Chapter 34: Straw Hat Obtained

"What other way is there?"

Luffy, tied to the Shi Zhu, yelled in fury, "Of course we fight! What's the use of hiding in the mountains, old man! Everyone should unite against those detestable noble bastards and punch them all flying into the sky!"

It hadn't been long since Sabo's incident; he still remembered it vividly.

"..." Scar glanced at Luffy, sighed, and did not reply.

"Stop shouting nonsense."

Siano frowned, tapping Luffy's face with his sword scabbard. "When adults are speaking, children shouldn't interrupt."

This unlucky kid; how was he even more brainless than during the Five Emperors era?

The Kingdom's army was well-equipped and backed by the World Government; how could ordinary citizens possibly resist them?

Even if every bandit in these Colubo Mountains were gathered together, it would merely be throwing an egg against a rock.

In a world where ultimate power resides in individuals, bottom-up rebellion is even more difficult, often resembling nothing but a joke.

So what if you gather hundreds of thousands or even millions of commoners?

Could they withstand Conqueror's Haki?

Could they survive a meteorite of magma falling from the sky?

A single spark can start a prairie fire, but in this sea, that simply doesn't work; only a tiny handful of strong individuals can ascend to the pinnacle of power to enact top-down change.

This was also the main reason he had never been particularly interested in joining the Revolutionary Army.

Of course, his disagreement was solely regarding their methodology.

After all, crossing the river by feeling the stones was understandable; maintaining their original intention and acting on it for so many years was still worthy of praise.

In this world where everyone was worse than the last, the mere existence of such a group was already quite remarkable.

"How many people do you have in total?" Siano turned to look at Scar and asked.

"Including myself, thirteen."

Scar's expression turned gloomy. "That night, I originally risked my life to pull over twenty people out of the sea of fire, but the elderly, the young, women, children, and some who were already ill ultimately couldn't survive in the harsh conditions of the mountains..."

The rest of the "bandits" also showed sadness on their faces, lowering their heads one after another.

"You've already done enough," Siano said, shaking his head.

The other party looked to be just in his early twenties.

When disaster struck, he hadn't fled on his own but chose to save people everywhere; after entering the mountain range, to protect these poor civilians, he even dared to risk impersonating a wanted great bandit; he was a real man.

He looked around.

If these remaining dozen or so people continued to struggle for survival in these mountains, the outcome probably wouldn't be much better.

They would either die from various causes or completely abandon their moral principles and become true bandits.

If he hadn't encountered them, it wouldn't matter, but having seen it with his own eyes, he couldn't help but feel some compassion.

Siano pondered briefly, recalling the four hundred million Berries he had in the bank.

He hadn't originally planned to withdraw this money, intending to leave it there to accumulate interest and use it to pay for shipbuilding costs after formally setting sail.

Now, however, a plan was vaguely taking shape.

"To be honest, if I were still so poor I could hear the coins rattling in my pockets, I definitely wouldn't want to get involved with you, nor would I have the ability."

Siano looked at Scar and shrugged slightly. "But there's no helping it; since I can barely count as a rich man now, I suppose there should be a way to help you out."

"Rich man?"

Luffy's eyes instantly lit up. "So you're very rich, old man! Are you going to give them money? Can you give some to me too? I'm short on cash as well!!!"

Those dine-and-dash meals he had eaten with Ace and Sabo in the shop district below the mountain were all settled with IOUs that he hadn't yet paid off!

"What old man!" Siano, unable to bear it any longer, slapped him. "I'm not that many years older than you; if you want to flatter me, you should call me Big Brother!"

"Oh..." Luffy rubbed the red handprint on his face aggrievedly.

"Pay back the debts you incurred yourself!"

After casting an annoyed glare at Luffy, Siano looked again at the surrounding poor civilians, his eyes filled with thought.

He had no intention of simply handing out money as Luffy had suggested.

After all, they had just met; there was no emotional foundation between them. Giving out money directly just because he felt pity would be too strange.

Moreover, giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish.

"My family has a tangerine orchard that is preparing to expand its scale, but we are short on hands and need to recruit some employees."

He glanced at the straw hat on Luffy's head. "I happen to be planning to go home today anyway; why don't you all just leave the Goa Kingdom and return with me? You can settle down there afterward. How about that?"

His words were rather general.

In his actual plan, he intended to withdraw several tens of millions of Berries, keeping the remainder stored as a fund for setting sail.

