One Piece: Blue Scale Admiral

"Are you hungry? Didn't Mom prepare bread and water for you when she came out?"

“Mom didn’t eat lunch either, so…” Rorschach picked up the bamboo basket that had been lying to the side and placed it in front of Mrs. Elizabeth. “I’ve come to bring Mom her lunch.”

When Ms. Elizabeth lifted the lid of the bamboo basket, she saw several pieces of bread and a bottle of water inside.

The amount of bread was the same as what she had set out that morning; not a single piece was missing.

Seeing this, Ms. Elizabeth's eyes reddened slightly. She smiled and patted her son's head again, "Silly child, Mom has already eaten this morning. You have a big appetite, and you'll be very hungry if you don't eat."

"Mom, you're weaving bamboo baskets, how can you skip lunch? I'm just staying at home, I haven't gone anywhere else, so if I don't expend any energy, I won't be so hungry."

Rorschach's throat bobbed, and he turned to look at the seaside. "When is Dad coming back?"

"He might be a little late today. The weather is nice today, perfect for fishing at sea."

Mrs. Elizabeth picked up the bread from the bamboo basket and handed it to her son.

“I’m not hungry, Mom, you eat.” Luo Xia shook her head.

"Silly child, let's eat together. Mom can't eat this much bread."

Ms. Elizabeth also picked up a piece of bread, took a bite, and then put another piece of bread into Rorschach's hand.

As Luo Xia looked at the bread in his hand, his stomach immediately started growling.

He licked his lips, put the bread in his mouth, and chewed slowly.

As he was eating, tears suddenly streamed down his face.

Large tears streamed down the boy's face, dripping onto the ground beneath him and onto the bread in the bamboo basket, shattering into pieces.

Seeing this, the elderly woman, Ms. Elizabeth, hurriedly got up, wiped away her son's tears, and asked with concern:

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Are those naughty kids from the village causing trouble at home again?"

Thinking of the ignorant village children who, out of fear of her son's appearance, not only refused to play with him but also frequently caused trouble at their house when he was bedridden, a hint of anger appeared on Ms. Elizabeth's face.

She put on a stern face. "Whose kid is causing trouble again? Tell Mommy, and Mommy will definitely go back and talk to their family! They have absolutely no manners."

“No…” Luo Xia’s eyes were dazed, and tears streamed down his face. He suddenly reached out and hugged the old woman who was wiping his tears.

"I just miss my mom."

Ms. Elizabeth was taken aback for a moment, then smiled kindly, hugged her thin son tightly, and kissed his forehead.

"Mom misses you too, my child, Rorschach."

After a while, Ms. Elizabeth picked up the bamboo basket from the ground and smiled at her son, saying, "Come on, Mom will take you home."

"No, Mom, I'll sit here and wait for you, until Dad comes back."

"Alright then, come sit in the bamboo grove. It's not so hot here because the sun won't shine on you."

"Yes, Mom, I want to learn how to weave bamboo baskets."

"Okay, Mom will teach you. This bamboo basket is woven like this, it's very simple..."

Outside the bamboo grove, Tianzheng, dressed in a black suit, silently watched this scene, a hint of hesitation appearing on his face.

Do I really want to shatter the beautiful memories left in this young man's heart?

Although it was just a dream in the depths of my consciousness.

But for the boy in front of him, this is definitely the most precious memory.

Moreover, Tensei had a feeling that Luo Xia might already know that he was in a dream.

Night fell in the blink of an eye.

A rare sight appeared in the sky above the sea: twinkling stars.

In a secluded corner away from the village, a faint candlelight flickered in a detached wooden cabin.

A short, elderly man, looking somewhat tired but with a smile on his face, was sitting under the stove tending the fire.

The elderly woman, Ms. Elizabeth, was wearing an apron and busy at the stove.

Fish meat was simmering and boiling in the pot.

The thin boy sat at the wooden table next to him, staring blankly as the two old men busied themselves by the earthen stove, chatting about their day's harvest.

The faint candlelight flickered, illuminating the ordinary faces of the two old people and warming the boy's parched heart.

Soon, steaming hot and fragrant fish soup and fish were served in a large wooden basin and brought out by Old John.

