Chapter 88: 087. Siblings!

"Quickly, quickly, lower the sails and steer the course!"

Under a series of commands.

The warship aligned with the ocean currents and docked along the shore of Steelon Island from its other side.

Moses gazed curiously at the nearby mountains covered in dark brown vegetation before jumping off the warship.

Bear Cub trotted along behind him.

Bogart shouted after them:

"Where are you going? The island's dangerous. The locals here are hostile toward authorities."

Moses waved his hand dismissively, leaving behind the words "I'm not a marine," before turning back with a smile and walking away.

Bogart suddenly realized and muttered helplessly: "Fair point."

Anyway, this kid wasn't weak at all, and no one on the island could beat him, so he might as well let him wander around.

Moses and Bear Cub walked through the forest, observing the surrounding vegetation. The air carried a faint acidic smell.

Before long, Moses reached the top of a small hill and spotted a distant town with smoke rising from it.

Extending his Observation Haki, Moses soon exclaimed in surprise: "There are actually over a thousand people here."

Such a population wasn't small for an ordinary island like this. Along the way, they had encountered abundant wildlife and various wild fruits.

"Let's go."

Moses led Bear Cub toward the distant town.

A short while later, Moses entered the settlement.

One word—strange.

The people he saw on the streets didn't look malnourished. Instead, they all carried a faint metallic scent.

Many had bloodshot eyes.

Their expressions were full of wariness.

The air reeked of a mix of foul odors and gunpowder smoke.

Moses, with his clean appearance, stood out starkly against this backdrop.

And then there was the hostility.

The moment Moses stepped into town, he sensed overwhelming malice, as if the very air had turned sickly sweet.

Just then, a three-meter-tall mountain of flesh blocked his path.

The obese figure bared yellowed teeth, bloodshot eyes glaring at Moses with voracious hunger. Bits of pinkish meat fibers were stuck between his teeth.

"Hey kid, you new here?"

"The name's Fat Dragon. I run this street. Everyone who walks here pays me a toll. I like that fat bear behind you."

He pointed at Bear Cub, licking his lips greedily.

Moses raised an eyebrow in surprise—were people here always this direct?

「Appraisal」

Combat Rating: D+

A one-slash opponent.

"What if I say no?"

Fat Dragon's face twisted into a vicious sneer. "Then I'll eat you both."

The next instant, a breeze brushed past his cheek as a cold glint flashed. Moses appeared behind him.

"My apologies then."

Flicking blood off Cold Dew.

Moses turned to see a red line appear across the man's neck.

A mysteriously glowing irregular crystal emerged from his body.

[Obtained D+ Rank Soul Crystal*1]

Thud!

The mountain of flesh collapsed onto the ground.

Crimson blood spread in all directions.

Bear Cub scampered over, spitting in disgust as he passed the corpse.

After this minor incident.

Moses noticed with surprise that the people on this street now regarded him with friendlier eyes.

He finally understood.

This town followed only one rule.

The law of the jungle.

The big fish eats the small fish.

As he walked down the street, Moses received no shortage of fawning glances. On this island, food could be taken freely without payment.

But Moses paid properly.

After all, he wasn't here to stay.

Nor did he need to follow local customs.

He was just passing through.

At a table outside a stir-fried rice noodle shop, Moses and Bear Cub devoured their noodles with gusto. The dish was delicious—spicy, numbing, sour, and fragrant, with a unique flavor.

Just as Moses was finishing his third bowl, a small figure approached from a distance.

She sat down timidly across from him. Moses kept eating without a word until he was done, then placed a few coins on the table.

He stood up to leave with Bear Cub.

Suddenly, his arm flicked away from an attempted grab. Moses turned his head. "Something you need?"

The one who had tried to grab him was a little girl, about eight or nine years old, with short blue-and-pink hair that reached her shoulders and a pair of small, upward-curving white horns on her temples.

She was covered in dirt.

Now, she stared at him stubbornly before speaking in a clear voice:

"My name is Ulti. I live on this island. You just got here, right? Do you need a guide? Just feed me, and I'll help you."

Moses raised an eyebrow slightly. The name, combined with her highly distinctive appearance—though she wasn't wearing a mask, and her face was quite pretty—confirmed it. This was definitely that girl. If she was here, along with Garp's mission, then the "bad kid from the New World" Garp had mentioned was undoubtedly him.

"So, you were the one following me earlier?"

Ulti bit her lip, glaring at him.

"You were exiled to this island too, weren't you? My family's run out of food. My dad's friend is coming to pick us up in a couple of days. Help me out, and I'll beg him to take you off this island too. Deal?"

