Foosha Village, located in the Kingdom of Goa, had always been a peaceful little village.
It was neither rich nor poor; the villagers lived simple, happy lives.
Occasionally, interesting things happened. For example, not long ago, a mysterious man had appeared in Foosha Village, and he had actually gotten into a fight with Marine Vice Admiral Garp!
After that, the man had gone out to sea with Mr. Garp, supposedly for some kind of training, and he had yet to return.
Sometimes, Makino wondered what Lynn and Mr. Garp were doing.
One day, a battered ship suddenly appeared at Foosha Village's harbor.
More than a dozen people came down from it, each dressed in rags and gaunt-faced, as though they had just survived a terrible shipwreck.
The kindhearted villagers hurriedly brought them back to Foosha Village, and Up Slap, the village chief, personally received them.
He led them into a room and had them drink several bowls of hot soup to warm themselves up.
After resting for a while, the group anxiously asked, "Have you heard of a man named Lynn Barek?"
Hearing this, the village chief became wary and asked suspiciously, "Who are you people?"
To his surprise, the group suddenly burst into tears, wiping their eyes as they said, "We're Captain Lynn's crew members. Our pirate crew encountered a shipwreck before, and the captain got separated from us. We've been searching for him for a long time!"
Makino was somewhat surprised. "Huh? Mr. Linley is a captain?"
"Yeah!" The bearded man in the lead smiled. "He's a great pirate with quite a famous reputation!"
"But Mr. Linley never mentioned that," Makino said doubtfully.
"Maybe he was afraid of exposing his identity, so he deliberately kept it hidden," the bearded man replied.
"Then how did you get separated?" Makino asked.
At those words, the bearded man immediately began recounting the story through tears and snot.
What followed was a stirring tale of a grand adventure at sea.
After hearing it, the kindhearted villagers of Foosha Village quickly nodded and said that they knew the man named Lynn. He had lived in Foosha Village for quite some time, but he had just gone out to sea a few days ago, and they did not know where he had gone.
The group continued asking the villagers about Lynn Barek, including how he had arrived at Foosha Village aboard Granny Siya's boat and worked at Makino's tavern for a time.
However, Up Slap, who stood nearby, felt that something was off.
As someone who deeply hated pirates, the village chief could often identify a pirate at a glance.
That man named Lynn Barek did not have the slightest air of a pirate about him.
Had he hidden his identity?
No.
The village chief frowned deeply.
Lynn Barek was indeed a wanted criminal with a bounty of 100 million Beli, but he had never claimed to be a pirate.
And that man was not the sort of person who would deliberately hide his identity, much less lie.
If so, there was only one possibility—
That group was lying!
This was bad!
At that thought, the village chief's pupils contracted. Without drawing attention to himself, he slowly tried to move away from the group, intending to find a chance to notify Mr. Garp.
As long as Mr. Garp came, there would be nothing to fear, no matter what that group was plotting.
However, the bearded man in the lead saw through the village chief's intentions.
He gave the people beside him a look, and those pirates, who had seemed utterly exhausted moments ago, suddenly perked up and quickly shut the door.
Village chief Up Slap, Makino, and several villagers who had come to help were all trapped inside the room.
The village chief furrowed his brow and shielded the villagers behind him. "What do you want?"
"You were about to use the Den Den Mushi to notify the Marines, weren't you?"
The bearded man stood and walked over to the village chief, kicking him flying before chasing after him and stomping on him several times.
"Why are you getting clever? Just tell us where Lynn Barek is!"
Seeing this, the villagers in the room finally understood.
That group was not Lynn's crew at all. They were vicious pirates searching for Lynn for some purpose!
After taking several kicks, the village chief endured the pain and stood up. He said to the bearded man:
"Lynn Barek did live in our village for a while, but after he went out to sea and left, he never contacted us again."
"Are you messing with us, old man?"
The bearded man curled his lip and sneered. "He escaped from the Sabaody Archipelago on the Grand Line and later arrived in Loguetown. If he didn't have acquaintances here, how could he possibly have come to such a remote little village?"
Then, the bearded man's gaze swept over everyone present before finally settling on Makino.
"Miss, you said just now that Lynn Barek worked at your tavern for a while, right?"
"What exactly do you want!"
The village chief stepped in front of Makino and shouted, "Come at me if you have something to settle! Don't lay a hand on my villagers!"
Bang!
Another kick sent the village chief flying.
"Are you looking to die, old man?!"
"Stop!"
Makino spoke up. "Don't hurt the village chief anymore. I know Mr. Linley. What do you want me to do?"
The bearded man smiled at that. "We just want to contact Lynn Barek."
"That's impossible," Makino replied. "Mr. Linley merely rowed a small boat out to sea. He never said where he was going."
"Ah, what a pain." The bearded man rubbed his neck and sighed helplessly. "Looks like we can only use Captain Kuro's second plan."
Then, the bearded man had two men tie Makino up and said with a smile, "In that case, miss, we'll have to trouble you to come with us."
"Let Makino go!" The village chief stepped forward, ready to fight them.
Bang!
Another kick sent the village chief flying once more, crashing him into a pile of clutter nearby.
The bearded man drew the blade at his waist and chopped down on the wooden table beside him.
"Old man, do you want everyone in this village to die with you?!"
Hearing that, the village chief understood that the group truly were ruthless pirates who killed without batting an eye.
Because of that, he became even more worried about Makino.
"Don't worry. This miss won't be in any danger for now. Our only target is Lynn Barek." The bearded man waved his hand, and two pirates took the bound Makino away.
Gritting his teeth, the village chief asked, "Where are you taking her?"
The bearded man took a sip of soup from the table and answered, "Loguetown."
"Mm!"
The village chief's expression tightened.
In contrast, the bearded man and the other pirates showed no intention of leaving.
"I think this village has rather nice scenery. It's perfect for getting some rest!"
The bearded man continued to the village chief, "Hey, bring out all the good liquor. We're occupying this village for now. If you don't want anyone to die, don't notify the Marines. By the time a Marine warship docks, we'll have enough time to kill plenty of people!"
Then, the bearded man found a comfortable chair and sat down.
"We'll rest here while waiting for news about Lynn Barek!"
About a week later.
The Den Den Mushi in Makino's tavern rang.
Buru Buru Buru... Buru Buru Buru...
Click!
"Hello, Makino. Did you miss me? I brought you some local specialties from an island. Make sure you prepare something delicious for me!"
Hearing the voice from the other end, the bearded man knew that Captain Kuro's plan had indeed been correct.
He immediately burst out laughing. "Hehehehe, Lynn Barek? We've been waiting for you for a long time!"
"..."
There was silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi for a moment, followed by a low voice.
"Who are you?"
After thinking it over, I decided to wait until the series went premium before creating a group. It'll be livelier with more people. I also revised the author's note. Sorry, sorry~
Before you continue