Shirakawa had no interest in this Devil Fruit either. And judging purely by its outward appearance, it didn't look like anything particularly impressive. It was bound to be either a Zoan or a Paramecia type.
"So what do we do with this Devil Fruit then?" With only four people aboard the ship, three of them had no desire to eat it, and the fourth already possessed a Devil Fruit ability.
The fruit was essentially superfluous cargo on this vessel.
"How about we just hold onto it for now? Whenever we get new crew members, we can give it to whoever wants it," Riddle suggested. After all, he was the one who had gone through the trouble of acquiring the fruit, so his opinion carried the most weight regarding its disposal.
"I think we should sell it," Uristine countered. "In this world, absolutely anything can be bought with enough money."
He wasn't wrong. That was the fundamental nature of this world. With sufficient wealth, you could do whatever you pleased.
You wanted to become stronger? Simple. Pay a high price for a powerful Devil Fruit and you were set. You wanted women? No problem. There were very few women money couldn't buy. You wanted authority? Also simple. Spend a little coin and buy yourself a noble title without breaking a sweat.
"Sell it for money? I don't think that's the best idea." They were pirates. Money wasn't something they had a pressing need for, or rather, they had ways of acquiring wealth extremely quickly.
"Then let's just keep it. After all, a Devil Fruit is the kind of thing you stumble upon by chance, not something you can find whenever you want," Shirakawa said, ultimately siding with Riddle's proposal. Who knew? Maybe this fruit would serve an unexpectedly useful purpose down the line.
"Fine," Uristine grumbled, though his eyes lingered on the exact spot where the fruit was stored, a look of unrepentant scheming plastered across his face.
"I'm warning you. Don't get any crooked ideas," Shirakawa cautioned him.
"Relax. I might love money, but I'm not so desperate that I'd take just anything. I know perfectly well what I can touch and what I shouldn't."
Hearing Uristine say that set Shirakawa's mind at ease.
"Look, a pirate ship!"
The residents of Ragal Island had naturally spotted Shirakawa's vessel, but their expressions betrayed no sign of panic.
As a mandatory stopover island on the Grand Line's second route, this place saw pirate crews arrive with such frequency that it wasn't exactly a daily occurrence, but it was certainly a regular one.
"That pirate ship... doesn't seem to have many people on it."
One islander peered through a telescope, scanning the deck. He couldn't spot a single person moving around within his field of view.
"They probably just came out of a battle and the crew got wiped out," the man standing beside him said with a distinct lack of sympathy. They held no goodwill whatsoever toward pirates.
"That pirate flag doesn't ring a bell either. Looks like it's either a rookie crew fresh to the sea, or one without much strength."
Given the circumstances, they could relax a bit. If the newcomers lacked real power, then even if they tried to cause trouble, the locals had the means to fight back.
"Alright. We'll find out exactly what kind of people they are once they step ashore. If they behave themselves, fine. But if they try to stir up trouble, we'll make sure they don't leave this island alive."
As he finished speaking, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes, and he chambered a round into his rifle.
As the ship slowly approached the shore, the island residents concealed themselves in hidden spots, watching closely to see who would disembark.
The four people aboard filed off one by one. Not a single person was left behind to guard the ship.
"You've got to be kidding me. There's only four of them on that whole pirate ship? Just how brutal of a fight did they go through to be whittled down to that number?"
One villager spoke with a tone of pity. They had waited quite a while, and after those four stepped off, no one else followed.
Just then, a sharp BANG exploded in that villager's ear. He felt a chilling gust brush right past the side of his head.
He looked up to see one of the four individuals pointing a gun directly at his hiding spot.
"Who's there? Quit skulking around in the shadows! Show yourself!"
Uristine bellowed in the direction of the concealed resident.
"I... I won't shoot! I'm a resident of this island! I don't mean any harm!" The moment he saw a firearm aimed his way, the man folded instantly. He raised his hands and stepped out from behind a thicket of grass.
"Put the gun down," Shirakawa told Uristine. The man standing before them clearly possessed no fighting capability whatsoever. There was no need for such vigilance.
"And the rest of you hiding out there, you can all come out too. There's no point in staying concealed. We've already made you."
Shirakawa raised his voice deliberately, intending for every hidden villager in the vicinity to step forward of their own accord.
But after a few moments of waiting, nothing stirred.
"There's no one else here. Just me," the resident Uristine had flushed out insisted.
"Is that so?"
Shirakawa bent down and scooped up a handful of pebbles from the ground. Then, with a series of precise flicks, he sent the stones zipping toward several concealed positions.
Pap! Pap! Pap!
A chorus of pained yelps immediately followed.
One by one, the hidden residents emerged from their cover, each clutching a freshly bruised body part. One was rubbing his backside, likely someone who'd been lying prone when Shirakawa's pebble struck home. Another was nursing an arm, and yet another was pressing a hand to his face. Fortunately, Shirakawa had used a light touch. Otherwise, the one holding his face would have certainly been left disfigured.
Seeing his comrades stumble out one after another, the first man Uristine had scared into surrendering looked utterly mortified. After all, he had just assured Shirakawa that he was completely alone.
"Uh... these guys aren't with me."
Whether anyone actually believed that claim was another matter entirely.
"Alright, spill it. What's the point of having so many of you watching us?" Shirakawa addressed the group that was gradually inching closer around them.
The men exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, the one holding the rifle stepped forward to explain. "It's standard procedure on this island. Any pirate crew that lands here is placed under surveillance for a period of time."
"If we determine you pose no threat to our island, we'll leave you be. But if you show any intent to harm our home, we will retaliate with force."
"I see. Well then, the fact that you're all still breathing is honestly a miracle," Shirakawa remarked.
Not many pirates were known for having mild tempers. The vast majority would never tolerate being watched by strangers.
"Fine. Watch us all you like. It's not like we have any secrets to hide anyway."
Shirakawa's response was surprisingly reasonable. He understood it was their job, and he was willing to be accommodating.
Hearing this, the tension in the group visibly eased. If these pirates were willing to submit to observation, it likely meant they weren't the violent type.
"We appreciate your understanding," the man with the rifle said gratefully. Pirates who allowed them to conduct their surveillance peacefully were a rare breed. It was why he never went anywhere without a weapon for self defense.
"Oh, one more thing. If you have the spare time, could you keep an eye on our ship for us? There's only four of us, and I'd really rather not leave one of our own behind just to guard an empty vessel. I'll make it worth your while."
"That's no problem at all." And if Shirakawa did try to cause trouble on the island, they could always just set his ship ablaze in retaliation.
"Wait a second... I think I know who that is."
After Shirakawa had walked off, one of the residents stared intently at the young man's silver hair and spoke up.
"Who?"
"A big shot pirate with a bounty of four hundred million Berries. Adolf K. Shirakawa."
"WHAT?!"
Every single person who heard that name went utterly silent, their voices collectively strangled in their throats.
/-\
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