C18

Two days later, after a long voyage, the Chris finally spotted Valan Island. The island wasn't very large—only about half the size of Twin Swallow Island.

Kadun carefully steered the ship toward the dock. Deuce stood on the lookout tower, while Weiss and Ace stood at the bow. Unlike what they'd imagined—a bustling port filled with ships queued to enter, dockworkers rushing about unloading cargo—the harbor was completely deserted. Not a single soul in sight. In fact, it felt eerily abandoned.

"This island feels off," Ace said, stepping onto the dock. He looked up and called, "Deuce! Do you see anything from up there?"

"Nothing, Captain Ace," Deuce replied after scanning the island. "There's a hill blocking my view—I can't see past it."

"What's so strange? Isn't this pretty normal?" Weiss shrugged. In his mind, this kind of quiet wasn't unusual at all. Their route had hugged the Calm Belt, a remote stretch of sea rarely visited.

This was a scarcely-traveled route, and most small islands like this barely had residents. It made sense that the locals would be busy elsewhere, not hanging around the port.

In fact, at the Twin Swallow Island harbor, people only showed up once or twice a year. Most of the time, only Weiss was there to train.

So for a place like Valan Island—so obscure it was barely marked on maps—this kind of emptiness seemed perfectly natural.

"Let's go ashore and check it out. Deuce, stay here and guard the ship. Kadun, you're coming with us," Weiss ordered.

Truth was, Kadun was too weak to defend the ship if someone really wanted to attack it. But leaving him alone on an inhabited island was equally risky. So better to keep him close.

---

"Captain, are you sure this is an inhabited island?" Kadun asked eagerly. After so long confined on the ship, he was thrilled at the chance to finally get off. Life as a prisoner had been rough.

"Yep," Ace smirked. "That's why we're bringing you along. Who knows, maybe you'll fall in love with the place."

For some reason, Kadun felt a chill run down his spine after hearing that. He watched their backs nervously. Wait, they're not planning to kill me, are they...?

"Captain! I really think something's wrong with this island!" he shouted, catching up in a panic.

What could possibly be wrong? The two strongest people in the East Blue weren't even in the East Blue anymore. One guy who wanted to destroy the East Blue entirely was floating off somewhere in the sky, unreachable. What kind of trouble could possibly show up?

Some weird Devil Fruit user? No way! Those types all head to the Grand Line.

Thinking that, Weiss expanded his Haki—his Observation(Kenbunshoku) Haki—to its maximum range. The feedback came immediately: the town ahead was bustling with people. The reason it had looked empty was because of that hill between the port and the town—it had blocked Deuce's line of sight.

The three crested the hill and saw the town below. Nestled at the base of the hill, it was surrounded by endless rice fields and irrigation channels crisscrossing the land. The fields were filled with people working diligently.

In the center of the town ran a single street—clearly the main and only thoroughfare—lined with scattered houses. This must be where everyone on Valan Island lived.

People bustled along the street, seemingly shopping or trading.

---

"Jack, you've got better eyesight than I do. Can you see if someone's on the hill by the dock?" A young man carrying game over his shoulder paused halfway up the hill and called to his companion.

Jack, a 20-year-old with freakishly sharp vision, could see clearly for up to three kilometers if there was no obstruction. If he closed his eyes, he could "see" even farther—a manifestation of Observation (Kenbunshoku) Haki, though Jack himself had no idea what it was.

He turned toward the hill and immediately dropped his game to the ground. Then he sprinted downhill so fast he tripped and somersaulted all the way down.

"Those aren't our people!" Jack shouted from below.

"Damn! Pirates!" his companion yelled from the hillside.

This island rarely had visitors. It was mostly self-sufficient. Even merchant ships only came once a year, and those had stopped entirely five years ago due to lack of profit.

The only ones who might still come were pirates.

"Pirates! Pirates are here!" The cries echoed through the town.

People turned toward the commotion and saw something round tumble down the hill. Faint shouts of "pirates" could be heard.

"Pirates? Hah! That idiot Jack again," a vegetable vendor laughed. "Nobody's landed here in nearly five years! What would pirates come here for, a free lunch?"

Though Valan Island was small, it was marked on official maps. Pirates tended to land on uncharted islands—why come here?

The truth? No one had dared to land here for five years because the residents were too damn fierce. Their mayor was a retired Marine officer who knew better than to rely solely on outside help. From the day he was elected, he had selected and trained a group of villagers to defend themselves. And they had successfully driven off every pirate crew that dared approach.

With so few pirates in the East Blue to begin with, Valan Island had effectively dropped off their radar.

Just as the vegetable seller finished laughing, he realized no one else was responding. He turned and looked toward the shore, eyes narrowing.

"Dorenk, what is it? What do you see?"

"Nothing," replied the vegetable vendor—Dorenk.

"Then why the serious face?"

"Well, everyone else at the village entrance has this serious look... If I didn't do the same, I'd look like an idiot."

---

At the village entrance, Kadun hid behind Weiss and Ace, trembling.

As soon as the three stepped into view, everyone in the village stopped what they were doing and turned toward them.

The man chopping fish threw away the fish head and held onto the cleaver.

The guy with a carrying pole switched it for a hoe.

The woman with a kitchen knife swapped it for an axe.

The ones with no weapons picked up abandoned cleavers.

The butcher about to bleed a pig let go of it entirely.

"Uh... is it just me, or are these people... not right in the head?" Kadun stammered.

"They seem... a bit too enthusiastic," Weiss muttered, rubbing his nose. This is my first time here. I haven't offended anyone... right?

The pig, now freed, stood between the two groups, snorting and digging in the dirt.

Suddenly, the sound of rushed footsteps came from inside the town. The villagers at the front parted, making way.

Click. Click. Click.

A row of villagers holding rifles stepped forward and aimed at the trio. The moment an order was given, they'd pull the triggers. Jack stood among them, his weapon aimed squarely at Weiss.

Somehow, Jack knew—this guy was the strongest of the three.

"Pirates! Get off Valan Island! You're not welcome here!" came a powerful voice.

An old man with white hair stepped forward, leaning on a cane. Though clearly aged, the aura he gave off was anything but weak.

He was the mayor of Valan Town—Retired Navy Captain, Rayser.

---

Currently at chapter 105 on Ko-Fi

https:// ko-fi.com/sami27