The Kingdom of Oikot in the East China Sea.
Kokosia Village.
In the orange orchard near the sea, the paths are crisscrossed. Bellemere, who has been retired for many years, is holding two girls' hands and walking among the fruit trees, carefully checking the growth status of these fruit trees.
In early autumn, the orange trees in the orchard have already produced green fruits. The sea breeze blows gently, and at a glance, the green orchard is also dotted with golden spots.
"Bellmère~"
"Look, this orange should be ready to be picked, right?"
An orange-haired girl who was following Bellmère closely suddenly broke free from her adoptive mother's hand and ran quickly towards a nearby fruit tree. As she spoke, the girl had already arrived next to the fruit tree, pointing her finger at a yellow orange high up, and shouted excitedly.
Even the oranges on the same tree have different levels of maturity. The oranges that bear fruit earlier are actually ready to be picked.
"Slow down, Nami."
Bellmère held a ladies' cigarette in her mouth and looked at Nami who was running away with a smile. After giving her a concerned reminder, her gaze also looked in the direction of the girl Nami's finger.
Just as Nami said, a small number of oranges in the orchard have already ripened. In the next one or two months, she needs to come here frequently to pick the ripe fruits in time, otherwise they will be eaten by birds and fruitworms.
"Well, it's ready to be picked."
"Here, Nami, try it and see if it tastes good."
Bell-mère held Nojigo's hand and slowly approached, gently holding the ripe orange in the other hand. After looking at it for a while, he reached out and pinched the stem, picked the palm-sized orange, and put it in Nami's hand.
Bellmère is less than 30 years old, but he has adopted two orphans since he retired from the navy. Nochi is a little older, about 15 or 16 years old, with purple hair and dark skin. He looks mature and is nearly 1.7 meters tall, looking like an adult.
Nami is younger, about thirteen or fourteen years old, fair and thin, exuding an innocent and youthful aura.
After leaving the navy, Bellmère raised two children single-handedly, and he did not find a companion for himself for so many years. The hardships he endured are beyond the imagination of outsiders.
However, living with Nojiko and Nami, Bell-mère did not feel that her life was difficult at all. Seeing the two children growing up, Bell-mère felt very gratified and felt that the hardships she had experienced over the years were insignificant.
Nami, who was a little shorter, took the fruit handed to her by her mother, and Nojiko beside her also came over with a smile.
Gently break the orange in half and the juice will splash out.
A fresh fragrance filled the air, and the thin acid mist made Nojiko and Nami subconsciously dodge back. Then they looked at each other and laughed at the same time.
"Hey, Bellemere, you eat first."
Nami handed half of the orange to Bell-mère's hand, and then the two children squinted their eyes and looked at their mother with anticipation.
“It looks good.”
The plump flesh looked mouth-watering. Bellemeier took it with a smile, peeled it, broke off a piece of flesh and put it in his mouth, and then said with a smile:
"Mmm, very sweet."
After hearing this, Nojiko and Nami couldn't wait to taste the fresh oranges, but after they each broke off a piece of flesh and put it in their mouths, the smiles on their faces suddenly froze.
The strong sour smell made the two children tremble and their expressions became distorted.
“Hahahahahaha!”
Seeing the two children being fooled, Bellmère suddenly burst into laughter.
It turns out that the orange only looks ripe. If you want to wait until it is really ready to eat, it will have to hang for a while.
"You're lying, Bell-mère!" Nami's face turned pale. She stuffed the orange in her hand to her sister and said angrily.
"Nami, I'm not lying."
"It really is sweet, but you kids just can't taste it."
"Hahaha!"
Bellmère broke the fruit flesh in his hand and put it into his mouth, laughing as he ran along the path. When he left, he did not forget to turn around and laugh at his daughter, looking like a little child.
"If you think it's sweet, then eat this half too!"
"I don't want it. I'm giving it to you two to eat. Don't waste it!"
Nami shouted and chased forward. Bell-mère turned around, made a face, and ran away laughing. The orchard was filled with the laughter of the mother and daughter.
While chasing and playing, the few of them also quickly inspected the entire orchard.
Panting, Bellmère ran into a simple shed in the orchard, slumped down on a wooden chair, and gasped for breath.
