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

Chapter 484 Money is not a problem

“Good idea.” Nami nodded.

"Let's rest first," Zoro yawned. "I'm really tired today."

"Yes." Everyone nodded in agreement.

The morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the small house, waking everyone from their slumber.

Luffy was the first to jump up and stretch.

"Good morning!" he shouted energetically. "We're going to Spring Breeze Village to gather intelligence today!"

"Can't you be a little quieter?" Zoro said, annoyed, after being woken up.

"But I'm so excited!" Luffy grinned. "We're going to help the villagers find that damn pirate!"

“Yes.” Nami sat up, rubbing her eyes. “We need to get a good look at that pirate’s situation today.”

“I’m ready.” Robin pulled out a small notebook. “I’ll write down all the important information.”

"Then let's hurry up and set off!" Luffy had already rushed out the door.

"Wait for us!" Chopper chased after them.

After eating the simple breakfast prepared by Sanji, the group once again crossed the forest and arrived at Spring Breeze Village.

The villagers had already begun their day's work. Upon seeing the Straw Hat Pirates arrive, they all greeted them warmly.

"Good morning!"

"You've arrived!"

"Brother Luffy!" The children immediately surrounded him.

"Good morning!" Luffy replied with a smile.

The elder came out of the house, saw them, and smiled with satisfaction.

“You really came,” he said. “I was worried I was dreaming yesterday.”

“Of course it’s not a dream!” Luffy said. “We said we’d come to help you!”

"Thank you," the elder said gratefully.

“Elder,” Robin crouched down, taking out her notebook, “we want to know more about that pirate. Do you remember what he looked like?”

“I remember.” The elder nodded, his expression turning serious. “Although twenty years have passed, I will never forget that person’s face.”

“Please tell us,” Robin said earnestly.

The elder took a deep breath and began to recall.

“That man was about forty years old,” he said. “Tall, at least two meters tall. He had a thin face, high cheekbones, and gray eyes that gave him a sinister look.”

"Gray Eyes," Robin wrote in his journal.

“He had long, black hair that fell over his shoulders,” the elder continued. “He had a long scar on his face, stretching from the corner of his left eye to the corner of his mouth.”

“Scars.” Robin continued recording.

“What’s most striking is his attire,” the elder said. “He wore a long black cloak embroidered with strange symbols—like a combination of spirals and eyes. His hat was also black and very tall, like a wizard’s hat.”

“The spiral and the eye,” Robin said thoughtfully, “just like the ship’s emblem.”

“Yes.” The elder nodded. “That symbol seems very important to him. It’s on his sails, his flags, and his clothes.”

"Where's his ship?" Nami asked. "What kind of ship?"

“It was a medium-sized sailing ship,” the elder recalled. “The hull was dark gray and looked old, but it was well-maintained. There was a strange statue on the prow—a huge eye.”

“Eye statue.” Nami kept it in mind.

“What about the crew?” Sauron asked. “How many crew members does he have?”

“About a dozen people,” the elder said, “all dressed in similar black clothing. But…”

He paused.

"But what?" Sanji pressed.

“But I think the crew were terrified of him,” the elder said. “I saw fear in their eyes when they looked at the captain. One crew member accidentally knocked over a box, and the captain shrunk him down to the size of a fist and threw him into the sea.”

"What?!" Everyone was shocked.

"He just killed his own crew like that?" Chopper exclaimed incredulously.

“Yes.” The elder’s voice trembled. “That man didn’t value life at all. He said, ‘My power is to change size; I can make anything bigger or smaller, like a god controlling everything.’”

"That's too much!" Nami gritted her teeth.

"Did he say anything else?" Robin continued to ask.

“He said,” the elder struggled to recall, “that he wanted to find the ‘center of the world,’ where something could make him even more powerful. He sailed between islands, searching for clues.”

"The center of the world?" Franky asked in bewilderment. "What's that?"

“I don’t know,” the elder shook his head. “We don’t understand what he’s talking about either.”

"Did he mention his own name?" Sauron asked.

“Yes,” the elder nodded. “He calls himself ‘Cassius the Scaler.’ He says he ate the Scaling Fruit and can freely change the size of any object.”

