The four men's eyes instantly filled with terror. To their shock, they discovered that their bodies were no longer under their control.
It was as if some mysterious force had taken hold of them, compelling their knees to slowly bend.
Thump!
The four men dropped the black bundle from their backs and fell to their knees.
With just a single sentence from the young man before them, all four had knelt down in fear.
At that very moment, a vast and mysterious power seemed to sweep through them, causing them to believe that the person before them was a divine being who held their lives in his hands.
Filled with fear and awe, they placed their hands on the ground and pressed their foreheads firmly against the earth.
"Please forgive us, O God. Have mercy on us."
Just as Rojen had commanded, the four men knelt with their foreheads touching the ground and uttered words of supplication.
Had anyone witnessed this scene, they would have been utterly astonished. With a single sentence, it was as though he had directly manipulated the hearts and minds of others.
Facing the four men kneeling before him, Rojen merely smiled.
Although he had not yet fully developed the powers of the Prediction-Prediction Fruit, its effects were already remarkable, more than enough to produce miraculous results on people like these.
Ignoring the four men, he walked over and untied the black bundle.
"Am I... saved?"
The person who emerged from inside was a little girl of about ten years old. Her cheeks still carried a trace of baby fat, and with her large eyes, small nose, and tiny mouth, she looked like a delicate porcelain doll. She was undeniably adorable.
"As I thought."
However, Rojen's attention was focused on her back, where a pair of pure white feathered wings gently fluttered.
The little girl climbed out of the bundle, her eyes filled with caution.
"Are you from Skypiea?"
Rojen asked with a smile.
"How did you know?"
The girl asked in surprise.
The next moment, she noticed the four men still kneeling on the ground and continuously begging for divine forgiveness. She froze for a second.
"Did you save me? What's wrong with them?"
"Perhaps they've been punished by God."
Rojen replied with a grin.
"God? No! God would never save me. How could he possibly save anyone?"
The moment she heard the word "God," fear appeared in the girl's eyes.
Her reaction gave Rojen a vague idea of what might be going on, but he chose not to press the matter.
"My name is Rojen. What's yours?"
"You can call me Dina. Thank you for saving me, but I have to go home. I can't come with you."
Dina answered warily.
"You want to return to Skypiea? Maybe I can help."
Rojen asked curiously.
"How are you going to help? Skypiea isn't a place you can just go to!"
Dina exclaimed.
Watching the little girl's excitable behavior, Rojen could not help but shake his head. Such a noisy and fussy little brat really wasn't very likable.
"I have my own methods. Want a free ride?"
"Or you can keep wandering alone through these dangerous seas."
"Of course, next time there might not be anyone around to save you."
After saying this teasingly, Rojen waved his hand and turned to leave.
He had merely been curious about why someone from Skypiea had appeared in Whiskey Peak. Although he still found it strange, if she didn't want to come along, he had no intention of questioning her further.
When Dina saw that Rojen was actually leaving, she immediately panicked.
Traveling alone in the Blue Sea was simply too dangerous. She glanced at the four men who were still kneeling and praying on the ground. Gritting her teeth, she hurried after him.
Even if she couldn't be sure whether the person who had just rescued her was a good man, it was certainly better than staying behind with four men who wanted to kidnap and sell her.
"I refuse to believe my luck can be that bad!"
Dina quickly caught up.
"Hey, wait for me! I'll go with you."
The sound of hurried footsteps rang out as Dina moved up beside Rojen, matching his pace as they walked forward together.
"Thank you very much for saving me!"
Dina expressed her gratitude to Rojen once again, her expression completely sincere.
"Mm."
Rojen nodded calmly.
"But what exactly happened to those four men?"
Still extremely curious, Dina asked the question again.
There was no way those four despicable scoundrels who had tricked her would suddenly grow a conscience, kneel on the ground, and beg for forgiveness. Dina was clever enough to guess that this young man must have done something.
"Who knows?"
Rojen waved his hand dismissively.
"Are you really going to Skypiea?"
"I am."
"Skypiea is very dangerous. I just escaped from there. There's a terrifying person up there."
"Oh? Then why do you want to go back?"
Rojen asked with a smile, causing Dina's expression to become awkward.
"Because... it's my home, after all."
"How terrifying is this person you're talking about?"
Rojen asked again.
"Very terrifying! He's a god who controls lightning and can destroy everything!"
Dina replied fearfully.
Rojen continued walking, and Dina hurriedly kept pace beside him.
"Really, I advise you not to go. It's too dangerous up there!"
"Actually, I'm a pretty terrifying person too."
Rojen said seriously.
"You?"
Dina burst out laughing.
"You don't look scary at all. I don't believe you. You even saved me! You're a good person!"
"I just happened to pass by."
"If someone can save me just by passing by, then you're even less scary."
Their conversation was rather amusing. One of them was telling the truth, while the other simply refused to believe it.
As they chatted along the way, Rojen casually tried to find out why Dina had appeared here. However, the little girl was extremely cautious. Though young, she was remarkably shrewd and kept her secret completely hidden, which surprised Rojen somewhat.
There were certainly children who harbored secrets beyond their years, but few were as clever as this little girl.
Before they realized it, they had arrived at the inn arranged by Daz Bonez.
"We'll stay here tonight and set sail tomorrow."
Rojen pointed at the building and walked inside first.
Before Dina could object, Rojen had already disappeared from sight. Helplessly, she stomped her foot and followed him inside.
The moment she entered the inn, she froze.
The first floor was nothing like the quiet atmosphere one would expect from an ordinary inn. Instead, it was incredibly lively and noisy. More than a dozen people surrounded a large table, eating and drinking heartily with cheerful smiles on their faces.
In the center of the room, several scantily dressed women were enthusiastically dancing and swaying their slender waists.
"What kind of place have I come to?"
Dina covered her eyes, too embarrassed to look at the dancing women. Her face turned bright red.
After all, there was only so much a little girl could handle.
"Haha, Captain, you went out for a bit and came back with a little girl!"
"Who is this little one?"
"She's probably the Captain's illegitimate daughter! Hahahaha!"
The crew's loud jokes caused several black lines to appear on Rojen's forehead.
"No, I think she's the Captain's girlfriend. That guy definitely has some unusual tastes!"
"Lolicon!!"
Chaporos jumped out and laughed uproariously.
The remarks made Rojen's face grow even darker. Meanwhile, Lordling, who had been quietly drinking nearby, seemed to actually believe them. His expression immediately became unpleasant, and he couldn't help but glance at Rojen.
"I think all of you are asking for a beating!" Rojen growled.
(End Of This Chapter)
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