"Alright, see you later."
After watching Mihawk turn and leave decisively, Arashi didn't mind at all and continued waiting patiently.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Arashi called out toward Mihawk's retreating figure, "Mihawk! Let's drink again tonight! I've still got two bottles of fine wine hidden away. Once the contract is settled, we'll open them to celebrate!"
"!!!"
Hearing that Arashi had secretly stashed away more alcohol, Mihawk suppressed the urge to slash someone and turned back, roaring, "Don't even think about tempting me with wine—"
Arashi smiled faintly. "You've never tasted it before."
"Hm?"
Mihawk hesitated, clearly tempted. "What kind of wine?"
"A fruit wine that only exists in Syrup Village!"
Before Arashi could finish speaking, villagers who had heard the news suddenly swarmed over.
"Who's the one contracting the tangerine groves?"
"My family has one—very cheap!"
"Ours is cheap too, please pick us! Buy one, get three free!"
Whoa!
Looking at the crowd rushing toward him, Arashi widened his eyes in surprise. He had only spread the news on a whim, never expecting such an explosive response!
"Everyone, calm down!"
Seeing more and more villagers gathering, Arashi quickly stood up and raised his voice. "I am the contractor! However, I won't be contracting for long—"
Before he could finish, the villagers—who had just been searching for him—immediately surrounded him and began speaking all at once.
"Sir, please choose my family!"
"It doesn't matter how long you contract, as long as you pay!"
"Wow, that's ruthless!"
"..."
Listening to the chaotic noise around him, Arashi frowned helplessly.
He truly hadn't expected things to turn out like this.
If he had known the villagers were so eager to lease out their groves, he wouldn't have needed to spread the news at all!
Now nearly the entire village had gathered. If he chose only one grove, it might even lead to a fight among them.
But even so, there was no way he could contract all of them.
Suddenly—
Just as Arashi was struggling to get a word in and the situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control, a figure caught his attention.
Through the dense crowd, Bell-mère—her red hair unmistakable—rushed forward, holding little Nami with one hand and pulling Nojiko along with the other.
"Everyone, quiet down! Quiet down!"
As soon as she reached Arashi, Bell-mère turned around and addressed the noisy villagers. "You're all making a fuss without even asking the contractor for his opinion. That's very rude!"
Before the villagers could react, Bell-mère turned back toward Arashi, bowed slightly, and tried her best to appear refined as she politely said, "I don't yet know your name, sir. I am Bell-mère. My family owns a tangerine grove—would you like to take a look before making your decision?"
"Bell-mère is the rude one here!"
"Bell-mère, step aside! With your tiny grove, how could this gentleman possibly be interested?"
"Everyone, shut up!"
Hearing the renewed chatter, Bell-mère instantly dropped her gentle demeanor. Turning around, she transformed into a fierce tigress, shouting angrily, "I don't care—my grove must be contracted today!"
"..."
Faced with her outburst, the villagers immediately fell silent.
Seizing the opportunity, Bell-mère quickly put on a smiling face again and began bowing repeatedly. "Everyone, I truly have no choice. If I can't sell the tangerines, my two daughters will… sob sob… they're still growing. If they can't eat properly, they'll—"
Seeing Bell-mère suddenly burst into tears, the villagers were deeply moved. Thinking about their own hardships, many of them couldn't help but have their eyes turn red as well.
Standing to the side, completely unable to get a word in, Arashi watched Bell-mère switch effortlessly between fierce anger and pitiful vulnerability, his jaw dropping slightly.
Is she… a born actress?
What a waste she's not in theater!
At that moment, while the villagers' attention was focused on Bell-mère, little Nami quietly slipped over to Arashi.
"Hello."
Standing before him, Nami lifted her small head, forcing a pitiful expression onto her face. With a slight tremble in her voice, she continued, "My name is Nami. I'm from Cocoyasi Village… Bell-mère is my mother. If you're going to contract a grove… could you please help us and take the one in our backyard too? That way, Bell-mère won't have to eat only one meal a day anymore…"
Though Nami spoke softly, the surrounding villagers still heard her.
And Bell-mère, upon hearing Nami's trembling voice, froze instantly.
Then she quickly turned around and shouted, "Nami—"
"Sure."
Before Bell-mère could pull Nami back, Arashi—who had remained silent until now—suddenly spoke, smiling. "Of course."
Nami froze for a moment, clearly not expecting such an immediate agreement. Then she jumped up in joy. "Really?! That's amazing! Thank you so much, mister!"
"No need to thank me."
Arashi smiled and gently patted little Nami's head. Then he raised his head, sweeping his gaze across all the villagers before speaking loudly:
"My apologies, everyone. I'm just a traveler and won't be staying here for long. So I only need one tangerine grove…"
"However, I can help promote Cocoyasi Village's tangerines—so that everyone can sell their produce at a good price!"
"Really?!"
"That's wonderful—this gentleman is such a good person!"
"We haven't even asked for your name yet, sir!"
Hearing that Arashi was willing to help them promote their tangerines, the villagers erupted with excitement. Smiles spread across their faces, and they instinctively placed their trust in this unexpected contractor.
In the distance, Mihawk stood quietly beneath a large tree, holding the world's strongest black blade, Yoru. Watching Arashi surrounded by villagers, he shook his head with a faint smile.
Arashi might not follow conventional logic, but he was undeniably an interesting person.
And in a world where pirates ran rampant and strength ruled above all else, someone who could go against the tide—blending into ordinary village life and winning people's hearts in such a short time—
That was far more than just "interesting."
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