Nojigo and Nami came running over one after another, supporting their knees with their hands, looking exhausted.
Looking at Nokiko and Nami who were out of breath, Bellmère smiled silently. When he handed the water bottle he was carrying to Nokiko, he breathed a sigh of relief, stretched his body, and then squinted his eyes comfortably.
A gentle breeze blew by, making the fruit trees in the orchard rustle.
They were right on the mountainside, and looking out, they could see the village below and the blue sea.
After catching their breath, Nojigo and Nami also sat down in the pergola, looking out into the distance and taking in the harmonious and peaceful scene of Kokosia Village.
Nami looked for a while, then moved closer to Bell-mère, and held Bell-mère's arm somewhat dependently. She rested her head lightly on her mother's arm and squinted her eyes comfortably.
Although she will be a grown-up girl in a few years, Nami still acts like a child.
The Kingdom of Oikot is not harmonious and prosperous, and the village of Kokosia is not a paradise. Although the people on the island are honest and simple, the sea is not as peaceful as imagined.
It's just that Bellmère kept the so-called wind and rain outside the place called home, so that his two children could grow up carefree, and even became a little naive about the world.
"Bell-mère, Nami, look, a boat is coming to the island!"
"It's a warship!"
On the vast sea, a warship flying the seagull flag was rapidly approaching the harbor of Kokosia Village. Nokigo spotted the warship, and her words shattered the tranquility of the pavilion.
"warship?!"
Hearing the word "warship", Bellmère suddenly sat up straight from the wooden chair. Although she was from the navy, her face showed no joy at all when she heard the word "warship". Instead, her face quickly became gloomy.
Nami seemed to have thought of something bad at this moment, and she held her mother's arms tightly with both hands.
"Let's go. Let's go down the mountain and go back to town."
Bellmère stood up, and the joy he had felt before was gone.
“Ding ding ding ding—”
The warship entered the harbor, and the sound of gongs on the ship also attracted the attention of the people. The arrival of the navy was reported to Ajian, the sheriff who was in charge of the village, as early as possible.
After hearing the noise, the villagers quickly gathered towards the harbor. Soon, more than a hundred villagers had gathered. At the same time, many villagers who were working in the mountains gathered towards the harbor after hearing the noise.
Kokosia Village does not have a village chief in the traditional sense. Here, the so-called "village chief" is assumed by the elders with higher prestige and older age.
Sheriff Ajian has a certain official background and is currently one of the "bosses" of the village.
As for the representative of the village elders, it was Dr. Nagao, the village's only doctor. Dr. Nagao was in his early sixties, thin and slender, wearing sunglasses and sporting a small goatee, giving him a somewhat fashionable look.
Under the leadership of the two of them, the villagers gathered at the harbor in an orderly and quiet manner, with everyone's eyes fixed on the warship docked on the shore.
The warship came to a steady stop.
A long wooden ladder was lowered from above, and a team of navy officers led by Colonel Mouse of the 16th Marine Branch came ashore.
Looking at the Kokosia villagers gathered at the harbor, Colonel Mouse suddenly laughed "geigeigei" and then, with a smile on his face, he came to the Sheriff Ajian and the village doctor, Dr. Nagao.
"Long time no see!"
"Commander Ajian, and Dr. Nagao!"
Colonel Mouse behaved in a friendly and approachable manner, his slightly wretched face full of smiles. However, his face was just like his title, with a pointed mouth, buck teeth, skinny cheeks, and a gloomy and timid look, like a humanoid mouse.
"Colonel Mouse, why are you here so suddenly?"
"Why didn't you notify us in advance? If we knew you were coming, we would have made some preparations in advance to entertain you."
Sheriff A Jianqiang forced a smile and asked.
Colonel Mouse has had quite a bit of contact with the villagers of Kokosia. He is the highest-ranking officer of the 16th Navy Branch, responsible for the maritime security of nearly a hundred villages and towns nearby, including Kokosia Village. In a place like the East China Sea, generally speaking, a colonel is the highest-level naval commander that people can come into contact with.
A real big shot!
Therefore, Ajian’s humble attitude is understandable.
