Chapter 22: If you have a plan to be enemies with the world, please take us with you!
The Grand Line, the southern sea area of Marster Port.
On an unnamed desolate island, a new small fishing village was being established.
What was surprising was that among the villagers, there were few young, strong adults; instead, most were elderly, weak, sick, or disabled, carrying injuries or partial disabilities.
And as the only young labor force in the new village.
At this moment, Aran was walking through the small forest outside the village, holding a short axe—beside him, three Slice Clones followed closely.
His face was still somewhat pale, but his eyes held a glimmer of hope for a new life.
He had already initially built residences for his grandfather and fellow villagers, and the few small boats left over could also serve as fishing vessels—although the village currently lacked labor, their years of experience as fishermen were enough for them to survive.
Ordinary people like them in this world always possessed such strong vitality—even with just a sliver of light, they could stubbornly live on.
"It looks like you guys are doing well."
But just as he was preparing to find suitable timber, a sudden voice made his heart skip a beat.
"Who?!"
He gripped the axe handle tightly, and his Slice Clones almost instantly looked towards the direction the voice came from.
But the next moment, the wariness in his eyes turned to surprise.
At this moment, he saw a man wearing a long robe and a rooster mask sitting cross-legged on a large rock not far from him.
And logically—Aran couldn't possibly forget that mask.
"Drunken Chicken-sama, you... how did you get here?!"
He shouted in surprise.
"That's a strange question coming from you—didn't you tell me the coordinates of this small island?"
Drunken Chicken chuckled, "But it's quite something that you managed to find this place; no nearby sea charts record such a small desolate island."
"Yes, only our village knows about this island. Our previous island home was to the north, and we'd occasionally stop here when we went a little further out to sea to fish."
Aran said softly.
Yes.
Nameless small islands like this, too small to develop, without resources, without supplies, are utterly worthless.
Even countries like the Nismal Kingdom had no interest in recording it; Pirates and Marines alike had no interest in this place, and no regular ships would stop here.
Only coastal fishermen like them, who had nothing, would know of such islands' existence.
"Indeed."
After hearing this, Drunken Chicken also nodded.
Then, he looked at Aran, "The matter I entrusted to you earlier, you completed it very well. You've helped me a great deal."
He had already noticed that Aran's face was slightly pale.
The reason was not hard to guess—to complete Drunken Chicken's entrustment, he sacrificed one of his Slice Clones to bomb a merchant ship from the Nismal Kingdom.
Furthermore, at this moment, another Slice Clone was in Impel Down.
And one must know, though not entirely.
But when a Slice Clone dies, the main body receives a certain amount of damage, and the main body also experiences a portion of the pain endured by the Slice Clone.
"No, I only made a very insignificant contribution."
But at this moment, Aran shook his head.
His eyes were very bright at this moment: "On the contrary, Drunken Chicken-sama, the things you've done are truly incredible!"
"Me?"
Hearing this, Drunken Chicken was stunned, surprised, "You know what I did?"
"Yes!"
Aran nodded emphatically: "On the way to this island with my grandfather and the others, I arranged a Slice Clone on each of the two islands we passed."
He scratched his head: "Originally, I did this to prevent anyone from pursuing us, to give us an early warning, but I never expected to hear about your actions through a twist of fate."
His expression became extremely excited.
It was very obvious—after experiencing what happened before, he already harbored deep hatred for the Nismal Kingdom, the Marines, and even the World Government.
Therefore, knowing that Drunken Chicken had stolen the Nismal Kingdom's Celestial Tribute Gold, his heart was filled only with joy and excitement.
Only after seeing the headlines of the newspaper did he truly realize that his initial view of Drunken Chicken had been far from sufficient.
The other party was not just an ordinary strong individual; he was even a top-tier powerhouse who could easily defeat a Marine Admiral—he had seen the newspaper photos, and the miserable state of the four Marine bases, as well as the almost completely changed landscape of the Arashit Great Forest, left him utterly speechless with shock.
"So that's how it is."
After hearing this, Drunken Chicken also nodded.
But at this moment, Loy, beneath the mask, couldn't help but sigh again—this kid Aran was truly clever and cautious enough.
