Grand Line, the southern sea of Master Port.
On a nameless, barren island, a small, new fishing village was taking shape.
Surprisingly, among the villagers there were very few able-bodied young adults. Most were elderly, weak, sick, injured, or partially disabled.
As for the only young labour force in this new village...
At this moment, Alan was walking through a small forest outside the village with a short axe in hand. Three Slice Clones followed closely behind him.
His complexion was still somewhat pale, yet his eyes shone with anticipation for a new life.
He had already built basic living quarters for his grandfather and the other villagers, and the remaining small boats could now be used for fishing. Although the village currently lacked manpower, their years of experience as fishermen ensured they would survive.
People like them in this world always possessed such tenacious vitality, even if there was only a glimmer of light, they could cling stubbornly to life.
"It looks like you're doing fairly well."
But just as he was about to search for suitable timber, a sudden voice made him jump.
"Who's there!?"
He tightened his grip on the axe handle, and the clones instantly turned in the direction of the voice.
In the next moment, however, the wariness in his eyes turned to delight.
He saw a man in a long robe wearing a Youji mask sitting cross-legged on a large rock not far away.
Alan could never forget that mask.
"Youji Sama, y-you… why are you here!?" He shouted in surprise.
"What kind of question is that? Didn't you give me the coordinates of this island yourself?" Youji replied cheerfully. "That said, it's impressive you even managed to find this place. Even the nearby sea charts don't show a tiny, barren island like this."
"Yes, only our village knows about this island. Our original island was further north. When we went out to sea to fish, we would sometimes stop here." Alan replied softly.
That's right.
Nameless islands like this one are too small to develop and lack resources, supplies, or any value whatsoever.
Even countries like the Nismail Kingdom had no interest in mapping them. Pirates and Marines were equally uninterested, and no normal ships would ever dock here.
Only coastal fishermen with nothing left to lose would know of such islands' existence.
"Indeed..." Youji nodded after hearing this.
Then he looked at Alan. "The matter I asked you to handle earlier, you did very well. You really helped me out."
Youji had already noticed that Alan's face was slightly pale.
It wasn't hard to guess the reason, to fulfil Youji's request, Alan had sacrificed a Slice Clone, blowing it up with a Nismail Kingdom merchant ship.
On top of that, another clone was currently imprisoned in Impel Down.
It was important to understand that, even if not entirely...
When a clone dies, the main body suffers a certain degree of damage, and part of the pain experienced by the clone is also sensed by the original body.
"No, I only made a very insignificant contribution."
But at that moment, Alan shook his head.
His eyes shone brightly. "On the contrary, Youji Sama, what you've done is truly unbelievable!"
"Hm?"
Hearing this, Youji was momentarily stunned and exclaimed, "You know what I did?"
"Yes!"
Alan nodded vigorously. "On the way to bringing my grandfather and the others to this island, I stationed one Slice Clone on each of two islands along the route."
He scratched his head. "I originally did it as a precaution, in case someone came after us, so we'd get early warning. But I didn't expect that, by sheer coincidence, I'd hear about what you did."
His expression was filled with excitement.
Clearly, after everything that had happened before, he already hated the Nismail Kingdom, the Marines, and even the World Government to the core.
So when he learned that Youji had seized the Heavenly Tribute from the Nismail Kingdom, he felt nothing but joy and excitement.
After seeing the newspaper's front-page headlines, he finally realized that his original assessment of Youji had still been insufficient.
The other party wasn't just an ordinary powerhouse, he was a top-tier expert capable of easily defeating Marine Rear Admirals. Alan had seen the photos in the paper: the devastation of four Marine bases and the almost completely reshaped terrain of the Alashit Great Forest had left him so shocked he was practically speechless.
"So that's how it is." Hearing this, Youji nodded as well.
At this moment, beneath the mask, Roy couldn't help but sigh once again… 'This kid was really sharp and cautious enough.'
"By the way, Lord… the reason you came here this time is…?" Alan asked curiously.
"It's nothing much. I just came to check on how you're doing. And while I was at it…" As Youji spoke, he pointed at the ground beneath his feet.
Only then did Alan notice…
Under the massive rock Youji was sitting on, there were several bundles.
Because the color of the bundles was close to that of the stone, and because Alan had been too surprised earlier, he hadn't noticed them at all.
"These contain food, water, tools, medical supplies, and some other essential survival materials." Youji chuckled as he spoke. "I figured you'd need them."
Hearing this, Alan froze for a moment.
Then, naturally, joy flashed through his eyes.
"Thank you, Youji Sama. I… I really don't know how to repay you."
Youji waved his hand dismissively.
Even Big Mom, who was practically still a child at heart, understood that "there is still virtue in the pirate's world." Naturally, Roy felt the same.
What's more, after what had happened before, he had a fairly good grasp of Alan's character. He was someone Roy could trust.
But just at this moment…
"Um… Youji Sama…" Alan hesitated, clearly struggling to speak.
After a moment, he clenched his teeth and said, "M-my lord… c-could you stay here for a while?"
"…Hm?"
Hearing this, Youji looked at him in confusion.
Alan then blurted everything out in one breath.
"If possible… I… I want to join the Twelve Zodiac as well! But I know I'm not qualified. I'm too weak, so I want to become stronger! To become stronger, I'm willing to do anything!"
In his eyes burned a firmness and resolve that didn't belong to someone his age.
Youji looked into those eyes and understood immediately.
"Because of your younger sister?"
He hadn't forgotten Alan's younger sister… Cori, the girl who had been bought by a Celestial Dragon.
"Yes!" Alan nodded firmly, clenching his fists.
"I've already asked Mandy San to take care of my grandfather. He's a good man. I have to go to the Sabaody Archipelago to find out what happened to Cori. But I'm too weak."
His fingernails dug deep into his flesh as he spoke.
Yes… even after eating a Devil Fruit and gaining powers, he was still far too weak. And he knew very well that with his current strength, rescuing his younger sister was absolutely impossible.
So he wanted to become stronger, no matter the cost.
"As expected." Hearing this, Youji wasn't surprised at all.
Beneath the mask, Roy began to think. In the end, he came to a conclusion…
That this might actually work.
Alan was someone trustworthy. And as a Slice-Slice Fruit user, he truly had considerable potential.
At the same time, Roy, being a Marine himself knew that the Marines and the World Government were currently hunting Youji with extreme intensity. So in truth, even without Alan, he had planned to let Youji lie low somewhere for a while and stay out of sight.
After all, even if it was just a clone, once it was lost, it was gone.
And this small island perfectly suited his need to "keep a low profile."
And most importantly…
"Sabaody Archipelago's human auction house… just hearing about it sounds incredibly profitable."
With that thought in mind, Roy made his decision.
"I can stay here and train you. As for joining the organization… if you become strong enough, I can submit an application for you."
"But…"
He looked at Alan, his voice calm and evaluative.
"Are you really okay with that? I'm a wanted criminal. Standing on my side means standing against the world."
Hearing this, Alan smiled.
"About that… I actually already asked everyone."
As he spoke, he tightened his grip on the axe.
He couldn't forget the scene from the night they left Master Port, the slaves wailing and sobbing aboard the small boats. He couldn't forget what the villagers had described, the inhuman abuse they suffered during their time as slaves.
The pain of losing loved ones. Broken limbs. The taste of blood. The cries of young girls…
None of it could be forgotten. None of it would ever be forgotten.
"We're just ordinary people. On our own, we don't have the power to change everything, or to take revenge." He looked at Youji.
"But Youji Sama, everyone is willing to believe in you."
"If you intend to stand against the world… Please, be sure to take us with you."
(End of Chapter)
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