Later, Kurosawa Raion found out the name of the sharp-tongued girl—it was Verdan. She was the daughter of the village chief from a nearby island. Though only fifteen years old, she was stunningly beautiful. Her features were as delicate as a porcelain doll, and her graceful figure had a presence that made men's hearts race. As fate would have it, she and Raion would go on to have stories of their own...
But that is a tale for another time.
Raion had learned about the pirate with a bounty on his head from a kindly old woman. She appeared to be around seventy, with a warm, approachable demeanor that immediately put Raion at ease. Unlike the other villagers, she hadn't shunned or mocked him when he first arrived.
She explained that there were three nearby islands—two of them home to peaceful civilian villages, while the third served as the stronghold of a pirate crew. The village Raion currently stood in was called Zhenxi Village, and the one six nautical miles to the east was Zhendong Village.
A year ago, a pirate crew known as the Wolf Pirates had invaded the region. The residents of the two villages had united in resistance, led by two local figures—Farmer, the village chief of Zhendong and Verdan's father, and Miller, a former navy major nearing his forties. Miller still possessed solid combat ability and had earned the title of "Guardian" of both villages.
The Wolf Pirates were led by two brothers. The younger, Anderlin, was the crew's deputy captain—standing more than 2.5 meters tall and boasting incredible strength. His bounty was 5 million Beli. His older brother, Anderson, was both the captain and a Devil Fruit user, with a 10 million Beli bounty on his head.
When the pirates first attacked, Farmer's leadership and Miller's martial skill helped mount a strong defense. The fighting was fierce, and the villagers managed to hold their ground. In the end, neither side claimed victory, and an uneasy truce was formed.
But as time passed, Anderson and his men grew stronger—and bolder. Though a non-aggression pact had been initially agreed upon, Anderson began demanding protection fees from the villages. Those who refused were executed without mercy.
Being peaceful folk with limited means to resist, the villagers had no choice but to comply. Each resident was forced to pay 10,000 Beli every month just to stay alive. Even Miller, their so-called guardian, could only grit his teeth in frustration. Still, many believed that Miller's presence was the only thing keeping Anderson from going completely unchecked.
After hearing this, Raion couldn't help but ask, "If Anderson is that arrogant, won't the Navy intervene?"
Based on the timeline of the One Piece world, Raion guessed it would still be a few years before Luffy set sail. At this point in time, a 10 million Beli bounty in the East Blue was extremely high. Even Bucky the Clown had only a 6 million bounty right now.
The old woman gave a wry smile. "They've bought off the Navy. Everyone knows it, but no one dares say it aloud."
It reminded Raion of Arlong from Cocoyashi Village in the original story—who had terrorized over twenty villages, was known as the most dangerous criminal in the East Blue at the time, and had a bounty of 20 million. Yet the Navy turned a blind eye.
Of course, that was a story for another time.
Even though the old woman had spoken at length, Raion understood everything clearly. It also explained the cold looks he got earlier when he was asking about bounty criminals. If even someone like Miller wouldn't lift a finger against the Wolf Pirates, then a stranger like Raion daring to do so seemed delusional to them.
"Fresh off the boat and asking about wanted pirates? You might as well take a piss, look at your reflection, and ask yourself who you think you are," he thought, chuckling dryly.
After thanking the old woman, Raion left to explore further.
After days at sea and fighting a sea king, he was starving. But there was a problem—he didn't have a single Beli to his name.
So a bold idea came to him…
The King's Meal.
Without hesitation, he walked into a restaurant that looked nice enough, sat down, and said confidently, "Boss! A huge plate of egg-fried rice, please!"
A few diners inside recognized him—he was the guy who'd gone around asking about pirates just a little while ago.
As soon as the egg-fried rice was served, Raion began devouring it without restraint.
He quickly became the center of attention in the restaurant.
"Isn't that the weirdo who was asking around about bounty hunters?"
"Unbelievable. This guy really doesn't know his place."
At one of the tables, a beautiful girl stared at him with disdain—Verdan, the same girl who had scolded him earlier.
She turned to her father, Farmer, seated across from her. "Dad, that's the guy who asked me about pirates. I think he's totally out of his mind."
Farmer looked over at Raion, who was wolfing down his food at the counter. With his fair skin, slim build, and almost scholarly appearance, Raion looked nothing like someone who could face sword-wielding pirates. To a stranger, he seemed more like a harmless bookworm than a warrior.
In most places, people judge others by their looks—and Raion certainly didn't inspire fear.
As he ate, surrounded by cold stares and whispered ridicule, a voice cut through the room:
"Seriously, not only is he crazy, but he's rude, ugly, and lacks basic manners."
But Raion ignored them all. He simply kept eating.
Just then, a thunderous BANG echoed through the room as the restaurant doors slammed open.
Everyone's eyes turned away from Raion.
Standing at the entrance was a massive figure—Anderlin, vice-captain of the Wolf Pirates and younger brother of Anderson.
Towering at 2.5 meters and as wide as a wall, Anderlin had a face full of fat, nostril hairs half a foot long, and a massive beheading sword strapped to his back.
Behind him, two thin henchmen followed closely, their chins held high with arrogance as they strutted in like they owned the place...