Alvida Pirates

Moke instinctively wanted to turn around and leave.

"Moke..."

Seeing this, the village chief's heart leaped into his throat, and he immediately called out to stop him.

Moke stopped at the sound and looked at the village chief, seeing the struggle on his face and the complicated look in his eyes.

He could understand the village chief's dilemma.

If he went, there would be one fewer person from the village sent to become pirate cannon fodder. But he would certainly die.

If he did not go, then one more young man from the village would have to go. They were all children the village chief had watched grow up...

The fact that the village chief had come to find him showed that, deep down, he had already made up his mind. After all, how could an outsider compare to the young people of his own village?

Yet he had still chosen to tell Moke.

That was because, for one brief moment, the kindness and principles in his heart had prevailed. After all, what he was doing was asking Moke to die in place of someone from the village!

But when Moke chose to leave, he called him back. Clearly, when faced with human lives, he still chose to break his own principles and turn himself into a villain.

That was human nature.

If there had been no choice between life and death, he would certainly have been a good person... But... there were no buts.

Reality stood right before them.

And now this choice of human nature had been placed before Moke as well. The village chief was old; if Moke wanted to leave, he definitely could not catch up to him.

But after today, Moke would inevitably face the entire village's hostility and rejection.

He would no longer have any place on this island.

Moke could not help frowning, because this was also a difficult choice. Still, he decisively chose the latter. At worst, he could find a way to hitch a ride off the island.

After all, boarding a pirate ship was practically a death sentence.

Just look at the original story—those little grunts died by the dozens! If he boarded a pirate ship, he would definitely be one of those countless dead.

Seeing that Moke had made up his mind, the village chief quickly added, "The ones coming are the Alvida Pirates. Their captain, Alvida, is a great pirate with a bounty of five million Beli. Even ordinary Marines have to keep their distance when they see her. If you board her ship... you probably won't... won't..."

He wanted to say that Moke would not die.

But he simply could not force the words out. He would have blushed even hearing such words himself. Yet he could not keep hesitating. Otherwise, the village would have to send off another young man.

That was the last thing he wanted to see.

"Who?"

Moke's eyes widened. He had never imagined that the one coming here to demand money and people would be her. She was quite a memorable supporting character in One Piece.

Then he thought of a crucial point, and his entire body trembled with excitement.

He immediately asked, "Is she the female pirate with freckles all over her face, a fat body, an ugly appearance, and an iron club in her hand?"

The village chief froze for a moment, somewhat surprised. "You know her?"

At that moment, Moke's blood was practically boiling. Alvida still looked the same as before, which meant she had not yet eaten that Paramecia-type Slip-Slip Fruit.

Did that not mean he had a chance?

Blackbeard had stayed with the Whitebeard Pirates for decades just for the Dark-Dark Fruit.

For the sake of this Slip-Slip Fruit, Moke did not mind staying aboard Alvida's ship for a while either. Of course, with his strength, boarding Alvida's pirate ship carried an extremely high risk.

But if you did not gamble, how could a bicycle become a motorcycle?

Before, he had seen no hope at all, so he had resigned himself to his fate. But now, the opportunity stood right in front of him.

As a transmigrator, if he still chose to lie flat now, he would be completely worthless.

So he nodded and said to the village chief, "Fine... I'll go!"

"What?"

The village chief looked at Moke in shock, his gaze turning strange. Moke's change before and after had been too great, and he could not help thinking, Could this kid have wanted to follow Alvida all along?

He was not overthinking it. After all, in this world...

Many people worshiped pirates because of their reputations and even chose to follow them.

If that was really the case, then it was truly wonderful. That way, the guilt in his heart would be much lighter.

Still, he did not ask, because he was afraid the answer would be a denial.

After the two reached an agreement, they headed for the island's only harbor. The village chief walked in front, with Moke following behind.

As if remembering something, the village chief immediately reminded him, "Right, Alvida may be extremely cruel by nature. But as long as you keep praising her beauty and go along with everything she says, she is actually easier to deal with than other pirates... Once you board the ship, praise her. Praise her like your life depends on it. As long as she is happy, no one else aboard will bully you, even if you are just a newcomer."

It had to be said, old age truly brought wisdom!

Soon, the harbor came into view. The first thing they saw was the pirate ship of the Alvida Pirates. It could not be helped—it was simply too conspicuous.

Not only was the entire ship pink, but huge hearts were painted all over the sails.

If it belonged to another beautiful female pirate, it might have been acceptable. But paired with someone like Alvida...

It was simply too much...

"Why has that old village chief not come yet? We're still one short! Has he forgotten the power of the iron club in my hand?" Alvida had already grown impatient from waiting.

The village chief immediately ran over. "Miss Alvida, you are so beautiful and captivating. This old man could forget anyone, but I could never forget you!"

"Holy shit..."

Moke was utterly stunned by the village chief's outrageous move.

Then he looked at Alvida's face, her figure, and her fierce aura.

The village chief could actually praise her like that, and make it sound so sickeningly sweet.

Did he not feel guilty at all?

Impressive. Truly impressive!

It had to be said, this village chief had Alvida completely figured out.

Sure enough, Alvida's face had been dark with anger, but the moment she heard the village chief's "sincere" praise, her anger instantly turned into a smile.

"Old man, you do have good taste! Hahaha..." Alvida burst into laughter.

Then she swept a glance over Moke, who had come with the village chief. "This is the last one from your village?"

There was a hint of scrutiny in her eyes.

Because she could sense that this boy was very different from the other young people on the island.

The village chief immediately nodded. "He is one of the best men in our village, and he has always admired you very much."

As he spoke, he frantically signaled to Moke with his eyes.

He was practically saying outright: Hurry up and praise her. Praise her hard.

"Uh..."

Moke's mouth twitched, but he forced a professional smile onto his face. Then, suppressing his conscience, he praised her, "To me, you are like the stars in the sky, so dazzling and brilliant. You are also like the bright moon at night, so gentle and tender. It could be said that there is no beauty in this world quite like you..."

Village chief: "..."

Kid, you have a promising future!