C19

"I'm not a pirate."

"I'm a pirate."

The two men locked eyes. Sparks practically flew in the air. In the end, Weiss shot Ace a glare, as if saying, "You better behave on my ship."

Weiss stepped forward and explained, "Old man, I'm not a pirate. Just an adventurer sailing the seas. We ran out of fresh water and had to stop by an island to replenish."

They actually had plenty of water on board—until Ace started experimenting with his Flame-Flame Fruit powers and accidentally destroyed the water storage tank.

Weiss had been living off peaches for two whole days.

For someone like him—nearly two meters tall, ripped with an eight-pack, and strong enough to kill a sea king with a single slash—two days of eating nothing but peaches was absolutely unforgivable.

"Still sounds like a pirate to me."

"You'd better get off this island right now, or we'll open fire," the man barked with conviction.

Weiss could hear the resolve in his tone. He shook his head and turned away without another word.

---

Fifteen minutes later…

Inside a small tavern, laughter boomed.

"Hahaha! Knew it! You didn't look like pirates at all! Handsome and tall guys like you? No way you're pirates. Old Rayser here really got it wrong."

Weiss sat across from Rayser, deadpan. His eyes drifted toward a bulging sack of gold coins sitting to the side—his gold coins. If not for those, he might've believed the old man's friendly act.

"Old Rayser, aren't you afraid we really are pirates?" Weiss asked with a half-smile, swirling the drink in his hand.

"Nah, not at all. I've served in the Navy for years—I've got an eye for this sort of thing. The moment I saw your ship had no flag, I knew. Real pirates always fly their flag—it's their pride. You had nothing, so I figured you weren't pirates. I wanted to call you back, but figured it'd make me lose face."

"Then you came ashore with a whole bag of gold, so I took it off your hands. Naturally." Rayser downed his drink in one go, his cheeks glowing red with delight. Who wouldn't be happy walking away with that much gold?

Originally, Weiss had planned to leave. But with no fresh water, he figured he'd trade for it—and brought a full sack of gold from the ship. A small one, like the kind used for a 10kg bag of rice.

Who knew Rayser would turn into a completely different person the moment he saw the gold? His attitude flipped faster than turning a page.

"Besides, a pirate crew's flag is its soul. No way they'd go without it. Unless… maybe you're rookie pirates without a flag yet. But if that's the case, well—this is East Blue. Here on Valan Island, we're not scared of small fry like that."

"Let me tell you something in secret," Rayser leaned in with pride. "Under my leadership, the defenses on Valan Island rival even the weakest Navy branch out in the Four Seas."

"Okay, okay. We've already told you—we're not pirates. We have no interest in your island. If a certain someone hadn't wrecked the water tank, we wouldn't have even come ashore."

"Once we refill our supplies, we'll be on our way."

Did Rayser think Weiss couldn't hear the veiled threat behind the bragging? All his talk about strength and military discipline was clearly a warning: Don't try anything funny—we can handle you.

They were clearly confident about repelling small-time pirates.

Still, Weiss had to admit, he respected the old man. The way the whole town mobilized at the mention of pirates—everyone armed and organized—was impressive. Without proper leadership and years of training, no town could manage that level of discipline.

Most places would've descended into chaos.

And all of that was thanks to Old Rayser's tireless efforts.

Weiss suspected this might be the only island in the pirate world like this. Even Twin Swallow Island, where he maintained law and order by himself, didn't quite compare.

"So, young man, once you've restocked, best be on your way. Our island can't afford extra mouths to feed."

"No problem," Weiss replied calmly. That was the plan from the start anyway.

---

Meanwhile…

"Young man, need a hand? Poor thing, carrying all that on your own. Your captain sure is heartless."

"Want big sis to help you out? That way, you can leave sooner."

A burly woman in her forties gave Ace a pitiful look.

"No, thank you, ma'am. This is nothing for me," Ace stiffened as he looked up and quickly refused.

God knows how you plan to "help" me!

What was Ace doing at that moment? Miserably hauling fresh water. He had to carry every drop of water to the ship himself—not even Deuce could help. After all, he was the one who broke the tank.

The rule on the Chris was simple: whoever messes up handles the consequences.

Back on the ship, Deuce was in the lookout tower. Just moments ago, he thought he saw a black blur skimming across the sea's surface. When he tried to get a closer look with the telescope, the figure had already disappeared behind the island.

"Probably just a sea king. We're close to the Calm Belt," he muttered, brushing it off. Spotting Ace descending the hill, Deuce jumped to the deck to meet him.

---

Elsewhere, Kadun strolled through town, exploring.

He was considering staying on the island—everything about this place matched the peaceful life he envisioned.

A life without constant danger. A place without overwhelming power.

But now that he was truly here, he found himself hesitating.

Is this really okay? He was only 25. That was still young by seafaring standards. If he set sail again, surely he could accomplish something out there.

Besides… was this island really as peaceful as it seemed?

The townspeople were strong. They lived well. But something didn't sit right with Kadun.

Everyone survived through bartering—never once had he seen anyone use Berry or any form of currency.

Even if the town could somehow be self-sufficient, why would the old village chief accept that much gold from them?

They clearly didn't need it.

Also, even with the nearby farmlands, it seemed impossible to grow enough food for the entire town.

What Kadun didn't know was that as he wandered the town, a shadowy figure was silently tailing him.

Some of the townsfolk saw it—but said nothing. Just watched in quiet unease.

With all these doubts swirling in his head, Kadun stopped exploring and made his way toward the base of the mountain behind the village. Maybe if he climbed it, he could get a better view—see how big the island really was, and whether there were more fields beyond the hills.

The mountain wasn't tall, and easy to climb.

Once he reached the summit, Kadun stood at the edge of a cliff—and his eyes widened in shock.

Then, a sharp pain stabbed his head. Darkness closed in—and he lost consciousness.

Behind him stood Jack, gripping a thick wooden club, coldly staring at Kadun's limp body lying in the grass.

---

Currently at chapter 120 on Ko-Fi

https:// ko-fi.com/sami27