At dawn, Foosha Village's coastline appeared and disappeared in the morning mist. A crude little fishing boat slowly drew ashore, its hull covered in patches, clearly having weathered considerable wind and waves.
Allen jumped off first and reached out to steady the stumbling Ace. Two days of continuous sailing had left everyone exhausted, especially the ability users Ace and Luffy, who had far more trouble adjusting to the sea than ordinary people.
"Finally... we're here..." Luffy lay sprawled on the deck, his rubber body like a puddle of mud. "I'm never riding a boat again..."
Sabo leaned on his steel pipe, barely managing to stand. "Stop complaining. We should be glad we got here safely." His leg injury had worsened somewhat during the voyage, leaving his face a little pale.
Dadan and the remaining mountain bandits helped one another off the boat, all looking haggard. Their band had once numbered over twenty; now fewer than ten remained, most of them injured.
"So this is old man Garp's hometown?" Dadan surveyed the quiet little village. "Looks a lot more peaceful than the Goa Kingdom."
Allen quietly extended his Observation Haki, sensing the entire village. Foosha Village was indeed as peaceful and tranquil as he remembered. The residents' presences were calm, and he detected no spies from the World Government or the nobles.
"Let's find somewhere to settle in first," Allen decided. "I know a place."
He led everyone to an abandoned cabin on a hillside outside the village. It had once been a hunter's home and had stood deserted for years, but its structure was still reasonably sound. A little tidying would make it habitable.
"We'll rest here for now." Allen assigned their tasks. "Ace, take two people into the village to buy food and medicine. Keep a low profile. Sabo, your leg hasn't healed, so handle tidying up inside. Luffy... just don't cause trouble."
Luffy pouted unhappily. "I can help too!"
Allen ruffled his hair. "Then go help Dadan and the others gather firewood."
Once everything was arranged, Allen went behind the cabin alone and took out the Ark Core and the conch. He had spent the past two days at sea studying these ancient relics and had made quite a few new discoveries.
The Ark Core not only stored vast amounts of ancient knowledge but also seemed to have some sort of navigation function, displaying "energy nodes" around the world. The conch had a wondrous resonance with marine life and had even dispersed an approaching storm during their voyage.
What concerned him even more was that both objects were slowly repairing themselves, absorbing energy from their surroundings. Given time, they might regain all their functions.
"The power of an Ancient Weapon..." Allen murmured to himself. This power was too great and had to be used cautiously. At the same time, it was his most important asset for protecting his family.
Toward evening, Ace returned with the supplies, but his expression looked grim.
"Someone in the village is asking about us," he said quietly. "They're not from the World Government. They look like pirates."
Allen frowned. "Pirates? Do you know which crew?"
Ace shook his head. "I only heard they came from around Shells Town. Seems they're looking for something."
Shells Town? Something stirred in Allen's mind. Isn't that Axe-Hand Morgan's territory? Could it be...
He suddenly remembered something: at this point in time, the Krieg Pirates should already have been active in the East Blue, and Gin seemed to have operated around the Goa Kingdom before.
"Increase the watch," Allen decided. "They might be after us, or they might not. But it never hurts to be careful."
Over the next few days, everyone settled temporarily in Foosha Village. Dadan and the mountain bandits handled repairs and daily chores, while Allen continued training the three brothers.
Foosha Village's surroundings were much more open than Mount Colubo, and their training methods changed accordingly. Allen began teaching them more practical combat skills: how to coordinate in open terrain, how to use the landscape, and even how to devise simple tactical plans.
"Fighting isn't about going it alone," Allen summed up after a sparring session. "Each of your abilities has its own strengths. If you coordinate well, one plus one can equal more than two."
He specifically designed tactics around their individual strengths: Ace's flames handled the main offense and area control, while Luffy's rubber properties suited surprise attacks and mobility. Although Sabo's injured leg restricted his movement, his Observation Haki and steel-pipe techniques proved excellent for defense and counterattacks.
Luffy gave Allen the greatest surprise. After the conch incident, he seemed to have gained a vague understanding of "majesty," occasionally unleashing an astonishing presence in battle. Although he could not yet control it at will, the beginnings of Conqueror's Haki had already appeared.
During a break in training that day, the four sat resting on the hillside, gazing at the calm sea in the distance.
"Allen," Ace suddenly asked, "are we going to become pirates someday?"
Allen looked at him. "Do you want to be a pirate?"
