Human beings are very fickle creatures. In the world of pirates, which is a big melting pot, there are very few people who can change themselves without being influenced by the external environment.
Even Yoriichi Tsugakuni probably wouldn't be able to do it.
When Ace and Sabo were young, they were indeed guided by Yoriichi Tsuchikuni, and the seeds of integrity were planted in their hearts early on.
However, whether this seed can take root and sprout will not be known until the truth is revealed.
At least from now on, it seems that these two children have received a good education in the Navy Headquarters, which is also something that makes this person feel very relieved.
Power can easily change a person's mind.
People who possess power are often controlled by this power, and their own desires will be completely released as their power increases.
Not to mention a world like One Piece where people possess extraordinary powers, even in this world without extraordinary powers, ordinary people who suddenly gain a considerable amount of wealth will become unrecognizable. Without the same experience, others simply cannot imagine to what extent a person can become evil.
Ace and Sabo's behavior today made Yoriichi Tsugikuni quite satisfied.
He would follow the two children to Kokosia Village because he wanted to observe the two children's state of mind and abilities up close. If their growth paths deviated from what Yunyi had expected, he would step forward and find a way to change their minds.
Now it seems that his worries were unnecessary.
His purpose of coming to Kokosia Village has been achieved. As for what Ace and Sabo plan to do next, Yoriichi no longer has any interest in finding out.
Ace and Sabo, who can stick to their original intentions, will definitely be able to handle things here, and Yoriichi Tsugikuni can also rest assured to let their two children continue to move forward on their current path.
Now is not the time to induct both of them into the new navy.
Not long after Ace and Sabo left Bellmère's house, Tsugikuni Yoshiichi's figure disappeared silently at the base of the wall.
He is about to leave the East China Sea, and his next stop is Wano Country.
Yoshikazu Tsugakuni also has his own things to do. To be honest, he actually wants to go to the Marine Headquarters to see how much Luffy has grown at this stage, but if he appears at the Marine Headquarters, the risk of being exposed is too great.
Luffy who ate the Nika Fruit
His path is naturally guided by the Nika-fruit. Tsugakuni Yoriichi has a vague premonition in his heart that Luffy, who was deeply branded by Red-Haired Shanks early on, would probably be difficult to be influenced by others.
This is a stubborn kid. No one knows what is in his mind. Thinking about this kind of thing seems to be very far away from Luffy.
There is no way to change what he has decided, not even Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
Yoriichi Tsugakuni has already tried his best to influence Luffy's life, and the rest will be left to fate.
When it comes to Luffy, most of the time, Jigoku Yoshiichi adopts a bystander attitude.
He also wanted to see if Ace and Sabo, whose lives had been changed, could make this kid give up the idea of becoming the Pirate King.
Can the Nika Fruit on Luffy still be awakened?
For everything, just wait for time to give the answer.
After leaving Bellmère's home, Ace and Sabo found a family in the town to stay temporarily. The villagers of Cocosia Village were actually very wary of strangers, but the childish faces of Ace and Sabo were able to reduce the villagers' vigilance to the lowest level.
Bell-mère also decided to take a gamble on Ace and Sabo. The reason for making this decision was very simple. Not only because the two teenagers could remain calm under Nokigo's gun, but also because Bell-mère still had some hope for the Navy Headquarters.
If even the two adopted sons of Marshal Zhan Guo were unable to help their city of Cocosia, Bellmère had no idea who else in the world could help them.
As for whether Ace and Sabo have the strength to fight against pirates?
This is actually the least of Bellmère's worries.
Anyone who has read the newspaper and knows something about the navy knows that Ace and Sabo are rare users of nature-type fruits, and are basically synonymous with invincibility in a place like the East China Sea.
Ever since the two of them took control of Rogue Town, all the pirates who attempted to stir up trouble in Rogue Town were eliminated by these two people. As the last island connecting the East China Sea and the first half of the Grand Line, Rogue Town has become a Jedi for many pirates.
Ace and Sabo left and settled down somewhere on the island, which made it difficult for Bellmère to convince Ken to cooperate with the operation.
