"Poor little guy."
Looking at the boy's dirty little face, everyone couldn't help but feel pity.
Nao glanced at Gion, and she immediately understood. She rummaged through her shoulder bag for a while and pulled out a few 500-Berry banknotes.
Nao usually disliked carrying cash. Ever since the honeymoon trip began, their group had been traveling light. The billions in savings were all stored in a bank card, withdrawn only when needed. The small amount of pocket money they carried was all managed by Gion.
"What's your name, child?"
Gion took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the dirt from the boy's forehead, asking softly.
The black-haired, black-eyed boy instinctively dodged the handkerchief. He glanced at her timidly and said in a low voice, "Messi. Cooper Messi."
"Messi, that's a very nice name."
Gion repeated the name and said softly, "Where is your family, Messi? You don't look like a local at all. Did you get lost here alone?"
"Yes."
The boy named Messi nodded, his gaze dim. "Last week, I came here with my mother for a trip. But my mom lost money in the casino, so she left me here as collateral and ran away by herself. I never saw her again."
"I also just found a chance today and secretly ran away from the casino during the chaos…"
Gion was slightly stunned. She looked at Nao thoughtfully
He just found a chance to escape from the casino today?.
Could it be that, by chance, it was the one run by that Young Master Angie?
"What? A mother like that actually exists?"
Bellemere next to them was furious. As a mother of two girls herself, she couldn't understand this kind of wicked person who would use their child as collateral. She angrily rolled up her sleeves.
"Little Messi, tell us where your home is. We'll take you back—and while we're at it, we'll beat that rotten excuse for a mother until she knows what it feels like!"
Nao grabbed her in time, signaling her not to get too agitated so she wouldn't scare the child.
"It's far away… in the South Blue…"
Little Messi shook his head and said sadly while biting his lower lip, "Before we left, my mom had already sold our house. She's definitely not going back..."
Then what about your father?
Bellemere wanted to ask this question, but seeing the little boy's expression, she couldn't bring herself to do it, afraid of hurting him again. She sighed and gave up.
From start to finish, the boy hadn't mentioned his father at all. Chances were, that man was an even bigger piece of scum than the mother who left her own son as collateral.
"There are clothing stores and restaurants nearby. Take this money and buy yourself something to eat, Messi."
Gion gently patted the little boy's head. Instead of dropping the banknotes into his broken bowl, she carefully placed them into his hands.
Seeing the banknotes in his hand, little Messi's eyes lit up, and he thanked them profusely.
"Huh, where's Mr. Issho?" Bellemere suddenly realized someone was missing.
"Over there, coming back," Nao pointed with his chin.
Everyone turned to see Fujitora returning from the snack street, holding a few steaming beef patties in hand.
Seeing everyone looking at him, he awkwardly scratched his head and carefully placed the patties in the little boy's hand.
"Thank you, uncle!"
Seeing the fragrant beef patties, the little boy was even more excited than when he received the money just now. He immediately grabbed two, one in each hand, and began devouring them ravenously.
"I'm ashamed. I don't have much money on me..." Fujitora sighed, feeling a little embarrassed. "And since you've all so generously helped him, I can only do a little to help as well."
You were a multimillionaire just a few hours ago, mister...
Did you really give it all to the villagers and not keep a single Berry for yourself? Nao looked at him speechlessly. He seriously suspected that the noodles they had eaten that evening had already depleted all of Fujitora's savings.
"I remember there's a Marine orphanage on an island called Maru to the north."
Watching the little boy devour the food so hungrily, Nao couldn't help but sigh inwardly. After a moment's thought, he said,
"If you don't want to look for your parents anymore, little one, how about this—two days from now, you come aboard with us, and I'll take you there myself?"
A Marine orphanage?
Perhaps he was eating too fast, but the little boy was stunned when he heard that. He wanted to speak, but he was choked and coughed violently.
Seeing this, Nao immediately went to buy some drinks. He gently patted the little boy's back and said with a smile, "Eat slowly. It's okay. You don't have to answer right away."