Moses's eyes narrowed in thought. Using Ulti as a bridge might be a good way to infiltrate that place. But how could he gain their trust?

Well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

For now, he'd cast the net.

At that moment, Moses made his decision.

Plans never survived contact with reality.

But maybe this was the best chance he'd had in years to slip into that place.

Looking at Ulti's hopeful expression, Moses voiced his doubt:

"Why me? You've been tailing me, so you must know I killed that fat dragon. I'm not exactly a good guy. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

At the mention of the fat dragon, Ulti's eyes flashed with disgust, but she quickly pushed it aside.

"Instinct. I can tell you're not the type to kill without reason. My dad's a pirate—I've met plenty of those kinds of people. You don't give off that same nasty vibe."

Moses figured the timing was right. He nodded. "Remember your promise. When your dad's friend comes, make sure I get off this island too."

Ulti's face lit up instantly. "Then… can you buy us food now?"

"Noodles?"

"I'm not picky."

"How many bowls?"

"Six."

"You a pig or something?"

"Not just me—my brother too. Oh, his name's Page One. Wait here a sec."

With that, Ulti ran toward a nearby alley and soon emerged, leading a purple-haired boy around six years old by the hand.

Seizing the moment, Moses ordered twelve bowls of noodles from the shop owner.

The boy immediately hid behind Ulti as soon as he arrived, seeming a bit shy.

Ulti then smacked her younger brother hard on the back, making Page One yelp in pain:

"Little Page, this is—"

At this point, Ulti tilted her head slightly and looked at Moses with a hint of confusion in her eyes:

"...What's your name? I don't actually know yet."

"Moses. That's my name."

Ulti stared firmly at her brother. "Little Page, this is Moses. He's the nice guy treating us to food."

"Mm, I got it, sis. And stop hitting me—it hurts."

Moses chuckled and led the two of them, along with Bear Cub, back to their seats at the table. Soon after, bowl after bowl of noodles was brought out.

The siblings ate hungrily and quickly, clearly having gone more than one meal without food.

Moses joined them in eating again.

Moses noticed—

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—that after Page One finished his second bowl, Ulti slowed down her pace. By the time he finished his third, she pushed her own third bowl toward him.

Now, watching Page One stubbornly refuse to eat, Moses smiled and snapped his fingers at the shop owner. When the man looked over, Moses said, "Another twelve bowls of noodles, please."

Soon after, he slid the freshly served bowls toward the siblings and declared:

"Eat your fill today."

Ulti didn't hold back, murmuring a quiet thanks before urging her brother to dig in.

This cycle repeated.

The siblings didn't stop until they had polished off twenty bowls between them, both looking thoroughly stuffed.

At this point, Bear Cub tugged at Moses' sleeve. When Moses glanced down, the little bear whispered:

"They're so weak—already full? Not like Bear. Still got room for more."

Understanding Bear Cub's words, Moses looked at Ulti and said, "Where else around here sells good food? Take us there. Weren't you supposed to be our guide?"

Ulti rubbed her slightly bloated stomach, a satisfied smile on her face.

"No problem. I'll take you right now."

And so, one adult, two kids, and a bear became the most conspicuous group on the streets, eating their way through everything in sight. Of course, they did run into a few troublemakers along the way.

But after Moses swiftly dealt with them, the rest of their food tour went much more smoothly.

Before they knew it, they had been eating for quite a while.

Noticing Page One stealing glances at him with an awed expression, Moses grinned. "What? Do I have something on my face? You keep staring."

Page One ducked his head shyly. Seeing this, Moses blinked and turned to Ulti. "Your brother's this introverted?"

At Moses' words, Page One's head drooped even lower.

Ulti gritted her teeth, a flash of anger in her eyes. "Little Page wasn't like this before. It's all that bastard's fault."

Once she started, the words poured out uncontrollably.

In short, it was all thanks to their now-dead scumbag of a father.

After eating and drinking their fill—

Ulti led Moses to a house at the edge of town.

This was their home.

At that moment, several people stood at the doorway, led by a woman exuding a fox-like allure. Dressed provocatively and adorned flamboyantly, she stepped forward as soon as she saw them approaching.

Her eyes swept over Ulti up and down.

A seductive, honeyed voice rang out:

"Little brat, have you made up your mind yet? Your deadbeat father is already gone. Out of respect for all the money he spent at my place, why not come with me? I'll make sure you live in luxury."

A flash of anger crossed Ulti's eyes, and she bristled instantly. "Get lost! Who'd want to be a whore with you? I've told you before—give up on this stupid idea!"

A cold glint flickered in the woman's eyes as she giggled. "Really won't come with big sister? Well then, such a pretty face shouldn't go to waste. Let me ruin it for you."