Ace's gaze was complicated. "My father... was the Pirate King. But I don't know..." His voice grew quiet. "What exactly is a pirate?"
Sabo joined in. "The pirates we've seen either rob people or bully civilians. People like Bluejam..."
Luffy, however, jumped up excitedly. "I'm going to be a pirate! A pirate like Shanks!"
Allen looked thoughtful. He knew these three younger brothers would eventually take the pirate's path, but perhaps he could offer them a different choice now.
"There's more than one kind of pirate," Allen said slowly. "There are villains who burn, kill, and plunder, and there are adventurers who pursue freedom and dreams. What matters is what kind of person you want to become, not what title you carry."
He looked into the distance. "Maybe we can forge a new path. Not entirely pirates, but not entirely anything else either... just living by our own will and protecting the people we want to protect."
The three brothers nodded, only half understanding. The subject was still too profound for them, but the seed had been planted.
The peaceful days lasted less than a week. Early one morning, Allen's Observation Haki suddenly detected something unusual-a strange ship was approaching Foosha Village!
He quickly woke everyone. "A ship's approaching! It's neither a merchant ship nor a fishing boat. Get ready!"
Everyone immediately grew tense. Dadan and the mountain bandits picked up their weapons, and the three brothers readied themselves for battle.
The ship slowly docked, and a group of vicious-looking pirates disembarked. Their leader was a burly, one-eyed man carrying an enormous cleaver over his shoulder.
"This is the place!" The one-eyed man grinned. "Word is, a few valuable brats are hiding around here! Search the place!"
Allen's heart sank. They really were after them! It seemed the World Government had issued bounties, or the nobles had hired pirates to find them.
"Prepare to fight," Allen said quietly. "Ace, take the left flank. Sabo, the right. Luffy, protect Dadan and the others. I'll handle the leader."
The pirates soon spotted the cabin on the hillside and charged up, shouting. Battle was about to erupt!
Allen met the one-eyed man, channeling the Torch Dragon's power. "Who sent you?"
The one-eyed man sneered. "Dead men don't need to know so much!" His huge blade slashed down with a rush of air!
Allen dodged easily, golden light flashing in his eyes. He could already tell that this pirate leader was merely average in strength, relying entirely on brute force. "I'll ask one last time. Who sent you?"
"Arrogant brat!" The one-eyed man roared and hacked repeatedly, but he could not even touch the hem of Allen's clothes.
Meanwhile, Ace's flames had already brought down several pirates. Sabo's steel pipe struck enemies down with precision, while Luffy drove back every pirate trying to approach the cabin with a wild barrage of rubber punches.
After their special training, the three worked together seamlessly. Ordinary pirates were no match for them, and the battle quickly became one-sided.
Seeing things turn against him, the one-eyed man suddenly pulled a whistle from his clothes and blew hard! Its piercing shriek rang across the coast!
"He's calling for reinforcements!" Allen realized things were going wrong and knocked the one-eyed man down with a heavy punch. "Finish this quickly!"
But it was already too late. Three larger pirate ships were rapidly approaching on the horizon! Their sails bore the same emblem-the Krieg Pirates'!
"Damn it!" Allen's expression changed. The Krieg Pirates were a major force in the East Blue, not an enemy they could currently face head-on.
"Retreat!" Allen made an immediate decision. "Go around the back of the hill! Head toward Mount Colubo!"
Everyone quickly gathered the essentials and withdrew behind the cabin. Allen brought up the rear, using the Torch Dragon's power to create vast illusions of light and shadow that obstructed their pursuers' vision.
The Krieg Pirates' ships had already docked, and dozens of pirates swarmed ashore. Leading them was a tall man-Gin the Demon!
"That's them!" the captured one-eyed man shouted. "Those brats!"
Gin waved a hand coldly. "After them. Captain Krieg wants them alive."
Their flight began again. This time, they had a clear destination-return to Mount Colubo and use the familiar terrain to outmaneuver their pursuers.
But Allen knew clearly that this was only a stopgap measure. The World Government, the nobles, and now pirates too... their enemies kept multiplying. They had to find a way out of this predicament.
Late that night, everyone stopped to rest in a cave. Allen took out the Ark Core and made up his mind.
It was time to delve deeper into the secrets of the ancient legacy. Perhaps there, he could find the key to breaking this deadlock...
The core glowed softly in his hands, seemingly responding to his resolve.