Pirates: Building High Walls Starting from the East Blue.

Chapter 100 Running away

Lunch was served at noon.

The construction site canteen suddenly became lively.

The workers, who had been busy all morning, started to eat their lunch.

Since this merchant guild came here, everyone has been able to earn wages and have plenty of food through their own labor, and no longer suffers from hunger as before.

Everyone's lives... have changed!

Therefore, everyone was very grateful to the Chamber of Commerce that brought them a new life.

"I really don't understand you, kid. How can you eat so much?" The burly man, who had finally gotten his food, looked at the huge food bucket in front of him, which was crammed full and arranged haphazardly, and complained irritably. "Thanks to you, our team is not only the one that consumes the most food every day, but also the team that does the best job in Operation Disc!"

Basically, all the leftovers were stuffed into the kid's stomach; not a single bit was left.

"Hehehe." Hearing the burly man's words, Luffy puffed out his cheeks, grinned, and raised his head, revealing his pearly white teeth, saying, "I would never waste a single one!"

"I'm not just praising you! Besides, who would dare waste this land?"

"Hahaha, foreman, Luffy won't understand if you talk to him like that!"

"Luffy thought you were praising him!"

"That's right, you should just say he eats too much!"

Just as the burly man called the foreman was speechless, a burst of laughter and cheers suddenly erupted around the canteen.

"Shut up, all of you, and eat in peace! This kid may eat a lot, but he does more work than any of you." Hearing his coworkers' words, even though he knew they weren't mocking Luffy but just joking, the foreman still ruthlessly interrupted their banter.

then.

Then he looked at Luffy, who didn't seem to care at all, and was still shoveling food into his mouth, his whole head almost buried in the rice bucket.

"If it weren't for the fact that you work so hard, and our boss is such a nice guy, you would definitely be fired in any other place." The foreman smiled helplessly, shook his head, and said with a sigh and sadness as he ate, "It seems your parents love you very much. If it were an ordinary family, someone who could eat as much as you would have been abandoned long ago."

No, I shouldn't say "ordinary family," or "someone who can eat as much as this guy."

In this vast ocean...

There is never a shortage of parents who would abandon their children for a bite of food.

Of course, there was nothing that could be done, because everyone had nothing to eat, and even if they weren't abandoned, they would eventually starve to death anyway.

But as long as the boss is there, that kind of tragedy... will no longer happen to them.

Looking at Luffy, she asked, "By the way, where's your dad? I haven't seen him at work. Did he find a better job in the Goa Kingdom?"

"Dad?" Luffy looked up in confusion, then continued eating with his head down. "I've never seen him."

"???"

Never seen him before?

Upon hearing Luffy's words, the foreman paused, then frowned as if he had thought of something. "Where's your mother?"

"Mom? I've never seen her before!"

"..."

Never met your parents?

Looking at Luffy, who spoke in a calm tone yet with such cold reality, the foreman was stunned again, but he seemed to understand something in his heart.

That makes sense. With a kid who can eat so much, how could an ordinary family not abandon him?

Thinking of this, and looking at Luffy who showed no sadness at his words and was still eating with his head down, his eyes involuntarily turned red.

A hush fell over the surroundings. The people who had been joking earlier all had red eyes as they looked at the straw-hatted boy eating from his special rice bucket, and they could no longer muster any more jokes.

So this kid has never seen his parents since he was a child?

"You silly child! Honestly, I've never heard you mention this before."

"Huh?" Luffy looked up in confusion, rice still on his lips, and asked the foreman, "What's there to say?"

"You're such an optimistic kid!" Looking into those innocent and optimistic eyes, the foreman couldn't help but cover his own eyes.

Even if abandoned, do you still hold onto hope for life?

Seeing Luffy continuing to eat heartily with his head down, the foreman gritted his teeth, seemingly making a decision, and dumped his half-eaten meal onto Luffy's rice bucket. "I'm full. From now on, you'd better eat your fill!"

