"You can even do something like this?!"
Dier was utterly baffled—gender transformation wasn't something so easily achieved.
He only recalled the Hormone Fruit used by the Okama King and the Illness Fruit that could accomplish such a feat.
"Are they Ability Users?"
"What's that?"
Sally shook her head and pulled out a thin, circular green crystal from her Four-Dimensional Pocket.
The crystal was extremely thin, appearing at first glance like an ordinary green disc.
"The Favor of the Forest—a treasure of our Forest Follower Tribe."
Pinching the disc, Sally pressed it against her forehead to demonstrate:
"Just place it on your forehead like this and wait a minute, and your gender will switch."
With that, she quickly removed the disc from her forehead.
She, too, was infected with that illness, and becoming male would worsen her symptoms.
Dier turned his gaze to Narcissa, the woman determined to surpass men.
The latter hastily waved her hands in refusal.
"I want to surpass men, not become one!
I want to prove that women are stronger than men!"
Sally's eyes lit up, clearly admiring Narcissa's ambition.
As they spoke, the group arrived at the gathering place of the Forest Follower Tribe.
To be precise—a campsite.
Dozens of tents were erected across the open ground.
Simple structures supported by wooden poles, with broad leaves serving as walls.
These tents couldn't even withstand a heavy rainstorm, let alone fend off wild beasts.
Inside each tent lay one or several women in worse condition, resting.
Boys clad in grass skirts, bare-chested, ran wild through the camp.
A girl was tending to an elderly woman.
"What took you so long to return!"
The old woman leaned on her cane, shoving the girl aside as she staggered forward with displeasure.
Dier found the sight rather jarring—those two things were practically dangling to the ground.
Upon reaching the group, the old woman scrutinized them before tilting her head back with a sneer.
"Consorting with Outsea people—what a disgrace to our Forest Follower Tribe!
Sally, you're unfit to be chieftain. Hand over the Favor of the Forest."
"Gleiber, I am the chieftain."
Sally didn't even glance at the old woman, her voice icy.
"If you're dissatisfied, you're free to leave my village anytime.
Mr. Dier, please come with me."
One by one, the group walked past Gleiber, paying her no mind.
A flash of resentment crossed Gleiber's eyes, but seeing the burly sailors, she ultimately held her tongue.
"That person used to be a man too,"
Sally explained quietly.
"The elderly aren't infected, but she feared death, so she used the Favor of the Forest."
Dier rubbed his chin, beginning to distinguish which were originally men turned women.
"Those bare-chested ones with names starting with 'Gle'—they used to be men?"
"Correct." Sally nodded, her expression darkening.
"And men look down on women—even men who've become women still despise them.
That's why they refuse to cover their chests, seeing it as shameful."
Guerrero, Gleiber, and many female warriors went bare-chested.
In the Forest Village, gender wasn't an absolute matter.
Men naturally possessed greater physical strength than women—and strength was paramount in these primal woods.
"Men are responsible for hunting and fighting, while women weave clothes and serve men.
To maintain the continuation of our tribe, only one woman is allowed to become a man each year.
This rule has made our situation even more difficult. In the eyes of men, women are weak—because the strong ones take the opportunity to become men."
That's why the former chieftain passed the leadership to Sally.
Only a woman wouldn't oppress other women, and only she could unite the entire Forest Village to overcome hardships together.
If the position were given to a man who had turned into a woman, those transformed individuals would surely continue to oppress the natural-born women.
"What nonsense! Absolute rubbish!"
Narcissa crossed her arms and spat in disgust, turning her head to express her disdain for such customs.
"But the children can still be saved."
A glimmer of hope shone in Sally's eyes. The children, not yet grown, hadn't been brainwashed by these traditions. If they left this island, they could not only survive but also live free lives.
Clap clap—
She patted her hands and called out in front of the largest tent:
"Children, come here!"
The playing boys rushed over, and the girls inside the tent stepped out as well.
"Sister Sally, did you find food?"
"I'm so hungry."
"Me too."
The children gathered around, chattering eagerly about food.
"There will be. Food and water—there will be plenty."
Sally smiled warmly and pointed at Dier.
"Just follow this big brother, and you'll never lack food or water again."
The children immediately turned their attention to Dier, bombarding him with questions.
"Big brother, are you from outside? Why is your hair white?"
"I want to eat rabbit!"
"Me too!"
"Moo!!"
Wait—was that a cow?
Dier frowned and scanned the group, wondering if one of the children had horns. Instead, he spotted a dark shadow on the ground in the distance.
Following the shadow, his gaze landed on a ten-meter-tall white yak with blood-red eyes, its tongue lolling as it snorted loudly.
"AHHH!!!"
Piercing screams erupted as the children scattered in terror.
Sally struggled to maintain order, shouting hoarsely:
"Don't run around! Head toward the shore!!"
In the chaotic crowd, a girl carrying a baby was knocked to the ground. Dier quickly rushed over, picked her up, and handed her to Narcissa.
"Take the children and go. Here's a Den Den Mushi—tell the ship to come pick you up."
Narcissa nodded firmly, holding the little girl and the baby, then barked orders at the other sailors:
"Shout as loud as you can! Gather all the children and take them to the shore!"
There were easily over a hundred children of all ages, and they only had five people.
With the current chaos, rounding them up would take time.
Not far away, the white yak began charging. The earth trembled, and leaves rained down from the trees.
"AHH—!"
Gleiber, her legs unsteady, was struck by a collapsing tent. A wooden pole meant for support slammed into the back of her head.
She lay on the ground, groaning in pain, but made no effort to call for help.
This was the fate she deserved.
The Forest Village once had thousands of inhabitants, but after repeated invasions by the yaks, their numbers dwindled to just a few hundred.
An unknown virus had sapped their strength to resist. Every time the yaks attacked, someone had to stay behind to buy time.
Dier took a machete from a sailor and strode toward Sally, demanding:
"You said it would be napping at this hour?!"
"This isn't the same one—it's another!"
Sally pleaded, her eyes locking with Dier's in desperation:
"We'll stay and hold them off. Please, take the children and get out of here!"
"You won't need to."
Boom!
Flame Power erupted around Dier, his white hair whipping wildly down to his waist.
"Just make sure you don't get caught in the crossfire."