Transaction

The village chief's words silenced everyone.

Actually, before they set sail, the village chief had already told them that the outside world was very dangerous.

Unlike their village, the outside lacked proper fortifications and they couldn't call the Navy for help. A single misstep could lead to their annihilation by a pirate crew.

But at the time, they hadn't taken his words to heart. The allure of 100 million Beli was simply too great. With that money, the village wouldn't have to worry about Celestial Gold for many years, and their living conditions would greatly improve.

"My opinion is that we should turn back now! Bran is already dead, and I can't lead more people to their deaths," the village chief broke the silence.

"No! If we go back now, won't Bran have died for nothing?" Charl was the first to object.

"That's right, Chief. We can't let Bran sacrifice himself in vain," a villager who had just argued with Charl chimed in.

The rest of the villagers also disagreed with turning back.

The village chief sighed, "Ai! I know you're reluctant to give up that 100 million Beli, but we also need to be alive to reach Sabaody Archipelago!

We're still in the West Blue. Once we cross Reverse Mountain ahead, we'll officially enter the Grand Line. From the Grand Line's entrance to Sabaody Archipelago will take at least several months.

During that time, who knows how many pirates we'll encounter. The pirates we just faced are like ants compared to the pirates of the Grand Line.

If we can't even defeat a group of ants, how can we possibly face those monstrous pirates later?"

"If the journey ahead is so terrifying, then why did you agree to let us set sail in the first place?" Charl asked, turning to the chief.

"Because when I sailed in the past, this sea wasn't this chaotic. At least in the West Blue, we rarely encountered pirates. But now..."

"Now, because of Pirate King Roger's words before his execution, the Great Age of Pirates has begun.

Ordinary people who were oppressed by the Celestial Dragons and couldn't afford Celestial Gold have found a new path. They've set sail to pursue the legendary One Piece.

The sea has become even more chaotic because of it," Mosen, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

The village chief was taken aback and turned to Mosen, "Sir, you are..."

"Chief, he's the one who saved us just now! He took down those pirates," Charl quickly explained.

"So that's how it is. Sir, thank you very much for your help. We are all villagers from Westmoon Village, Leo Island. If we hadn't met you this time, we would have likely been wiped out by those pirates."

"Village Chief, there's no need to be so polite. It was just a small effort."

"Your small effort is a life-saving grace for us! May we know your name? If we are fortunate enough to return alive, we will repay you handsomely."

"So, you've decided you're still going to Sabaody Archipelago?" Mosen asked.

The village chief sighed and remained silent. Mosen glanced around the deck at the villagers. Some of them clearly wanted to turn back, but more had determined expressions.

Mosen now understood. While part of the reason these villagers chose to set sail was indeed to sell the Devil Fruit for money, a larger part was their own desire to venture out. These people were likely inspired by Roger's dying words.

At this moment, Mosen truly grasped the profound impact Roger's words had on ordinary people in the pirate world.

These people, who once saw no hope, now saw One Piece as their hope. They chose to set sail to pursue One Piece, to pursue their own dreams.

In a sense, by choosing to set sail, they had already changed their destinies.

But would this change be for better or worse?

Would the corrupt old world completely collapse under constant impact, leading to the establishment of a new order and a new dawn for the world?

Or would the chaos not be enough to shake the old order, and everything would eventually return to peace, leaving only those ordinary people who were incited by Roger's phantom One Piece and forced to leave their homes truly wounded?

Mosen didn't agree with Roger's actions, but he understood them.

One reason Roger acted this way was that he was already terminally ill when he surrendered. At that point, he lacked the ability and time to enact more measured changes, so he could only choose this radical approach, using his own life to ignite a wave of world change.

Another reason was that Roger likely discovered some secret on the Final Island. This secret told him that the opportunity for world change would come in over 20 years, which is why Roger said they were over 20 years too early. This could also be corroborated by Kozuki Oden's sea log.

All Roger could do was use his life to throw the world into utter chaos, creating an opportunity for future change, the so-called "in times of chaos, severe measures are needed."

"Sir, you defeated those pirates just now. Your strength must be considerable! Could I hire you?"

The village chief's words interrupted Mosen's thoughts.

"Hire me? I'm sorry, I have matters to attend to in the West Blue and won't be leaving anytime soon."

"Is that so! What a shame," the village chief said with some disappointment.

"While I can't accept your offer of employment, I can make a deal with you," Mosen said after some thought.

"What kind of deal?" the village chief asked, surprised.

"The bounty on the leader of the pirates who attacked your ship was 21 million Beli. Including the other grunts, the total bounty should be around 40 to 50 million.

I can let you have all of them. You can take these pirates to a nearby Navy branch and claim the bounties."

"And what do we have to give in return?"

"The only valuable thing you have is that Devil Fruit, right?"

"No! This Devil Fruit is worth 100 million Beli. If we trade with you, aren't we losing 50 million Beli for nothing?" a villager immediately objected.

As soon as he spoke, many villagers echoed his sentiment, feeling that trading with Mosen was too unfair.

Another group of villagers felt differently. The recent pirate encounter had already made them consider turning back. If they traded with Mosen now, they could return with a large sum of money, avoiding the perilous journey to the Grand Line. This seemed like a good option.

Seeing that the two sides were about to argue again, the village chief quickly stepped in to silence the villagers. He then turned to Mosen and said, "Sir, you saved us just now, and it's only right that we repay your life-saving grace.

You're interested in this fruit, and in principle, we should offer it with both hands. We don't need the bounty from these pirates either, as a token of our gratitude. However, we lost a comrade on this voyage. If we return with nothing, we won't even be able to provide for his family.

Therefore, please allow me to shamelessly trade the fruit for these pirates to subsidize the village."

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