the bird that had been carrying him was now dead, and Qin Ming was inevitably falling.

Moreover, the shockwave from the explosion had altered his trajectory. Instead of falling straight down, he was now plummeting at an angle.

His clothes were torn and scorched, and his body was covered in burns, each one stinging painfully.

“Damn it! The wounds on my back were almost healed, and now I’m injured again!”

Qin Ming was beyond frustrated. It was only natural—his old wounds hadn’t even fully healed, and now he had new ones. He couldn’t possibly be happy about this.

“But what should I do? If this keeps up, I’m going to die from the fall.”

Qin Ming glanced down. He was now less than thirty meters from the ground, and anxiety began to creep in.

Ever since his battle with Morgan, Qin Ming had made a resolution to face death without fear, but that didn’t mean he would simply accept it when death came knocking.

“Wait, I’ve got it!”

As Qin Ming was falling at an angle, he spotted a chimney on one of the houses below. An idea immediately formed in his mind.

“If I can time it right and use the fishing net to wrap around that chimney, it might slow my fall enough to survive.”

With this thought, Qin Ming tightened his grip on the slightly tattered net.

As Qin Ming rapidly descended at a 45-degree angle, nearing the roof of a house, he threw the net with all his might, aiming to hook it onto the chimney.

Ahhh!!!

Qin Ming’s hands clenched the net tightly. The immense force from his rapid descent caused the net’s rough fibers to dig deep into his palms, making him feel as if his hands were being severed. The pain was so intense that he couldn’t help but scream.

Although the net had slowed his fall, Qin Ming’s body still slammed into the roof several times as the net swung wildly. The impact left him feeling as if his entire body was about to fall apart.

But Qin Ming was still grateful to be alive. Lying on the roof, he looked up at the blue sky, gasping for breath, a sense of relief and joy washing over him.

“But if I’m seeing Buggy’s cannonballs here, then this must be Orange Town.”

After resting for a while, Qin Ming got up from the roof and cursed, “Damn it! That bastard Buggy dared to fire at me. I’ll make him pay for this!”

“Who dares to insult our Captain Buggy?!”

“Step forward! We’ll teach you a lesson. How dare you speak ill of Captain Buggy!”

Just as Qin Ming finished cursing Buggy, he heard several rough voices.

Qin Ming was already in a foul mood, and hearing these pirates threaten him for insulting Buggy only made things worse.

“It was me who insulted Buggy. Got a problem with that?”

Qin Ming walked to the edge of the roof and saw three fierce-looking pirates on the street below. They bore Buggy’s insignia, clearly his subordinates. No wonder they were so quick to defend him.

To his surprise, Qin Ming also spotted Nami, whom he had parted ways with just a week ago.

Nami looked up at Qin Ming, who was standing on the roof. She noticed that he was covered in injuries, his face blackened from the explosion, and his hair slightly singed. It was clear that he had been caught in a violent blast.

“What happened to him? In just a few days, he’s covered in wounds!”

Nami saw that Qin Ming’s hands were red and bloody. She hadn’t expected to see him in such a state the second time they met. For some reason, her heart ached at the sight.

“So, you’re here. Did you manage to steal the Grand Line map?” Qin Ming asked, feeling uneasy under Nami’s gaze, which seemed both concerned and angry. He noticed the map in her hand.

Nami had indeed successfully stolen the Grand Line map from Buggy. She had been chased by the three pirates, who were trying to reclaim the map.

While fleeing, Nami had heard the loud explosion in the sky, but she hadn’t realized that Qin Ming had been caught in the blast.

“So, you know she stole our Grand Line map? Are you her boss?”

“That must be it. They look like a pair of thieves. Let’s capture them and hand them over to Captain Buggy!”

The three pirates, seeing that Qin Ming and Nami seemed to know each other, quickly concluded that they were accomplices.

“Hey, kid! Get down here!”

The three pirates surrounded Nami while shouting at Qin Ming, who was still on the roof.

Qin Ming, already furious from being shot at by Buggy, now had these pirates to vent his anger on.

“Damn it! Your captain fired at me. If I don’t beat the crap out of you to vent, I might as well quit being a pirate!”

With a cold expression, Qin Ming jumped down from the two-meter-high roof. He cracked his knuckles and gave the three menacing pirates a smile. “You asked for this!”

Nami watched as Qin Ming approached her. She opened her mouth several times but found herself unable to speak.

If it hadn’t been for Qin Ming’s timely appearance, Nami would have been caught by the pirates. If that had happened, she would have been taken back to Buggy’s crew and likely killed.

When the pirates accused Qin Ming of being her boss, Nami initially wanted to deny it. But after glancing at Qin Ming’s injuries, she felt a strange softness in her heart and decided to remain silent.

In fact, a thought crossed her mind: perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to team up with Qin Ming in the future.

The last time they parted, Nami had been worried about dragging Qin Ming into trouble. But now, seeing him injured, she found herself unwilling to part ways with him again.

“Staying with this guy might at least let me know how he dies,” Nami thought wryly.

