A flap covered by turf was lifted, revealing a staircase made of gravel.
The steps are very narrow, and the walls on both sides are so puffy with moisture that dirt will fall down when you rub them with your fingers.
There is not much space in the basement of the stronghold. There is an old wooden table, two chairs with missing backrests, and a few wooden boxes containing fruits stacked in the corner.
Nailed on the wall was a wooden board with grids painted with burnt charcoal, on which the progress of the two people's savings was recorded crookedly.
"I have saved so much without realizing it..."
Sabo squatted in front of the cabinet, took out the Beli banknotes and coins in piles one by one, and arranged them into several hills on the table. His clear eyes were full of longing for the future.
"If we continue like this, we will definitely be able to buy a big boat that can take us to Eternal Federation when we are 17 years old."
Ace nodded, clenched his fists, his eyes were as fanatical as those of an overly devout believer, and the tips of his ears were red with excitement.
"When I get to Federation, meet that gentleman and follow him to do something great, my name will be famous all over the world and everyone will look up to me!"
Children whose temperament has not yet been finalized are easily affected by the surrounding environment and change their ambitions, and Sabo and Ace are no exception.
After personally experiencing the convenience of Eternal Financial Group everywhere in life, their ideal changed to going to Eternal Federation, which has been reported countless times on World Economy News Paper. The paradise on earth spread out in the ink characters has become the brightest beacon in the hearts of the two children.
Sabo believes that Federation, which focuses on equality, hides the freedom that he has been pursuing for a long time and is truly free from the constraints of identity.
Ace's idea is simpler and more direct. He wants to thoroughly prove his existence value. Following the legendary big man is the fastest and most magnanimous path to achieve this goal in life.
There are hundreds of children like them whose minds have been shaken by the content of the newspapers around the world. World Government has not thought about curbing this gradually spreading trend of thought, but after several attempts, he finally found that there was nothing he could do.
On the basis of the strategic policy of restricting the development of science and technology that has been implemented steadily for 800 years, newspapers with extremely wide coverage have become the only mainstream means of public opinion among the people. World Economy News Paper has readers in every corner of the world. The market is too big, and World Government is powerless even if it wants to block it.
He was so ruthless that he completely sealed off all Eternal Financial Group's industries and eliminated their influence, but World Government didn't dare. In doing so, he couldn't explain to the group of ordinary Celestial Dragonss who had been hanging out in Holy Land all year round and waiting to die, and only knew how to enjoy themselves.
Relying on the business network that Eternal Financial Group has spread, some poor Affiliated Nation citizens at the bottom rely on odd jobs and small businesses to save their income, so that they can make up the astronomical Heavenly Tribute.
Even if a few smart and capable elites Celestial Dragons can restrain their extravagant pleasures Desire with great perseverance, the remaining ordinary Celestial Dragons who make up the absolute majority cannot do it under any circumstances.
Once the Eternal Financial Group, which monopolizes the core economy of each Affiliated Nation, is shut down, causing countless civilians to lose their stable income and unable to pay Heavenly Tribute, the first to be unable to sit still and bear it are this group of aristocratic worms who are accustomed to rich clothes and fine food.
The superposition of various realistic factors directly led to the fact that World Government knew that behind Eternal Financial Group stood a big criminal who subverted the order, but he was unable to do anything to deal with it from the beginning to the end.
In the basement of the stronghold, Ace and Sabo discussed their lofty ideals for the future in a lively manner as usual. After a while, the topic naturally shifted to what to eat for the next meal.
"Still the same as before, go to Mount Colubo to hunt some prey, and then ask Makino to help us cook it. This way we can also practice our skills."
"Just do it this way, her skills will be ten times better than those of the full-time chefs hired in the High Town tavern!"
After reaching an agreement, they locked the iron cabinet containing Beli, patted the dust on their hands, left the damp basement one after another, walked up the gravel stairs back to the first floor, opened the door, and walked outside.
Foosha Town was already bustling with activity. Workers on their lunch break poured back from the dock and filled the street. The two of them passed through the crowd and walked all the way to the lush entrance of Mount Colubo.
Just as they were moving their hands and feet to prepare to enter the mountain, a strong and urgent voice suddenly sounded in their ears.
"Hey, I finally waited for you. I will never let you leave me this time!"
Sabo and Ace didn't even pause. They ignored the owner of the voice and walked deeper into the forest.
The little boy who made the noise had long been accustomed to such cold treatment. He quickly followed up with his short legs and shouted anxiously:
"Hey, let me join you. If I don't follow you, I will be alone. It's so sad to be alone!"
The two people in front still pretended that there was no such person behind them, and even tacitly speeded up their pace a little.
The person who was chasing after them and was out of breath was none other than Luffy with a red face.
In the original time and space, the three of them encountered a sudden crisis when they got together for the first time. Luffy tried his best to keep the secret during the crisis, which completely moved Sabo and Ace, which prompted them to accept him.
Now that all this has not happened, the two of them just feel that Luffy, who is following behind them every step of the way, is too annoying.
Sabo and Ace exchanged glances calmly, and then like two agile apes, they jumped steadily between a few moss-covered boulders, and jumped into the dense forest with dense leaves on the side.
Luffy imitated their example and jumped on tiptoe onto a stone that was half a person's height. Due to lack of exercise, he accidentally slipped and fell into the rushing river with a "plop". The sound instantly attracted the attention of several Crocodile who were basking in the sun in the water.
Before taking Devil Fruit, he instantly showed off his superb swimming skills that he had practiced since childhood. He quickly climbed onto the shore after flopping for a few seconds, wiped the river water from his face, found a direction based on his intuition, gritted his teeth and stumbled after him.
"Yes, that's it, great reflexes, Luffy, you will definitely become an excellent marine."
Following him quietly, Garp, whose body was covered with freshly changed bandages, hid behind a big tree, secretly touching his chin and nodding with satisfaction.
Luffy can meet Sabo in advance Ace was completely secretly organized by him, because he knew very well that Ace had a withdrawn and awkward temperament, and Luffy would have to endure a lot of hardships if he wanted to gain Ace's true friendship. This process of constantly chasing after the two of them was a perfect training opportunity for Luffy.
Not long after, Sabo and Ace successfully hunted two plump hares. They took a few familiar turns to avoid Luffy's sight. They carried the still-warm prey back to the town along the path. The two wandered in a familiar direction while chatting slowly.
"Sabo, tell me, should we accept that kid Luffy? He has been with us for such a long time."
"The jobs we usually save money and train for are quite boring for young children. What if he can't stand it and gives up halfway?"
"That's right, let's take a closer look."
The two of them chatted casually, followed the route they had taken countless times in their memory, and arrived at the signboard "PARTYS BAY".
The moment they opened the door and walked in, a strong aroma of food mixed with barbecue and ale entered their nostrils. The hall was filled with polished wooden tables, and the seats were packed, with no free space to be found.
Ace and Sabo were stunned for a moment and looked at each other in surprise.
Although this tavern usually provides simple food to fill the stomach, it has never prepared so many sumptuous meals at one time.
After all, there has been no recruitment here, and Makino is responsible for all the work inside and outside.
At first glance, these guests sitting there are dock workers who have been doing manual labor all year round. They are all big-bellied men with huge appetites. To satisfy the appetites of all of them is not something that one person can do with just his hands.
Is this place quietly recruiting workers recently?
With this question in their hearts, the two of them carried the hare prey that was still dripping with blood and walked around to the back kitchen of the tavern in a familiar way.
TO BE CONTINUED