The chief watched as his enthusiastic people surrounded the two visitors. The food might not have been fancy, but the warmth was real.
"You came at the right time. We just finished hunting. Any earlier, and there wouldn't have been anything left," the chief said with a smile.
"Alright, alright! Everyone, go! Don't scare them. If they need food, they can eat at my place. I have plenty of meat left!"
He pushed through the crowd and waved at Rhett. "Come on, you two. Too crowded here. Let's go eat at my house."
He led them through the village to a quieter spot on the edge. Rhett noticed the house was at the very edge of the village. In his experience, the most important people lived in the center, where it was safest.
But this chief seemed different. Was it because of his strength?
Rhett quickly dismissed that idea. The chief was just an ordinary man with a bit more strength.
What made him confident enough to live on the edge? Was there a power system here he didn't know about?
Two sturdy wooden houses stood side by side. The chief pointed at the empty one. "My daughter built this a while ago. It's empty. You can stay here."
Rhett was about to thank him when he felt it. A presence like a tiger. A predator's aura.
Rhett understood. That was why. A powerful presence came from the yard.
A massive man, built like an iron tower, was splitting wood. Every swing of his axe was explosive. The logs split cleanly.
Even Rhett had to admit, "That's impressive!" It made sense that the chief lived on the edge. His son was a strong fighter.
The chief looked at the man's back and smiled. His voice was soft. "Daughter! I'm back! And I brought guests!"
Rhett's expression froze.
Wait.
He looked at the thin old man. He looked at the three-meter-tall, muscular "iron tower."
Daughter???
That manly, powerful figure... was his daughter???
Rhett: "???!?!?!"
He had lived so long. Sailed the Grand Line. Raided Navy Headquarters. Changed history. He thought he had seen everything.
But this shattered his worldview.
He even rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had been hit by a strange Devil Fruit.
The girl also looked up at the bronze-skinned, fierce-faced "tower," then at the chief. Her small head was full of questions.
The "tower" turned around. It smiled a simple, honest smile. Its voice was deep and loud.
"Dad, you're back! Hello, guests!"
Rhett: "..."
Under the chief and his "daughter's" enthusiastic hospitality, Rhett sat on a stone stool in front of the house.
Chewing on roasted meat, Rhett asked casually, "Old man, this place doesn't seem peaceful. You seemed pretty cautious."
The chief sighed. His wrinkles seemed deeper. "This island is called Burubu Island. It used to be peaceful. Hard, but we survived."
His tone changed. "But one day, a huge nation appeared to the east. Called Piruka. I've never seen anything like it. They started taking land and resources. They didn't care about us. Only those blessed by demons could resist them. Only the king's army could. Who cares about us?"
He pointed west. "And to the west, a giant village appeared out of nowhere. Called Elbaf! A strange giant came from it. Calls himself Joy Boy. Even crazier! He calls himself a 'pirate' and wants to spread his 'smile' across the world!"
He got more excited. He took a drink and slammed the cup down. "And the people above," he pointed to the sky, "they keep making up new taxes! Those of us who hunt are okay, but the farmers, the fishermen... people starve every year."
He spread his hands. "Now, those who can't survive start raiding too. It's getting harder and harder to live."
Rhett listened, tapping his knee.
Piruka's expansion. Joy Boy's voyage. The suffering of the people. The growing chaos of the Twenty Kings. All the pieces were coming together.
He was slowly piecing together the Void Century.
Rhett listened to the chief's clear explanation. A tribal chief from a remote island knew so much about the wider world.
"Old man," Rhett asked casually, "you seem well-informed. How do you know about Piruka, Elbaf, and the tax collectors?"
The chief smiled, a little proudly, a little bitterly. He went into his house and came back with some large, treated leaves. He handed them to Rhett.
"Here."
Rhett took them. They were tough, covered in symbols and drawings. One even showed a Piruka ship and a giant from Elbaf.
"This is called a 'Know-Leaf,'" the chief explained. "Made by the 'Knower's' organization. Their birds fly everywhere, recording news. A small piece of meat or a dried fish can buy you the latest."
He sighed. "Without these leaves, we wouldn't know where the danger was. Where to hide from Piruka. When the tax collectors come. Which sea trenches have monsters. We'd have been wiped out long ago."
Rhett looked at the simple but information-rich leaves. He understood.
This organization, in this time, could truly be called heroic.