Seeing Ulti's defiance, the woman's envy flared. This pretty little girl with horns had been on her radar for a long time. If she could get her hands on her and raise her properly, she'd undoubtedly become the top attraction at her brothel.

She took a deep breath, her chest heaving dramatically. "Big sister's giving you one last chance."

"Drop dead! I'd never be a whore. Get that through your thick skull already!"

The woman's last shred of patience vanished. Her jealousy could no longer be contained as she viciously barked at the men behind her:

"Grab that little bitch! Since her mouth's so filthy, I'll tear it apart myself."

The men charged forward with lewd grins. Though flustered, Ulti didn't panic. Her right hand slipped beneath the hem of her clothes and pulled out a small knife. As the first man lunged, she ducked low and thrust the blade viciously forward—piercing straight through his abdomen with a wet thunk.

But they had numbers on their side. The people in this town were all hardened by bloodshed; a little wound like this wouldn't make them back down.

Soon, under the combined assault of several grown men, Ulti began to falter.

At that moment, Page One—who had always been somewhat introverted—suddenly roared and charged forward, his eyes bloodshot, after seeing Ulti kicked to the ground.

Despite his ferocity, he was still just a kid. In no time, the woman ambushed him from behind and knocked him flat.

Now, her face twisted with malice, the woman pressed a dagger against Page One's throat as she glared at Ulti, who was still fighting back and even gaining ground.

"Little bitch, see who's in big sister's hands now?"

Ulti stole a glance and froze, her expression blank. Then she turned to Moses.

"Wasn't Page with you?"

Moses blinked. "He saw you getting beaten and rushed in. I thought he was as strong as you. Turns out he's pretty weak."

Ulti's face darkened at his words. She gritted her teeth.

"Don't you dare talk about Page like that! Yeah, he's weak, but he was trying to save me!"

Moses gave her a strange look. This girl's a total airhead.

The woman's irritated voice cut in. "No wonder you wouldn't come with me, little bitch—you've already got yourself a man.

Your brother's with me now. Drop the knife, kneel, and don't resist."

She flicked the dagger teasingly against Page One's neck. With no choice, Ulti obeyed, her eyes burning with fury.

The woman's face brimmed with satisfaction—but she no longer wanted Ulti anymore. If the girl was this fierce now, she'd be unstoppable once she grew up.

Since we've already made enemies, might as well have some fun before killing them.

At that moment, the woman gave Moses a flirtatious glance, her eyes filled with greed. "Little brother, that silly girl can't compare to me. Why don't you come play with big sister instead?"

As she spoke, she glanced at the injured men nearby, signaling them to "entertain" Ulti properly.

Moses looked at her and curled his lip. "You reek of body odor. It's choking." Then he turned to Bear Cub, who was watching curiously beside him. "You handle those rotten tomatoes."

With that, he drew the Cold Dew Short Sword from his waist and hurled it at her with a vicious throw.

A whistling sound cut through the air, followed by a crisp snap as the short sword embedded itself squarely between her eyebrows, the sharp blade sinking in completely.

The woman stared blankly at Moses before collapsing limply backward.

A grain-sized Soul Crystal emerged from her body.

[Obtained F-grade Soul Crystal ×1]

"Trash."

Almost immediately, the sound of cracking bones and agonized screams erupted. Moses glanced over to see Bear Cub brutally beating the men into unrecognizable shapes—even if they survived, they'd never recover fully.

Noticing Moses' gaze, Bear Cub grinned sheepishly. "Their eyes said they wanted to eat bear."

Moses nodded approvingly. "Good job."

Page One spat at the woman's body and, surprisingly, easily pulled the short sword from her forehead. He approached Moses somewhat awkwardly and handed the weapon back.

"Thanks for saving me and my sis, Brother Moses."

Moses raised an eyebrow but didn't reject the address. Taking Cold Dew, he flicked it clean of filth. Just then, Ulti walked over, rubbing her stomach while taking deep breaths.

Moses asked, "Did the kick hurt?"

Ulti grimaced. "Not too bad, but it made me nauseous. I just ate, and I hate wasting food. Oh, and thanks for saving us again. Counting the meal you treated us to and helping Page One, that's four times now. I'll repay you properly someday."

Moses had no words.

Right then, loud clapping echoed from a corner.

A terrifyingly tall man with curved black horns stepped forward—his stature monstrously broad, standing at least seven meters tall. He wore a dark purple open-chested shirt, baggy dark green pants, and black knee-high leather boots. An overwhelming aura radiated from him.

"Worororo, so you're Ulti and Page One, that guy's kids? I'm Kaido. Your father entrusted you to me."

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