He wasn't just planning to expand the tangerine orchard's scale; he also intended to establish several family-style workshops to process the harvested citrus fruits a second time.

The quality of the citrus fruits produced in Cocoyasi Village was truly excellent; their taste far surpassed even the babagan and ugly oranges he had eaten in his previous life.

However, the purchase price for primary agricultural products was indeed very low.

Otherwise, Bell-mère wouldn't have been busy managing the tangerine orchard year-round, yet before he grew into the pillar of the family, she was still so poor she couldn't even afford to buy Nami new clothes.

But if, according to his plan, high-quality tangerines were processed into various salted and sugared products—such as canned fruit, jam, and preserved fruits—before being sold, the added value could be greatly increased.

The daily management of the workshops could be handed over to Scar, while Bell-mère could remain idle if she wished, or continue tending to her beloved tangerine orchard if she wanted to stay busy.

Limited by geographical location and trading channels, they might not make any huge profits.

But while improving their family's financial situation, it would be more than enough to feed these bitter, starving refugees and enable them to support themselves.

"R-really, is that possible?!"

Scar was slightly stunned at first, then, unable to suppress his excitement, he grasped Siano's hands. "My lord, are you truly willing to take us in and give us jobs?!"

"Mm, tell everyone to pack up; we'll depart with me shortly."

Siano nodded slightly. "Don't worry about the ship tickets; I'll cover those too."

"Wonderful!"

"We're saved, we're saved!"

"Thank you, sir! Thank you!"

The circle of starving people nearby initially found it hard to believe.

Only after Siano confirmed it did their long-suppressed emotions erupt; some wept, some dropped to their knees on the spot, while others silently shed tears and embraced each other in relief.

With winter already set in, they had spent these days in the mountains living in constant fear and terror, lacking enough food and warm clothing, their lives truly unbearable.

"A thousand thanks, a thousand thanks..."

Manba's voice choked with emotion. "You have essentially saved the lives of us dozen or so people. I... I am clumsy with words and don't know how to express myself, but in short, sir! From now on, my life belongs to you! Whatever you order me to do, I will do it!"

"Sir, us too!" the surrounding paupers echoed loudly.

"Boohoo." Luffy was also crying nearby. "How about untying me first, old man? I can't wipe my tears, and it feels terrible."

Siano looked speechlessly at this brat and drew the Masamune blade from his back.

Swish, swish.

A flash of sword light passed; the hemp ropes binding Luffy's limbs were instantly severed.

"Wow, what amazing swordsmanship!"

Rubbing his wrists, Luffy had just marvelled at the precision of the swordsmanship when blood suddenly spurted from both arms, startling him into a panicked scream; he hastily tore his upper garment into strips to wrap and stop the bleeding. "Whoa! How did you cut my skin too!"

"..."

Siano coughed once to mask his embarrassment, turned around to sheath his blade, and then looked again at the dark-skinned man before him.

"Siano," he said. "What about you? What is your real name? How should we address you from now on?"

"Just call me Manba."

The other man shook his head and said sincerely, "To be honest, I was a guard raised since childhood in a noble household; my name was casually given by the butler, and I never liked it. In contrast, I've grown accustomed to the name 'Manba' over these few months, so I might as well continue living under this name from now on."

"Good, Manba! Gather all the important things; we leave immediately!"

Siano laughed heartily.

Once everyone busied themselves, he shifted his gaze back to Luffy; before departing, how could he possibly forget this most important matter?

"It hurts, Uncle Siano!"

Luffy pointed dissatisfiedly at the wounds on his arms. "When you slashed the ropes, couldn't you have aimed a bit more carefully? You've made me not even want to thank you for getting us out of this predicament!"

Of course, this was just talk.

Toward this fellow who appeared and immediately took the initiative to help these starving people escape their plight, Luffy still felt quite favorable, and besides, he was now thoroughly free!

No longer did he need to rack his brains thinking about how to hunt in order to repay ten times over with roasted meat.

"My apologies; my swordsmanship cultivation is indeed not yet up to standard."

Siano smiled slightly. "As compensation, let me show you a little magic trick."

"Magic?!!"

Luffy instantly perked up, dropping directly into a classic monkey crouch on the table. "Great, great!"

And so...

The next second, under the dumbfounded gaze of this kid, Siano suddenly reached out and took the straw hat from atop his head.

(End of Chapter)