The voice just fell.

"That's right! I'm full too! The rest is up to you!"

"Luffy, from now on, never forget to smile!"

"We're all your family!"

As they spoke, one by one, their eyes red, they came over and dumped all the food they had barely eaten onto Luffy's rice bucket.

In a short time.

Luffy: ...

I stared blankly as the rice bucket, which was almost empty, filled up again.

What's wrong with everyone?

Why do you always give him food?

What a kind person!

After letting out a burp, he lowered his head again and began to eat heartily.

This left everyone who saw it speechless.

So, this child... is already full?

No, even if you're full, can you still eat?

Watching the rice in the rice bucket disappear at a visible rate, and Luffy's belly grow rounder and rounder at a visible speed...

Everyone fell silent.

I wish I hadn't deducted it!

They're still not full!

"Slow down, kid! I'll talk to the cafeteria later and ask them to prepare a little more for you every day. Don't worry, starting today, as long as you work here, you won't go hungry."

Watching Luffy eat while burping, the foreman smiled helplessly, shook his head, and then seemed to remember something, his eyes falling into reminiscence.

"Looking at you reminds me of another employee who used to work for me. Although he didn't eat as much as you, that young man was just as capable! He could chop wood quickly, well, and evenly with just three knives, and he could do the work of ten people!"

"Wow, that's amazing!" Hearing the foreman's words, Luffy, who was shoveling rice into his mouth, couldn't help but look up, blinked, and said, "He can use three swords? Where is he?"

"Him? I don't know either." The foreman sighed and shook his head. "He clearly told me that he would come and work with the team, but when we met at the dock that day, I waited for him all day and didn't see him."

He shook his head, his eyes filled with a slight mix of emotion and worry.

"Speaking of which, that kid hasn't been paid for his last month's wages yet! He clearly said that after he got paid, he was going to get a new knife so he could work more efficiently, but now we don't know where he's gone! Everyone went back to look for him but couldn't find him. We don't know if something happened to him. If something did happen to him, why didn't he tell us? It's really worrying!"

"He's gone?" Luffy, holding his rice bucket, looked up at the foreman and said with a grin, "I want to see him! But it's okay, I believe he'll come back, because you won't go hungry working here!"

"Really? Hahaha, then I'll introduce you to that guy! I'm sure you two will become good friends!"

"Really? By the way, what's his name?"

"Him!"

Hearing Luffy's question, the foreman's lips curled into a slight smile, his eyes lingering in reminiscence, as if recalling that proud young man. "His name is... Roronoa Zoro, who claims his goal is to become the world's greatest swordsman, a very spirited and energetic young man!"

……

An island in the East China Sea.

"Roronoa Zoro, swordsman, skilled in logging, with three months of experience, would you like to interview for a lumberjack position?"

"Yes!"

"I've already registered your information. You can board the ship and wait." The registration clerk looked at the young man with short green hair and then at his hand clutching his stomach. He seemed to understand something and suggested, "There's some food on board. If you're hungry, you can help yourself. It's all free, so don't worry."

As he spoke, he looked at Zoro, who hadn't left yet, and asked in confusion.

"Is there anything else? If not, please board the ship and wait."

"that……"

Upon hearing the registrar's words, the young man called Zoro hesitated for a moment, but finally opened his mouth and asked, "May I ask a question?"

"What's the problem?"

Where is the 18th Engineering Team now?

"18th Engineering Team? Wait a minute, let me check." The registrar took out a small notebook, looked down and checked it. "It's in the waters near the Kingdom of Goa. We'll be stopping there too. It seems they need another batch of workers."

He looked up at Zoro, puzzled, and asked, "What do you need the 18th Engineering Team for?"

The words were spoken.

"Why would I need the 18th Construction Team? That bastard foreman..." Zoro said angrily through gritted teeth, his face grim, "He actually ran off with my wages!"

(End of this chapter)