The Average Intelligence in the Pirate World

"So hungry! Using the Devil Fruit really does consume too much stamina. Fortunately, I finally succeeded this time. That older sister was dressed in the most expensive children's clothes, so she probably had quite a bit of money on her. Maybe I can save enough to pay for a ship out of this country." After hiding in a corner, a delicate, childlike face emerged beneath the filthy clothes. Only after looking around and confirming there was no one else nearby did the child beggar pull a stack of banknotes from her clothes.

"One million Beli, two million Beli, three million..." Her right hand, which was counting the money, quickly froze in midair. She muttered, "Wait, this unit doesn't seem quite right!"

After rubbing her eyes to make sure she had not misread it, the little beggar sucked in a breath and said, "The smallest denomination is one hundred thousand Beli. Does her family own a mine?"

"This is bad. If I'd known, stealing one bill would have been enough. Now that I've lost so much money, they definitely won't let this go." The little beggar's delicate face scrunched up in distress. "The most important question is, where am I supposed to go to fill my stomach with bills of such a large denomination?"

Just as Longinus was marveling at Hina's true identity as a little rich girl, a group of men in black shirts, black pants, and black hoods suddenly sprang out from the streets and alleys in broad daylight, looking so foolishly conspicuous that it seemed they were worried people might not realize they were villains. The vendors and customers who had come to attend the food festival were frightened into fleeing in all directions.

"Captain Ginyu, that little girl has disappeared again. What should we do now?" one of the men in black asked unwillingly.

"What should we do? What should we do?" The obviously larger man in black smacked him hard on the head and scolded him. "Of course we keep chasing her! She was already our most valuable commodity, and now she's stolen the captain's Devil Fruit. If we don't catch her and sell her for a high price, the captain will skin us alive when he gets back!"

"That's right! She's a commodity more valuable than even the Giant Race and the Merfolk Race. Plenty of big shots in the Underworld want to get their hands on her. If we lose her, the captain will kill us with the cruelest punishment imaginable." Fear seeped into the voices of the men in black. Clearly, even selling all of them together would not make up for the little beggar's value.

Suddenly, one of the men in black finally noticed Longinus and Hina. He leaned close to his captain's ear and "whispered," "Captain, that's a Marine! Should we take out that brat?"

The man who looked like their captain glanced warily at Longinus and waved his hand. "Don't complicate things. That man is wearing a Coat of Justice and civilian clothes. Only officers of the rank of commander or above are permitted to dress like that. I don't know how that brat managed it, but we'd better not draw the Marines into this right now."

After the group of men in black had gone, Hina looked as though her entire worldview had been refreshed. She said speechlessly, "Are those pirates idiots? They weren't lowering their voices at all. Could they have said it on purpose so we'd hear them, with the aim of luring you in, Big Brother Longinus?"

Seeing Hina jump at every little thing and worrying that the pirates might have set a trap, Longinus comforted her. "Don't misunderstand. That's just the average intelligence of pirates in the Pirate World. You'll get used to it eventually."

"However, they don't seem to be ordinary pirates. They're pirates under slave traders who sell people." Longinus's expression remained unchanged, but murderous intent was already brewing in his heart.

"Damn it, they're that kind of disgusting pirates?"

Disgust appeared on Hina's delicate little face. She was clearly deeply repulsed by those pirates.

However, Hina did not want her own position to affect Longinus's judgment. She knew very well that women who liked to meddle in everything were not very likable. She did not want Longinus to hate her because of that, not even for the slightest possibility.

"Big Brother Longinus, what should we do now?"

"As a Marine, how could I possibly stand by and ignore such evil when I see it?" Longinus said decisively, while thinking to himself, That fleeting Devil Fruit fluctuation was...

"I knew it. Big Brother Longinus really is a true hero!" Hina did not say it aloud, merely admiring him in secret. Then she offered quite naturally, "Hina will only get in Big Brother Longinus's way if she stays here. How about I go back and notify the Marines and the kingdom's army to come provide support?"

"We don't have time, and the appearance of the Marines and the kingdom's army will only force them into desperation. They might seize the vendors and customers at the food festival as hostages, causing even greater destruction and casualties." Longinus rejected Hina's suggestion after a brief moment of thought.

"The most important point is that this place is far from the royal city. With unrest breaking out now, you'll be more likely to fall into danger if you leave alone. I promised Uncle Louis that I would guarantee your safety. How could I leave you behind just because I was going to rescue other people?"

Longinus shook his head and self-deprecatingly said, "It sounds a little ridiculous. Many people call me a hero, but when it really comes time to choose, I still can't abandon my own friend for the sake of some strangers. So, in the end, I'm just an ordinary person with a little strength."

Girls really are easy to move.

What Longinus considered merely a mildly sentimental speech brought tears to Hina's eyes. "Mm-hmm! Hina definitely won't hold Big Brother Longinus back!"

"Don't worry about it. Those pirates are only average. Even if I have to protect you during the fight, it won't be difficult." Longinus was not simply trying to comfort her. With the level of ability those pirates had displayed, no matter how many more came, they would not be able to break through his defenses.

The venue that had originally hosted the food competition was already deserted. Only two figures in black remained in the empty space.

"Well? Have you found that little girl?"

"N-no..." the man in black replied timidly. "That brat is incredibly good at hiding. It will be difficult to find her in a short time."

"Damn it. Those Marines are probably going to track us down by scent soon, like hunting dogs. We don't have much time." The leader of the men in black issued an order decisively. "Block every exit. Tell everyone here that if they can't help me find that brat, I'll kill them all along with her!"

"Making those people our accomplices... Boss, you're really smart. I'll go deliver the order right away." The short man in black gave a little flattering laugh before quickly turning and walking out of the venue.

"Idiot, what do you mean, accomplices? It's obviously... obviously..." The leader of the men in black realized what he had said and cursed as he spoke, but then he quickly faltered, unable to think of a replacement word.

Tap, tap, tap!

Light footsteps sounded. The man in black frowned slightly and shouted angrily, "Why are you back again? Didn't you understand what I said before?"

When his subordinate did not respond, the man in black turned around, vaguely sensing that something was wrong.

"Two premium commodities!" The man in black first professionally assessed the two people standing before him with a tradesman's eye, then suddenly snapped back to reality.

"No, that was clearly the sound of one person's footsteps. Why are there two people here?" In the somewhat dim venue, a cold wind blew, and the man in black broke into a terrified sweat.