Little Messi looked at him gratefully. After finally catching his breath, he looked hesitant. In the end, he still shook his head:
"Thank you, but no, big brother. I don't want to go to a place like an orphanage. I'd rather stay in the Spring Queen's City. As long as I can find a shop that takes apprentices in the next few days, I can take care of myself..."
What a real man.
Nao's gaze softened with admiration. Looking at the raggedly dressed boy with bright, stubborn eyes, he thought—if he hadn't just escaped from the casino and been starving to the point of collapse, he probably would never have gone begging in the streets at all.
Bellemere was a little worried and wanted to say something, but Gion smiled and held her hand.
"Since that's your choice, we'll respect it."
Nao ruffled the boy's hair and spoke gently:
"We'll be staying here for a few more days. If you change your mind and want help, just come find me at the harbor in the morning. The ship with the big white dog lying on the deck—that's mine."
Little Messi looked at him with gratitude and nodded firmly.
…
In the northern side of the Spring Queen's City, a grand fireworks show began again.
The clusters of exploding fireworks lit up half the sky. They were magnificent and brilliant, enough to make everyone temporarily forget their troubles and feel happy and cheerful.
Nao and the others were no exception. Slowly shaking off their earlier heaviness, they happily strolled around the city for quite some time.
It wasn't until more than an hour later that they returned to the starting point of the commercial street.
It was already ten at night, yet the area was still bustling with life. But the thin, small figure they had seen earlier was nowhere to be found.
I hope that little guy can find a shop to take him in.
Nao silently wished him well in his heart.
He glanced at the moon and felt that it was about time to call it a night. He was about to lead the group back to the ship to rest when Shiya behind him let out a soft sound of surprise.
"What's wrong?"
Nao turned his head curiously.
"Nao... over there."
Shia's expression was uncertain as she pointed to a shadowy corner of a wall.
"Isn't that…?"
Nao followed the direction she was pointing. His expression changed slightly. He walked over with big steps, bent down, and picked up something from the corner of the wall. The others also quickly gathered around.
After seeing what Nao had picked up, everyone's faces, including Fujitora's, turned grim.
—It was a few half-eaten beef patties.
"…W-what's going on here?"
"Could something have happened to that child…?"
Everyone's hearts tightened. Gion suggested splitting up to search, and after a quick discussion, the group agreed. They decided to use this street corner as the center point and scatter in all directions to look for little Messi.
However—
Just as they were about to separate, a trembling hand holding a chipped begging bowl suddenly stretched out in front of them.
"Have mercy, kind sirs and ladies, please…"
An old blind man with gray hair and a face full of wrinkles—he looked at least seventy or eighty—hobbled forward on a cane and stood in their way, pleading miserably:
"I… I haven't eaten a full meal in days. I'm so hungry I can hardly walk anymore…"
Seeing that everyone was looking at him, the old blind man shed two lines of tears and said with a miserable expression:
"I came here to travel with my son last month. But that unfilial son lost money at the casino, so he pawned me here and secretly ran away. I haven't seen him since."
"I also just found a chance today and secretly ran away from the casino during the chaos…"
"Now I just want to eat something first and get some money for a boat ticket so I can go home. Please, please be kind and give me some money. I will definitely remember your great kindness in my heart and repay you a hundredfold in my next life…"
At first—
Nao and the others looked at the old man with genuine sympathy, instinctively ready to pull out money.
But as they listened, they started to feel that something was off. Their expressions also became a little strange.
—Why did his words sound so familiar?
No, it wasn't just familiar. It was exactly the same as little Messi's words! It was as if they were made from the same mold!
Did they run into a professional begging group?
They suddenly felt a little nauseous.
Nao walked up to the old man. The old blind man seemed to have noticed the movement of footsteps. He raised his head and "looked" at him blankly, with a hint of anticipation.
But Nao didn't say anything. He just looked the old man up and down, inspecting him very carefully.
After a moment, as if he had spotted something, Nao crouched down to meet the old man's eye level. A faint, knowing smile played across his face.
"Sir, please, please help me..."