In a world like One Piece, it's a bit ridiculous to say that everyone is equal. Ordinary people are far inferior to the navy captain.
"Hey, what's the treat?"
"Ajian, you are too polite."
"I came here this time to ask you for something."
"Look, the autumn harvest is almost here, and the pirates are starting to get active. I'm under a lot of pressure here!"
"In order to pursue pirates and protect Cocosia Village and the countless people under my jurisdiction, I pursue pirates day and night, hoping to protect the hard-earned peace for everyone."
"Look, I haven't slept for several days. Look at my dark circles."
Colonel Mouse put on an expression of hardship, rubbed his skinny cheeks and complained bitterly.
However, the surrounding villagers watched Colonel Mouse's performance coldly, remaining quiet and indifferent.
On the contrary, Ah Jian echoed repeatedly:
"Yeah yeah!"
"You've worked hard, and so have all the sailors."
"We have been able to live in peace and tranquility without being disturbed by pirates for so many years, all thanks to your dedication to duty, Colonel."
"Since we're here, let's rest on the island and have a good rest."
Although Ajian had a smile on his face, he was already cursing in his heart.
He already knew exactly what kind of people these navy soldiers were after all these years of contact with them, and he also had an idea of what they were up to.
really
Colonel Mouse nodded in agreement when he heard this, and then suddenly changed the subject:
"Ajian, you are the best at measuring our navy!"
"You don't know, in order to pursue the pirates, our branch has also paid a huge price. Several warships have sunk. The loss is heavy!"
"Oh, it's so hard!"
"As you know, the Navy Headquarters has also experienced many changes over the years."
"The military funds and supplies allocated to our branch by headquarters are limited every year."
"Well, we suffered some losses while chasing the pirates, so we're running out of supplies."
"If this continues, the branch will find it difficult to continue."
"This time I came here to ask everyone in Kokosia Village to help us provide some assistance to our navy."
"With supplies, we can better kill the bandits and protect everyone's lives!"
"Your side"
Having said that, Major Mouse narrowed his eyes and looked at Ajian in front of him and Dr. Nagao next to him, with a smile on his face.
What he didn't say was actually quite straightforward. After hearing what he said, everyone could actually understand the subtext of his words.
The general meaning is that I have no money and no food, and I want to "borrow" from your village. If you don't lend it to me, I will no longer be able to guarantee the safety of your village.
Although Colonel Mouse was polite on the surface, the threat revealed in his words was very obvious and his intention was clear.
"That's as it should be, as it should be!"
It has become a routine for the 16th branch to ask for money and food from the people of Kokosia Village in recent years. In the early years, the villagers actually felt that Colonel Mouse's behavior was problematic and resisted.
However, the 16th Navy Branch had no intention of taking it by force, and when they saw that the villagers disagreed, they left.
But not long after these navy men left, the village of Kokosia was plundered by pirates. Faced with the brutal pirates, the people on the island suffered heavy losses.
The 16th branch responded quickly to the request for the navy to come and capture the pirates, but they arrived so late that they never met the pirates.
At first, people didn't think anything of it and just thought it was a coincidence. But after this happened several times in a row, people as smart as Ajian and Dr. Nagao no longer knew what was going on.
What should I do?
There is basically no channel for spreading information at sea. In the early years, they also tried to report the 16th branch's collusion with pirates to other naval branches, but since there was no evidence to support this, the colonels of the same rank in other branches had no intention of intervening in the matter.
Since the mouse dared to do this, it had to be dealt with. The surrounding branches had already become a community of interests.
As for the people reporting the matter to the Navy Headquarters?
joke?
The people in the East Sea might not even be able to reach the Grand Line, let alone report the matter to the Navy Headquarters.
Ordinary people have no way to fight against the sea, and there is no chance of survival if they go out to sea.
People still want to continue living in this village, so what should they do?
We can only gather the abilities of every household and try our best to meet the requirements of Colonel Mouse.
Ah Jian agreed readily, and Colonel Mouse showed a satisfied smile on his face. He beckoned to the sailors behind him and said:
"Then we'll rest on the island for a few days."
"Mr. Ajian, thank you for your hard work!"
Colonel Mouse bowed slightly and thanked him politely.
(End of this chapter)
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