I, Kizaru, only came to the chat group after I became invincible

Chapter 483 He lifted the curse
“We have a storage room,” the elder said, “in that cave over there, where the temperature is kept low all year round, and it’s good for storing meat.”

“That’s great,” Robin smiled.

The villagers began carrying the pieces of meat. Although each piece was still heavy for them, they worked with great enthusiasm.

"With this meat, we won't have to worry about food for at least six months!" a villager said happily.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the village, Luffy was having a great time playing with the children.

"Brother Luffy, why can your arms stretch so long?" a little boy asked.

"Because I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit!" Luffy laughed. "My body turned into rubber, I can stretch and bounce, it's super powerful!"

"Rubber?" The children didn't quite understand.

"Look!" Luffy stretched out his arm, his palm reaching all the way to a tree ten meters away, and plucked a fruit. "That's it!"

"Wow!" the children exclaimed.

"And this!" Luffy pulled his arm back and then sprang up like a spring. "Gum-gum-gum—bouncing!"

He did a somersault in the air and landed on the ground.

The children clapped excitedly.

"Luffy-nii is so amazing!"

"Perform one more time!"

"Alright!" Luffy thought for a moment, "Do you guys want to fly?"

"Fly?" The children's eyes lit up. "Can we fly?"

"Of course! With me here, you can fly!" Luffy grinned.

He held out his palm and let a little boy stand on it.

"Hold on tight!" Luffy reminded him.

"Yes!" The little boy nodded nervously and excitedly.

Luffy slowly raised his arm and lifted the little boy into the air.

"Wow! It's so high!" the little boy exclaimed excitedly.

"That's not enough!" Luffy exclaimed. "Gum-Gum—Rocket!"

He stretched his arms upwards, and the little boy was lifted seven or eight meters into the air.

"Ahhh!" the little boy screamed at first, but quickly turned into excited cheers. "I'm flying! I'm really flying!"

From his perspective, the entire village was spread out before him, with the azure sea in the distance and the green forest nearby.

"How beautiful!" the little boy exclaimed.

Luffy slowly put him down.

"How was it?" Luffy asked.

"That's amazing!" the little boy exclaimed, his eyes shining. "I've never seen such a far distance before!"

"Me too! Me too!" The other children crowded around.

"Alright, alright, one at a time!" Luffy laughed.

He lifted the children into the air one by one, letting them experience the feeling of "flying".

For these tiny people who had never seen more than waist-high places in their entire lives, this experience was nothing short of a dream. For the first time, they were able to look down on their village, see the distant sea, and truly understand what it meant to be "high."

The children's laughter echoed throughout the village.

Seeing how happy the children were, the villagers also smiled.

"It's been so long since I've heard children laugh so happily," a mother said emotionally.

“Yes,” the elder smiled, “these outsiders are truly kind people.”

By noon, Frankie had repaired all the damaged houses.

"Done!" he exclaimed, striking his signature pose. "Absolutely perfect!"

The villagers inspected the repaired houses, and joy was on everyone's face.

"It's so sturdy!"

"It's even better than before!"

Thank you so much!

The elder walked up to Franky and bowed deeply.

“Thank you,” his voice choked with emotion, “For twenty years, we’ve struggled to make ends meet, and no one has ever been willing to help us. You are the first people to genuinely help us.”

“Don’t say that, grandpa,” Franky said, a little embarrassed. “It’s what we should do.”

“Yeah,” Chopper chimed in, “we’re friends!”

“Friends,” the elder wiped his eyes, “thank you for being willing to be our friends.”

“To express our gratitude,” the elder said, “please allow us to host a feast! Although we have no precious food, it is our heartfelt gesture!”

"A banquet?" Luffy's eyes lit up immediately. "I love banquets!"

"Then it's decided!" the elder clapped his hands. "Everyone, prepare the banquet!"

The villagers immediately sprang into action.

The women began preparing the food, and the men brought out the tables and chairs. Although preparing a feast required a lot of time and effort for the little people, they all worked with great enthusiasm.

