Naruto Online: Hyuga Branch Family? Let's go all out!

Chapter 254 Cococia: The Dark-Skinned Beauty

Life can be compared to the waves of the sea.

Sometimes it rises, sometimes it falls.

Whether it's good luck or bad luck, you still have to keep working.

Three parts destiny, seven parts hard work

"No pain, no gain!"

On a somewhat rugged mountain path, a person sang a strange song as they swayed and staggered down the path.

This man had long, jet-black hair, deep, dark eyes, and features that looked as if sculpted by a top craftsman. He was not only handsome but also possessed an inexplicable air of nobility.

In this world full of oddballs, anyone with slightly decent features is considered handsome. He's not only handsome, but he also has a mysterious aura.

If Cavendish were to set sail, the title of "Pirate Prince" might no longer belong to him.

The only drawback of this child is that he is a bit short, only 1.85 meters tall.

Village policeman A-Jian was initially stunned by the handsome face for a few seconds before he finally realized something was wrong.

This kid is so handsome, he should be famous by now if he were from around here.

Let alone people from the village, I have no reason not to know them, even if they are from nearby towns.

Moreover, this mountain is a cliff in the village, and no one can climb up from the back.

So where did this person come from?

Of course, that's not important; the village has never lacked outsiders.

Ah Jian is worried because the person he likes is buried on the mountain. If this kid is a pirate, who knows what he might do if he passes by a cemetery?

"Hey!" Ah Jian quickly reached out to stop the young man: "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, my name is Ning Yuan, I'm 19 years old, and I'm a writer, painter, and musician!" The young man smiled gently and spoke calmly, "As for why I'm here, it's simply because the higher I climb, the better I can see, making it easier for me to gather material!"

"By the way, where is this place? Are there any hotels? I'd like to stay here for a few days!"

Ah Jian's expression changed: "This is Cocoyasi Village. As for inns, we don't have any here. Go check the town ahead!"

Actually, Cocoyasi Village is very hospitable, but this kid is just too handsome.

If even a guy like him thinks he's handsome, imagine how infatuated the young women and wives in the village would be if they saw him.

What if someone loses control and sneaks into this person's bed in the middle of the night? Wouldn't that ruin the simple and honest atmosphere of our village?

"Cocoyasi Village!" Ning Yuan nodded, then pointed in a direction and asked, "I see a large area of ​​ruins over there, surrounded by a group of navy personnel. Have they discovered some kind of tomb and are conducting archaeological excavations there?"

"Uh!" Ah Jian's face darkened. He really didn't want what he said to happen.

But then I thought, this kid doesn't seem to be a pirate, so what's there to hide?

"There's nothing going to be built there. It's just that a group of pirates used to be based here, but they were driven away by another group!" A-Jian said irritably. "As for those marines, they're soldiers from a nearby naval branch, and they're currently digging for treasure in the ruins!"

"Treasure?" Ning Yuan was taken aback. "The pirates drove them away, so how could they have left treasure here? They didn't take it with them?"

Mentioning this, Ah Jian's temper immediately flared up.

He suppressed his anger and said, "What treasure? That was clearly our villagers' life-saving money! Those pirates promised to leave it for us, but these marines stole it!"

"Is that so?" Ning Yuan's eyes lit up. "Quick, quick, take me to see!"

"What's so interesting?" Looking at Ning Yuan's clothes and demeanor, A-Jian felt that this kid was probably from a noble family and was an otherworldly character.

Now that they've clearly heard that the villagers' money was taken by the navy, they're actually gloating and even want to go and see for themselves?

"I'm not showing you the way, you go by yourself!"

"Don't be so angry, Uncle!" Ning Yuan put his arm around A-Jian's shoulder. "You haven't forgotten who I am, have you? I'm a writer and a painter! You guys can only be angry in silence when you encounter something like this, but I can record this scene with my pen and paintings, and then have it published in the newspaper!"

Ah Jian was taken aback, then his eyes lit up.

"Just think about it, when the whole world sees the Navy's ugly face, won't they become a little more restrained?"

