"You mentioned two names that sounded a little familiar somehow." Reiner frowned and muttered under his breath.
"You've heard this story before?"
At that, Vivi and the others all turned to look at him.
Reiner waved a hand and continued, "Ah, no. Maybe I heard a sentence or two somewhere before. I don't remember."
He had lived in this world for two and a half years now, sailing all over the place since putting to sea. He might have heard something somewhere and simply forgotten it.
No one thought much of it. Reiner often knew things about the sea, and Nami had long since grown used to it.
Vivi continued her tale.
Legend said that, long ago, a massive rift split the land in two, with many tribes living on either side.
The west was called Giri and held numerous oases, while the east was almost entirely barren.
Fresh water was scarce, food was scarce, and savage birds and beasts roamed everywhere. The desert was filled with danger.
The people there lived incredibly difficult lives, but the harsh environment did not defeat them. Instead, it tempered their powerful bodies and gave rise to countless brave, battle-hardened warriors.
Because the barren land lacked resources, merely hunting wild beasts was not enough to obtain sufficient supplies. Naturally, another method emerged.
—Plunder.
Tribal conflicts were especially frequent in the east. In those days, the entire eastern region was locked in war and slaughter year after year.
Yet to survive in the desert, there was one thing that strength alone could never obtain.
Water!
People from the eastern tribes began stepping forward to advocate a truce, hoping to bypass the great rift and cultivate land in the west.
But that was easier said than done.
Every tribe bore deep grudges from years of bloody