C20

At the bar in Valan Town, Weiss and Rayser were drinking together—without any side dishes. Rayser was gulping his drink in big mouthfuls, exuding a rough and unrestrained vibe. He probably got used to drinking like that during his time in the navy, competing with others in drinking games.

Weiss, on the other hand, sipped slowly and deliberately. They weren't even drinking the same kind of alcohol, so naturally, their drinking styles differed too.

At that moment, the bar door creaked open. Jack walked in with a blank expression, leaned down to whisper something into Rayser's ear, and shot a subtle glance at Weiss.

Weiss didn't mind—just chalked it up to young men being curious about strangers.

But after listening to Jack's report, Rayser's thoughts quickly shifted. His gaze swept over the treasure lying on the ground, and a plan began to form in his mind. Perhaps… he could run one last scam and walk away with that gold.

He turned to Weiss, his expression dark. "Young man, it seems your crew is causing trouble."

"What happened?" Weiss replied calmly, and in an instant, his Observation Haki flared. The outline of the entire town appeared in his mind. He frowned, then vanished from his seat without a sound.

Rayser's grim face immediately twisted in shock as he chased after him, his thoughts in turmoil. "What the hell—he used Soru/Shave!?"

The scene shifted.

At the edge of the village, Weiss appeared, and before him was Kadun—tied up, two guards watching over him. Weiss let out a breath of relief.

He stepped forward and stood in front of Kadun, staring coldly at the guards. His face was expressionless, and he made no move to attack. After all, he didn't yet know what Kadun had done. From the looks of it, he had only been knocked out—not seriously harmed.

…

…

Rayser and Jack soon arrived, Rayser's aged face dripping with sweat.

"Damn it," he muttered, "I was only trying to scam him for a bit of gold, but now all I want is to get rid of this walking disaster. We can't beat him. No one in the whole village can."

He had served in the navy—and had once even visited Navy Headquarters. By sheer chance, he'd learned the conditions required to train in the Navy's Six Styles. Someone who could use Soru/Shave was not someone anyone on this island could handle—even if everyone attacked together.

He had assumed Weiss was just some greenhorn, a naive brat. He never expected him to be a hidden beast in sheep's clothing.

"Weiss," Rayser said, trying to keep his tone civil, "this situation... might need some explanation."

Weiss had a sword in hand—it wasn't drawn, but the sheer aura radiating from it was sharp enough to make the air tremble.

Rayser looked at him and felt like invisible blades were slicing at his eyes. One thing became very clear: this was not someone you messed with.

"Your companion wandered up the mountain and stumbled onto our island's secret. Jack knocked him out to keep it quiet."

"And what are you planning to do with him?" Weiss asked flatly.

"Two options. First: he stays on the island, forever. Second... well—"

"No need. We'll go with the first option," Weiss cut him off. "I'm sure he'll be more than happy with that."

Weiss found it a bit surprising—was this fate?

He hadn't even heard the second option, but the first one already met both the island's needs and his own expectations. And more importantly, it probably suited Kadun too.

Could it really be this easy?

As for worrying whether something might happen to Kadun afterward—no, that was unlikely. If the islanders had truly been evil, Jack would've killed him on the spot to keep the secret. The fact that he hadn't showed they weren't cold-blooded criminals.

"You're not even curious about the second option?" Rayser was dumbfounded. Weren't pirates supposed to care deeply about their crewmates? This guy didn't even hesitate.

If Weiss could read his mind, he would've laughed out loud. He'd only known Kadun for less than ten days, and Kadun had been a prisoner on his ship the whole time.

As long as they didn't kill him, what was there to fuss over?

And what "secret" could the island possibly have?

The entire town was made up of women. Men were rare. So obviously, the "secret" was… where did all the men go?

Letting Kadun stay here might actually be a blessing in disguise. For all they knew, he might even find love here. From any angle, this was a win.

"You really don't want to know the island's secret?" Rayser asked, looking constipated.

"Nope," Weiss said, waving a hand dismissively.

Just then, Kadun groaned and woke up. "Pirates! They're all f***ing pirates!" he cried out, breaking Weiss's train of thought.

By now, everyone in town had gathered, just like they did when Weiss's group first landed.

"Alright, everyone disperse," Rayser said with a sigh, waving a hand. "Kid, come with me."

"Mayor…" Jack started to speak.

But Rayser cut him off. "No need, Jack. This can't go on forever. Sure, it worked this year—but what about next year? Or the year after that? How long can we keep this up?"

With that, he turned and walked back to the bar, his figure slightly hunched, the weariness of years on his shoulders.

Weiss furrowed his brows. He was now sure that no one on the island could defeat him. So he followed silently. Kadiun, still shaken, quickly followed, casting wary glances at the islanders.

Back in the bar, Rayser began to tell the truth—or rather, spin the tale—of the island.

In the past, many pirates had come to this island. But when Rayser returned, he organized resistance. Slowly, word spread. And since the island had little to offer, pirates stopped bothering.

But as the population declined, merchant ships stopped coming too. There just wasn't enough profit in it. Eventually, the island became completely isolated.

At first, they managed. But they couldn't produce everything they needed, so they formed a supply fleet made up entirely of villagers.

Things went smoothly at first. They always brought back the supplies the town needed, creating a sustainable cycle.

But the good times didn't last. One day, a ship flying the flag of Mary Geoise spotted them. They investigated and realized Valan Island didn't belong to any country or pirate group. So their leader got greedy.

He demanded they pay the "Heavenly Tribute" every year.

Rayser, having served in the navy, knew exactly what that meant. He wanted to refuse—they weren't part of any World Government nation—but they couldn't fight back. They had no choice but to quietly scrape together the money.

And there was no way the island's limited resources could meet such demands.

So… they formed their own pirate crew.

But they only attacked other pirates—never merchant or civilian ships. They made sure to keep a wide berth from innocent targets.

Their pirate crew had to remain secret. If the outside world found out, the navy would come down on them hard. As for the Celestial Dragons? They didn't care whether you lived or died—only whether you paid.

So the secret had to be kept, at all costs.

Which meant… if Kadun stayed, he'd become one of their own. And once that happened, they didn't need to worry about him exposing the truth.

Weiss rubbed his temples. This damned world. Good people, once again, forced into becoming pirates.

"But when our captain showed you all that treasure, why didn't you try to rob us?" Kadun suddenly asked.

"Hmph," Rayser snorted. "You're not pirates. You haven't done anything wrong. How could I do something so disgraceful?"

"If that's the case… are you just going to keep living like this forever?"

"What else can we do? Who can stand up to the Celestial Dragons?" Rayser sighed deeply.

Weiss stood and looked at Kadun. "It's your choice now. You're a free man." With that, he walked out of the bar, leaving Kadun standing there, stunned.

---

Currently at chapter 120 on Ko-Fi

https:// ko-fi.com/sami27