Ms. Elizabeth placed a large bowl of fish in a wooden bowl in front of Rorschach.

"Are you hungry? Eat up. Dad caught a lot of fish today, so Luo Xia can eat his fill."

"Yes, the weather is nice today, and we've had quite a harvest. Rorschach, eat as much as you want, and if you're still hungry, have your mom cook for you."

Old John brought two pieces of black bread, broke them into pieces, put them in a wooden bowl filled with fish soup, and pushed it in front of Rorschach.

Luo Xia pursed his lips, looked at the expectant eyes of the two old people, and shook his head.

"Mom and Dad, you eat first."

Ms. Elizabeth laughed and said, "Eat up! Your father caught a lot of fish today."

The boy stubbornly shook his head, refusing to eat first no matter what.

The two elderly people had no choice but to eat a bowl of fish soup with fish meat in it, and then some black bread soaked in the fish soup, all under their son's watchful eye. Only then did they see their son slowly pick up the wooden bowl and begin to eat in small bites.

Rorschach ate very slowly, chewing each bite carefully.

The black bread, soaked until soft in the fragrant fish soup, lost its hardness and dryness, becoming soft, chewy, and delicious, with the umami flavor of the fish soup.

Freshly caught sea fish have tender flesh and few bones, so you can eat them without worry.

Seeing this, the two old people exchanged a surprised glance.

My son seems a little different today.

In the past, Rorschach had no control over his cravings for food.

As before, he would insist that he and his wife eat first.

But after that, once Rorschach started eating, his eating habits became quite exaggerated.

A large bowl of food like this on the table in front of him would probably be completely digested in less than ten seconds by his terrifying eating speed.

And the more he ate, the hungrier he felt because of the strange illness his son had.

Eating large amounts of food will not only fail to alleviate this hunger, but will instead trigger an extreme craving for food.

This was also the most dangerous time for Rorschach.

Because if he loses control of himself, then all the creatures around him could become food.

This is also the most stressful time for old John and his wife.

That's why they moved their wooden houses to the seaside, far from the village.

Under no circumstances should cannibalism be allowed.

This is the sentence that Mr. and Mrs. John said most often to Rorschach.

"You are not allowed to eat people."

In the corner of the cabin, Tianzheng stood like an invisible man, silently watching the scene unfold before him.

"Boom!"

In the middle of the night, thunder suddenly roared, and a storm abruptly struck, engulfing the isolated island floating at sea.

Old John's humble little cabin was clearly no match for the wind and rain, and was soon soaked through by the relentless downpour.

Inside the wooden house, an unyielding sadness lingered in the eyes of the silver-haired boy.

the next day.

Lady Elizabeth has fallen ill.

Old John searched the entire village but only brought back some herbs he found there.

Red Leaf Village is too remote.

There were no doctors in the village.

When someone is sick, they usually sit at home by the fire to ward off the cold and take some traditional herbal remedies passed down through generations.

Old John looked at his wife, who was lying weakly on the wooden bed, and a deep sense of guilt and resentment appeared on his face.

He felt incompetent.

He failed to fulfill his responsibilities as a husband and take good care of his wife.

He also failed to fulfill his responsibilities as a father by curing his son, who suffered from a strange illness.

He looked at the leaky wooden hut, gritted his teeth, picked up his fishing gear, and headed for the sea.

My son can't go hungry. I have to bring him food to meet his most basic needs for food, otherwise he will lose control of his mind and become a cannibalistic monster.

Old John didn't want his son to become that kind of monster.

He knew that his son was a kind-hearted child by nature.

He has never hurt anyone from childhood to adulthood.

Old John has passed away, leaving behind a frail and bedridden Miss Elizabeth.

Outside the wooden house, the silver-haired Luo Xia stood quietly, watching the short, old figure slowly walk away, his eyes filled with deep sorrow.

"enough."

He suddenly spoke.

His surroundings were empty; apart from the wooden house behind him, there was no one else in sight.

But Rorschach still spoke up.

No one answered him. Luo Xia clenched his fists, and a bloodshot color gradually rose in his eyes.

There was a hidden, latent force trying to break through the extremely weak body and burst out.

power.