On the steep cliffs overlooking the vast sea, a frail, emaciated hand suddenly reached out, startling a group of seagulls feeding their chicks nearby.
The panicked birds left behind falling feathers and bewildered hatchlings before swiftly taking to the skies, screeching in anger at the uninvited intruder.
Yelena cast a brief glance at the circling, shrieking seagulls but paid them no mind.
She had faced countless such moments over the years. Unlike her childhood self, she no longer panicked, nor did she risk plummeting alongside prey onto the jagged rocks below.
She stared at the cliff's summit, barely a hundred meters above. Taking a deep breath, she clenched her teeth and gripped the coarse iron chain in one hand, holding onto a protruding rock with the other.
With all her strength, she hauled herself upward, dragging along the corpse of the sea beast bound to the chain's end.
The seagulls, previously mocking her, caught sight of the massive carcass looming through the mist. Their eyes widened in disbelief, nearly forgetting how to fly, teetering on the edge of falling from the sky.
Ten minutes later, Yelena gasped for air, clutching a boulder at the plateau's edge with her free hand.
"Is this how you got your lung disease?" a sudden voice startled her. Her heart raced as she tightened her grip on the cliff. The iron chain in her other hand slipped several meters, causing the massive sea creature to sway violently.
After a few tense moments, Yelena stood atop the plateau, silently fixing her gaze on Louis.
Louis forced an awkward but polite smile and stepped back a few paces, giving the gaunt young girl space.
After a long pause, Yelena exhaled slowly, her eyes still locked on him. "My name is Yelena," she said quietly.
"Thank you… for saving our lives on the battlefield."
Louis froze for a moment before smiling. "You can call me Louis."
"Alright…" Yelena nodded slowly.
Louis's gaze shifted to the enormous sea beast bound behind her. He thought, Your lung disease must have come from years of diving into the deep sea to hunt these creatures.
After healing them on the battlefield, Louis had not left immediately. He had followed them up to the plateau.
During Yelena's unconsciousness, he surveyed the area. The land was extremely barren, and the boundary between the plain and plateau was so isolated that even someone like Bear Grylls would starve here.
Yet these refugees had lived here for many years. Louis was astonished. Eventually, he discovered a "forest" of bones near the village, amassed from the remains of giant beasts.
It became clear how they survived. To gather food, they relied on formidable combat skills to descend the cliffs and hunt.
Water came from occasional rainfall or by sneaking to the plains at night to draw from rivers the Jacob Kingdom considered worthless, choked with debris.
For those who had long dived into the deep sea for hunting, the immense pressure had taken a heavy toll on their lungs. Over time, lung diseases became almost inevitable.
The girl before him, wearing a simple vest, was on the brink of collapse. Louis could heal her injuries but could not cure the disease.
However, he knew that somewhere in the Grand Line perhaps in the Kingdom of Magnetic Drums someone might save her.
Why did he want to save her?
Because Yelena was the most gifted person he had ever met. Among those of her age in Skypiea and the Calm Belt, no one matched her strength.
Louis decided it was far too wasteful to let her die of illness. It was better to save her and then… invite her to join them, where she could truly shine.
As expected, Yelena nodded candidly. "Yes, that is correct," she said.
"I have carried my grandfather's responsibility since I was five, hunting here to feed our people."
Louis did not find her words shocking. After ten years of traveling across worlds, he had grown immune to the extraordinary abilities of others.
Moreover, he himself was even more remarkable before mastering Armament Haki, he could already surpass those trained in Haki by the Silent Band.
No matter how incredible things seemed, they were nothing compared to Louis himself.
"After a century of hunting, the sea monsters have retreated to distant and deep waters. From childhood, I had to dive into places our ancestors never reached to hunt."
"Therefore, I became the first in generations to fall ill," Yelena said calmly, her voice serene, almost gentle.
Louis searched her face for fear but found none.
Yelena donned the coat her tribe had stitched for her and began the journey back with the sea beast in tow.
The plateau was nearly barren. Only thorny trees grew, yielding nothing edible.
Yelena guided Louis along a narrow path through the thorny forest.
Louis asked cautiously, "Yelena, why did the kingdom below the plains seal off your plateau?"
Her body stiffened, her expression unreadable, and her smile vanished. Louis realized he had asked a sensitive question.
Before he could apologize, Yelena answered as they walked.
"They were outsiders."
Louis listened intently.
"About a hundred years ago, they were expelled by other kingdoms in the Grand Line and suffered genocide."
Her voice became ethereal, as if carrying Louis back to the tragic origins of the Canaan Kingdom.
"At that time, hundreds of refugees arrived here by sea. The king took them in, granting them a small plot of coastal land to live on."
"But later, they gathered more of their kin and amassed a considerable force."
"When the king finally reacted, they had already begun occupying the land and waging war against us."
"We lost, just as they had in the past. We suffered persecution and genocide. The few survivors of our tribe were driven to the plateau and have survived here ever since."
Louis remained silent, the puzzle of the dual architectural styles and ruins he had seen on the island finally making sense.