It was as though the upheaval had never happened. The entire Goa Kingdom remained clean and orderly, just as it had been before the fire, still wrapped in that same eerie calm. At the harbor, however, a small commotion had broken out.
"Hey! That's my boat! Somebody help! My fishing boat's been stolen!"
A man wearing a headscarf pointed at a little boat drifting out to sea and shouted.
But the boat had already been out on the water for some time, and it was too late to catch it now. No one on shore helped the poor fisherman chase it down; instead, they leaned against the railing and watched.
"Where's he planning to go?"
"There's a black flag on that boat. Is he trying to become a pirate?"
"...Is this some kind of joke? A little brat thinks he can be a pirate?"
The boy who had stolen the fishing boat was, of course, Sabo. While people were still exclaiming over his departure, they seemed to remember something more important.
"Hey! The World Government's ship will be here any minute!"
"He's going to get in the World Government ship's way! Come back!"
"Hey! Come back!"
The cries from shore kept carrying across the water to Sabo's ears as he stood on the little boat. But he had no intention of turning back. He merely gave them a brief glance, his expression utterly serious.
"The scariest thing of all would be getting swallowed up by this country and becoming a walking corpse. That's why I'm never going back!"
Sabo looked at them as he spoke. He felt no attachment whatsoever to his homeland, the country where he had lived for ten years. His mind was filled only with disgust. He longed for the sea, longed for freedom, and that was