A few minutes later.
On the eastern shore of the Rulusia Kingdom, by the beach.
"You guys wait here, I'll go to the sea to catch some fish."
Dragon said to the mother and son following behind him with a look of guilt.
He held a piece of rusted iron bar in his hand.
This was dismantled from that broken sampan.
Dragon intended to use it as a harpoon.
Seeing that Dragon was actually preparing to jump into the sea to catch fish.
The woman holding the child quickly called out to stop him:
"Don't risk going into the sea! It's very dangerous here. Although it's near the shore, I've heard from the people of the kingdom that small Sea Kings often visit. Besides, it's morning and the seawater is very cold. You haven't eaten your fill and your body is weak, young man. It would be very dangerous if you lose your strength in the sea."
She turned and pointed toward the wooden hut. "I said it's fine. There wasn't much rice in that pot; it was only meant to sustain us for a while. It doesn't matter even if it was knocked over. I still have some leftover food I can bring out..."
However, before the woman could finish.
When she turned her head back, Dragon was already gone.
She could only see a trail of footprints leading into the sea on the beach before her.
The woman was stunned for a moment, shook her head, and sighed.
"He really is a straightforward young man. It seems I didn't save the wrong person."
The woman held the child, waiting by the shore with some anxiety.
Fearing that the weakened Dragon would have an accident in the sea.
But after waiting for only three or four minutes, the seawater in front of her burst open with a splash.
First, a Grouper nearly a meter long, its plump body thrashing, was pierced by a rusted iron bar as it broke through the surface.
Immediately after, Dragon's grinning face emerged from the sea.
Waving a Large Lobster over half a meter long in his other hand, he smiled proudly, "See! I told you I'm great at catching fish! Now we have something to eat!"
Seeing the Large Lobster and the big Grouper in his hands, a smile appeared on the woman's face.
The little boy in her arms let out a cheer, broke free from his mother's embrace, and ran over.
Dragon walked out of the sea and smilingly stuffed the Large Lobster into the little boy's arms.
The little boy held it happily, not at all afraid of the shrimp's ferocious appearance.
But he still underestimated this large shrimp on land.
With a few random thrashing struggles, the Large Lobster broke free from his arms and, amidst his cries of surprise, tried to hop back toward the sea.
Seeing this, Dragon launched a kick, sending the lobster flying over a dozen meters away just as it was about to jump back into the sea.
Holding the big Grouper in one hand, he reached out with the other, grabbed the little boy's hand, and led him toward the twitching lobster.
"What's your name? Consider that shrimp my thank-you gift for the bowl of rice soup you gave me earlier."
The little boy looked up, gave him a timid glance, and then turned his gaze toward his mother.
The woman standing aside smiled and nodded at him.
Only then did the little boy say to Dragon in a very small voice, "I... I'm called Teach."
"Teach? Hello, my name is Dragon, Monkey D. Drag."
Dragon grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.
Hearing this, the woman's eyes flickered as she looked at Dragon.
Then, for a fleeting moment, the expression on her face became incredibly cold and sharp.
But this tense, cold look lasted only for a brief instant.
When she saw Dragon's bright smile and saw him leading Teach toward the Large Lobster, the coldness in her eyes instantly melted away.
She followed silently.
A few minutes later.
In front of the dilapidated wooden hut.
A extremely simple grill had been put together by Dragon using some scrap wood.
The massive Grouper was skewered and placed over the fire to roast.
Meanwhile, the Large Lobster was being peeled.
The skillful Alice was deftly removing the shrimp vein and peeling the shell, taking out the translucent meat and putting it into the iron pot.
Before long.
The water in the iron pot bubbled, emitting a sweet and fresh aroma.
It made Dragon and Teach, who had been waiting nearby with great anticipation, salivate uncontrollably.
"Smells so good! Ms. Alice, your cooking is amazing!"
Teach stood on tiptoe, almost sticking his head into the pot. He looked at Alice longingly, "Mama, I'm hungry..."
"Hehe, it's done. I'll serve it for you right now."
Alice smiled at the two of them, picked up the broken bowls nearby, scooped out all the shrimp meat from the pot, filled two large bowls, and handed them to Dragon and Teach respectively.
"Eat slowly, be careful, it's hot."
Dragon quickly took it and, after taking a delicious gulp of the lobster seafood soup, realized that Alice hadn't served any for herself.
"Ms. Alice, you..."
Before he could finish, Alice pointed at the roasting Grouper and said with a smile, "I'm not hungry. You two eat first; I'll just have some fish later."
"Alright then, let's eat."
Dragon nodded and didn't insist, beginning to wolf down the food.
Although there were no seasonings.
But Alice's cooking was indeed as he said—excellent.
Even though it was just a simple preparation, the shrimp meat and soup were both incredibly delicious.
It made him and Teach eat until they nearly licked their fingers clean.
After finishing a large bowl of lobster meat, Dragon smacked his lips in satisfaction, patted his warming belly, and smilingly patted Teach's head.
"Teach, your mother is amazing. Her cooking skills are even better than the chefs at Marineford. You're so lucky to have a mother like her!"
Teach, who had become somewhat close to Dragon after eating a large bowl of shrimp meat, froze the moment he heard the word "Marine" from Dragon's mouth.
His hand trembled, and the broken bowl he was holding fell to the ground with a clang.
The satisfied smile on his face instantly turned into eyes full of terror.
He looked at Alice with terrified eyes, his voice carrying an uncontrollable sob.
"Mama..."
"Don't be afraid, Teach! Young man Dragon is a good person..." Alice quickly stood up, about to comfort the frightened Teach.
Seeing Teach's fearful state, Dragon was somewhat puzzled and was just about to ask.
Just then.
An explosion suddenly rang out from the direction of the East District in the distance.
Immediately after, panicked shouts drifted over from the direction of the city.
"What happened?"
Dragon stood up abruptly and looked in that direction.
Vaguely, he seemed to hear the word "pirate."
Dragon's expression changed.
"Have pirates come to the Rulusia Kingdom to attack the town?"
He hurriedly looked at the mother and son, Alice and Teach, and said urgently, "Ms. Alice, please take your child and hide. It seems pirates have arrived. I'll go take a look! Make sure you hide well!"
Saying so, he immediately rushed toward the direction where the disturbance was coming from.
Looking at his departing back as he ran off without hesitation or looking back, Alice said softly with a complex expression:
"Sigh, as expected, even within the irredeemable Marines, there are some trustworthy people. Monkey D. Drag really hates evil as much as his father does..."