A Respected Elder

The reason was simple—so simple that Mark was almost speechless.

That morning, he had been the only one to enter Yarl Forest. The only other person was the old man from his family.

It was either him or the old man, so the target was obvious.

"So that's how it is."

He had learned what he wanted to know. The mountain-cleaving axe in Mark's hand had long been poised to strike. Both hands tightened around the handle as he swung it down.

Splurt!

Caught completely off guard, Buffettla was beheaded in an instant. His head rolled several times after hitting the ground, his face frozen in stunned disbelief, as though he could not believe Mark had actually killed him.

After scanning the battlefield, Mark gathered up their weapons and activated Black Hole, sucking the entire layer of earth into Dark Space.

Dark Space was a unique dimension granted by the Dark-Dark Fruit.

However, it could not store living creatures, and anything sucked into it would be shredded to pieces.

Only when he used Liberation would the things inside Dark Space be released.

Once the battlefield had been cleared, Mark noticed that many villagers had gathered nearby.

Although Oak Craft General Store stood in a relatively remote spot, it was not far from the town, and plenty of residents lived nearby.

The sounds of their battle had been so loud that they woke the villagers who had just fallen asleep.

Thinking something major had happened, the villagers hurried out of their homes. A few old men had rushed out wearing nothing but boxer shorts.

"Mark, are you alright?!"

"Those people didn't do anything to you, did they?!"

"Oh my... look at this... Little Mark's arm is injured..."

The surrounding villagers all had good relationships with Jaba's family. When they saw so many people fighting Mark and several mutilated corpses on the ground, they were terrified.

But after coming to their senses, they all returned home to grab whatever weapons they could find, then came back out to help Mark.

Kitchen knives, shovels, hoes, even large ladles.

Mark's heart warmed as he looked at the villagers surrounding him with concern.

"Uncle, Third Grandpa, Aunt Ma, I'm fine! Really, I'm alright!"

Holding a large ladle, Aunt Ma felt Mark over from head to toe and examined him carefully. Once she saw that he was truly fine, everyone finally relaxed.

"This must have been that old bastard Jaba again. He always makes Little Mark clean up after him. At his age, doesn't he have any shame?"

Aunt Ma muttered under her breath, her eyes full of concern.

That old man had even peeked at her while she was bathing. When she caught him in the act, he had stubbornly refused to admit it, so she had never had much patience for Jaba.

Uncle was a middle-aged man in his forties, his skin darkened by the sun. Standing beside Aunt Ma with a shovel in hand, he chimed in, "Hmph! That old bastard, how many times has this been now...?"

Mark looked embarrassed.

They could not be blamed for misunderstanding Jaba. There had been several occasions in the past when outsiders attacked the general store, but Mark had always dealt with them.

Those people had held grudges against the old man and come looking for him. Yet instead of cleaning up his own mess, the old man always made Mark handle it.

Still, Mark had driven off all those troublemakers. A small number of those who were exceptionally bloodthirsty had also fallen beneath his axe.

The villagers had been scared at first, but they gradually got used to it over time.

Otherwise, they would not have accepted Mark killing people so quickly.

"Little Mark, what did you use just now? How did those people all disappear in a flash?"

Third Grandpa's pupils were somewhat cloudy, as was common among elderly people. At his age, his eyesight was already far worse than before.

Leaning on his cane, the old man walked forward unsteadily. Mark stepped up to support the aged Third Grandpa. He was one of the founding elders of the village.

At ninety-seven years old, he was considered exceptionally long-lived even in the present day, let alone in this high-powered world of pirates.

Most people would be fortunate to live to Karp's age.

"I gained that ability after eating a special fruit. Those people came to cause trouble because of it..." Mark said vaguely.

There was no point explaining Devil Fruits to them. They would not understand anyway.

The others did not press the matter further.

Seeing that Mark was unharmed, and since it was already late, they gave him a few reminders before gradually dispersing.

"Third Grandpa, I'll take you home..." After saying goodbye to Aunt Ma and the others, Mark helped Third Grandpa back to his house.

The house was simple, built of wood, and its furnishings were ordinary. Still, it had everything it needed, including a rattan chair and a tea table.

After helping Third Grandpa onto the bed, Mark was about to leave when the old man suddenly called out to him.

"Little Mark..."

"Yes! Third Grandpa, I'm here..." Mark hurriedly replied.

Third Grandpa sat hunched over at the edge of the bed. His dim eyes rested on Mark for a long while before he let out a deep sigh.

"Little Mark, I watched that little brat Jaba grow up, and I watched him leave. I know about his affairs too."

"But that road is not an easy one..."

Mark listened quietly without interrupting.

"Little Mark, I know that one day, you'll walk Jaba's old road too. Third Grandpa won't stop you, but I only want to tell you this: Moss Town will always be your home, and your Third Grandpa will always be your Third Grandpa..."

"If one day, you walk the same road as Jaba, I hope you'll still be yourself. Don't let the people in that world change who you are..."

Third Grandpa's dim, lifeless eyes seemed to see straight through Mark. His words were earnest and heartfelt.

Mark pursed his lips. After a moment of silence, he nodded gently.

Beyond his hatred for Cocoyasi Village, he also longed for the boundless sea.

A pirate ship, a few close companions, searching together for the great treasure of One Piece.

It could be said that this had always been his dream.

Third Grandpa was right. Sooner or later, he would walk Jaba's old road.

"Third Grandpa, Moss Town has always been my home, and you will always be my Third Grandpa."

After watching Third Grandpa drift into a deep sleep, Mark quietly left the room. He gently closed the door behind him before leaving.

After Mark left, Third Grandpa slowly opened his closed eyes. Looking toward the tightly shut door, a trace of nostalgia flashed through his gaze.

It was as though he could not bear to part with him, yet also as though he could not let go. In the end, it all faded into calmness.

The next day—

News spread throughout Moss Town.

Third Grandpa... had passed away.

He had died peacefully in his sleep.

When Mark heard the news, he stood there in a daze. Daisy called to him several times before he finally reacted.

"Third Grandpa... he just left like that..."

His expression was somewhat downcast. No wonder Third Grandpa had said so much to him yesterday.

They said that after fifty, people came to understand their fate. Some elderly people sensed their deaths before they came, and perhaps Third Grandpa had sensed something yesterday. That was why he had held Mark back to say so much.

Everyone in the village and town, young and old, attended Third Grandpa's funeral.

He had been a respected elder and one of the founders of Moss Town.

He deserved the respect of everyone in the village!