Sanji, watching them busy themselves, suddenly said:

“Let me help,” he said. “I’m a chef; preparing food is my specialty.”

"Really?" The villagers looked at him in surprise.

“Of course.” Sanji lit a cigarette. “What ingredients do you have?”

The villagers led him to the storeroom. Inside were all sorts of ingredients—wild fruits, mushrooms, dried fish, dried insects, and freshly prepared wild boar meat.

"The ingredients are quite plentiful," Sanji commented. "Then I'll cook a big meal."

He began to demonstrate his culinary skills.

Although these ingredients are already precious to the little people, what's more important to Sanji is how to make them delicious.

He made roasted wild boar, soup with mushrooms and wild vegetables, desserts with wild fruits, and side dishes with dried fish. Every dish was fragrant and delicious, a feast for the eyes and the palate.

"It smells so good!" The villagers' mouths watered at the aroma.

“Almost done,” Sanji said. “Just a little longer.”

Meanwhile, Nami and Robin weren't idle either. They went into the forest to gather more wild fruits and edible plants, and also caught some small fish in the stream.

“This should be enough,” Nami said, looking at the full basket.

“Hmm.” Robin nodded. “While it’s not much for us, it should be quite a feast for the little people.”

Brooke was tuning his violin.

“How can a banquet be without music?” he said. “I will play the most cheerful tune for everyone!”

Borsalino sat on a rock at the edge of the village, watching the busy crowd.

“That’s really energetic,” he said slowly. “It feels really good to help others.”

The elder walked up to him.

“Your companions are all kind,” the elder said.

“Yes,” Borsalino nodded. “They are all good people.”

"And you?" the elder asked, looking at him. "Are you a pirate too?"

“Me?” Borsalino thought for a moment. “I guess so. Although I used to be a Marine, now… I think I’m one of their comrades too.”

"The Navy?" the elder exclaimed in surprise. "You used to be in the Navy?"

“Yes, and he’s a general.” Borsalino said frankly.

"Admiral!" The elder was even more surprised. "That's the highest position in the Navy. Why are you with pirates?"

“Well,” Borsalino said, watching Luffy play, “because they showed me a different world. When I was in the Navy, I always followed orders without ever asking why. But with them, I started to think about what true justice really is.”

“True justice,” the elder murmured.

“Yes,” Borsalino nodded. “Like now, helping you cursed people—that’s true justice, not blindly chasing so-called 'pirates' regardless of what they’ve done.”

“You’re right,” the elder exclaimed. “It seems you’ve found the path that truly suits you.”

"Perhaps," Borsalino smiled.

As the sun began to set, the feast was finally ready. The open space in the center of the village was filled with food; each dish was small, but together they made a lavish spread. The dishes Sanji had prepared emitted an enticing aroma, while the wild fruits Nami and Robin had gathered were piled high like a small mountain.

The villagers gathered around, their faces beaming with expectant smiles.

"The banquet begins!" the elder announced.

"Oh!" the crowd cheered.

Luffy was the first to rush towards the food, but Nami grabbed him.

"Wait!" she said, "The villagers must eat first!"

"But..." Luffy looked at the food with a wronged expression.

"Listen to me!" Nami glared at him.

"Alright." Luffy had no choice but to wait obediently.

The villagers began to eat. When they tasted Sanji's cooking, everyone was stunned.

"This is so delicious!"

"I've never eaten anything so delicious!"

"Is this the chef's skill?"

Sanji was also very happy to see their satisfied expressions.

"My greatest satisfaction comes from making everyone happy with their meals," he said.

"Sanji-san is amazing!" Nami praised.

Sanji's eyes immediately turned into hearts.

"Nami-san~" he began to swoon.

Zoro looked at him and shook his head.

“This guy is hopeless,” he said.

The banquet proceeded amidst laughter.

Brooke started playing the violin, and the cheerful music made the atmosphere even more lively.

The villagers began to dance; although they were small, their movements were graceful.

"They danced so well," Nami exclaimed.

“Yes,” Robin smiled. “Although their bodies have shrunk, their love for life hasn’t changed.”

Luffy was finally able to eat, and he ate heartily, unable to stop.