Bell-mère had personally seen Ace and Sabo, two of the headquarters navy, and dared to bet on them, but Ken, who had only heard Bell-mère's one-sided story, would never dare to put the lives of the entire island on the gambling table.
The shadow left by the pirates on ordinary people like Ajian is too deep.
It is difficult for them to think about competing with pirates. As long as they can continue to live a stable life like now, they are willing to endure it even if it makes them poorer.
This is especially true for Ajian. He is a lonely man, and the only thing that worries him is his fellow villagers in Kokosia Village. From his point of view, he will not let down the trust of the people on the island and easily make a decision that will affect the lives of every villager.
Bellmère's persuasion was futile, so he had no choice but to find the more prestigious Dr. Nago. He was the only doctor in the village. It could be said that everyone living on the island had received his favor. As long as he could be persuaded to cooperate, then this matter would basically be accomplished.
But what gave Bellmère a headache was that Dr. Nagao, who was also alone and responsible, was unwilling to make such a bet.
It’s not that he didn’t trust Bellmère, but because he couldn’t bear the consequences of failure.
If it was just him who died, he would take the risk and gamble with Bellmère.
but
After failing to persuade him, Bellemere could only return to his home with a look of disappointment. When his two daughters asked about it, Bellemere was the only one who answered them with silence.
Nojiko and Nami both knew that Bell-mère had failed. They couldn't bear to see their mother's disappointed face. After looking at each other, they ignored Bell-mère's dissuasion and hurried out of the house and ran towards Ajian's house.
After seeing Bellmère off, Ajian and Nagao met and told each other about the plan that Bellmère had mentioned. After a quick exchange of opinions, they both sighed at the same time and reached a consensus on this point.
However, not long after Bellmère left, the door of Ajian's house was kicked open by Nojiko and Nami.
"Bang!!"
The loud sound of the door opening made Ajian and Nagao in the living room shudder. They thought they were being robbed. When they saw the two children, Nokigao and Nami, rushing over in a hurry, a slight smile appeared on their faces.
Bellmère is not married, and it is not easy for her to raise two children alone. The village is so small, and Ajian and Nagao also play relatively important roles in the growth of Nochigo and Nami.
The two elders have long regarded the two children as their own nephews.
"Nojigo, Nami, what's wrong with you two?"
Ajian was greeting with a big smile on his face, but Nami's sweet sneer interrupted him directly:
"Ajian, are you against Bellemere's plan?!"
"Are you determined to give away the villagers' hard-earned wealth?!"
"Even if many people will die, you won't care?!"
Nami took the initiative. Although she was young, she still looked righteous and aggressive when she said this. Bell-mère had indeed protected him very well over the years. However, Nami read a lot of books and had an excellent talent for drawing sea charts. In fact, she had gone to sea several times.
Although Nami doesn't have much social experience, it doesn't mean that she is an idiot.
"Nami."
"Are you two here to help Bellemere persuade us?"
"You are still young, you don't need to worry about these things."
"Nami, stay home during this time and help Bellmère. Don't cause any more trouble."
Ajian didn't think that a child of Nami's age could understand anything. He sighed lightly and waved his hand perfunctorily.
"Making trouble?"
"We have the opportunity to completely break free from the oppression of those guys. How can this be considered adding to the trouble?"
"Are you willing to accept this?"
"You are willing, but I am not!"
"I don't want to live in a village that only knows how to compromise."
"I've heard Bellmair mention those two marines. They're very powerful, and they're the adopted sons of Marshal Sengoku."
"If we don't dare to bet on them, then our village of Kokosia will live in the shadow of those rats for the rest of our lives."
"When they are in a good mood, they take less, and when they are in a bad mood, they take more!"
“Is this kind of life really what the villagers want?”
Nami's words silenced Ken and Nagao. They understood the truth; Bellemere had clarified the pros and cons and told them the identities of the two navy officers when he was trying to persuade them.
But the same words spoken by different people will have different effects.
So what are these people struggling to hold on for?
Isn’t it just to survive and give the next generation of children a better life?