Although he was happy, after thinking about it, Ah Jian shook his head: "Don't joke around, the navy and the newspapers are in cahoots, they wouldn't report something like that!"

"Give it a try, what if it works!" Ning Yuan patted A-Jian on the shoulder. "The situation is already worse than before, how can we not have the courage to gamble on tomorrow!"

Ah Jian was stunned. He thought to himself, "No wonder he's a writer. His charm is really strong. I'm actually a little tempted!"

Yes, things are already like this, how much worse can they get!

"I'll take you there!" Ah Jian nodded readily, then turned around and led the way for Ning Yuan.

The mountain was quite small, so it only took a few steps to reach the edge of the village. The villagers here seemed to make a living by growing oranges, as there were large orange groves to be seen.

It's the season for oranges to ripen, and the orange fruits hanging on the trees evoke a sense of joy and abundance.

"Pick them if you want to eat them!" Ah Jian said. "Anyway, we can't sell any oranges!"

"Why can't you sell them?" Ning Yuan didn't stand on ceremony with A-Jian. He picked five or six and stuffed them into his pocket. Then he casually peeled open an orange. To be honest, he loved eating oranges before he transmigrated. He used to buy tangerines by the basketful.

"Holy crap!" Ning Yuan spat out the orange he'd just tasted. "Wait, why is this orange so sour?"

"Oranges aren't sour, they can be sweet, right?" Ah Jian turned around with a surprised look. "Young man, you've never eaten an orange before, have you?"

"Are you kidding me? How could an orange be... wait?" Ning Yuan realized that modern oranges are all selectively bred, and even after going through layers of selection, there are still sour oranges mixed in with sweet oranges.

Cocoyasi, does this look like a village that does agricultural research?

But wait, I remember someone on the ship saying that oranges are sweet?

Could it be?

It must be because of habit. Once you get used to oranges being sweet, you'll praise them even if they only have a little bit of sweetness.

But for someone like Ning Yuan who is used to sweet tangerines, even a little bit of sourness will make him feel like the whole thing is sour.

"What, do you know you were wrong now?" Ah Jian chuckled. "Our Cocoyasi Village has been growing oranges for generations. Do you think I don't know whether oranges are sweet or bitter?"

"Has Big Brother ever been to the outside world?" Ning Yuan asked curiously.

Ah Jian shook his head: "If you're talking about nearby villages and towns, I have been there, but there aren't any further away!"

"Then it's no wonder you're laughing at me!" Ning Yuan laughed. "Sweet oranges do exist in this world, and they're completely sweet, without a trace of sourness!"

Anyway, you've never been outside, so you don't know whether the oranges outside are sweet or not.

"Really?" Ah Jian was stunned, but he was already starting to believe it.

You can tell from Ning Yuan's clothes and appearance that he doesn't look like a country bumpkin.

He might actually be worldly-wise!

"It's normal that your oranges aren't selling. Why eat sour oranges when you have sweet ones?" Ning Yuan laughed.

"Is this for real?" Ah Jian was not flustered when he saw Ning Yuan come down from the mountain where Bellemere was buried, but when he heard that the oranges outside were sweet, he suddenly panicked.

Bellemere's grave has been vandalized; at worst, a new sign can be erected.

Moreover, the person has been dead for ten years, and even the most devoted person's feelings will gradually fade.

But if the oranges outside are sweet, it means that even if the merchants who were originally deterred by the dragon know that the dragon is gone, they will no longer come to buy the oranges!

"But I haven't heard the merchants who buy oranges mention this!" Ah Jian asked cautiously. "If the oranges outside are really sweet, wouldn't they be desperately trying to drive down the price?"

"It's probably because sweet tangerines haven't spread to the East China Sea yet!" Ning Yuan laughed. "As you know, the technology to cultivate sweet tangerines is definitely a secret, so the spread of sweet tangerines won't be very fast, but it's only a matter of time!"

Ah Jian's expression relaxed a little, but the thought of facing competition from Sweet Orange sooner or later still weighed heavily on his mind.

As for Ning Yuan's words, he had no doubts whatsoever.

