As soon as he stepped onto the island, El's Observation Haki spread out in an instant, covering everything.
In addition to its special heart-reading ability, his Observation Haki also had an incredibly wide range.
For example, in the Skypiea arc of the manga, Aisa was one of the few born with innate Observation Haki, and her range was second only to Enel's.
If Enel didn't have the radio wave boost granted by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, his Observation Haki would definitely have been inferior to Aisa's.
In the same way, even though El was only eight years old, his Observation Haki could already cover an entire island.
His range was at the level of a small island.
And as El continued to grow, that range would quietly expand day by day.
If he didn't die prematurely, once he reached his physical prime, he would naturally become one of the strongest people in the world.
This was what it meant to be a "Son of Heaven"—a darling of the world who started life already close to the peak.
Because the place where the trio landed wasn't a port, it would take some time to reach the town.
"Nii-san, this island is one of the territories ruled by the Ambry Kingdom."
Each of them carried a bag of treasure as they walked along the road toward the town.
On the way, Nami explained,"Since the Ambry Kingdom is a World Government–affiliated country, all the islands under its rule are officially recognized by the World Government."
"Not only that, but in the seas near every allied country, there's always a Navy branch responsible for protecting them and collecting their Heavenly Gold."
"So, less than two hundred nautical miles from here, there's another small island that technically belongs to the Ambry Kingdom. It also has a small town like this one… and a Navy branch stationed there."
"Compared to that town with the Navy, the law and order here isn't really good or bad. Pirates harass it occasionally, but no pirate crew dares to occupy it."
"So the biggest force here isn't pirates. It's a bunch of local gangsters with nothing better to do."
El, who had only skimmed some of the important parts of Nami's memories and not everything, listened and nodded.
"So what you mean is… if we just walk in like this, carrying treasure in plain sight, some people will definitely start eyeing us, right?"
After he said that, he glanced at Nami and Carina. Both of them nodded. El smiled confidently.
"Don't worry. With me here, the treasure and the two of you will be perfectly safe."
In truth, El didn't even need Nami's explanation. With his ability to see people's hearts at a glance and his Observation Haki that covered the whole island, he wouldn't allow any danger to get close in the first place.
But Nami's serious warning still made El appreciate her more.
She'd said all of that just to remind him.
Unlike Carina, whose mental state was strong and steady, Nami's heart was still full of fear toward him.
If she hadn't just personally witnessed the danger of the world outside and El's "incredible" power, she might be trying to find a way to escape right now.
"U-uh hehe… Of course we trust you, Nii-san," Carina said with her distinctive little laugh. "But those bastards might have guns. We should still be careful."
Then she added cautiously,"How about we hide the treasure first and gather some information about this place?"
"..."
El looked at Nami and Carina in silence, a trace of admiration flickering in his eyes.
As a transmigrator and a so-called Son of Heaven, he could understand their cautiousness very well.
But for children their age to be this cautious meant they had already suffered more than most adults.
If you really thought about it, they had gone to sea and begun making a living by stealing at just eight years old. Without this level of wariness, they would never survive to eighteen—much less become the famous "Cat Burglar" Nami and "Phantom Thief" Carina.
Then…
El smiled at the two girls, a calm, confident smile.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you. I won't let anything happen to you."
"...Mm!"
The word "protect," spoken so firmly, pierced straight into Nami and Carina's fragile hearts like an arrow.
For the first time, they felt like they'd found a safe harbor.
Both girls looked at each other, then nodded strongly at El.
In that moment, the fear they still held toward him finally disappeared.
Walking at his sides, they quickly reached the outskirts of the town.
As one of the territories of the Ambry Kingdom, and with a Navy branch just two hundred nautical miles away, this town wasn't exactly a lawless zone—but it wasn't peaceful either.
Just like Nami had said, there weren't many pirates here. The largest power belonged to the local gangs.
And as a local force, they naturally loved one type of prey most—outsiders.
Gangsters weren't like pirates. They were just trash that bullied the weak and feared the strong.
If the outsider was a Marine, a pirate, or even a well-guarded merchant or noble convoy, they wouldn't even dare look them in the eye.
But if the newcomer looked like an unarmed, ordinary person, they would rush in like a pack of rabid dogs.
Each entrance of the town had their own lookouts.
So the moment the trio appeared—three kids with good looks, each carrying a bag of treasure—they immediately became the gangsters' target.
Even if they were only a few years old.
Before they even stepped fully into town, a group of more than twenty men blocked their path.
I can finally understand how Redfield felt…
Looking at the gangsters blocking the road ahead with greasy, mocking smiles, El sighed inwardly.
Living in a world like a garbage dump, where all you see every day is disgusting trash… it really isn't easy to stay "clean."
Fortunately, El was a transmigrator. His mind hadn't started as a blank sheet of paper.
Otherwise, if someone else had been born with the ability to see people's hearts, they would either grow up as gentle and pure as Shirahoshi… or become as withdrawn and world-hating as Redfield.