Chapter 115

Luo En and Xiao Qi walked ahead.

The two women walked behind.

Some villagers of Cocoyasi Village who encountered them on the way all showed expressions of shock and wariness, carefully avoiding Luo En and the others before quickly walking away.

This scene made Luo Bin and Konis slightly uneasy.

Luo Bin, walking beside Luo En, turned her head to glance at the villagers who had swiftly departed, then looked at Luo En beside her and said:

"The villagers here don't seem to welcome outsiders."

Luo En didn't turn his head; his tone was calm: "Probably because of that Evil Dragon Pirate Crew."

"As outsiders, they imposed unjust rule over this village, so now the villagers are wary and hostile toward any newcomers."

"Pirates ruling a village… wouldn't the Marines intervene?"

Konis slightly furrowed her brow.

"There are plenty of corrupt elements among the Marines too."

Luo En's simple remark left Luo Bin and Konis lost in thought.

Xiao Qi, practicing punches while walking, didn't care about any of these complicated matters—she only thought about how to grow stronger.

When the group reached the outskirts of Cocoyasi Village,

they saw before them an orange grove covered in snow.

Inside the grove, a brisk young girl with short blue hair and sun-kissed skin, wearing a thin, worn-out cotton coat, was laboriously removing snow from the orange trees with tools.

She had clearly been working for some time—sweat had formed on her forehead—but it was clear she still had far to go before clearing all the snow from every tree.

"Why remove the snow?"

Konis, watching the girl who looked about her and Luo En's age, was curious about her actions.

Luo Bin said: "I think it's to prevent the snow from breaking the branches."

"I see."

Konis's face lit up with understanding.

Luo En recognized the girl with short blue hair—she must be Nokigao, the older sister of Nami, one of the main characters in the original story.

A straightforward, bold, spirited, and rational strong girl.

Right now, she and Nami must be relying on each other… it seems terribly hard.

As Luo En thought this, his left hand gently rested on the hilt of his black blade, drawing it out an inch.

A sudden gale surged through the orange grove.

The snow on the orange trees, like dust on a shelf, was instantly blown away, swirling through the air.

Nokigao, blinded by the unexpected wind, opened her eyes again to find the sky filled with drifting snowflakes—and the snow on the orange trees reduced to less than one-tenth, no longer a threat to the branches.

She blinked, stunned.

Huh?

What happened?

The black blade, drawn an inch from Luo En's waist, silently returned to its sheath.

Luo Bin looked at the calm side of the black-haired boy beside her, as if nothing had happened, and smiled with curled eyes.

After standing frozen for a moment, Nokigao suddenly noticed the group standing outside the grove.

At the sight of their figures, appearances, and clothing, Nokigao immediately judged them to be outsiders.

After all, no one in Cocoyasi Village now could afford such expensive, brand-new fur coats…

"Foreign guests, may I ask what you need?"

Nokigao asked Luo En and the others, "Oranges aren't in season right now."

"We're not here to buy oranges."

The black-haired boy, standing between the golden-haired beauty and the tall, elegant black-haired woman, with a black blade at his waist, smiled at Nokigao.

"We're travelers planning to spend the winter on this island, and we're looking for a place to stay."

Nokigao paused in surprise: "For lodging, you should go to the village—this is the outskirts…"

But before she could finish speaking, the next words from the black-haired boy, who smiled with eyes that seemed to pierce the soul, sent a sudden shock through her heart.

"If you can provide us a place to stay, we'll pay ten thousand Berries per day."

106, Nami, age 12, Devil Fruit Replica Card (combined)

At the gate of a courtyard filled with many orange trees.

Nami, a small girl with short orange hair, under one meter forty in height, stared blankly at Nokigao and the group behind her—one boy, two girls, and a sea cow.

"Nokigao, who are these people…?"

"Guests who will be staying with us for a while."

Nokigao said to Nami with a bright smile.

"Huh? Stay at our place? We don't even have room…"

Nami was about to say more.

Nokigao stepped quickly in front of her and whispered in her ear: "Ten thousand Berries per day."

The girl Nami first froze, then widened her eyes and opened her mouth.

"T-ten thousand…?!"

"Shh!"

Nokigao raised a finger to her lips.

Nami quickly covered her mouth with her hands to stifle a scream.

She lowered her voice, speaking to Nokigao with wild excitement and joy:

"R-really? Really ten thousand Berries? Nokogao, didn't someone cheat you?"

"How could I be cheated? These visitors from outside are truly wealthy—look, this is the ten-day rent they paid me: one hundred thousand Berries."

Nokogao handed a bag to Nami.

"H-hundred thousand?!"

Little Nami took the heavy bag, her eyes instantly turning into the shape of Berries, fully immersed in her greed.

Watching Nami and Nokogao whispering up ahead, Konis found it amusing and couldn't help covering her mouth as she smiled softly.

Hearing her laugh, Nokogao snapped back to reality.

She had neglected the guests.

That wouldn't do.

She immediately whispered to Nami: "Go up quickly and tidy and clean the room—I'll entertain the guests down here."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

Nami nodded and turned to run toward the house.

Nokogao grabbed her again: "No, I'll clean it myself—you won't do it properly. You go and entertain the guests for me."

Saying this, she wrapped her arm around Nami's neck, turned, and smiled at Luo En and the others: "This is my sister, Nami. Let her keep you company while I tidy the room."

Gulp.

Nami swallowed hard, looking at Luo En and the others with nervousness:

"Hello."

"Hello, I'm Konis."

Konis stepped forward and smiled at her: "You're Nami, right? You're so cute—may I pat your head?"

"P-please, go ahead."

"Then I won't be polite."

Konis reached out and gently stroked her head.

"You have such soft, beautiful hair."

"Thank you…"

As Konis, who looked only a few years older than her, smiled warmly like an angel, Nami's tension slowly eased under the gentle touch.

Luo Bin stepped up to Nami and smiled: "I'm Luo Bin, Nico Luo Bin. I'll be troubling you for a while."

"What a beautiful big sister…"

Nami couldn't help thinking as she gazed at her.

Gurglegurglegurgle.