As Qin Ming began to pummel the three pirates, Nami watched with a mix of amusement and concern. She remembered how fiercely he had fought back at Shells Town and couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“We’re part of Buggy’s crew! If you mess with us, our captain will make you pay!”

The three pirates were quickly beaten to a pulp by Qin Ming. They tried to escape, but Qin Ming blocked their path, leaving them no choice but to endure the beating.

“Buggy?” Qin Ming sneered, then shouted, “If your captain dares to come after me, I’ll make his nose even redder and rounder!”

Bam! Bam! Thud! Thud!

Mentioning Buggy only fueled Qin Ming’s anger, and he continued to beat the pirates mercilessly.

The three pirates, realizing that Qin Ming had no fear of their infamous captain, inwardly lamented their terrible luck. They had run into a fearless madman.

“He’s quite skilled. It’s a good thing he’s not a pirate. At least he doesn’t kill indiscriminately like those ruthless pirates. Teaming up with him as a thief might not be so bad after all.

I could even let him be the boss, as long as I get all the money. Hehe.”

As Nami thought this, her gaze towards Qin Ming grew increasingly tender, and a warm smile crept onto her lips.

Unfortunately, during their last encounter at Shells Town, Nami had been too focused on Qin Ming to overhear Luffy and Zoro’s conversation. As a result, she still didn’t know that Qin Ming was a pirate—the very thing she despised most.

After Qin Ming had thoroughly beaten the three pirates into unconsciousness, he felt a bit of relief. However, when he glanced at Nami, he noticed her looking at him with a soft, affectionate expression.

This sent a chill down his spine. He remembered how Nami had acted similarly the last time they met, clinging to him before suddenly delivering a powerful punch.

Now, seeing her gentle smile again, Qin Ming grew wary. Was she planning to hit him again?

Just as Qin Ming was considering putting some distance between himself and Nami, he heard a loud explosion above, followed by Luffy’s voice.

“Whoa! Who’s firing cannonballs at me? I’m falling!”

Qin Ming looked up and saw Luffy flying towards him from above. He immediately shouted, “You idiot! Don’t crash into me!”

As he shouted, Qin Ming leaped towards Nami. Nami, seeing Luffy falling from the sky, thought to herself, “This troublemaker is back, and he’s been shot down by a cannonball again.”

Nami couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions whenever she saw Luffy. She still remembered how his antics had led to Qin Ming accidentally groping her on their first meeting, leaving her both embarrassed and furious.

“Well, at least Luffy won’t crash into me this time,” Qin Ming thought, feeling relieved. His improved reflexes had allowed him to avoid Luffy’s trajectory.

But Qin Ming’s relief was short-lived.

As Luffy was about to hit the ground, he stretched his arms and grabbed the edge of the roof Qin Ming had been standing on. With a quick flip, Luffy landed safely.

However, as Luffy landed, a large shadow loomed overhead.

The force of Luffy’s landing had caused the roof to collapse, and the massive structure was now falling directly towards Qin Ming and Nami.

Qin Ming’s face fell.

“Damn it, Luffy, you idiot!”

Seeing the heavy roof coming down, Qin Ming tried to pull Nami out of the way, but Nami reacted faster. She pushed Qin Ming to the ground and shielded him with her body, intending to take the brunt of the impact herself.

“Are you crazy?!” Qin Ming thought, both angry and worried. If the roof hit Nami, she wouldn’t survive.

What frustrated Qin Ming the most was that if Nami hadn’t pushed him down, he could have easily dodged the roof with his current strength, even while injured. But now, it was too late.

In truth, Nami had genuinely believed that Qin Ming couldn’t avoid the falling roof, which was why she had instinctively shielded him.

Nami had no idea that Qin Ming’s strength had nearly doubled in the short week since they last met.

As the roof came crashing down, Qin Ming, seeing Nami’s determined expression, quickly rolled over, placing himself on top of her to take the impact instead.

“He really is protecting me,” Nami thought, feeling both touched and worried.

However, Nami had misunderstood Qin Ming’s intentions. He was simply acting out of a sense of duty to protect her, especially since she had tried to shield him first. If he didn’t do something, he wouldn’t feel like a man.

“Gomu Gomu no Pistol!”

Luffy’s voice rang out, followed by a loud crash.

“Damn, I almost forgot about Luffy. That was close,” Qin Ming thought, relieved as Luffy’s punch shattered the falling roof.

As Qin Ming tried to get up, a sharp pain shot through his head. A large piece of debris had struck him, forcing his head downwards.

At that moment, Nami, who had been smiling at Qin Ming, froze. Qin Ming’s head had suddenly dropped, and his lips pressed firmly against hers.

The warmth of their lips meeting left both Qin Ming and Nami wide-eyed and completely stunned. They stared at each other in disbelief.

It turned out that after Luffy shattered the roof, several large pieces of debris had struck Qin Ming’s head, causing him to lose control and accidentally kiss Nami.

Now, with five pieces of debris neatly stacked on his head, Qin Ming realized that his head had been hit five times in quick succession, leading to this unfortunate accident. It was truly a tragic turn of events.