"It's fine. You can go!"
Seeing Bellemere hesitate, Ye Chen smiled and waved a hand. He pulled the blanket over his head and went back to sleep.
Bellemere did not know what to say. If she took Ye Chen outside and Arlong's men found him, they would never spare him. With no better option for now, she had to let him stay in the house.
Besides, Bellemere could barely look after herself. How could she look after Ye Chen too?
Holding a daughter's hand in each of hers, Bellemere walked out with heavy steps. The moment she was through the door, Ye Chen threw off the blanket.
He could turn a blind eye to anyone else's fate, but he could not abandon Bellemere and her daughters. What if they ran into danger? Though he remained inside, he kept a close ear on everything happening outside.
"Is everyone here? Why are there so few? Hachi, Obi, take some men and search the houses."
Bellemere's heart sank at Arlong's words. She broke into a cold sweat for Ye Chen.
Arlong was not so easily fooled. He had thought things through. Hachi and Obi each took a dozen or so pirates and searched from house to house, turning up quite a few villagers who had hidden away.
Unfortunately, Hachi, Obi, and their men dragged every one of those villagers out of their homes like helpless chicks.
Crash!
When Obi reached Bellemere's house, he could not be bothered to open the door. He kicked it instead. The flimsy door came right off its hinges under his tremendous strength.
The door flew straight into the house with a deafening bang. Obi gave a contemptuous sneer and strode inside.
"Huh... Why is this place so poor? There's nothing here."
Obi made a circuit of the house.