On the border of the Oykot Kingdom, Cocoyasi Village.
The setting sun was like an orange on the verge of rotting, smearing sticky, murky yellow light over Bellemere's Orange Grove. The air should have been filled with the sweet, refreshing scent of fruit, but now a sour trace of cheap pesticide mingled with it.
In front of the wooden house, Bellemere slammed an empty can onto the ground. The metal buckled with a dull clang. She wore no short Marine jacket, only a faded undershirt flecked with mud. Her exposed arms were still firm, but covered in tiny scratches and sunspots.
The sharpness honed by her early military years had been worn down by life into a deeply etched furrow between her brows.
Nojiko crouched nearby, silently wiping freshly picked oranges with an old cloth. She was two years older than Nami, yet much slighter, and years of labor had made her palms rougher than those of other girls her age.
She polished the oranges until they shone, as though that could make them sell for a few more Beli. She said nothing, only listened. Whenever her mother dealt with merchants, she was like a tense sensitive plant.
"Bellemere, it's not that I won't do you a favor." The tall, thin merchant Koby stood opposite them, rubbing his hands. His eyes darted over Bellemere and Nojiko, a cheap, apologetic smile hanging at his lips. "The pests are bad this year, and raw materials are scarce. Prices have gone up all across the East Blue. This grove of yours... the harvest is nothing special. At market prices, I'm honestly afraid you won't be able to afford it."
His words were honey-coated needles. Bellemere folded her arms, the defensive posture making her look like a she-wolf driven into a corner, her hackles