Chapter 180

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In East Blue, at Shimotsuki Village.

A faint blue streak of light instantly slashed across the sky and crashed at the edge of the town.

"Darn it, so that's

 what 'teleportation' actually feels like!" Abel cursed as soon as he landed.

Already seriously injured, the rough transportation nearly shattered his body, pushing him to the brink of death.

Baby-5 could no longer hold on either; she reverted from her Devil Fruit weapon form – brass knuckles – back to her human form and then passed out.

Although the "Random Teleport Hearthstone" was meant for only one person, the 'equipment' one carried would undoubtedly teleport with them.

Baby-5 and Abel were soul-bound, and she was in her weapon form at the time, that's why she was not left behind.

Abel had calculated it all.

Even if there were any accidents, he was determined to snatch Baby-5 back from the Navy's grasp.

Fortunately, this accident didn't occur.

"One, two, three."

With incredible difficulty and sheer willpower, Abel forcibly completed three sit-ups.

His talent, "Warrior's Soul," was immediately activated, clearing all temporary negative states and resurrecting him with full health.

Lucky for him, he hadn't practiced the "Kabafied Blood Meditation Technique" when he returned to the island, which would have triggered "Warrior's Soul" and its 24-hour cooldown, leaving him stunned.

With not much left to save his life, he couldn't afford to waste any more.

Abel, now fully revitalized, rose to his feet and surveyed his surroundings.

Clearly, everything here seemed too foreign and too ubiquitous.

He had no idea where he was.

Fortunately, his beyond-normal vision allowed him to spot a nearby village, seemingly with plenty of inhabitants where he could inquire about the situation.

Abel was about to carry Baby-5 there when he suddenly realized his appearance might be frightening.

Not only was his suit torn, but it was covered in dreadful bloodstains. Approaching in this state might scare the people and hinder his subsequent actions.

Thankfully, his "Universal Capsule No. 1" contained various supplies, and before the rescue, he safely stored the capsule in the system's inventory, despite the storage fees.

So, Abel promptly took out a new set of clothes, donning an original black suit once more.

Although it might clash with the village's vibe, there were no better options.

He also checked his two small Den Den Mushi, which couldn't be stored in the "Universal Capsule No. 1" or the system's inventory since they were living creatures.

One Den Den Mushi was for family contact within Doflamingo's organization, and the other was for communication with Germa.

The latter was a bit languid but undamaged.

However, the former was not as fortunate.

Its back had cracked open, and the Den Den Mushi's eyes were shut tight, unresponsive to any calls—they were either unconscious or possibly dead.

Abel wasn't sure if Den Den Mushi could be repaired but had no choice but to wait and see.

"Hopefully, I haven't been teleported too far."

After sighing, Abel picked up the unconscious girl and walked towards the village.

Soon, he arrived at the outskirts where he saw several children playing together. He approached and asked, "Kids, I'm a merchant who has lost his way. Can you tell me where this place is?"The children immediately ceased their roughhousing and looked at each other. An older child stepped forward and volunteered, "This is Shimotsuki Village."

He then gestured for the younger ones to scatter, and they dispersed in a hurry.

"Shimotsuki Village?"

Abel furrowed his brow, he had never heard of it.

He continued to gently coax information: "Let me test you. Do you know about the North Blue?"

After saying this, he pulled out some candy he had prepared in advance.

"I know, there are four blues; East, West, North, and South. The North Blue is as big as our East Blue!" another child blurted out, eyes glued to the candy in his hand.

It's worth noting that the candies Abel brought were specialties from the North Blue, unseen by most people in the East Blue, let alone by a few children.

And thus, Abel successfully gathered the intel he wanted.

"Troublesome, I've been transported to the East Blue."

Isn't the probability of transportation supposed to be higher the closer you are?

However, on second thought, this wasn't bad luck.

Had he been transported to somewhere like Mariejois or an island in the New World, it would be questionable whether he could even get back.

The East Blue wasn't a bad option. As long as he didn't provoke the people of Foosha Village, there were hardly any threats to him.

More importantly, Germa obediently followed his orders and had already been moved to hide in the East Blue!

Once he figured out his exact location, he could simply call Germa to pick him up and take him back to the North Blue!

Yes, that's the plan!

Abel had clarified his thoughts when he suddenly noticed that a large group of adults from the village was approaching, each carrying farm tools and looking quite formidable.

"Halt! Who are you?"

A loud shout interrupted Abel mulling over his thoughts.

"Hmm?"

By the time he realized it, he saw he was surrounded by the villagers.

It wasn't that he had lost his vigilance; it was just that these ordinary people really didn't pose any threat to him.

Would you feel threatened by a few ants passing by your feet?

Although it's not the most appropriate analogy, it was essentially the case.

"Don't misunderstand, I am just a merchant who has lost his way."

Abel continued with his story, which seemed fine to him.

But it did not appear so to the others.

"Misunderstanding? Merchant?"

"Dammit, I can't take this anymore!"

"Have the slave traders become this brazen now?"

"Tell us, where did you kidnap this little girl from?!"

"You won't leave Frost Moon Village today without explaining!"

"Yes, let the little girl go immediately!"

...

As he took in the excited crowd, Abel looked down at his outfit, the sunglasses, and black suit.

He then glanced at Baby-5 asleep in his arms, recalling how he had been interacting with the children moments ago, and instantly understood the situation.

If he were in their shoes, he'd also think something was amiss.

The misunderstanding had escalated quite a bit.

He was speechless.

"You've got it all wrong. This is my sister; she's just asleep. I was merely asking for directions."

"Hm? Wait, wasn't this Shimotsuki Village? How did it become Frost Moon Village?" 

Abel suddenly noticed the discrepancy!