122
A few months earlier, the group in dark coats had quietly arrived at this village on the fringes of the East Blue.
The viscous man, the swordsman, the woman dressed like a noblewoman... half the Family's core members had crowded into the village chief's little tavern, just to confirm whether the signal indicated by a certain Vivre Card was real.
They shook their heads in unison, a sight that made hearts sink.
"He'll be all right."
The boy suddenly spoke to himself in two different tones, the left corner of his mouth drooping while the right remained raised. "That piece of paper is still perfectly intact, isn't it?"
Everyone nodded in silence.
Someone felt the edge of the stiff card tucked against their chest-the gilded patterns left faint ridges beneath their fingertips.
As long as this piece of paper had not spontaneously burned to ash, it proved that the person being tracked was still breathing somewhere.
It was this belief that kept those who remained from drawing their weapons, allowing them to continue their outwardly peaceful business dealings.
"Build that ship first."
Fine sand swirled up in the wake of the boy's coat as he turned. "Once we sail into new waters, the Devil Fruit power should be enough to drive it."
The rest of his words dispersed in the sea breeze: to salvage a banished body from the depths of the stars, then overturn the Palace that loomed over the entire world.
As for the whereabouts of the other missing person...
"Everyone has their own voyage."
The boy suddenly kicked a shell at his feet, watching it arc into the surf. "He isn't a child who needs someone to lead him by the hand."
This conclusion eased several presences watching from the shadows.
One after another, they withdrew