"Everyone, I'm setting off too. Just like you said, Oran, I'm going to sing the praises of freedom to my heart's content!"
On the shore of the Kingdom of Sorbet, Ivankov prepared to set sail in a small wooden boat covered in repair marks, carrying a little food and water.
No one knew what plans the survivors of God Valley had for the future, but Ivankov had already decided to take the first step.
"Big brother, I'm planning to stay here with Oran and Bear for now. We'll figure out what comes next slowly."
Ginny did not leave with Ivankov. More precisely, among the last few people remaining here, Ivankov was the only one planning to leave now.
"Ivan, it's unrealistic to make a long voyage in a boat like this. Have you really thought this through?"
Oran could not stay in the Kingdom of Sorbet forever. He still had many things to do, but according to his habits, as long as time permitted, he would never act recklessly. At the very least, he needed to build a sturdy new ship first.
When Ivankov had invited him before, Oran had flatly refused this gamble of entrusting one's life to the sea.
"Of course. We haven't known each other for long, but I think we're already friends. Farewell, everyone! Don't forget me!"
With an offshore breeze, Ivankov's little boat gradually drifted away.
"Little Ivan! I'll never forget your face for as long as I live!"
Bear shouted at the top of his lungs. Only after Ivankov had completely vanished beyond the horizon did he return to the church.
"Come on, Xiong Xiong. We still haven't figured out dinner for today..."
Ginny was thirteen, and Bear was nine. To them, the real problem was how to fill their stomachs.
They had escaped, after all. They could not keep living by stealing or digging through trash cans, but they had few abilities. For now, their only stable source of income was Bear chopping firewood.
"You don't need to chop wood today. I found a kind person who'll be responsible for our dinner."
"A kind person?"
"That's right. Go back and get Kate. Once we've brought our things, we can leave."
Kate of the Mink Tribe was also among those who had stayed behind. On one hand, she did not know how to return home. Zou was a giant elephant that moved around, and without a Vivre Card leading back to Zou, even a Mink Tribe member could not find her own home—let alone when Zou roamed the dangerous New World.
Even if she returned, her little home had already been shattered.
Her heart condition made her feel that she might suddenly die someday in the future, so when Oran asked about her plans, she answered with complete seriousness:
"You killed one of Meow's enemies and took Meow away from that island. The Mink Tribe never owes anyone a debt of gratitude. Meow may not live much longer, but during this final stretch of time, Meow will repay you!
"If possible, Meow's dream will be entrusted to you too!"
Under the influence of the Mink Tribe's way of thinking, Oran seemed to have received a cat's repayment of kindness.
Given the current situation, Kate's racial talent for generating electricity would be quite helpful to Oran. With none of his former subordinates or employees around, Oran naturally did not refuse.
But becoming the most wicked of villains was not part of Oran's plan. He intended to find a suitable environment and deal with her heart problem.
This natural-born combat race would be no small help to him in the future.
"You're back. Meow has already sorted out the things you mentioned!"
Behind Kate stood two wooden crates. They were the things Oran had brought out of God Valley with him.
The ship had been too large to take, but he had still brought out quite a bit of cargo, including things that were difficult to reproduce in this world, such as Hex Crystals.
Even though Oran had mastered the complete manufacturing process, he still could not make them without raw materials. For a certain period of time, they were a nonrenewable resource for him.
Oran and Bear each hoisted a wooden crate onto their backs and headed toward the other side of the church. As for making Bear carry things...
Although Bear was the youngest one here, his strength was astonishing. His carrying capacity was roughly equal to Oran's exoskeleton in its normal load-bearing state.
After walking for some time, Oran finally stopped when Ginny's stomach had begun to growl.
"We're here."
"Isn't this... the royal palace?!"
"Yes. The kind person I mentioned lives here. I spoke with your King yesterday. This is the authorization."
As he answered Ginny's question, Oran showed the guards an authorization.
Working for others was out of the question. Accumulating seed capital that way would be far too difficult, so Oran chose a relatively swift method.
The two crates contained nothing else but rifles.
Their technological level was not high, nowhere near the level of the Flying Gate technology. In Oran's eyes, they were little more than scrap metal.
However, Shak, who had helped move things at the time, had thought the guns were of decent quality, which was why they had been brought along.
Yet even this batch of weapons that Oran looked down on was ahead of the average level in the South Blue.
Technological standards across these seas varied enormously. Some islands on the Grand Line could easily produce submachine guns, yet in the East Blue, even revolvers were rare equipment.
Most people used old-fashioned pistols that could only load one bullet at a time. The best way to fire continuously was to carry several guns.
The South Blue was slightly better, but the gap was not large. And the Kingdom of Sorbet was especially poor.
Of course, two crates of rifles alone would not have made the King invite Oran to dinner. Those weapons were merely an opening gesture; through them, Oran had reached an agreement with the King of the Kingdom of Sorbet.
Oran would help the country improve its forging techniques and manufacture machines to increase domestic productivity. In exchange, the Kingdom of Sorbet would provide a large sum of money and some assistance.
The current King of the Kingdom of Sorbet was Bulldog. He could be considered a good King. Though the country was poor, its people were spiritually fulfilled and held little dissatisfaction toward their nation.
The blueprint Oran had described to Bulldog could improve the country's situation to some extent, so Bulldog did not refuse.
This poverty only emerged after being spread across every individual. It was still a country in the end, and one capable of gathering the Celestial Gold. Meeting Oran's demands was still within its means.
"Oran, how did you get the King to invite you...?"
"I just happened to have something this place lacks. By the way, did you read the things I gave you earlier?"
"I did, but... the contents were a little complicated. I didn't really understand what they meant..."
Bear scratched his head, seemingly embarrassed that he could not help even with such a small matter.
"It's fine. I'll teach you once we get back. It shouldn't be too difficult."
Oran needed certain special materials to build some things, but there was no equipment here capable of extracting those materials. The Kingdom of Sorbet's industrial system was also insufficient to support Oran in building such equipment.
In the end, Oran set his sights on Bear's ability. The Paw-Paw Fruit could repel conceptual things like pain and injuries. It was a fruit that wielded a portion of the power of rules.
In theory, using its power to separate certain special substances was not complicated, but there was one prerequisite: Bear had to understand what exactly those substances were.
Before you continue