In fact, in his mind, Ning Yuan's status was rising.

After all, since it's a classified technology, it shouldn't fall into the hands of ordinary people!

This person is undoubtedly a nobleman!

Come to think of it, if you weren't a nobleman, where would you get the money to study painting and composing?

It's very difficult for children from ordinary families to learn to read!

"Then, what should we do?" Ah Jian looked at Ning Yuan with a nervous expression. Since you are a nobleman, you must have a way to deal with this situation.

"Easy!" Ning Jing laughed, "Just change careers!"

"Huh?" Ah Jian's face darkened immediately, but since he needed a favor, he didn't dare to get angry: "Changing to this line of work is still very difficult. The villagers have been growing oranges for generations, and they don't know anything else besides growing oranges. Besides, this place isn't suitable for farming."

"I didn't tell you to farm!" Ning Yuan said. "I mean, since the oranges aren't sweet, why not just make them into vinegar and sell them?"

"Huh?" Ah Jian was taken aback. That's right!

Since oranges are sour, why not just make them into vinegar?

Wait, something's not right!

Ah Jian immediately shook his head and said, "No, we don't know how to make vinegar either!"

Ning Yuan was stunned: "No way, isn't making vinegar a basic life skill? How can you not know how?"

"Uh!" Ah Jian looked embarrassed, but he just couldn't do it!

"Alright then, after I finish meeting with those navy men, I'll teach you how to make vinegar!" Ning Yuan said.

Oranges don't keep well and are inconvenient to transport.

I'm talking about this world, not the kind of world where trains, high-speed rail, and highways are everywhere.

Making vinegar from oranges not only increases the utilization rate of oranges but also increases profits.

At the very least, you can't sell rotten oranges, but it's okay to make vinegar from rotten oranges. Pirates in the One Piece world probably wouldn't care about that.

"Good, good, good!" Ah Jian rubbed his hands excitedly. As expected of a nobleman, anything he casually peeked out was a tremendous fortune for a village.

"Uncle Jian, what are you talking about? What is vinegar?!" a voice asked from the side, and then a short-haired, dark-skinned girl poked her head out from the house next door.

Since it's Nami's family's orange grove, the one peeking out is naturally Nojiko.

In real life, Noki is tall and slender with smooth lines. She also has short, sea-blue hair with a red ribbon wrapped around it, giving her an overall elegant yet resilient look.

Her face was delicate, her skin tanned slightly bronze by the sun, giving her a healthy and energetic appearance. Her eyes were large and bright, like two dazzling stars, sparkling with wisdom and resilience.

"Ah Jian, Uncle?" Ah Jian was taken aback by this address. When did this girl become so polite? Doesn't she usually call me by my name?

He looked at Nokigo, only to find that although Nokigo was calling him, his eyes were fixed on Ning Yuan beside him!

Very good, case solved! She was just pretending to be a lady in front of the handsome young man!

Actually, Nojiko had already seen the two people coming from the mountainside. Of course, she wasn't looking at Ken; she saw Ken every day, so what was there to see?

Nojiko is a little older than Nami and is of marriageable age. Some boys in the village have pursued him before.

However, firstly, her younger sister was still earning money outside, and secondly, she didn't like the men in the village, so her affairs were gradually delayed.

Now that the dragon has been driven away and Nami has a trustworthy partner, Nojiko no longer needs to worry about her sister and can naturally start thinking about her marriage.

Of course, these were all thoughts that arose the moment I saw Ning Yuan. As for what happened before?

I've never even considered getting married!

"I heard you talking to someone, so I came over to check!" Nokiko said shyly, her eyes fixed on Ning Yuan. "By the way, my name is Nokiko, this orange grove belongs to my family, and you are?"

Before Ning Yuan could speak, A-Jian quickly said, "His name is Ning Yuan, he's a painter. Well, we have to go now!"

After saying that, he grabbed Ning Yuan and ran away.

Nojiko called after them, "Come to my house when you're done, I'll treat you to oranges!"

After a long while, Ah Jian stopped on the road, looking embarrassed.