The old man's eyes were tightly shut. He shook the bowl in his hand and said in a trembling voice, "Just consider it a good deed. Even if it's just a hundred berries..."
Nao turned his head and glanced at Gion. The little rabbit immediately understood. She casually pulled out a stack of banknotes from her purse and handed them over.
"These days, a ticket for a long-distance ship costs at least several thousand berries.What's a hundred berries going to do?"
Nao took out two 10,000-Berry banknotes, gently placed them in the broken bowl, and said with a smile, "Here's 20,000 Berries. Take this money, go get a good meal, change your clothes, and then take a ship home, old man."
"Eh?"
The old blind man was stunned, obviously a little surprised. Then his voice choked up, and he grabbed Nao's arm excitedly. "Thank... thank you... you, you're a truly great person!"
"Where is your home, by the way?"
"Sou... South Blue..."
"The South Blue? That's too far. Is this money enough? It doesn't seem like it."
Nao looked a little troubled. Then he sighed and took out a few more 10,000-Berry banknotes and put them on top. "How about this? I'll add another 30,000 Berries, for a total of 50,000. This way, you can hire someone to take care of you on the ship. After all, it's not very convenient for you since you can't see."
"F-fifty… fifty thousand…"
The old man was so excited that his voice was trembling. He suddenly threw his cane down, knelt down shakily, and was about to kowtow.
"You, your kindness... I don't know how to repay you in this life. Only by doing this can I..."
Just as his head was about to touch the ground, he suddenly felt that something was off.
Hmm?
Something's not right. According to how things should go, a kind customer like this should immediately panic and help him up, so why wasn't there any movement?
His actions were frozen in place. He didn't know whether to kowtow or not.
Nao squatted in front of him, smiling as he watched the old man hesitate on the ground.
In the distance, Fujitora, Gion, and the others were holding back their laughter with puffed-out cheeks. Bellemere had to bite her lip so hard that it almost bled and had to turn her head away.
"Damn it…"
The old blind man cursed under his breath. He was lying on the ground and had no idea what Nao was doing. He had no choice but to harden his heart and kowtow several times with a loud thud.
When he looked up again, his forehead was all red, but he still had to force a grateful and tearful smile.
"Well then, we'll be going." Nao patted the dust off his backside, then gave the old man's head a friendly pat, smiling as he said,
"Fifty thousand berries—spend it wisely, old sir."
"Yes, kind sir, take care, walk safely…"
The old man also straightened up. Listening to the sound of footsteps gradually fading away, he turned his head, and a smile instantly bloomed on his face.
Fifty thousand Berries!Heh, this money is so easy to earn.He had exceeded his quota for the day.After paying his share, the rest of the money would be enough for him to live lavishly for a while.
That guy, although he didn't have any manners and didn't even bother to pretend to help me up…
But who cares when he's so rich and stupid!
It was a shame it was a one-time deal. It was just a kowtow, right? If he could get 50,000 Berries for every kowtow, he would kowtow all the way from Reverse Mountain to Laugh Tale.
However—
When he opened his eyes, the smile on his face instantly froze.
Because at this moment, the five 10,000-Berry banknotes in the broken bowl had been replaced with five 100-Berry banknotes at some point.
Five hundred Berries.
Adding it all up, it was just enough to buy ten newspapers.
What the hell?
He had clearly peeked when that guy first put the money in and saw that they were 10,000-Berry banknotes. When did he swap them out?
He gritted his teeth and immediately turned his head. He called out to Nao, who was walking away.
"Sir, isn't there something wrong with this money you gave me?"
"Eh?"
Nao turned around in surprise. "What's wrong? It's 50,000 Berries. Is that not enough for you, old sir?"
Fifty thousand my ass!
The old blind man was so angry that he was trembling. This guy was either putting on a brave face to act tough or he was deliberately messing with him.
"This is clearly five hundred! Do you think I'm blind?!"
In his shame and anger, he furiously threw the broken bowl to the ground and roared.
"Are you deliberately looking for a fight?! Are you going to give me the money or not?!"