"The Scaling Fruit," Robin wrote down. "That's truly a terrifying ability."

“It can change not only objects, but even living things,” the elder said painfully. “And this change is permanent. For twenty years, we’ve remained the same.”

“There must be a way to undo it,” Nami comforted her. “If it’s a Devil Fruit ability, then we can find that person and have them undo it.”

“Or,” Borsalino said slowly, “if we can defeat him and knock him unconscious, his power should also be removed.”

“That’s right.” Zoro nodded. “When a Devil Fruit user loses consciousness, the ability automatically cancels out.”

"Then we absolutely must find him!" Luffy clenched his fist. "I'm going to beat him to a pulp!"

“Are there any other clues?” Robin asked the elder.

The elder thought for a moment.

“When he left,” he said, “I heard him telling his crew he was going to ‘Three-Forked Island.’ He said there was a large port there where he could resupply and gather more intelligence.”

"Trident Island?" Nami's eyes lit up. "I know that place!"

She took out a nautical chart and pointed to an island.

“Here!” she said. “Three Forks Island is the largest trading port in this area, about a day’s voyage from here.”

"Then let's go there!" Luffy said excitedly.

“Wait,” Robin interrupted. “That was twenty years ago. He couldn’t possibly still be there.”

“Yes,” Zoro added, “but we can go there and ask around. Those big ports have lots of pirates coming and going; maybe someone there knows his whereabouts.”

“That makes sense.” Nami nodded. “There’s a Marine branch and intelligence dealers there; we should be able to find some clues.”

"Then it's decided!" Luffy declared. "We're going to Trident Island!"

“Elder,” Robin said gently, “we will do everything in our power to find Cassius and lift the curse.”

"I beg you," the elder bowed deeply, his eyes moist. "This is the hope of our entire village."

"Don't worry!" Luffy grinned, "I mean what I say!"

Other villagers also gathered around.

Thank you!

Be very careful!

"We'll wait for you to come back!"

The children held Luffy's hands.

"Brother Luffy, you must come back!" a little girl said.

"Of course!" Luffy patted her head. "I'm going to carry you guys flying too!"

"Yes!" the children nodded vigorously.

“Then let’s go,” Nami said.

"Wait a minute!" A villager ran into the house, carrying a small package. "This is some dry food we prepared. It's not much, but it's our token of appreciation."

"Thank you." Sanji took the package.

“And this.” The elder took out a small stone. “This is our village’s lucky stone, a treasure passed down through generations. Please take it with you, and may it protect you.” “We will cherish it,” Robin said, carefully accepting the stone.

"Well then, goodbye." Luffy waved.

"goodbye!"

You must come back!

We're waiting for you!

The villagers watched the Straw Hat Pirates leave with reluctance.

After passing through the forest and returning to the seaside, the group boarded the Thousand Sunny.

"Frankie, prepare to set sail!" Nami ordered.

"Understood!" Franky rushed into the server room.

The engines roared to life, and the Thousand Sunny began to move.

"Destination—Trident Island!" Nami looked at the sea chart. "Full speed ahead!"

The ship braved the wind and waves, sailing away from Spring Breeze Island.

Standing on the deck, Luffy watched the island gradually disappear into the distance.

“I will definitely come back,” he murmured, “with good news.”

“Yes, we will.” Nami stood beside him. “We will definitely find that pirate.”

“That’s right.” Zoro leaned against the railing. “Since we’ve promised, we have to keep our word.”

“That’s just our style,” Sanji laughed.

The voyage went smoothly. The sea was calm, the weather was clear, and the Thousand Sunny sailed at top speed.

At midday, Usopp shouted from the lookout tower:
"There's a ship ahead!"

Everyone looked ahead.

Indeed, several merchant ships were sailing on the distant sea.

“It’s a merchant ship,” Nami observed through her binoculars. “They’re probably also heading to Trident Island.”

"Should we say hello?" Luffy asked.

“No need,” Zoro said. “We’re just passing through.”

The Thousand Sunny sailed past the merchant ship, and the merchants on board looked frightened when they saw the pirate flag.

