Pirates: Building High Walls Starting from the East Blue.

Chapter 6 Welcome to Cocoa West Town

"What should we do next? Maybe we should just run!"

"I told you, calm down~" Xia Che said helplessly as he looked at Nami, who had returned and started tugging at him again. "Nothing will happen. Even if something does happen, I'm confident I can escape."

"Alright! Alright! That's a naval hero! Our Captain Shache will definitely be able to get him to cooperate." But seeing Shache's continued composure, Nami felt much more at ease. She looked around suspiciously, "Where's Robin? Why isn't she here? Did she sneak off?"

"Robin has something to do and will be back later." Xia Che waved his hand without explaining where Robin had gone.

As for Garp...

To be honest, he wasn't sure if Garp would join him in his corrupt practices.

You could say that Garp is opportunistic, irresponsible, and somewhat hypocritical, but there's no doubt that as a naval hero, he also has his own sense of justice.

There is no pure evil or pure good in this world; it is a cesspool.

There are bad guys in the Navy, and there are good guys among the pirates!

And Monkey D. Garp happens to have his own set of rules for distinguishing justice within the Navy.

As for the World Government and the Navy...

To be honest, the World Government's apparent capabilities alone are enough to make people despair. If there's no better way to resolve this, then this kind of opportunistic justice is the best justice they can achieve right now.

Deceive your superiors, but uphold your own sense of justice!

Without strength, you either have to become a pirate and hide, join the World Government, or fish in troubled waters.

As for himself...

They're just taking advantage of the World Government and the Navy Headquarters.

You must understand that this is a world that belongs to the strong. The strong can destroy everything in an instant, while the weak can only abide by the rules set by the strong. Without great strength, everything is just empty talk.

Xia Che shook his head with a sigh, looked at the newspaper in his hand, and said, "At least it looks like he won't be arrested now."

After all, Vice Admiral Garp had just eaten the pancakes that I had treated him to.

Looking up at Nami's puzzled expression, he said, "If you really have nothing else to do, go out and help deal with the newly arrived refugees! You know, we've arrested quite a few people this time~"

……

"Dad, are they really not going to sell us?"

No, I don't know.

"Can I eat this? It's white rice and big white steamed buns, it smells so good!"

"I...I..." Looking at the longing look in his daughter's eyes, the man called "Dad" wanted to refuse but couldn't bring himself to say it.

He didn't know if all of this was a lie, or if this would be their last meal as ordinary people.

Once they finish this meal, they will become slaves, sold to those despicable nobles, or even the terrifying Celestial Dragons.

Although he was just a refugee, as someone who lived on this sea, he knew those gods... no, they should be called terrifying demons.

I've heard that once they fall into the hands of the Celestial Dragons, they are no longer human and can only live like insects.

They may even suffer unimaginable torment.

but……

"Daddy, I'm so hungry!"

Upon hearing his daughter's words and holding her small, thin body, the man couldn't bring himself to refuse.

Pique.

That's his name.

His wife had already starved to death, and he didn't want his daughter to starve to death as well.

but……

But as an ordinary person, he had no way to help.

Thinking back to yesterday...

They were originally just citizens of the Kingdom of Wittgen, no, they should be called forgotten citizens.

In order to pay the exorbitant sum of heavenly gold, the king of Wittgen confiscated their property and banished them to a remote part of the island, leaving them to fend for themselves in the desolate wilderness as forgotten people.

Some say this was learned from the legendary most beautiful country in the East Sea—the Kingdom of Goa—which drove away useless citizens to keep the country clean and beautiful.

It's even said that the Goa Kingdom received praise from the Celestial Dragons for this.

He didn't know how beautiful the most beautiful country could be, but how beautiful could a country that abandoned its own people be?

Yesterday morning they were scavenging in the desolate area, but last night a group of pirates suddenly stormed onto the island, and that's how they ended up here.

He remembered that when the bald pirate captain heard he had a daughter, he paused for a moment, then let out an excited laugh and shouted, "You have a daughter! Take her with you, take her with you!"

What a terrifying demon this is!

They don't even spare little girls.

They initially thought that after the father and daughter were captured, they would suffer unimaginable abuse, or even be sold into slavery, but things turned out differently...

How could it have turned out like this?!

Pique looked around, his nose involuntarily inhaling the wafting fragrance. It was irresistible, not just to a little girl, but even to an adult like himself.

He was hungry too.

I'm so hungry!

I want to eat!

At this time.

"Knock knock knock~"

A metallic clanging sound pulled Pique back to reality. He looked up, his eyes glazed, at the window that appeared before him.

Is it my turn already?

