Raion paused for a moment after hearing Farmer's request. "Well… let me think about it…"
Suddenly, a man sitting nearby slammed his hand on the table and barked, "Hey, boy! You killed Andrin, and now we're the ones in trouble. If you don't agree to help, we'll have no choice but to tie you up and hand you over to Anderson for punishment!"
"Yes, that's right!" several others shouted in agreement.
Raion's eyes narrowed as he slowly stood up. He glared at them, his tone cold and unwavering. "If you think you can tie me up, go ahead and try."
The room instantly fell silent. Not a single person dared to meet his gaze.
They had all witnessed his terrifying power firsthand—he had taken down a man with a bounty of 5 million Baileys in an instant. None of them were foolish enough to provoke someone like that.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Farmer hurried to defuse the situation. "Your Excellency, please don't be angry. The villagers are just frightened. This is a matter of life and death for all of us, so I hope you won't hold their words against them."
Raion remained silent for a moment before saying, "Fine. But I have two conditions."
Farmer replied, "Name them."
"First, lend me 20,000 Baileys," Raion said casually.
Hearing this, Wei Erdan, who was standing nearby, immediately protested. "Father, I think this guy is just here to swindle money! You can't give him that much!"
"In that case, forget it," Raion replied flatly and made as if to leave.
Farmer quickly raised a hand to stop him. "No problem! If Your Excellency can truly defeat Anderson, 20,000 Baileys is nothing. We'd even pay you monthly offerings!"
"Good. In that case, I accept. I want the 20,000 Baileys now," Raion said without hesitation.
Wei Erdan scowled and shot him a glare, but Farmer nodded, and the villagers pooled together the money. Soon, the 20,000 Baileys were handed over to Raion.
After receiving the money, Raion accessed the Hokage Store in his mind and purchased two blank sealing scrolls. Unfurling one, he sealed Andrin's body inside with ease, making it much easier to carry.
Raion was now a pirate hunter. To him, Andrin's corpse wasn't just a dead body—it was worth 5 million Baileys. With such sealing tools, he could take the body to the Navy for the bounty without worrying about it rotting or becoming unrecognizable.
The reason Raion asked for 20,000 Baileys was to buy these two scrolls—one for Andrin and another for Anderson later.
But the villagers didn't know that. Watching Andrin's corpse vanish into the scroll like a magic trick, they were left stunned.
Wei Erdan, still young and naive, looked at him with wide eyes, her face pale with shock. Is this man even human? she wondered.
In a world filled with Devil Fruits and strange powers, Farmer could guess that Raion had some sort of unique ability, but he didn't press the matter.
"Didn't you say you had two conditions?" Farmer asked. "What's the other one?"
"Pay for my meal," Raion said nonchalantly.
Farmer chuckled and paid for Raion's food. Then he added, "Your Excellency, you've come from far away and must have no place to stay. If you don't mind, you're welcome to stay at my house."
Raion scratched the back of his head. "That would be helpful. Thanks."
Hearing this, some of the villagers breathed a sigh of relief. If Farmer, their chief, was keeping an eye on Raion, at least he wouldn't vanish overnight.
Unexpectedly, Farmer's daughter, Wei Erdan, was furious. "Dad! How can you let this guy stay in our house? I'm still an unmarried girl!"
Farmer laughed. "We have plenty of rooms. He can stay in one by himself. Don't worry about it."
"Ugh! You're impossible, Dad! So annoying!" Wei Erdan huffed and stormed off.
Watching her leave, Farmer shook his head with a smile. "My daughter's a bit willful. Please don't take it personally."
Raion simply shrugged. "I don't mind."
Farmer and his daughter were originally from Zhendong Village, but they had business in Zhenxi Village. The two villages were separated by a small stretch of sea, about six nautical miles apart. By boat, it took less than 20 minutes to travel between them.
Because she was upset, Wei Erdan went back to Zhendong Village first. Farmer and Raion followed later.
At his home, Farmer arranged a room for Raion. Having come from the sea, after fighting sea kings and killing Andrin, Raion was in dire need of a bath. Farmer kindly offered his bathroom.
"Thanks," Raion said.
Although Farmer wanted to use Raion's strength against Anderson, he treated him well, so Raion didn't refuse the offer.
He entered the bathroom, stripped off his clothes, and soaked in the bathtub.
Even a dragon must sometimes bathe in a small pond, Raion thought. But no matter how small the pond, the dragon remains a dragon.
As he stood up, suddenly the bathroom door burst open!
"Ahhh!" A shrill scream rang out.
A young girl covered her face and bolted out of the room, yelling, "You shameless pervert! You disgusting creep!"
Who else could it be but Wei Erdan?
She had come home first and didn't realize there was a man bathing inside.
Raion stood frozen, water dripping down his naked body. You saw me, didn't you? So why are you the one making a fuss?
But then he sighed, realizing it was partly his fault—he had forgotten to lock the door.
For the next few days, Wei Erdan refused to give Raion even a single pleasant look. Her impression of him was terrible: This guy isn't just arrogant, he's a shameless exhibitionist too! Sure, he beat Andrin, but Anderson is way stronger than his brother. This idiot won't even know how he dies!
Meanwhile, news of Andrin's death spread through Zhendong Village, and everyone was buzzing with talk.
"Are you telling me that scrawny kid actually killed Andrin?"
"No way!"
"Who cares about that? Even if he did kill Andrin, do you think Anderson will spare us now?"
"Anderson will definitely destroy the village!"
"Do you think even our 'Guardian' Miller could take down Andrin like that?"
"That outsider is going to bring disaster to all of us!"
"He's a curse on this village!"
The rumors flew, and some villagers, terrified of Anderson's retaliation, even planned to flee.
But Farmer remained firm. "Don't worry, everyone. I've seen this kid's strength with my own eyes—it's far beyond anything you can imagine."
Miller, the so-called Guardian, wasn't so convinced. "Village Chief, where did you even find this guy? He looks more like a con artist than a hero."