Chapter 218: Amigasa Village
Ace and Enel stepped onto the shore together. They had already discarded their conspicuous cloaks and insignias, changing into the attire of traveling merchants of Wano Country before quietly splitting up.
"It's irrational to fight a madman like Kaido head-on right now. We need to figure out the situation first."
"Split up. We'll meet back here in the afternoon."
Enel nodded slightly. Lightning danced between his fingers, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished into the forest.
Ace ventured deep into the hinterlands, arriving at a small village in the Kuri region of Wano that the world had long forgotten—Amigasa Village.
Wano Country · Amigasa Village
Scorching sunlight beat down on the cracked earth. Dilapidated thatched huts stood crooked in the wind, barely offering shelter from the elements.
Ace stood at the village entrance, his gaze freezing.
The scene before him was starkly different from the Wano Country described in the intelligence reports—
There was no prosperous nation of song, dance, and samurai here. There was only hunger, sickness, and oppressive silence.
Emaciated villagers dragged their exhausted bodies to work. There wasn't even the sound of children laughing.
"How... did this place end up like this?" Ace whispered.
Just then, a group of villagers wielding hoes and wooden sticks rushed over to surround him, their eyes filled with fear and hostility.
"Who are you?!"
"Did Kaido send you?!"
Ace quickly raised his hands. "Wait, wait, wait! I'm not a bad guy!"
But the villagers didn't believe him at all.
Soon, he was tied up with rough hemp rope by the villagers and pressed against a wooden stake at the village entrance.
Trussed up tightly, Ace sighed with a bit of helplessness. "Sigh... you guys really don't listen to explanations at all."
He looked up at the frail villagers surrounding him, and the few bony children hiding behind their mothers in the distance, peeking out secretly. His gaze softened.
"Hey, old timer." Ace gestured with his chin toward a middle-aged villager. "I have some food in my bag. Take it."
The villager paused. "What... did you say?"
"Food. Don't worry, it's not poisoned," Ace grinned.
Half-believing, half-doubting, the villager opened his pack and was instantly stunned—
Inside were dried rations, cured meat, fruits, and even several bottles of precious fresh water.
Although it wasn't much, in this village where water was scarce, it was a lifeline.
"These... we can really have these?"
"I'm not hungry," Ace shrugged. "You guys need it more."
The food was distributed. The children finally smiled, and the expressions of the villagers began to soften.
Soon, Ace was untied.
At that moment, a childish voice spoke up. "Big Brother... thank you."
Ace looked down to see a little girl, only about three years old. She was cute but small, with large, round purple eyes and hair tied in a bun. She wore a light green kimono patchworked with many scraps.
She was barefoot, wearing green strap sandals, and holding a scrawny Komainu (lion-dog) in her arms.
She looked up at Ace, her eyes big and bright.
"What's your name?" Ace crouched down and asked gently.
"My name is Otama," the little girl said timidly.
Ace patted her head. "Where are your parents?"
Otama lowered her head and whispered, "They... went to work at the factory... and never came back."
Ace's expression froze, and he instantly understood.
—He knew she was talking about the "Hell Factories" established by Kaido.
"Such a small child... is already all alone?!"
Half a day later, a flash of lightning flickered at the village entrance.
Enel appeared at the end of the dusty village road. His expression was calm, but his powerful Mantra had already perceived everything.
He walked over slowly, sweeping his gaze over the desolate village scenery before landing on Ace and Otama.
"This is the reason for your delay?"
Ace nodded. "Yeah. Cute little tyke, isn't she?"
Enel huffed coldly but didn't argue. He simply raised his hand and released a bolt of lightning, shattering the cracked rock layer in the distance—
Underground springs surged, and clear water slowly bubbled up.
The villagers cheered and ran to fetch water.
—Just like that, Ace and Enel stayed in Amigasa Village for two days.
Ace helped repair roofs and chop wood for cooking.
Enel used lightning to channel mountain springs and provided light for purification—although he complained verbally, his actions were extremely diligent.
Otama followed Ace every day, becoming his little shadow. Although Enel verbally expressed distaste, he never chased her away.
On the day of departure, Ace crouched down and ruffled Otama's hair.
"Otama, when you grow up and become a cool and dashing Kunoichi (female ninja)..."
"I'll take you out to sea!"
Otama's eyes sparkled as she asked, "Really?!!"
Ace grinned widely. "Of course! I'm a man who keeps his word!"
The two left with their backs to the setting sun. Otama stood at the village entrance, waving her small hand. "Big Brother, goodbye!!!"
Enel stood aside with his arms crossed. "What a troublesome brat...
Though... not bad."
...
Night fell like ink, dark clouds hung low, and the cold wind of Onigashima howled.
Lightning and fire flashed intertwiningly, illuminating the high towers and prisons of Onigashima.
To rescue the innocent children they heard had been abducted while gathering intelligence, the two unhesitatingly broke into the deepest part of the Beasts Pirates' stronghold.
—The core area of Onigashima.
"It's confirmed. Kaido and the All-Stars are currently out on an expedition," Enel whispered. "Now is the best time."
"Then let's move fast." Ace clenched his fist, flames igniting in his palm. "Any later, and the kids won't make it."
They swept through the fodder pirates along the way. Sounds of battle and screams echoed through the island, alerting quite a few figures hiding in the depths of Onigashima.
Onigashima · Underground Laboratory
Meanwhile, in an underground laboratory where the smells of chemicals and rot intermingled, a group of unconscious Wano civilians were hooked up to tubes, undergoing unknown experiments.
"Tsk, tsk... low-purity blood samples again. So troublesome."
Caesar Clown cursed while adjusting reagents. "Why is it so noisy outside?"
Suddenly, earth-shaking explosions came from outside the lab.
Caesar frowned. "Oi! Go see what's happening!"
The Beasts Pirate next to him just reached the door—
"BZZZT—!!!"
The next second, a bolt of lightning tore through the air, blasting the heavy metal door into charred fragments. The pirate was reduced to a blackened skeleton in the electric shock!
Amidst the billowing smoke, Enel walked in slowly, his eyes indifferent.
"I said I smelled something disgusting here..." He glanced at the room full of experimental equipment and unconscious civilians.
"So it was you..."
Caesar's eyes widened, his face turning pale instantly. "Wh-Who are you?! This is the Beasts Pirates' Onigashima!!!"
"Beasts?" Enel scoffed, lightning swimming around him like dragons and snakes.
"That's just a herd of livestock waiting to be slaughtered."
"But people like you..."
"Rats who like to hide in the shadows and drain the lives of others deserve to die even more."
Seeing this, Caesar turned to run. "HOLY CRAP!!"
"BOOM—!!!"
A pillar of lightning pierced the experiment table, burning one of his shoulders. His scream was deafening!
Enel looked down at him from above, staring coldly. "Move again, and the next bolt... goes through your head."
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