Is everyone in front of me already in line?

Did everyone actually get their food?

His heart was filled with doubt, but...

"Daddy, Katie's really hungry!" The little girl, who called herself Katie, glanced cautiously out the window, then looked at her father with longing eyes and asked, "Can I eat?"

"I..." Piqué looked down at his daughter's longing eyes, then looked up at the food in the window. He swallowed hard, then looked at the others who had already finished getting their food, their eyes glazed over, as if they were dreaming, but were sitting down at the command of the security team.

Maybe I really am dreaming!

Even if they're just dreaming, they still need to eat their fill!

Thinking this, Pique's cloudy eyes turned serious as he stared intently at his daughter. "Eat! We must eat our fill! This might be our last meal."

These words shouldn't have been said to a girl, but there's no other way now.

"Even if we're going to die, we'll eat our fill before we die. We absolutely cannot become slaves; that place is hell!"

however.

The voice just fell.

Before his young daughter could even ask what it meant with a puzzled look on her face...

"Knock knock knock~"

Another metallic clanging sound rang out.

Then, just when Pique thought he was going to get beaten up for what he had just said...

"Hey, hey, hey, I've been waiting for you for ages! I thought you were picking out vegetables, but I never expected you to say something like that to a kid!"

"???" Piqué looked up in confusion, staring out the window at the old woman serving food, her large white chef's uniform barely concealing her obese figure, holding a large ladle.

What does this guy mean?

Are you worried they might commit suicide?

Before he could even ask a question.

"Pah, pah, pah! What do you mean by 'die, die, die'? This is Cocoyasi Town, Colonel Shacher's territory. There are no slaves here. You're not here to be slaves."

The old woman serving the vegetables muttered a complaint in annoyance, then looked at the little girl staring at her fearfully, her wrinkled face revealing a smile.

"Don't be afraid, little girl. This isn't a bad place. From today onwards, you can eat your fill, wear pretty clothes, and no one will bully you."

"Is...is it really okay?"

"Of course, I wouldn't lie to you. As long as your father works hard, that's all that matters." Looking at those longing eyes, the old woman serving vegetables happily raised her large ladle and said excitedly, "Here you can find work, earn wages, eat your fill, and have beautiful clothes."

"I can learn useful knowledge, sleep soundly, laugh happily, and live each day joyfully!"

"If you have a skill, you can get a better job and higher pay. Of course, if you don't know anything, as long as you work hard enough, factories will want you; they're really short-staffed here!"

"Welcome to Cocoa West Town, the most beautiful place in the East China Sea."

"Hurry up and order now! You can eat as much as you want, but remember not to waste food or overeat. You're going to be very busy tonight."

"..."

Finally, urged by the old woman, Pique and his daughter filled a plate with food.

It was topped with rice, big white steamed buns, delicious vegetables, and tempting meat—a feast the family had never tasted before.

The moment they sat down and looked at the dishes in front of them, it all felt like a dream.

is this real?

"Dad, can I eat now?"

"Mmm! Eat up, Katie~" Hearing his daughter's voice, Piqué snapped out of his daze. After confirming that what he was seeing wasn't real, he gestured for his daughter to eat and watched her happily gobble down her food. A smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

At this time.

He seemed to hear a sound, and turned his head to see another group of people walk in. No, it shouldn't be said that they were the other people who had come with them earlier.

It seems this group of people just went... right, they went to take a shower.

Piqué was stunned to see that the group, who should have been dressed in tattered and dirty clothes like him, were now clean and wearing new gray clothes.

His eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Dad, you should eat some too. It's delicious. This is the best thing Katie has ever eaten."

His thoughts were only pulled back by his daughter's calls. Looking at his daughter, whose belly was bulging with food, Pike, who had been worried and anxious, couldn't help but smile. "Eat! Daddy eat too!"

Actually, he had been hungry for a while, but the sight before him was so shocking that he forgot about his hunger. Now that he had come to his senses, the painful hunger in his stomach had awakened him again, and he couldn't wait to start eating.

But just one bite of steamed bun left him completely stunned.

"It's delicious!"

For an instant.

Tears streamed from her eyes, ran down her lips, and dripped from the corner of her mouth.

Is it true that as long as you work hard, you can have enough to eat?

With tears streaming down his face, Pique looked at his daughter, whose face was also covered in tears, took a deep breath, and said with a determined look, "Katie, Daddy will work hard."

"Um!"

"It definitely will, even if it costs me my life!"

Pique looked up at the window where the queue had been re-established, his eyes no longer filled with confusion, but with determination and seriousness.

Cocoa West Town...

Colonel Shacher!

(End of this chapter)