"By the way, sir, why have you come this time?"
At this moment, Aran also asked curiously.
"Nothing much, just came to confirm your situation, and while I'm at it..."
Drunken Chicken said, pointing to his feet.
And it was only then that Aran noticed—beneath the giant rock where Drunken Chicken sat, there were several packages.
However, because the packages' color was similar to the rock's, and he had been too surprised just now, he hadn't noticed them for a while.
"Inside are food, water, tools, medical supplies, and some other essential survival resources."
Drunken Chicken chuckled, "I think you'll find them useful."
After hearing this, Aran was also momentarily stunned.
Then, a look of joyful surprise naturally flashed in his eyes.
"Thank you, Drunken Chicken-sama. I... I really don't know how to thank you."
After hearing this, Drunken Chicken waved his hand.
Even a child like Big Mom, who had barely grown up, knew that 'even in a Pirate's world, there is righteousness,' and Loy, of course, felt the same.
What's more, after the previous incident, he had come to understand Aran's character and found him trustworthy.
However, just at this moment...
"That... Drunken Chicken-sama..."
Aran stammered, appearing very hesitant.
Then, he gritted his teeth and said, "Sir, can you... can you stay for a while?"
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, Drunken Chicken looked at him, puzzled.
At this moment, Aran blurted out: "If possible... I... I also want to join the Twelve Zodiacs!"
"But I know I'm not qualified because I'm very weak, so I want to become strong!"
"To become strong, I can do anything!"
In his eyes, there was a determination and resolve that shouldn't belong to his age.
Drunken Chicken looked into his eyes and understood his thoughts: "Because of your sister?"
He, of course, hadn't forgotten Aran's sister, Can Li, a young girl bought by the Celestial Dragons.
"Yes!"
Aran nodded firmly, clenching his fists.
"I've already entrusted Uncle Manchu to look after my grandfather; he's a good man. I must go to the Sabaody Archipelago to find Can Li's whereabouts."
"But I'm too weak."
His fingernails almost dug into his flesh.
Yes—even after eating a Devil Fruit and gaining abilities, he was still too weak.
And he knew very well that if he wanted to save his sister, with his current strength, it would be absolutely impossible.
So he wanted to become strong, at any cost.
"Just as expected."
After hearing this, Drunken Chicken was not surprised.
Beneath the mask, Loy was deep in thought.
Finally, he came to a conclusion—it seemed it would really work.
Aran was a trustworthy person, and as a Slice-Slice Fruit Ability User, he indeed possessed considerable potential.
At the same time, Loy, being a Marine himself, naturally knew that the Marines and the World Government were currently frantically pursuing Drunken Chicken.
So, in fact, even without Aran, he had planned to have Drunken Chicken find a place to temporarily avoid the heat and not show himself for a short while—although it was just a Slice Clone, if it was lost, that would be it.
And this small island perfectly fit his 'avoid the heat' requirement.
Moreover, the most crucial thing was...
"The Human Auction House on Sabaody Archipelago... just hearing about it sounds like a lot of money."
Muttering this to himself, Loy naturally made his judgment.
"I can stay here and teach you to train."
"As for joining the organization—if you become strong enough, I can also apply for you."
"However..."
He looked at Aran, his words carrying a calm scrutiny.
"Are you really okay with that? I'm a wanted criminal—if you stand with me, you'll be making an enemy of the world!"
After hearing this, Aran smiled.
"Regarding this, I actually already asked everyone."
He said so, gripping the axe head even tighter.
He couldn't forget the scene of the slaves wailing loudly on the small boats the night they left Marster Port.
He couldn't forget what everyone in the village said, the inhumane torture they suffered during their time as slaves.
The pain of losing loved ones, broken limbs, the smell of fresh blood, the cries of the women...
All of that, they couldn't forget, nor would they forget.
"We are just ordinary people; by ourselves, we don't have the strength to change anything, nor can we seek revenge."
He looked at Drunken Chicken.
"But Drunken Chicken-sama—everyone is willing to believe in you. If you have a plan to be enemies with the world... please, you must take us with you."
(End of Chapter)