After hearing Farmer's request, Kurou paused for a moment.
"Well… let me think about it."
A man nearby suddenly grew anxious.
"Hey, kid! You killed Anderlin, and now we're the ones who'll pay the price. If you're not going to help us, we might as well tie you up and hand you over to Anderson ourselves!"
"Exactly, that's right!" The other villagers chimed in one after another.
Kurou stood up, his gaze sweeping over them with steely calm.
"If you really think you can tie me up—go ahead and try."
The room fell into silence. Not a soul dared meet his eyes.
They had seen it with their own eyes: a terrifying power that had instantly killed a pirate worth five million Berries. Who would actually be dumb enough to test him?
Sensing the tension, Farmer quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"Please don't take offense, sir. Everyone's just very nervous. After all, this is a matter of life and death for us. I hope you can understand."
Kurou replied, "Fine. But I have two conditions."
"Name them," Farmer said.
"First, I want twenty thousand Berries," Kurou said plainly.
That caused Veildan to immediately protest, "Father! This guy is obviously trying to scam us. You can't just hand him money!"
"In that case, forget it."
Kurou turned as if to leave.
Farmer quickly raised a hand to stop him.
"No problem. If you really defeat Anderson, not only will I give you twenty thousand—we'd even pay tribute monthly if you asked."
"In that case, I accept. And I want the money now."
He didn't try to hide it at all.
Veildan rolled her eyes in disdain.
Still, the villagers quickly scraped together the 20,000 Berries and handed the money over.
Kurou opened his [Shinobi Shop] in his mind, bought two blank [Sealing Scrolls] for 10,000 each, then unfurled one of them and sealed Anderlin's corpse inside.
To Kurou, a bounty hunter in this world, that corpse wasn't just a body—it was 5 million Berries. Thanks to ninja tools, he could carry it at all times, turn it in to the Marines at any moment, and not worry about the body rotting or becoming unrecognizable.
The second scroll? That was for Anderson.
Of course, the villagers didn't know that. To them, seeing Anderlin's body disappear into thin air was like witnessing a magic trick. They all stared in stunned disbelief.
Even Veildan, still young and naive, looked at Kurou in shock.
Is this guy... a demon?
In a world like this one—full of Devil Fruits and bizarre powers—Farmer guessed that Kurou must possess some unique ability.
"You said you had two conditions. What's the second one?" Farmer asked.
Kurou grinned. "Pay my food bill."
After paying his meal, Farmer turned to him again.
"You've come a long way. You must not have a place to stay. If you don't mind, you're welcome to stay at my home."
Kurou scratched his head. "Well, if you insist. Sorry to trouble you."
Hearing that made the other villagers feel relieved. As long as the village chief was keeping an eye on him, they weren't worried Kurou would suddenly vanish.
But Veildan was clearly upset.
"Dad, how can you let that guy stay in our home? I'm still an unmarried young woman!"
Farmer just chuckled.
"Our house has several rooms. He'll just stay in one of them."
"Ugh! You're the worst, Daddy! I'm not talking to you anymore!"
She stomped off angrily.
Watching her go, Farmer laughed softly.
"My daughter's a bit headstrong. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," Kurou replied.
Farmer and his daughter had originally come to West Village for some errands. Their real home was in East Village. Though the two villages were separated by the sea, the distance was only about six nautical miles—less than twenty minutes by boat.
Veildan, still fuming, returned home ahead of them, while Farmer and Kurou arrived later.
At the house, Farmer arranged a guest room for Kurou. Having journeyed long across the sea, battled a Sea King, and killed Anderlin, Kurou was filthy and exhausted. Farmer offered him the use of their bathroom to wash up.
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
Though Farmer was mostly motivated by the hope of defeating Anderson, he had treated Kurou with genuine kindness, so Kurou didn't stand on ceremony.
He entered the bathroom, stripped down, and sank into the bathtub.
Washed clean of dust and grime, the body is light as a feather;
No ocean nor beast can weigh down a hero's soul!
A true dragon will not remain in shallow waters. A warrior must walk both land and sea!
Even while bathing, Kurou couldn't help but fire himself up with some hot-blooded lines. He stood up dramatically in the tub—
—and right then, the bathroom door swung open.
A loud shriek rang out, followed by the sound of fleeing footsteps.
"You pervert! You filthy degenerate!"
Veildan.
She had come home first and had no idea a man was in the bathroom.
She saw everything.
Kurou stood there, dripping wet and utterly speechless.
You're the one who barged in on me—why are you the one screaming?!
Still, it was partially his fault for forgetting to lock the door...
For the next several days, Veildan refused to even look at him. In her mind, Kurou was a shameless, arrogant, naked lunatic. So what if he beat Anderlin? Anderson was on another level entirely. When the time came, he wouldn't even know how he died.
Meanwhile, word spread quickly through East Village that Kurou had killed Anderlin.
"What? That weak-looking kid took down Anderlin?"
"No way!"
"You're missing the point! Even if he did kill Anderlin, do you think Anderson will just let us go?"
"He's going to wipe out the village!"
"Isn't our own guardian, Miller, strong enough to kill Anderlin?"
"Doesn't that kid realize what retaliation means?"
"He's just an outsider! He doesn't care about what happens to us!"
"That brat's brought disaster on our heads!"
"He's a walking curse..."
The village was in uproar. Some of the more timid villagers, terrified of Anderson's revenge, began preparing to flee.
Farmer, however, remained firm in his support.
"Everyone, trust me. I've seen that boy's strength. It's beyond anything you can imagine."
Even so, the village's famed "Guardian," Miller, raised a skeptical brow.
"Chief… are you sure you haven't just been conned by some traveling huckster?"
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter