The crowd suddenly fell silent.
"What now? If we offend the Arlong Pirates, what are we going to do?"
"I don't want to die."
"It's all their fault. They didn't even think about the consequences."
"I recognize that guy. Wasn't he a bandit before?"
The crowd immediately turned their anger towards Ron and Harris, isolating them.
"Now, we just need to drive them out of our island. Only then will we avoid offending the Arlong Pirates and be able to live in peace here again!" A man wearing gold-rimmed glasses urged the crowd.
"Yeah, it was them who caused all the trouble. Get rid of them, and everything will be fine."
"They're the ones who made this mess. Why should we suffer?"
"Get off our island!"
The crowd chanted in unison, their voices growing louder and more organized.
Harris and the others clenched their fists, feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
The old tavern owner tried to speak up for them, but his voice was drowned out.
"Haha… see that, kid? This is what happens when you cross us!" Samoatti, with his red, swollen eyes, laughed wildly.
Another stream of pepper spray hit Samoatti's already wounded face, causing him to scream in agony as he writhed on the ground.
"Let's just say it was all my doing," Ron said, turning his back to the crowd.
Silence fell once more as everyone's attention turned to his small figure.
Ron looked at the man who had been inciting the crowd. "If you hand me over, that should be enough, right?"
"Ron!" Harris and Mary exclaimed in panic.
"Dad, Mary," Ron smiled at them, "Don't worry. I'm not going to die. I've been wanting to leave this island and see the outside world anyway. This is the perfect chance."
He said this, his gaze fixed on the man, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Is it okay if I go alone?" he asked.
The man, intimidated by Ron's gaze, stammered, "I… I think that should be okay…"
"Ron…" Mary's eyes welled with tears, but Harris held her back.
"Mary, let's… trust him," Harris said through gritted teeth.
He could see the situation clearly.
The pirates, having been released by the crowd, approached Ron, ropes in hand, and tightly bound him.
"Thank you for taking care of me these past few months. I won't forget you. If I get the chance, I'll come back to visit," Ron said, his back still turned to the crowd.
Harris's eyes reddened, and he clenched his fists.
Mary was sobbing uncontrollably.
Brian, a burly man, stood with his arm across his face, trying to hold back his tears.
"You think you'll come back? You won't get the chance!" Samoatti growled, his eyes still burning with pain, his vision blurred.
"Boss, that's a wooden post. The kid isn't over there."
"What?! Damn it! I can't see with my eyes burning !"
"Boss, we've got him tied up!"
"Good! Get him on the ship. Once my eyes are better, I'm going to enjoy watching his suffering."
As the pirates led Ron away, Samoatti issued a final threat to the townspeople, "I'll let you off this time, but if you dare do this again, it won't be just me. The Arlong Pirates' officers will come next time!"
"Boss, the kid's over there. You're talking to a wall."
After the pirates, along with Ron, left, Mary buried her face in Harris's chest, weeping uncontrollably.
The entire town was silent, with only her sobs breaking the stillness.
Snow began to fall heavier.
At the shoreline, waves crashed against the rocks, and the pirate ship docked there.
Ron, tightly bound, was thrown onto the deck. Soon after, Samoatti and the other pirates boarded the ship.
Snowflakes swirled in the air as the pirate ship slowly sailed away from the island.
"Ouch, damn it! Be gentler!" Samoatti cursed as his men applied medicine to his injured face.
Ron, still bound, sat on the deck, gazing out at the vast sea as the island behind him grew smaller and smaller.
Suddenly, the system's voice echoed in his mind:
[Beep, detected departure from the initial island, global map unlocked.]
A virtual screen appeared before his eyes, invisible to everyone else. It displayed a map of the entire pirate world, with a red dot indicating his current position, along with the names of all the islands and seas.
The island he had just left, Moses Island, was marked, as well as the nearest island to the northwest, located 63 kilometers away, called the Malay Archipelago.
In addition, Ron noticed some familiar names.
For example, Windmill Village in the East Blue, Shimotsuki Village, and Cocoyasi Village…
"The entire world's navigation map…"
Ron's eyes sparkled with excitement.
This treasure that every navigator dreamed of was now within his mind!