The giant roc transformed into Kuro, who slowly began, "I took a look just now. This doesn't seem to be some unique local architectural style. Someone probably did this."
"What? Someone did this?" Ling'er was somewhat surprised by Kuro's conclusion.
Zoro also looked at Kuro in disbelief.
Kuro habitually pushed up his glasses and continued, "To be precise, it probably wasn't a human. I checked just now. The roofs aren't connected to the ground. Instead, they look as though they were placed directly on it."
"Meanwhile, the foundation structures on top of the houses match the ground perfectly. So these houses probably used to be normal buildings."
Lott nodded at his words.
Ling'er ran behind Lott and looked around, afraid something eerie might appear.
Zoro spoke up. "Kuro, what do you mean, it wasn't a human?"
Kuro continued his analysis. "There's a handprint on one house's foundation, sunk deep into its surface. Presumably, something flipped the entire house upside down."
Ling'er poked her head out from behind Lott. "Wouldn't that still be a person?"
"I also saw a shallow indentation between the fingers of the handprint. That was most likely a webbing print!" A glint flashed across Kuro's glasses.
He continued, "All the signs suggest this was the work of another race-the Fish-Man Race! And that sea monster earlier clearly wasn't a species native to the East Blue, either. It was probably a creature from the Grand Line."
"So I have reason to suspect that Fish-Men who fled the Grand Line did all this! And we passed a very large building just now. The picture on its flag looked like a shark."
"Doesn't that give us our conclusion? The Fish-Men in that building may have occupied this village, or even massacred it! And there's at least one shark Fish-Man in that building-a Megalodon Fish-Man, at that!"
After hearing Kuro's analysis, Lott couldn't help giving him a thumbs-up. He habitually observed details, thought carefully, and analyzed things logically. He certainly lived up to the name "Hundred Plans."
"I've heard Fish-Men have ten times the arm strength of humans. Looks like you're probably right." Zoro nodded, also somewhat impressed by Kuro.
Ling'er had never even heard of the Fish-Man Race and had no idea what sort of species they were, but anyone capable of slaughtering an entire village probably wasn't good.
Clinging tightly to Lott's arm, she said, "Lott, that navigator you mentioned has probably already been killed by the Fish-Men. I... we should get out of here!"
Lott rapped Ling'er on the head. "What do you have Observation Haki for? Try sensing them."
Ling'er pouted and gave Lott an aggrieved look, then activated her Observation Haki.
"Huh?! Why are there still so many people alive?"
The largest Orange Grove in Cocoyasi Village.
Looking at the vast stretches of orange trees and their abundant fruit, Zoro couldn't help remarking, "To think there's a little paradise in a village that's practically in ruins."
Lott walked to the door of the only household here and knocked gently.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Hello, is anyone home?"
Creak.
The door opened, and a girl appeared before him.
A red headband perfectly accented her short, ear-length blue hair. She had healthy, wheat-colored skin, with blue tattoos running from her chest to both arms.
The blue-haired girl was very wary of the unfamiliar man before her. He was quite handsome, and his tone was very gentle. He looked young, yet his eyes were deep, carrying a world-weariness that didn't belong at his age.
Still, she asked politely, "Who are you looking for?"
"I saw this large Orange Grove. Do you sell oranges here? I'd like to buy some."
Hearing that he had come to buy oranges, the blue-haired girl grew a little less wary.
"Nojiko, who is it?" Another girl appeared at the door along with the voice.
This girl looked slightly younger than the blue-haired girl, with short orange hair, large eyes, and a very fresh, pretty face. Beneath her yellow T-shirt, her figure had already begun to develop, and her blue jeans made her proportions look quite perfect.
This young girl was clearly Nami, the navigator Lott had already chosen.
Looking at Nami, Lott explained in the gentlest voice he could manage, "Hello, my name is Lott. I'm a merchant passing through. I saw this large Orange Grove, so I wanted to buy some oranges."
A smile immediately appeared on Nami's face at his words, though how much sincerity it held was anyone's guess.
She instantly took on the air of a merchant. "My name is Nami, and this is my older sister, Nojiko. The two of us planted all the oranges on this hill. How many would you like?"
She certainly hoped Lott would buy plenty of oranges-ideally, a hundred million Beli's worth, though they really didn't have that many oranges. It all depended on whether the man before her was willing to be that sucker.
Nojiko's eyes still held some wariness. The more she looked at the man before her, the more familiar he seemed, but she couldn't recall where she had seen him.
Still, she politely invited Lott inside to discuss it further.
"Hello, how many oranges would you like to buy?"
As soon as they entered, Nami couldn't wait to ask, her eyes actually turning into Beli symbols.
Seeing this, Lott couldn't help inwardly quipping, She really is a little money-grubber.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he said:
"I'd like to buy a hundred million Beli's worth of oranges."
"Oh, a hundred million Beli." Nami nodded, looking a little disappointed.
"What!!!!! A hundred million Beli?" Only then did Nami register that he had said a hundred million Beli!!
Lott looked at the Cat Burglar with some amusement and nodded. "You heard me right. A hundred million Beli!"
Beside her, Nojiko was also left somewhat speechless by Lott's extravagant declaration.
Nami had fantasized about someone coming to buy oranges one day and her selling them for the steep price of a hundred million Beli. But when a buyer offering a hundred million Beli actually appeared, she hadn't quite expected the man before her to really be such a sucker.
"Do you have a hundred million Beli?"
Lott said nothing. Instead, he pretended to take a black briefcase from behind his back, while actually retrieving it from System Space.
Click.
The crisp banknotes lay right before Nami's eyes.
Though Nami truly loved money, this was her first time seeing so much of it. She was genuinely stunned.
But someone who could casually produce a hundred million Beli could hardly be ordinary.
For a moment, she lowered her head and stammered, "B-but all our oranges put together aren't worth a hundred million Beli."
Lott smiled at the young girl. "Then how much more do you need to save up a hundred million Beli?"
"Oh, a little over forty million... huh? What do you mean?" Nami caught on and instantly jumped away, her face full of wariness.
Nojiko also realized it then. She covered her mouth, her voice escaping between her fingers. "I remember now. You... is your name Lott? The notorious pirate in the East Blue with a two-hundred-million bounty?"
"What? T-two hundred million Beli?" Nami covered her mouth, nearly crying out.
Lott wasn't particularly surprised by the two girls' reactions. He merely nodded calmly. "If there's no one else named Lott, then you're probably talking about me."
With Lott's admission, Nojiko hurriedly shielded Nami behind her, staring at him as though facing a formidable enemy.
"Hey, hey, I really do want to buy oranges." As he spoke, Lott picked up an orange from the table and began peeling it on his own.
Nami had met many pirates and could sense that Lott was somewhat different from those she had encountered before. He lacked their overbearing manner and bandit air.
She asked somewhat tentatively, "Did you really come to buy oranges?"
Lott popped an orange segment into his mouth, and his pupils instantly widened. Holy shit, how is this so delicious?
He smiled and said, "Of course. Would a big shot like me really make up lies to fool you?"
Nojiko stared at him blankly, trying to read something from his face.
Sigh.
With a sigh, she secretly prepared herself for the worst.
Before you continue