INIIDF-Chapter 311 Remote Place

You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/marvel6395

On the beach, Liam was trapped inside a large iron cage, its rusted bars creaking slightly from the sea breeze.

"Got him!"

An excited shout rang out nearby, followed by a group of villagers springing from their hiding spots. They looked like fishermen and dockworkers, gripping harpoons, iron hooks, and farming tools like shovels and hammers. 

A few dark-skinned teenagers dragged fishing nets behind them, their faces filled with awe and caution as they crowded around the cage to examine their catch.

"Wow, he's huge!" One of them muttered, eyeing Liam's broad frame.

But as they took a closer look, the villagers' confidence wavered. This man, he didn't have the grotesque features of the Fish-Men who had raided the island before.

"Hey! Are you a pirate?" A young man raised his shovel, though his eyes flicked nervously to the empty sea behind Liam. "Or did your ship sink?"

Liam regarded the islanders calmly. "What's the name of this place?"

"Answer the question, you scoundrel!" Someone barked.

"No need to shout," Liam replied nonchalantly. "If I've got a bounty on my head, then yeah, I suppose I'm a pirate."

The villagers tensed, their grips tightening on their weapons. Liam smirked.

"Now it's your turn. What's the name of this island?"

"Oh, our island's name tends to confuse outsiders." The young man with the shovel relaxed slightly, patting his pockets as if searching for something. "Here, stretch out your hand. I'll write it down for you."

Liam, curious, extended his hand through the cage bars, the thick iron chains rattling as he moved.

"What an idiot," The young man sneered, quickly wrapping the chains around Liam's wrist. With a heavy clink, he snapped a large iron lock shut.

"A trap, huh?" Liam sighed. "Clever."

The villagers erupted into laughter, their previous fears melting away. With the Fish-Men pirates gone, they'd managed to capture an unlucky pirate instead, what a fortunate turn of events!

Liam glanced down at the bound chains, then grasped the lock with one hand. With a sharp crack, the lock shattered like brittle stone.

The laughter died instantly. The villagers gawked, mouths agape, as the broken pieces clattered to the ground. Some even started to drool in shock.

"Forget it," Liam muttered, tossing the broken lock aside. It struck the young man in the forehead, sending him stumbling back with a bleeding gash.

"I'm heading to town for a meal. Make way."

Gripping the cage bars firmly, Liam pulled them apart. The iron groaned in protest, bending until a jagged opening appeared. He stepped through without a care.

The villagers recoiled, stumbling backward as they watched the towering pirate emerge.

"He broke it with his bare hands..." One man whispered, trembling. "Is he even human?"

"Maybe he's a Fish-Man in disguise!" Another suggested, his voice cracking.

A burly man with a hammer, clearly more daring than the rest, crept up behind Liam. Gritting his teeth, he leapt with all his might, swinging the hammer straight at Liam's head.

Bang!

The impact reverberated, but Liam didn't so much as flinch. The hammer's handle splintered, sending shards of wood flying. The burly man's hands went numb from the shock. Before he could react, Liam casually swatted him aside. The man sailed through the air like a ragdoll, landing with a resounding splash in the sea.

"Ahhh!"

Liam shook his head, recalling how Hancock would have effortlessly dealt with this nonsense. If he had Haoshoku Haki like hers, they'd all be unconscious by now, and he wouldn't have to bother with words.

"What a waste of time."

Brushing past the trembling villagers, Liam stepped barefoot onto the sandy path leading inland. He tugged up his shorts, lazily following the faint tug of B.I.B.'s presence.

No one dared to stop him.

At that moment, an old fisherman, wrinkled and weary, emerged from the shadows, his voice trembling as he addressed the stunned villagers. "That was terrifying; I thought you were all doomed..."

He recounted the astonishing battle he had glimpsed through his battered spyglass. The dazed crowd gradually grasped the truth, the monstrous strength of the man they had trapped.

"That's impossible," The young man with the shovel muttered, clutching his bleeding forehead. "If he really fought the Fish-Men and churned the sea like that... Why didn't he get angry when we treated him like this?"

No one had an answer. Did they really need to provoke him further to believe his strength?

The old fisherman shook his head. "A strange pirate, that one."

...

This was indeed a small island, with a modest town resting on its shores.

Liam strolled through the narrow streets, his imposing figure of over two meters drawing curious glances from the townsfolk. His wild, sun-bleached hair and powerful frame made him stand out even more.

He soon found Robin at a local tavern. She had already claimed a table, where a spread of mouthwatering dishes awaited him, all to his liking.

Liam didn't hesitate, dropping into the seat and digging in. Robin, ever composed, pulled a set of neatly folded clothes from the green Den Den Mushi's storage. She placed them beside him without comment.

"How's it looking?" Liam asked between bites, knowing Robin's sharp intellect had undoubtedly gathered useful information.

Robin answered smoothly, "This island is situated on the edge of the Grand Line. The people here are quite isolated, but from what I've gathered, we're somewhere in the middle of the first half of the Grand Line."

She tapped the green Den Den Mushi, prompting it to spit out a Log Pose with a gentle click.

Though the Kuja Pirates could traverse the Calm Belt freely, navigating the Grand Line still required the use of Log Poses. Before Liam and Robin had departed, Hancock had thoughtfully provided them with several.

Robin held up the Log Pose, watching the magnetic needle sway slightly. Upon reaching the island, it had begun absorbing the magnetic field, initiating the logging process.

Once completed, the Log Pose would lock onto the next island's magnetic field, pointing them in the right direction. However, the Grand Line's unpredictable nature meant the logging duration varied greatly. Some islands could be logged in mere hours, while others might take weeks, months, or even years.

"The magnetic field here will take two years and four months to fully log," Robin said, her voice tinged with dissatisfaction. "This island's remote location near the Calm Belt, far from the primary sea routes, makes it unappealing to most pirates. There's no Marine presence or influential kingdom here. Hardly anyone passes through."

Indeed, the island had only this modest town, lacking the grandeur of a kingdom. Poverty was evident, with simple buildings and narrow dirt roads. Even in the Golden Age of Pirates, this corner of the world remained largely forgotten.

Robin continued, "It seems a Fish-Man pirate crew passed through recently. They didn't stay long, and from what I can tell, they didn't bother waiting for the magnetic field to finish logging."

Liam, still devouring his meal, chuckled. "A whole crew of Fish-Men and Mermaids? If they get lost, they can just ask the sea creatures for directions. They probably don't need to rely on a Log Pose."

Robin nodded thoughtfully, nibbling at her own plate. She poured herself a cup of coarse tea, savoring the bitterness as she summoned a book with her Flower-Flower Fruit powers. Hands sprouted from the table, gracefully flipping the pages as she read.

When Liam finally slowed down, Robin lowered the book, her piercing gaze meeting his. "So, what's the plan now? Are we really going to wait two years and four months for the Log Pose to finish?"

(End Of This Chapter)