The moment they set foot on the island, Roger, Rayleigh, and the others with stronger Observation Haki all had their expressions shift slightly, turning a bit solemn.
"Captain, Vice-Captain, is there something wrong with this island?" a crewmate who noticed their faces asked.
"It's nothing. It's just that the atmosphere on this island feels oppressive. In any case, be careful while you're out and about."
"Don't worry, Captain. We'll be careful."
They left a few of the stronger members behind to guard the ship, while everyone else went ashore to roam freely.
Not far from where they landed was a town. The group walked in together, and the moment Bai Chuan saw it, his expression changed.
The town was simply too run-down. The houses were crude, so flimsy they could not even keep out the rain. The people's clothes were tattered, covered in patches, and their bodies were nothing but skin and bones.
When the group entered, some of the townsfolk shrank back timidly, while others revealed a crazed look in their eyes.
"Captain, it feels like staying here might be a bad idea," Buggy said cautiously as he moved to Roger's side. To him, these people looked terrifying.
Bai Chuan kept his guard up too. Just then, someone suddenly pulled out a dagger and lunged at him like a madman, stabbing straight toward him.
Staring at the man rushing in, Bai Chuan's expression tightened. He reached out, seized the attacker's wrist, then used an over-the-shoulder throw that knocked the man unconscious.
"Bai Chuan, you hit too hard," Roger reprimanded him.
"Sorry, Captain. I'll be more careful next time."
Bai Chuan could not understand it. There were so many people here, so why did they pick him specifically?
That man's move was like a signal horn. More and more people carrying weapons started closing in, and most of them were staring right at Bai Chuan.
"Hey, why are you all looking at me? I haven't done anything to wrong you, have I?"
Being glared at by so many hostile eyes, even someone like Bai Chuan started to feel unsettled.
"They don't hate you. They probably hate the nobles of this country," Roger said.
"Nobles? What does that have to do with me? I'm not their noble."
"Maybe it's because your bearing looks similar," Roger replied. Even though Bai Chuan had blended in with the Roger Pirates, it still did not fully conceal the air he naturally carried.
"So it's my fault for having that kind of bearing?"
"Just knock them out. Don't hit too hard."
"Understood, Captain."
Bai Chuan stepped out from the group. His eyes opened slightly, and a faint wave of Conqueror's Haki burst out.
In an instant, everyone surrounding him rolled their eyes back and collapsed unconscious.
That was with Bai Chuan holding back. Otherwise, some of them might have been killed by the shock of his Conqueror's Haki.
Their minds were extremely fragile, clearly the result of long-term psychological oppression. People like that could not endure even slightly stronger Haki.
"Let's go. We won't get any useful information from a town like this. Keep moving forward," Roger said.
Just like that, the group continued onward for nearly two more days before finally spotting a city that looked somewhat more prosperous.
"We'll split up and enter in groups. Try not to cause a commotion."
"Yes, Captain."
After a while, Bai Chuan formed a three-man team with Buggy and Shanks, and the three of them walked into the city.
The look of the streets made Bai Chuan's eyes light up. Or rather, a place like this could finally be called a city.
The people here were not dressed in anything fancy, but they looked simple and clean. And all the basic buildings and facilities were present.
"Let's go to a tavern," Shanks suggested. For a drunk, a tavern was naturally the best destination.
"Sure!" Buggy immediately agreed.
"Then let's go."
On a very secluded street, the three of them finally found a tavern. But there, they ran into someone familiar: Vice-Captain Rayleigh.
"Vice-Captain, why are you here? Aren't you with the captain?" Shanks asked.
"What a dumb question. I'm here to drink, obviously. As for Roger, I don't know where he ran off to," Rayleigh replied.
Shanks and Buggy each ordered a mug of beer, while Bai Chuan ordered a glass of fruit wine.
While drinking, they also learned some information about the island from the tavern owner.
The island's landmass was huge, but there were three countries on it. Wars broke out between the three constantly, draining the people and bleeding each nation dry.
And in war, the ones hurt the most were naturally the commoners. Not only did they have to hand over their money and goods, sometimes they were even forced onto the battlefield.
That also led to deep resentment among ordinary people toward the nobles, because these wars were almost always started by nobles, and it was nobles who sent people to collect taxes and seize supplies.
"So that's how it is. Vice-Captain, did you already know what was going on here?" Bai Chuan asked.
"I knew a little. When we first landed, we sensed that there was a war happening somewhere on this island. But we didn't know the details, so we told you all to be careful," Rayleigh said.
"But it looks like as long as we don't go near the center of the battlefield, there's basically nothing to worry about."
"Right. Vice-Captain, how long are we staying on this island?" Bai Chuan asked.
"Who knows? Once the Log Pose finishes recording the magnetism of the next island, we can leave. Could be a month, could be a year."
"A year? That long?" Bai Chuan asked in surprise.
"What did you expect? Of course, if you've got an Eternal Pose for the next island, tell the captain. If the captain agrees, we can leave anytime."
"Yeah, forget it. How could I have something like that?"
"Then we can only wait here," Rayleigh said casually.
After a few cups, all of them were a bit buzzed, and they planned to find an inn and rest first.
But the moment they stepped outside, a figure suddenly slammed into Bai Chuan's chest. The impact hit so hard it left Bai Chuan stunned, and the figure stayed pressed against him, refusing to get up.
"Miss, we haven't even met before. Doing this isn't really appropriate, is it?" Bai Chuan lowered his head and realized it was a woman.
"Shut up," a low, muffled voice came from against his chest.
"Bai Chuan, you brat, your luck with women isn't bad," Rayleigh said from ahead, sounding a bit sour, with a hint of envy mixed in. He had seen it clearly. That girl had been rushing toward him, but the moment Bai Chuan appeared, she changed direction and threw herself into Bai Chuan's arms.
"So being handsome really lets you do whatever you want."
"Vice-Captain, you can't blame me. She jumped on her own," Bai Chuan said.
"Shut up," that voice sounded again.
"Fine, fine. I'll shut up."
They stayed locked like that for a short while, until a squad suddenly rushed past them in a hurry. From the look of it, they were soldiers of this country, like they were searching for someone.
/-\
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