Wooden Cabin

"P-please... spare me... I don't want to die!" Nezumi's weak voice carried over.

"Spare you? Impossible. Today, you'll use your life to atone for everything you've done!" Big Bear forced Colonel Nezumi to kneel properly again, then raised his blade and swung it at Nezumi's head.

Splat!

The head rolled away, blood spraying everywhere.

After dealing with Colonel Nezumi, Big Bear returned to the village. When he came back, he carried a pot of molten iron and poured it directly over the corpse.

Before long, a headless iron statue kneeling on the ground appeared.

After finishing all this, Big Bear, Second Bear, and the others knelt before the graves. They said nothing, simply remaining there on their knees, backs perfectly straight.

Locke watched everything from behind. He felt not the slightest pity for Colonel Nezumi, only a deep sense of sorrow for this world. Before this world changed, life was the cheapest thing of all.

What Locke wanted was not, like Luffy in the original One Piece, merely to become the Pirate King. He wanted to end this era and truly lead the world into a new age.

What had happened on Bisi Island was happening in every corner of the world. The ones responsible might be Marines, or they might be pirates. Such tragedies would continue until Locke changed it all.

A gust of wind blew through, and the nearby cherry trees scattered petals that drifted on the breeze. Over the villagers' graveyard, the kneeling Marine statue seemed like the world's greatest mockery of this age.

Then thunder rumbled across the sky, and raindrops slowly began to fall.

The rain fell over Big Bear and the other two kneeling in front, and over Locke standing behind them. None of them seemed to notice. Time itself seemed frozen in that instant.

No one knew how long passed before Big Bear and the other two finally rose. Locke nodded at them and led them back to the ship.

Once aboard, Locke ordered them to set sail and leave the island. It was both his decision and Big Bear's group's wish. None of them wanted to remain in this place of sorrow.

They should not have gone to sea with a storm approaching, but everyone on the ship understood why. No one tried to dissuade him, and they slowly set sail.

No matter how fierce the wind and rain became, they could not stop Locke's determination to change the world.

Setting out in a storm made it easy to lose one's bearings at sea.

That day, Locke and the others had sailed through the downpour. After the rain stopped, they discovered that the Phantom had lost its direction in the open sea. They had no idea where they were.

"An island ahead!" Yun Zhinnan, who was now able to walk around, stood in the crow's nest with binoculars and called down to Locke, who was fishing at the bow.

Hearing that, Locke sprang to his feet and exclaimed excitedly, "Ha! Ha! Ha! We finally see land!"

It was no wonder Locke was so excited. He and the others had been sailing for more than ten days, and all the food on board had run out. They could only survive by fishing every day.

What was more, during all that time, they had not encountered a single ship or even a seabird. It was simply unbelievable.

"Bring the ship over," Locke called to Big Bear, who was still training nearby.

"Okay!" Big Bear nodded and ran toward the helm.

Under Big Bear's control, the Phantom slowly turned and headed toward the island.

Soon, the ship docked by the island. Locke and the others went ashore, leaving Panda and Yun Zhinnan behind to guard the ship while everyone else disembarked.

"One person per direction. Gather here at sunset." Locke glanced at the blazing sun hanging high overhead as he spoke.

The others nodded after getting off the ship, then headed onto the island.

"Annie, why aren't you going?" Locke asked Annie, who had been sitting on his shoulder since coming ashore.

"I'd be scared all alone!" Annie said coquettishly.

"All right, then go with Carmen. I'm worried about her going alone too," Locke said after thinking it over.

Annie rolled her eyes at Locke, but she still obediently ran after Carmen, who had already left. As she chased after her, she muttered, "Big brother is so dumb."

Watching Annie disappear from view, Locke chose an unclaimed direction and headed deeper into the island.

The island did not look particularly large, but its trees were exceptionally lush. Trees so thick that several people could barely encircle them stood everywhere. Once inside, it felt like entering a primeval forest.

The woods were dark, with only thin specks of sunlight filtering through gaps in the leaves.

As Locke walked deeper in, he drew his Tang Dao and hacked through the vines blocking his way. He had not gone far when the ground beneath his feet suddenly gave way. A hole opened where he stood, and he fell straight down.

As he fell, Locke hurriedly used his Devil Fruit ability to create something shaped like a parachute behind him, slowing his descent.

Before long, he safely reached the bottom. After putting away the parachute, a ball of purple flame appeared in his palm again, illuminating the surroundings.

Only then did Locke discover that beneath the hole was a man-made tunnel. Lamp stands for lighting lined both walls, but perhaps no one had come through in too long, because they were covered in cobwebs.

With paths leading in two directions, Locke held up the flame and chose the one that led deeper into the island.

Meanwhile, Carmen and Annie were also making their way through the jungle, thick with dampness and the stench of decay.

After walking for about two hours, the two reached the center of the island.

"Big Sister Carmen, look! There's a wooden cabin up on that hill ahead!" Annie, who had been flying beside her, pointed forward.

Along the way, Carmen had been gathering ingredients from the jungle that could be used as spices, so she had spent most of her time with her head lowered, searching through the undergrowth. Annie's words interrupted her, and she looked up in the direction Annie was pointing.

Before them stood a modest hill. Unlike the jungle, it had no towering trees atop it, which was why they had not spotted it when they first arrived on the island.

A small wooden cabin stood on the hill, surrounded by several plots of farmland. It looked as though someone lived there.

After spotting the hill, Carmen and Annie quickened their pace and hurried toward it. They soon emerged from the jungle and reached the foot of the hill.

Just then, rumbling sounds came from the jungle not far away. Trees in that area shook violently, and before long, Big Bear and Second Bear appeared. The moment they saw Carmen, they ran toward her, shouting something as they came. However, they were too far away, and the noise from that direction was too loud, so Carmen could not make out what they were saying.