There were some fishing tools placed in front of the house, and several boys and girls were playing around a model sailboat in the open space. This harmonious and natural scene reassured Barnett.
"Let's go! Let's ask how to get to town."
Barnett called out and headed towards the fishing village. The others, having also seen the situation in the village, followed him without giving it much thought.
Seeing a naval corps approaching the village, the fishermen in the village did not show any fear. This is the result of the navy's influence and influence over many years.
The navy has always presented a positive image to ordinary people, so as long as it's not a navy like Morgan's that has long bullied its station, it can earn the respect and admiration of the common people.
The children were also curious when they saw Barnett and his friends, and they stopped playing. Some villagers also came out of the small house to see what was going on.
"Sir! We're just passing through this island and want to buy some supplies. Could you tell us how to get to the town?"
Barnett walked over to two elderly men who were playing chess and asked them a question. Older people have more experience, and asking them might yield unexpected insights.
"Oh! Town, young naval officer! There are three main roads behind our village. The rightmost one leads to the forest, the middle one ends at a small lake, and the leftmost one leads to the town. You'll find what you need there."
Older people are indeed different; they consider things more comprehensively. If you have money, you can buy things in town; if you don't, you can hunt in the forest. There's plenty of water in the freshwater lakes to fill your tank. If you ask a young person, they'll basically just answer whatever you ask, without any extra information.
Barnett chatted with the two old men for a while to learn about the situation on the island. The situation on the island was not bad, because it was not an island on the magnetic route, and few pirates came here to plunder.
Vic and his crew arrived here following the route of the Eternal Pose, so there weren't as many pirates coming and going as on those islands along the shipping routes. The civilians here were relatively safer, and their lives were much better.
However, no island on the Grand Line is absolutely safe. Pirates sometimes arrive by chance or due to shipwrecks, and the islanders have learned how to effectively avoid them.
Barnett walked around the village and then headed towards the back of the fishing village. Many eyes were watching them, but they were already used to such sights.
Rebecca didn't follow Barnett around; she was more interested in the model sailboat on the open ground. The model sailboat was nearly two meters tall and was placed on a slightly cracked and uneven rock.
Because the model was so well made, with great detail, even including sails and flags, although the sails and flags weren't unfolded and were tied to the mast and beams, Rebecca wouldn't be surprised if the sailboat model could sail on water.
While Rebecca was looking at the sailboat model, she could clearly sense that the children playing around the model were very nervous. She simply smiled at the children and then took Ain's hand and left.
She was tall and beautiful, with a sword at her waist. Although she had a kind face and was with a child, the child was still very nervous. Rebecca didn't want to put too much pressure on the child, so she left after a short while.
Barnett toured the fishing village and then led his men toward the town. Although they were exceptionally skilled in combat and hunting would be a piece of cake for them, there was no need to do so.
One reason is that they have government funding. The World Government's money is essentially obtained through plunder, so they are essentially taking from the people and using it for the people. Another reason is that the island's meat resources are limited. If they all attack the islanders, what will they eat? It would be better to exchange money for it. As for fresh water, they can get it later.
The group left the fishing village in a grand procession, but none of them noticed that the simple men, women, and children had gathered behind the village, watching their retreating figures with a meaningful gaze.
" Barnett! Have you noticed we haven't seen a single person along the way? We've seen some small animals, though, but it's been too quiet!"
Rebecca looked around at the scenery the whole way, but she only saw some animals unique to the island and didn't see a single person. If she hadn't seen people in the fishing village earlier, she would have really thought this was a deserted island.
"Perhaps that fishing village was quite remote, so it's normal that there weren't many people traveling to or from the town. Didn't we see town buildings from the sea earlier?"
It's important to understand that, considering the entire island, the small fishing villages along the coast are all considered rural areas. It's normal that people from the countryside only deliver goods to the city or go to buy things there; no one from the towns comes to visit.
Barnett analyzed Rebecca's words, saying that they had seen towns before and hadn't heard the fishermen mention anything unusual about the island, so the fishing village was probably too remote for anyone to come.
Rebecca didn't say anything more, but her slightly furrowed brows remained furrowed. Ever since leaving the fishing village, she had felt an uneasy feeling surrounding her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. At that moment, she envied Vic's intelligence; if it were Vic, he would definitely know what that uneasy feeling was.
When the group arrived at the town entrance, they all stopped in their tracks, hesitant at the sight before them: the town streets were completely deserted.
The shops were all open, and it didn't seem like they were all closed. This made Barnett hesitant to make any rash moves. Vic often told them about the various amazing abilities of Devil Fruit, and that it wasn't surprising what effects they could produce. Now he had a feeling that this was the scene left behind after a Devil Fruit user used their ability.
"I just checked with my Observation Haki, and there's not a single living person here!"
Rebecca's face darkened. The death or disappearance of the entire population of this town was no small matter. If it was indeed done by an ability user, then it wouldn't be something that could be stopped this time.
Once there's one, there will be two; once there's two, there will be three. If the ability user isn't dealt with, there will only be more victims. However, she's not sure if this is Devil Fruit ability. If it really is the kind of ability that makes people disappear silently, it's very troublesome. She's already on guard.
"Is the whole town deserted? What about the rest of the island?"
Although Barnett has also Awakening Observation Haki, its range is not very far yet and cannot cover the entire town.
"My Observation Haki isn't that strong either. Only Vic's Observation Haki can cover the entire island, but there's not a single human presence within my Observation Haki range, though there are quite a few animals!"
Rebecca said with a serious expression, "My Observation Haki hasn't been Awakening for very long. Although Vic is supervising my training, it's impossible for me to improve so quickly."