"Eat slowly!" Nami said helplessly.

"But it's so delicious!" Luffy replied vaguely.

The children gathered around Luffy, finding it amusing to watch him wolf down his food.

"Brother Luffy is eating so much!" a little girl exclaimed.

"Because I'm a rubber man, and my stomach is made of rubber, it can hold a lot of food!" Luffy explained proudly.

"Wow!" the children exclaimed.

After eating and drinking their fill, the children pestered Luffy to play again.

"Brother Luffy, please let us fly one more time!" they pleaded.

“Okay!” Luffy immediately agreed.

But this time, he came up with an even more interesting way to play.

“Would you like to ride in a rubber plane?” he asked.

"A rubber airplane?" the children asked curiously.

“Watch me!” Luffy said.

He lay on the ground, bent his legs back, and grabbed a tree with his feet. Then he let several children sit on his stomach.

"Hurry up!" he reminded him.

"Ready!" the children answered excitedly.

"Gum-Gum—launch!" Luffy shouted.

He released his foot, and his whole body shot out like a spring. The children, sitting on him, flew into the air together.

"Aaaaaah!" the children screamed, but quickly their screams turned to laughter. "This is so much fun!"

Luffy did a somersault in the air and then landed steadily.

"One more time!" the children exclaimed, still wanting more.

"Okay!" Luffy repeated.

The villagers smiled warmly at the sight.

“It’s so nice to see the children so happy,” one mother said.

“Yes,” another villager nodded, “they haven’t been this happy in a long time.”

“These outsiders have truly brought joy,” the elder exclaimed.

As night falls, the stars twinkle in the sky.

The feast continued, with a bonfire burning in the center of the village, its light illuminating everyone's faces.

Brooke's music became softer, and the villagers sat around the campfire listening to him play.

"What a beautiful night," Nami said, gazing at the starry sky.

“Yes,” Robin said, gazing up at the sky. “On nights like this, all worries disappear.”

The elder walked up to the Straw Hat Pirates and bowed deeply once again.

“Thank you so much,” he said. “You not only helped us repair our house and get rid of the wild animals, but you also brought us so much joy. This is the happiest day we’ve had in twenty years.”

"Don't say that, grandpa," Luffy laughed. "We're happy too!"

“Yes, that’s right.” Chopper nodded. “We’re happy to be able to help you!”

“You are all such kind people,” the elder said, moved. “If possible, please stay here for a few more days. We would like to spend more time with you.”

“Of course!” Luffy immediately agreed. “We were planning to stay on the island for a few days anyway!”

"That's wonderful!" the elder exclaimed happily.

“However,” Nami seemed to remember something, “we still need to go back to our ship to sleep. We built a small cabin on the other side of the island.”

"It's alright," the elder nodded. "You're welcome to come anytime you wish."

“Then we’ll come again tomorrow!” Luffy said.

“Alright.” The elder smiled.

The banquet lasted until late at night.

When the Straw Hat Pirates were about to leave, all the villagers came to see them off.

Thank you!

Come again tomorrow!

"Brother Luffy, you must come!" the children said reluctantly.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely come!" Luffy waved.

The group walked through the forest and returned to the seaside cabin they had built.

"It was a very fulfilling day," Franky said. "Tired, but very meaningful."

“Yes,” Zoro agreed, a rare occurrence for him. “It feels pretty good to be able to help those scoundrels.”

“They’re so pitiful,” Nami sighed. “They’ve lived under a curse for twenty years, and even their children can’t recover.”

“We must help them find that pirate,” Robin said earnestly, “and lift the curse.”

"That's right!" Luffy clenched his fist. "I'm going to find that bastard and make him turn the villagers back!"

“But the problem is, how are we going to find him?” Usopp asked. “That pirate has been gone for twenty years; who knows where he is now?”

“Let’s keep searching,” Sanji said. “We’ll find a clue eventually.”

“I’ll ask the elder tomorrow,” Robin said. “Let’s see if he remembers any more details about that pirate. Maybe we can find some clues.”

(End of this chapter)