Crash!
The moment Sora's identity was revealed, the bar exploded into chaos. Villagers, terrified, stumbled over tables and chairs as they scrambled to flee.
In the blink of an eye, only Sora and Makino remained.
"I-I'll go with you."
"Take me with you right now."
Rather than resist, Makino approached Sora and pleaded for him to take her away.
She knew Dadan's gang would be arriving soon to celebrate Luffy's 100 million bounty. If Sora saw them, it could be disastrous.
"Heh. Such a kind-hearted woman."
Sora gently patted Makino's cheek, smiling.
He understood why she made the request—it wasn't out of fear for herself, but out of a desire to protect others from harm.
Still, her reaction confirmed something Sora had been suspecting.
Instead of leaving immediately, he began wandering around the bar.
Soon, he found Makino's private room and casually lay down on her bed.
Makino grew anxious. If he stayed much longer, not only would Dadan's gang return, but the village elders might show up too, hoping to "rescue" her.
But with a bounty of 1.5 billion on Sora's head, Makino knew there would be no rescue—only a bloodbath. And that was something she would never allow.
"Please... just take me and leave."
Makino dropped to her knees at the bedside, begging him.
She still didn't fully understand why he wanted her aboard, but she desperately wanted to prevent a tragedy.
The more she begged, the more convinced Sora became of what she was hiding.
He lifted her chin with one finger, eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Miss Makino, is this how you ask for help?"
"You know... there's still an empty spot beside me."
Hearing the blatant intent in his voice, Makino's expression tightened. She knew exactly what he meant.
After a long moment of silence, she quietly got up... and closed the door.
She let out a slow breath.
Sora smirked to himself.
Being the villain... felt oddly satisfying.
No wonder everyone in this world wanted to be a pirate. In chaos, there was freedom.
But of course, to enjoy that freedom, you needed strength.
Alternatively, you could join the protagonist's crew and get plot armor. Even someone like Caesar could survive that way.
But relying on others for protection? That wasn't Sora's style.
His dream was to make the pirate world tremble beneath his feet—to make it his personal garden.
Yes, in the language of this world—
That was Sora's dream.
And right now... this was the first step toward making it real.
"Let's go."
Stretching, Sora walked out the door.
Makino, still flustered, quickly followed, not even bothering to clean up.
She was terrified that if she didn't stay by his side, he'd do something horrifying.
As they stepped out onto the street, they saw the village chief and a large group of people standing at a distance, surrounding the bar.
"Let Makino go!"
The elderly chief stood trembling, trying to sound brave as he shouted across the street.
"How courageous."
Sora looked around and gave a small nod of admiration.
The fact that this many people had come for Makino showed just how much the villagers cared for her.
"I'm following Mr. Sora willingly! You're all mistaken!"
"Please, just leave us alone!"
Makino stood in front of Sora and called out to the crowd.
Then she grabbed his hand and pleaded softly.
"Mr. Sora, please, don't mind them. Let's go now."
"Alright," Sora nodded. Under the villagers' angry stares, he let Makino lead him away.
Though he was born in this land, he had no intention of hurting innocent people.
The village chief, gritting his teeth, returned to his house. He pulled out a Den Den Mushi—the one Garp had left behind for emergencies—and began to report the situation to the Marines.
Foosha Village's peace had always relied on the influence of the hero Garp.
As they left the village, Sora suddenly scooped Makino into his arms and started heading up the mountain.
"W-What are you doing?"
"Please... don't go after Dadan's gang."
Makino turned pale when she saw where they were headed and began to struggle.
Sora ignored her and kept walking.
"I'll do whatever you want—just don't go after them!"
He finally stopped, gently cupping her face and smiling.
"Do you really mean that?"
Makino averted her eyes, flushed and nervous. "I mean it."
"If you just take me away right now and don't hurt them... I'll do anything you say."
Sora's grin widened.
"You said it, not me."
Makino nodded silently.
"Then let's go."
He released her and continued walking.
But when he didn't change direction, Makino's face turned pale again. She grabbed his hand in a panic.
"You said you wouldn't go after them..."
"I never planned to," Sora replied. "I'm just passing through here to get to the Goa Kingdom."
Then he pulled her into his arms again with a grin.
"But don't forget what you said. From now on, you better behave."
Makino let out a deep breath and nodded.
"I'll behave."
She wasn't upset about being tricked—just relieved that Dadan and her gang were safe.
Wow… you really are kind.
Standing next to you, I almost feel ashamed to be the 'villain' here.
Sora gave her a playful slap on the back, causing her to blush furiously.
Now that's more like it.
Watching her flustered expression, he laughed and carried her straight toward the Goa Kingdom.
By now, Reiju should've already infiltrated the palace with Anna and Shalria.
He needed to move quickly and join them.
...
Meanwhile, inside the royal palace of the Goa Kingdom—
Reiju was lounging on the throne, casually filing her nails.
Before her, Anna and Shalria were interrogating a beaten and bloodied Stelly—Sabo's older brother and the new king.
Covered in bruises and whip marks, Stelly knelt at their feet, pleading:
"Please… no more…"
"I'll give you whatever you want… everything…"
_____
[You give me a power stone, and I will give you a mass release deal? And if you like this story, add it to your library and give me a review, and I will reward you with mass release.]