Withered Leaf Village

Three days later, at dusk, Rubick and Zoro landed on the island of Withered Leaf Village.

Rubick's eyes were half-closed, and stubble covered his face. "Finally, dry land. I'm going to eat my fill!"

They had run out of food that morning and kept going on sheer willpower. Zoro was doing better; he had been through worse. But Rubick had only ever gone hungry back in the mines.

"Something's odd."

Rubick looked around in surprise. "There's no one at the dock?"

Zoro crouched beside the path and examined the trampled, broken plants. "Maybe everyone's disappeared. Either way, stay sharp."

They followed the dirt road toward the village. From a distance, they could see smoke curling from chimneys and hear the occasional shout.

Farther on, a small village came into view. The dirt road beneath their feet formed its main street, with wooden houses built at different heights and distances along both sides.

Smoke rose from quite a few chimneys. Villagers stood together in small groups, and though they tried not to make it obvious, their eyes kept turning toward Rubick and Zoro, full of wariness.

"Hey, you two from out of town?"

A middle-aged man with a cloth wrapped around his head and a thick beard came up to them. "You're adventurers, right? Need to stock up on food? I'm the village chief. Tell me what you need, and I'll take you straight there."

Zoro had seen plenty of the world. He said nothing, quietly surveying the area.

Rubick struck up a conversation with the chief. "You've got a good eye, Chief. You knew we came for supplies."

"Ha!"

The chief grinned. "You came ashore empty-handed, carrying weapons. Of course you're here for supplies. See that watchtower on the mountain? I've been expecting you for a while."

As the chief had said, the village was built against a mountain. A stone watchtower stood at its summit, with two figures just visible inside.

Rubick nodded. "Well, take us to the tavern. We both eat quite a lot."

"No need for that," Zoro said. "Just sell us the meat raw. We're used to cooking for ourselves."

The chief paused. His eyes met Zoro's before he said, "No problem. How about pork? We could sell you a whole pig."

"Deal."

Outside the village, by the shore near the dock.

Zoro had hung the freshly slaughtered pig from a tree to drain its blood. He had already dug a pit where they could bury the blood and offal afterward.

Rubick built a fire nearby, his brow slightly furrowed. Something was bothering him.

Seeing his expression, Zoro explained, "Old man, did a dog eat your twenty-odd years of life experience? One look tells you something's wrong here, and you still wanted to eat at their tavern."

"You mean..."

Zoro gave a cold laugh. "There aren't any children or old people here, and hardly any women. Those villagers have vicious eyes. Some look downright bloodthirsty. And that chief has thick calluses between his thumb and forefinger, the kind you get from wielding a blade for years."

Rubick stared at him. "You mean they're all pirates?"

"We'll find out soon enough."

A dreadful thought struck Rubick. "If they're all pirates, where did the villagers go?"

"If they're lucky, we might find their bodies."

"How could that be?"

Rubick sat there in silence. With his vivid imagination, he had already begun picturing scenes of unimaginable cruelty.

Zoro used the knife they had just bought to butcher the pig, then picked up its hind legs and began threading them onto bamboo skewers. Under the circumstances, roast meat would have to do. It might not be delicious, but at least it would fill them up.

"Old man," Zoro said, "sometimes you seem mature, but other times you're as naive as a child. I envy your homeland, where you could live this long without a care in the world."

Zoro had realized early on that Rubick had the years but little experience of the world.

"That's true. My predecessors paid for our country's peace with their lives and blood, so those of us who came after them could live without worry. Come to think of it, if the Child of Prophecy hadn't appeared, I wouldn't have been given this mission or gone to sea."

"What Child of Prophecy?"

Zoro's curiosity was piqued. Rubick explained, "Our country's prophet foretold the arrival of someone who could bring the Great Pirate Era to an end. My mission is to guide him toward ending this chaotic age."

Zoro burst out laughing. "End this chaotic age? You've got to be kidding. How could there ever be a world without pirates? Your prophet sounds like a fraud to me."

"Think what you like," Rubick said. "He's in the East Blue right now. I'll go find him before long. And you're the first mate I've chosen for him."

"Don't joke around. I'm not becoming a pirate. Besides, having a pirate bring the age of pirates to an end sounds like a fairy tale. Get real, old man."

Rubick chuckled as an idea came to him. "Zoro, let's make a bet."

"What kind of bet?"

Zoro grew wary. Rubick said, "Instead of calling him the Child of Prophecy, let me put it another way. What the prophet actually spoke of was a Devil Fruit. Whoever ate that Devil Fruit would be the Child of Prophecy."

"A Devil Fruit? Those things are real?"

After all, only a handful of people in the entire East Blue had Devil Fruits. Buggy the Clown was the only one with a bounty, and he kept such a low profile that many people did not even know he had eaten one.

Rubick held out his right hand. In moments, all five fingers turned to smoke, each forming a distinct cloud that neither swayed nor scattered in the wind.

"See? That's a Devil Fruit."

Zoro looked startled for a moment, then shrugged. "Hmph. Devil Fruit User or not, I could still beat him with my swords."

"Back to the bet," Rubick said. "Let's wager on whether this Child of Prophecy will cross paths with you."

"Cross paths with me?"

"Exactly," Rubick said firmly. "Let's bet on whether fate brings him to you. Given his age, he should set sail next year. I won't accompany him. I'll let him sail on his own and see whether he meets you."

Seeing how serious Rubick was, Zoro said, "Fine. If you're calling it fate, I'll take your word for it this once. So how will I recognize this Child of Prophecy?"

"He ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, which gives him superhuman abilities. His whole body is rubber. Blunt blows won't hurt him, and neither will bullets."

Zoro was speechless. "The Gum-Gum Fruit? You actually believe a rubber man can bring this era to an end?"