"Um, actually, I'm not..."

"I understand!" Ning Yuan said with a faint smile, "You treat Nuoqi Gao like your own daughter, so of course you wouldn't dislike her finding a sweet love. But you think that because of my noble status, if I were to be with Nuoqi Gao, I might not be able to provide her with a long-term guarantee, and might even abandon her!"

Ah Jian's face stiffened, then he gave an awkward laugh: "So you knew all along!"

Isn't it said that the sons of noble families are all stupid? How come this one is so smart!

Ning Yuan smiled but did not answer.

Ah Jian awkwardly turned his head and continued leading the way.

But after a long pause, he couldn't help but turn back: "Um, do you still want the recipe for making vinegar?"

Ning Yuan countered with, "What do you think?"

Ah Jian also felt that he had acted unfairly. He clearly needed someone's help, but he was still being so wary of them. Anyone would be annoyed by that!

The problem is, if this were someone else's daughter, it wouldn't matter, but this is Bellemere's daughter!

After thinking for a moment, Ah Jian asked with a firm expression, "As a father, I want to ask you, if you were to be with Nokiko, could you guarantee you wouldn't let her down?"

"cannot!"

"That's good, huh?" Ah Jian was taken aback, his eyes widening immediately: "You mean, it can't?"

"That's right!" Ning Yuan nodded. "I'm a writer, painter, and composer. I can't stay in one place my whole life. I have to travel around, looking for inspiration and things like that!"

"That's true!" Ah Jian sighed. Who is that person? How could he possibly grow oranges with Nuoqi Gao for the rest of his life?

"However, if she's willing to come with me, I can take her with me!" Ning Yuan added, "By the way, I'll still teach you the brewing method. I keep my promises and won't break them because of something like this!"

"I see!" Ah Jian nodded. How to put it, although he had the brewing recipe, he seemed to have lost some of his excitement about Ning Yuan fulfilling his promise.

He realized that Ning Yuan seemed to be a good match for Nuoqi Gao.

Unfortunately, it seems that Nojiko made a promise with Nami to protect their orange grove!

How could she possibly stay and wander with Ning Yuan?

With a sigh, the two arrived at Arlong Park, the former base of the Arlong Pirates.

The gate here has been demolished, and a group of naval personnel are carrying something out. There are no sentries along the way, and it wasn't until they got very close that a marine spotted them.

"Stop! What are you doing!" The marine immediately raised his gun and pointed it at the two men.

"I'm Ning Yuan, a reporter from the World Economic Herald!" Ning Yuan announced loudly. "I heard that a colonel here thwarted the plot of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, so I've come to interview your colonel!"

"What, a reporter?" The marine was taken aback.

A nearby marine leaned over to remind him, "He's a reporter from the World Economic Herald!"

What does the World Economic Herald represent in this world?

Top-selling!

Widest dissemination!

Public opinion has the biggest impact!

This newspaper is being bought not only by the Four Emperors and the Seven Warlords of the Sea, but even by the Five Elders!

Its influence is so great that even the Navy's bounty posters are issued through this newspaper!

Its status in the One Piece world is roughly equivalent to CCTV in China!

Upon hearing that Ning Yuan was a reporter from the World Economic Herald, Hai Bing immediately perked up. Whether it would affect the image of the navy was secondary; what he was afraid of was that the reporter might suddenly take a picture of him looking bad and publish it in the newspaper, thus affecting his future.

Although it's unlikely that a junior marine would appear in such a newspaper, even just a brief mention in the article would be appreciated.

For example, the marines of the 16th Marine Division are very spirited, standing straight and all that!

"I'll go and inform you right away!" As he spoke, the marine saluted Ning Yuan.

They were neither arrogant nor humble, but polite and respectful. At least in terms of their demeanor, they resembled a righteous army!

Ning Yuan remained calm, but A Jian was completely dumbfounded.

Wait a minute, you weren't like this when you were dealing with us villagers before!

Where did that arrogant and domineering person go?

Reporter Ning, don't be fooled by their attitude!

(End of this chapter)