"Don't worry!" Luffy waved to them, "We won't attack you!"

But the merchants still quickened their pace, moving away from the Thousand Sunny.

“They seem afraid of us,” Chopper said.

“No wonder,” Robin explained. “When ordinary people see a pirate flag, their first reaction is to run away.”

"But we're not those kinds of pirates," Luffy said, sounding a little aggrieved.

“Yes, but they don’t know that,” Nami said. “To them, a pirate is just a pirate.”

"Never mind," Zoro said. "Let's keep going."

Time passed slowly, and the sun gradually set in the west.

As evening fell, Usopp shouted again:

"We see it! Land ahead!"

Everyone rushed to the bow of the ship.

As the sun sets, a massive island appears on the horizon.

“That’s Trident Island!” Nami exclaimed excitedly.

As they drew closer, the island's outline became increasingly clear.

Trident Island truly lives up to its name—the island is shaped like a trident, with three peninsulas extending outwards. On the largest peninsula in the middle, you can see dense buildings and a towering lighthouse.

"What a huge port!" Franky exclaimed.

The port was bustling with activity. Dozens of ships were moored at the dock, including merchant ships, fishing boats, and pirate ships. People came and went on the dock, with dockworkers, merchants, and sailors bustling about everywhere.

"It's so lively!" Luffy's eyes lit up.

"This is one of the important trading centers on the Grand Line," Robin explained. "Various goods are traded here, and all sorts of information circulates here."

“Then we should be able to find information about Cassius,” Nami said.

The Thousand Sunny sailed into the port and found an empty spot to dock.

"We've finally arrived." Sanji lit a cigarette.

The people on the dock all cast curious glances at the Thousand Sunny and the Straw Hat Pirates flag.

"That's the Straw Hat Pirates!"

"Straw Hat Luffy with a bounty of 300 million!"

What are they doing here?

People whispered among themselves, but no one stepped forward to stop them. Pirates were common in this port, and as long as they didn't cause trouble, the port authorities wouldn't interfere.

“Let’s get off the ship,” Nami said.

The group disembarked one after another and set foot on the land of Three Forks Island.

“So,” Robin said, “where should we begin our inquiries?”

“Let’s find a tavern first,” Zoro suggested. “That’s where you’re most likely to overhear all sorts of information.”

“Good idea.” Sanji nodded. “And I’d like a drink too.”

"Let's go!" Luffy walked forward excitedly.

The port area is vast, with shops and warehouses lining both sides of the streets. There are shops selling nautical supplies, weapons, food, and everything else imaginable.

"This place is really bustling." Chopper looked around.

“Yes,” Nami said with interest. “After we’ve gathered the information, we can come and take a look around.”

They walked through the commercial district and arrived at the center of town. It was much more lively there, with taverns, inns, and casinos everywhere.

"This one will do." Zoro pointed to a lively-looking tavern with a sign that read "Seagull Tavern".

"Let's go!" Luffy pushed open the door.

The tavern was filled with smoke and packed with people. Pirates, merchants, bounty hunters—all sorts of people mingled together. When the Straw Hat Pirates entered, some of them recognized them.

That's Straw Hat Luffy.

"The guy with the 300 million bounty"

But everyone remained restrained, and no disturbance was caused. In this neutral port, everyone followed the rules—not to provoke trouble.

"Welcome!" said the bartender, a burly man. "What would you like?"

"Prepare a feast for us!" Sanji said. "Money is no object."

"Alright!" the bartender immediately called out.

The Straw Hat Pirates found a large table in a corner and sat down.

"What do we do now?" Chopper asked in a low voice.

“Observe first,” Robin said. “Listen to what the people around us are talking about.”

She activated her ability, growing ears in every corner of the tavern to eavesdrop on the conversations of the guests.

"I've heard that a powerful pirate crew has appeared in the east."

"The Navy has recently increased its patrols."

"That shipment has finally arrived."

Most of the messages were trivial.

At that moment, Sanji carried his drink to the bar and sat down next to the bartender.

“Boss,” he lit a cigarette, “I’d like to ask you something.”

(End of this chapter)