Resolving the Disaster

Rune glanced toward the volcano crater and narrowed his eyes slightly. He looked at Yamato beside him and curled his lips into a faint smile.

"Yamato, let's go to the back side of the volcano and blast open a breach. Let all the erupting lava flow toward the sea."

The volcano had only just erupted. Although it had caused quite a disaster, the city on this island had not yet been completely destroyed.

And now that the volcano seemed to have calmed down a little, Rune wondered whether they could redirect the lava flow and save the town.

"Okay!"

Without any hesitation, Yamato rushed to the other side of the volcano with Rune. As they looked at the crater, Conqueror's Haki emerged around both of them.

But just as he was preparing to attack, Rune found himself in a difficult spot.

His fists worked well enough against people, but against terrain like this...

They were not particularly useful.

Rune could destroy the entire island if he put in some effort. But precisely controlling an opening in the volcano and guiding the lava flow was not something that could be achieved through sheer destructive power.

Yamato had the same problem. Her A-Ken was destructive enough, but it was not suited for precisely shaping the destruction.

After thinking for a moment, Rune hurried back near the Thousand Sunny.

"Tashigi! Lend me your sword!"

For a swordsman, their blade was undoubtedly as important as their life. But Tashigi knew Rune intended to save the civilians on the island, so the moment she heard his voice, she threw her sword from her waist toward him.

After catching Tashigi's sword, Rune returned to Yamato's side. Conqueror's Haki wrapped around the blade as he aimed at the volcano crater and slashed fiercely.

This was Rune's first time wielding a sword, and his first time unleashing a sword slash. But backed by his powerful Conqueror's Haki, the attack was no weak one.

"Yamato! Destroy along the cut from my slash, but try not to damage too much!"

Rune swung his sword again, carving a deep mark into the ground. Yamato immediately understood and smashed apart the rocks on either side along the direction of Rune's slash.

Before long, a breach appeared in the volcano crater. Watching the restless lava, Rune knew that the next eruption was about to arrive.

"Yamato! Use your Mirror Mountain to create an ice wall above the crater, sloping toward our side!"

Yamato did as he said, though there was some confusion in her eyes as she looked at Rune. She had never fought him, so how did he know her techniques?

But this was not the time to worry about that. A thick wall of ice formed above the crater, hissing as the lava struck it.

Still, the flow of lava from the eruption was redirected by the combined efforts of the two.

A great deal of lava flowed through the passage Rune and Yamato had carved out and into the sea. A small amount splashed out and landed near the town.

But it did not cause too much damage.

Only when the volcano finally fell completely silent did Rune and Yamato both let out sighs of relief. On the distant ice field, the townspeople who had witnessed everything erupted into thunderous cheers.

But quite a few people still looked deeply worried. Though the crisis on the island had been resolved, they had seen the pirate flag aboard the Thousand Sunny.

These pirates had protected them... wouldn't it just make robbing them easier later?

"Yamato, how does it feel to be thanked and admired by so many people?"

Rune and Yamato landed on the ground. He smiled at Yamato, while she hesitated. After quite a while, Yamato finally smiled and walked behind Rune.

"This time, you won."

Yamato had to admit that if Rune had not been directing her the entire time, she might not have been able to protect so many civilians. As for opening up the volcano and changing the lava's direction, she had never even considered it.

At most, she would have used her freezing ability to freeze the lava.

But judging by the force of the eruption, the second eruption would still have broken through her ice.

Perhaps only Aokiji could have completely frozen this volcano into a dormant one. Yamato's mastery of ice was still far inferior to that of Aokiji, the Marine admiral.

"Everyone, go home. This volcano will not erupt again anytime soon. If you wish to continue living on this island, I suggest building a high wall between the town and the volcano to block any lava from future eruptions."

Rune found the person in charge of the town and briefly discussed the town's future with him. "Also, regularly send people to clear the passage we just cut out. That way, when the volcano erupts in the future, most of the lava will flow into the sea on the far side of the island, and your burden will be much lighter."

"Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, we definitely wouldn't have survived..."

The town elder clasped Rune's hand, his eyes filled with gratitude. Rune merely smiled and handed him a flag.

"This is the flag of the pirate crew I belong to. Hang it somewhere high in your town. When other pirates see it, they won't bully you."

"Benefactors, true benefactors... Thank you so much... I'll gather everyone in town at once and have them offer all their wealth to you..."

To the town elder, pirates who did not plunder could not be called pirates. Rather than wait for them to take their treasure, it was better to offer it willingly.

After all, these pirates had just saved them.

"You can keep your wealth."

Rune shook his head. "If you want to thank us, prepare some food and fresh water for us."

"Just that?"

The town elder froze, unable to believe it.

Whenever pirates had come before, hadn't they always looted every last bit of wealth? If they had not hidden the children in underground tunnels whenever pirates arrived, even the children would have been taken away!

And now, Rune only wanted food and fresh water. It was far too strange!

"I'm the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Seventeenth Division. Pops taught us that we must not bully the weak."

Rune smiled faintly. "I take your fresh water and food, and in the name of the Whitebeard Pirates, I provide you with protection. That's a fair deal, isn't it?"

"Fair! More than fair! Benefactor, you truly are our great benefactor!"

The town elder relayed Rune's words to the townspeople. Rune had no intention of going ashore and simply stood outside with Yamato.

Not long after, once the town had assessed its losses, the able-bodied young people began carrying fresh water and food aboard the Thousand Sunny.

Yamato stood beside Rune and silently watched it all. Something suddenly became clear to her, and when she looked at Rune again, challenging him was no longer the only thing on her mind.

"Is this what the world of pirates is like?"

"No."

Rune shook his head. "Pirates like Pops and us are actually rare. Most pirates are like your father, Kaido—they burn, kill, and plunder, enslave civilians, and even enslave entire nations."