"Dill, you're under arrest."
The old man who had been chatting and laughing just moments ago suddenly showed no signs of life.
Dill immediately shouted into the house:
"Is anyone else home?! Something seems to be wrong with your elderly relative!!"
He had no intention of simply walking away. Leaving now would only make it easier for people to take him for a suspect.
Before long, a burly middle-aged man dressed as a cook emerged from the house.
His name was Long-Legged Bald Dill, and he was the old man's son.
He had been practicing his cooking at home, preparing to enter the chef rating competition in a few days.
After confirming that the old man had died, he showed not the slightest sadness, remaining as indifferent as if the deceased were a stranger.
"Starting three days ago, the village elders began passing away one after another, answering His Majesty's call."
"Death isn't the end. Their souls will turn into butterflies and remain by His Majesty's side forever."
With that, the man carried the old man back into the house.
According to their local customs, the dead were to be buried beside their families.
Looking at the tightly shut door, Dill couldn't help complaining:
"What kind of weird island is this?!"
Weird names, a weird curse, a weird king...
"Could something nasty besides that black sea cow have come out of the Rainbow Mist?"
The old man's death and the rating competition both seemed connected to the Rainbow Mist from three days ago.
He rubbed his chin, trying hard to remember the Rainbow Mist storyline.
That story had taken place on the Grand Line.
Inside the Rainbow Mist, the Straw Hat Pirates had met some kids from fifty years in the past.
After a series of adventures, the kids returned to fifty years in the past, spent most of their lives working their way up to middling Marine posts, and arrested the evil mayor.
Time flowed differently inside the mist than outside, and space seemed to be distorted too.
As for anything else, he really couldn't remember much.
He only remembered that Robin had worn an incredibly ugly outfit during that storyline.
Recalling that outfit, Dill gave her a strange look.
Robin: "?"
Noticing his gaze, Robin looked herself up and down, at a loss.
Khaki pants and a white top. There didn't seem to be anything strange about them.
"Is there something strange about me?"
"No!"
Dill shook his head, shaking the images from his mind.
"Let's go. We're heading to the port."
As for the hunter's family?
They would meet again if fate allowed.
Right now, he only wanted to leave this strange island as soon as possible.
Hina blinked at his words and asked curiously:
"Shouldn't we stay and get to the bottom of things, then defeat some monster or something, and finally sail away to the cheers of the people?"
That was how all the storybooks she read went.
"No, no, no. I believe in playing it safe."
Dill pointed at Hina, trying to dispel her dangerous idea:
"A fourteen-year-old former rich girl, a twelve-year-old hypnotist, and a ten-year-old doctor of history. Do we have any fighting power? We don't!"
"What we need to do now is stay out of trouble and keep ourselves safe. Once I can sink this island with a single punch someday, we can explore however we like!"
"Sink an island with one punch? How could a human possibly do something like that? Hina questions that."
"Of course it's possible. Some guy smashed a mountain apart after punching for two years;
your hair happens to be pink too, so you should give it a try sometime."
The three chatted as they headed toward the carriage rental shop.
Reaching the port took two days on foot, but only one by carriage.
"We're out of money!"
Outside the rental shop, Robin held up their little bundle, wanting to cry but unable to shed a tear.
They had left in a hurry, bringing only a change of clothes, a nautical chart, a compass, and hypnosis props.
"How about selling this?"
Robin took out the pocket watch, planning to sell it to raise some money.
Dill hurriedly snatched it away.
"This was custom-made. It's precious, okay?"
He stuffed the pocket watch into his pocket, then turned to Hina with a beaming smile:
"We can sell something else."
"All right, now we've got money."
Dill counted it with satisfaction. Exactly three hundred thousand Beli, no more and no less.
"Come on, our star contributor. I'll carry you."
He bent forward into a half crouch, signaling for the weakened Hina to climb aboard.
They had earned this money through Hina's ability.
Black spears half a meter long, as thick as a thumb, and extremely hard.
He had originally intended to sell them as iron rods. They were simply too short, after all, not even long enough to serve as short spears.
Who would have thought the weapon shop owner would take a liking to them at first glance and say he wanted to sell them as children's toys?
"The length is perfect, and so is the weight. Kids can exercise while they play. These are sure to be a big hit!"
Dill didn't understand, and he was deeply shocked.
What kind of children played games with solid steel bars?
He didn't look any further into the matter. Selling them as products was certainly more profitable than selling them as lumps of iron.
After Hina exhausted her strength making a batch of black spears, the weapon shop owner readily paid three hundred thousand Beli.
With this money, the three first got Hina out of her pajamas, then bought some food, rented a carriage, and set off.
Half a day passed. The sun sank in the west, and night fell.
The three squeezed into the carriage and made do for the night.
At noon the next day, they finally reached the town where the port was located.
This was the island's royal capital. A domed castle stood in the town center: the royal palace.
The three had no intention of sightseeing. Instead, they found a restaurant, planning to leave the island after lunch.
"There are no guards in town, and no restrictions at all on coming and going."
In the restaurant's private room, Dill speared the steak before him with his fork and swallowed it in one bite, then remarked to the two girls beside him:
"The people here really are honest and simple."
Not only were there no guards, but some shops were even left unattended, relying entirely on customers to pay of their own accord.
In a certain country, several rounds of zero-dollar shopping would already have taken place.
Yet the people here took it for granted, all paying voluntarily.
"Also, there isn't even a single newspaper here!"
Robin took small bites of her sandwich, muttering about what she had discovered along the way.
She had used her ability to observe their surroundings on the road. In homes and shops alike, there hadn't been a single thing resembling a newspaper.
Hina had already recovered and was concentrating on the roast meat before her, speaking as she ate:
"If the curse that blond curly-haired guy mentioned is real, then the lack of newspapers makes perfect sense."
"After all, news from the outside world would make people yearn even more for life overseas."
"Apart from the unknown curse, this place is paradise;
people live and work in peace, trust one another, and the soldiers guard the coast. The citizens don't have to worry about their safety at all."
"The king here is a good man."
"Hina is impressed."
Dill picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, offering no confirmation of Hina's speculation.
Ever since entering this town, he had had a strange feeling, as though someone were calling to him.
"Everyone finished?"
Robin and Hina nodded.
"Then let's go find a ship at the port and leave."
Dill stood up and pushed open the private room's door. His expression abruptly changed.
At some point, a line of soldiers had appeared outside.
Clad in silver armor, with long spears in their right hands and small round shields in their left, they blocked the doorway like a city wall.
The man at their head wore a fully enclosed helmet and held up a Den Den Mushi in both hands, like a medieval knight presenting the king's sword.
"I am Soldier Dill. I will now relay His Majesty's command."
Click~
The Den Den Mushi connected, and a hoarse voice rang out:
"Dill, you're under arrest."