'This limp, powerless feeling... was I drugged? These people are certainly cautious enough.'
Zane tried to ball his hands into fists as they rested on his knees, his brow furrowing at the lingering weakness.
With his strength at its peak, dealing with Bellamy's crew wouldn't have been difficult at all.
After all, he hadn't spent this life idling around.
The old man who raised and taught him had once been a truly formidable figure.
As a mber of the Three-Eye Tribe, his decision to set out to sea wasn't just because the old man's passing left him with no ties; it was also born from confidence in his own power.
As for now...
The impact of the giant waves during the shipwreck had already left him severely injured and unconscious, not to ntion he was currently drugged.
'Looks like I have no choice but to use my cheat!'
Considering his dire situation, Zane decisively turned his attention to his 'gold finger.'
That's right.
Besides the benefits of his past life's mories, awakening his past wisdom also ca with the standard-issue 'cheat' for any transmigrator.
His cheat was a gate.
Appearance-wise, it was a bronze gate etched with mysterious patterns, hidden deep within his consciousness.
When Zane's consciousness touched the bronze gate, it fed him relevant information.
Simply put, it was a gate that allowed him to travel freely between two worlds.
Zane wasn't sure which world he would travel to, but given his current predicant, he felt he didn't have much of a choice.
After all, from Sarkies' words, it wasn't hard to tell that news of his existence had likely reached Doflamingo's ears.
While his status as a mber of the Three-Eye Tribe ant there was a high probability Doflamingo wouldn't kill him and might even recruit him, Zane hated being so vulnerable.
Therefore, even if it was a risk, Zane decided to try the bronze gate to see if he could turn the tide of his current situation.
"Tch, given up hope? Well, you can't bla anyone but yourself. That's just the fate of the Three-Eye Tribe."
Then there was Sarkies.
Seeing Zane lower his head and ignore him after saying only one sentence made him feel a bit annoyed. However, considering the boy's value, he didn't dare walk over and beat him like he would any other slave.
Curling his lip, Sarkies took a swig from his bottle and turned back to brag with his two subordinates.
'After traveling, the original world enters a state of stasis. That's pretty good.'
Pondering the information from the gate, Zane glanced up at Sarkies and the other two, who were no longer paying attention to him. He plucked a strand of his own hair and activated the gate the mont he let it go in front of his eyes.
*Whoosh!*
Without a sound, the mont Zane activated the gate with his mind, he vanished from the cage, only to reappear imdiately.
'Hmm... looks like the information was correct. Not only can I travel freely, but ti also stands still.'
Catching the hair that was still at the sa height and position as when he left, Zane looked toward Sarkies' group outside the cage.
Seeing that the three were in the exact sa positions as when he had departed, he couldn't help but smile inwardly.
It never hurt to be cautious.
To confirm the gate's actual effects.
Just now, in addition to successfully traveling, Zane had intentionally stayed in the other world for quite a while.
He had even made sure to return in the exact sa posture he was in when he left, just to be safe.
*Whoosh!*
No longer worried, Zane activated the bronze gate once more to travel.
...
The dim cabin transford into bright sunlight and a lush, green forest.
Even though he had been here once before, Zane still scanned his surroundings with extre vigilance.
Though his third eye had yet to awaken any of the legendary special abilities of the Three-Eye Tribe, it still granted him vision far superior to ordinary people.
Upon inspection, there was no one else around.
Confirming there was no danger, Zane stood up. Raising his shackled hands, he struggled a bit to pull off his shirt.
*Rip!*
Tearing a long strip of cloth from the shirt, Zane tied it around his forehead to conceal his third eye.
Though he didn't know the state of this world yet, the features of a Three-Eye were too conspicuous; it was better to keep it hidden if possible.
After covering the eye, Zane wrapped the remaining scraps of his shirt around his wrists to hide the shackles.
'The dose they gave shouldn't be too heavy. Even without food, with my constitution, I should recover soon.'
Pondering to himself, Zane looked around. Instead of rushing to explore, he found a nearby tree and sat down.
The more precious sothing was, the more it would be valued.
Though a bit ironic, his identity as a Three-Eye ant he was destined to be a valuable commodity.
Whether for sale or recruitnt.
Zane believed Bellamy's group had only drugged him enough to keep him weak for a short ti, preventing escape or self-harm.
So, all he had to do now was wait for the drug's effects to wear off.
Leaning against the trunk, Zane stretched out his left leg while pulling his right knee up. He rested his right arm on his knee and sat quietly, observing his surroundings as he rested.
Ti ticked away.
The chirping of insects and the twittering of birds echoed occasionally through the verdant forest.
The sun, once high in the sky, quietly dipped toward the western horizon.
The sky gradually darkened.
'That should do it. I'm still injured, but I've recovered about fifty to sixty percent of my physical strength.'
While sitting, Zane had periodically tested his condition by clenching his fists.
Sensing that the weakness had mostly vanished, Zane shook out his hands and unwrapped the tattered cloth from his wrists. He clenched his fists and flexed, pulling his arms apart with force.
*Creak!*
Well-defined muscles rippled along his bare arms.
As he pulled, the shackles soon groaned under the strain until they reached their limit. With a sharp crack, the heavy iron was forced apart and shattered by Zane's raw strength.
"That's much better..."
Glancing at the shattered fragnts on the ground, Zane gave a light chuckle and stood up calmly.
Shaking his hands out, he casually stretched his limbs.
'I'm starving. I need to find so food quickly.'
Rubbing his slightly hollow stomach, Zane fixed his gaze on the tallest tree nearby.
*Whoosh!*
Pushing off with his feet and leaving a deep footprint behind, Zane blurred into a phantom.
Reaching the base of the tree, he easily leaped six or seven ters into the air. With several nimble bounds between the trunk and branches, he reached the highest bough.
Bracing his right hand against the trunk and standing on a branch that bowed under his weight, Zane shielded his eyes with his left hand and scouted the surrounding distance.
The fading light of approaching dusk hindered visibility, but it couldn't hide the lights of civilization.
As he looked out, Zane's gaze stopped on a distant point.
Far off in that direction, the faint, shimring glow of many lights was visible.
'A town? This is much better than I expected. At least it's not so desolate wilderness.' Looking at the distant town, Zane smiled and jumped down from the branch.
*Thud.*
Bending his knees to absorb the impact, he landed with a dull thud, barely leaving a dent in the soil.
Zane didn't hesitate and headed toward the town with large strides.
He was no longer in a weakened state; he finally had the strength to explore this new world.
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