novelhk Chapter 384 Anchor Point
Chapter 384 Anchor Point
Windmill Village, in a remote corner far away from the village, located on the edge of the forest, a rather elegant house has been quietly built at some point. This is the temporary residence established by Yakumo Bai, and it is also the residence of Kuina and others in Windmill Village.
The location of the house is quite ingenious: it is backed by a lush forest, and the dense branches and leaves block most of the prying eyes from the outside world; while the side facing the village is specially designed with an open terrace, standing there and looking out, you can have a panoramic view of the entire windmill village.
The fishing boats moored in the harbor swayed gently with the waves, the white windmills turned slowly in the sunshine, and even the figures at the door of the Makino Bar at the entrance of the village could be seen clearly.
At that moment, Yakumo Shiro stood inside the house, his fingertips gently pressing against the wooden door. Beneath the otherwise ordinary wood grain, nearly transparent lines slowly flowed, winding and moving as if alive—traces of the Door-Door Fruit's ability, carving its mark and establishing a node there.
"Om..."
As the power in his palm gradually converged, the lines on the door surface receded like the tide, and finally disappeared into the texture of the wood, and no abnormality could be seen anymore.
Yakumo Shiro gently pushed the door, and the hinges creaked softly. Although it looked like an ordinary wooden door, it was invisibly anchored to the alien space portal opened up by the Door-Door Fruit.
From today on, by opening this door, one can not only walk to the forest path outside the cabin, but also, under his control of thoughts, directly connect to several coordinate points that have been set in advance.
That's right, during the four months since coming to Windmill Village, while Yakumo Haku played the role of a passing traveler, he spent the rest of the time developing the ability of the Door Door Fruit, and the space node engraved in front of him was one of them.
Alabasta, Sabaody Archipelago, Dressrosa, Zou, Inazuma... With the mobility of the Thunder Fruit, Yakumo Haku has already anchored several islands. With this door, he can return to Inazuma at any time through the power of the fruit, and keep abreast of the situation in Windmill Village at any time, which can be said to save a lot of time.
"Master, is this... done?" Yejia's voice came from outside the window. She leaned against the door frame with Butu Yuhun slung across her waist. When her eyes swept across the wooden door, curiosity and surprise flashed in her eyes.
"Well, after all, the safest hiding place is in the most conspicuous place. Who would have thought that the door of a wooden house where an unknown person lived would be a portal that could travel across the world?"
Ye Jia chuckled and ran his fingertips across the scabbard: "Indeed. From now on, if you want to leave, just push open the door and you won't have to worry about anyone noticing your tracks."
"It's more than just leaving." Yakumo Shiro's gaze fell on the wooden door, which seemed to still bear traces of the carving and engraving he had done all night. "More importantly, it allows us to stay here 'safely'."
After all, a "stranger" who occasionally goes out to purchase and stays at home is far less likely to arouse suspicion than a "mysterious customer" whose whereabouts are unknown.
"Click."
Yakumo Shiro gently turned the doorknob and pushed it open. Sunlight streamed in, carrying the scent of grass and dew, a familiar sight at the edge of a forest. He casually adjusted the straps of his mask and put it back on, covering most of his face. His fox ears and tail had long since vanished, and now he looked like an ordinary traveler, albeit with a touch of aloofness.
"It's time to go check on those energetic little guys. Don't be lazy in your training today."
Passing through the woods, the outline of Windmill Village gradually became clear in the morning light. Smoke was already rising from the chimney of the Makino Bar, mixed with the aroma of baking bread. As Yakumo Shiro reached the back alley of the bar, he saw Makino standing on tiptoe, watering the flower pots on the windowsill.
"Good morning, sir." Makino turned around, a little flour on her apron, and her smile was as warm as freshly baked bread. "Today's bread has some honey in it. Would you like to try it?"
Yakumo Shiro stopped, his eyes fixed on her floury fingertips. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly beneath his mask. "Okay, I'm a little hungry." He walked forward and naturally took the water bottle from her hand. "Can't you reach it?"
"Well, the windowsill is too high." Makino smiled a little embarrassedly. Yakumo Bai raised his hand to lift the kettle to the windowsill. In the process, the edge of the mask rubbed against the broken hair on his forehead. Makino subconsciously reached out to help him tidy it up. When his fingertips were about to touch the mask, he saw that he slightly turned his head to avoid it.
"Sorry." Makino withdrew his hand, his cheeks feeling a little hot.
"It's okay." Yakumo's voice came through the mask, with a hint of vague gentleness. "I'm just not used to people touching this place." He pointed at his mask. "After all, this is part of my 'identity.'"
Makino nodded and didn't ask any more questions. She knew that this man, who always wore a mask, had many secrets, like the fog on the sea: you could see the outline, but you couldn't fathom the inner secrets.
However, she didn't care - for the past few months, this man would always show up to help her when she was too busy, and he would just watch from afar as the children practiced day after day, as if there was no need to worry as long as Mr. Koshiro was there.
Occasionally, he would order a few drinks and drink them slowly at the bar, but strangely, no matter how hard she tried, she had never seen him take off his mask.
Moreover, she couldn't tell whether it was an illusion or something, but she always felt that she had seen this figure somewhere. He looked very much like the man who took "Uta" away in the tavern. There was an indescribable sense of familiarity.
However, Makino simply dismissed this as a sign of exhaustion. After all, how could that important figure visit his tavern again after all these years? And why would he do that, wearing a mask and bringing along a few strange children?
You know, this is the hometown of the hero Garp. How could he risk his life for an existence that the other party wants to avoid?
With a slight sense of loss, the girl sighed softly and unconsciously took the kettle. Just as she was about to turn around and walk towards the kitchen, she suddenly remembered something and said to Yakumo Shiro,
"Oh, by the way, remember I told you before? This is the hometown of the navy hero Mr. Garp!"
"Just this morning, Mr. Garp came back! He's chatting with Luffy and the others in the front hall now."
Hearing this, Yakumo Bai's gaze paused.
Garp? Finally back? His wait hadn't been in vain. After all, besides making sure everything was going smoothly, he also needed to confirm something from him...
"Really? Then I should go say hello~"