As Nami said, if these children live under the oppression of the navy for a long time, can they really have a good environment to grow up in?
The mouse knows when to stop today, but can the mouse always know when to stop?
Who will be able to help them then?
Nami's words made Nagao and Ajian feel shaken. After a simple eye contact, they both saw determination in each other's eyes.
"I can't make a decision on this matter alone."
“Let’s all decide together.”
Ajian finally made concessions and compromises, but he did not have the final say. Instead, he gave the right of choice to all the villagers.
The open space in front of the barn had become somewhat deserted, but at the call of the sheriff and the village elders, the villagers gathered together.
Those who had already paid their taxes and grain were unsure what was happening, believing they were being asked to pay again, and they felt a sense of unease. Some villagers who hadn't yet paid were rummaging through boxes and cabinets, scraping together their money. Upon learning that Ajian and Nagao had called the villagers together, they too felt a pang of unease, believing they were being asked to pay.
However, when the people gathered together, they learned from Bellmère that an opinion leader was actually planning to rebel against Colonel Mouse of the 16th branch.
This news really shocked everyone.
Bellmère did not elaborate, only saying that she had contacted her friends in the navy and would get help from them.
Although the people were suspicious, Bellmère, as a former navy officer, had a high prestige in the village, and the villagers had quite a bit of trust in him.
Of course, the most important thing is that the villagers feel that they have a chance to completely break free from the clutches of Colonel Mouse and his gang.
After all, no one is willing to give away the money and grain they have worked so hard to save for nothing.
Some families may not even be able to survive the winter after paying the "head tax". Instead of struggling, it is better to believe in Bellmère and take a gamble.
This group of people is quite large in number, and they overwhelm the opposition from those whose families are relatively well-off.
Three days later.
After eating and drinking on the boat for a few days, Colonel Mouse brought his men back to the island, intending to take away all the supplies and money stored in the granary.
But when Ajin opened the warehouse, it was empty and there was nothing left.
Ajian acted crazy and shouted that the warehouse had been robbed.
But how could such a crude trick possibly fool Colonel Mouse? He didn't say much to Ajian, and decisively left Kokosia Village with his men.
Perhaps it was because Colonel Mouse was too confident in the villagers of Cocosia Village that he did not notice the rebellious sentiment rising among the people on the island, nor did he notice the abnormality revealed by this incident.
This happened less than 10 days after Colonel Mouse and his men left.
That evening, the sun sets.
Three pirate ships flying the skull and crossbones flag appeared in the waters near the village of Cocosia.
After dinner, the people who were walking on the beach noticed that a pirate ship was approaching the island. They rushed into the village in a hurry and rang the gong in the center of the village.
The rapid and loud sound of the gong makes the peaceful Kokosia Village busy.
Bellmère, who was staying at home, also took down the spear hanging on the wall, told Nojiko and Nami to stay at home obediently, then put on his sword and quickly walked out of the room.
She did not place all her hopes on Ace and Sabo. She had already prepared herself mentally that if Ace and Sabo broke their promise, she would use her own life to protect the village.
"ju——"
On the coast, the pirate ship slowly approached, and the sharp sound of cannons rang out directly on the sea.
The pitch-black shells streaked across the sky and landed on the beach, creating a crater. The pirates' bombardment this time was like a demonstration. After firing a shell, there was no movement, and the ship only increased in speed.
"Sabo, get a few alive first."
"Then leave it to me!"
Not long after the cannon sounded, Ace and Sabo, both dressed in casual clothes, appeared on the beach, looking into the distance at the pirate ship that was rapidly approaching the island.
Ace had a bright smile on his face. He had been holding it in for so many days and his body was already itching to do it.
"good!"
Sabo agreed immediately, and the next second, with a flash of lightning, Sabo's figure disappeared from the spot.
Ace sat down cross-legged on the beach, his eyes flashing with coldness. He had already firmly remembered Colonel Mouse in his mind.
evidence? !
The moment these pirates appeared in his sight, it no longer mattered whether there was evidence or not.
He would never allow someone like Colonel Mouse to continue to stay in the navy!
(End of this chapter)
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