Bellemere's questioning was sharp and oppressive.
Ryoma knew he had been exposed, and continued hiding was meaningless, it would only deepen the misunderstanding.
He simply walked out from the shadow of the tangerine tree, slowly raising his hands in a non-threatening gesture to avoid an overreaction from her, a slightly apologetic smile on his face.
"Sorry, I mean no harm."
His voice was calm, attempting to ease the tense atmosphere.
Bellemere's guard did not lower. She shielded her two daughters more tightly behind her, her gray eyes scrutinizing the suddenly appearing stranger.
He looked very young, dressed in good quality but oddly styled clothes, neither like a pirate nor a nearby villager, but on this vast sea, appearances were the least trustworthy thing.
"Who are you? Why are you sneaking around here?"
"My name is Ryoma."
Ryoma lowered his arms and answered frankly, "It's a long story. I had an accident and woke up on this coast not long ago. I originally wanted to find a village to ask about the situation, but as soon as I got near here, I saw that uncle with the windmill hat carrying this little guy walking this way."
His gaze shifted to Nami, who was protected behind Bellemere, a hint of teasing in his words.
"I was just a little curious about what was happening, so I followed to watch the fun, but I didn't expect to be discovered."
Hearing this explanation, Bellemere's tense body relaxed slightly.
His story sounded reasonable, and he mentioned Genzo and Nami stealing books, which corroborated that he had indeed just followed them.
She turned back and glared fiercely at Nami, who was peeking out, curiously sizing up Ryoma, and huffed disapprovingly.
Nami flinched, stuck out her tongue, and hid behind Bellemere.
When Bellemere turned back, her scrutinizing gaze had not diminished much.
"An accident? Was it a shipwreck?"
"You could say that."
Ryoma answered vaguely.
He couldn't say he was thrown from another world by a mysterious force.
"I have nowhere to go temporarily, and I have no money left."
Ryoma spread his hands, taking the opportunity to make his request, "So, I'd like to ask if you would allow me to stay here for a while? I can help with work, I just need a place to shelter from the wind and rain."
He now needed a reasonable identity, a place to settle down, to get through this damned twenty-four-hour magic lockdown period.
Bellemere's place was undoubtedly the best choice, allowing him to observe key figures of the future up close.
Bellemere fell silent, observing Ryoma. Although he was neatly dressed, the fatigue in his demeanor was not feigned.
As a former Marine, she had a sense of responsibility ingrained in her bones and found it difficult to ignore people in distress, especially since his eyes were clear and he didn't seem to be lying.
Nojiko gently tugged at Bellemere's sleeve from behind.
Bellemere took a deep breath of a nonexistent cigarette and finally made her decision.
"There's a small wooden house behind the tangerine grove. It used to be for storing tools, but it can be cleaned up for someone to live in. You can stay there for now."
She paused, then added, "However, food and lodging aren't free. You'll have to help me take care of these tangerine trees."
"Of course."
Ryoma smiled and agreed, a heavy weight lifted from his heart.
"I'm not a fool or a sucker."
Bellemere seemed to see through Ryoma's relaxed demeanor and added, "You'd better not try any tricks. Genzo is the village chief."
Ryoma merely smiled at her words, saying nothing more, and reached into his clothes for a moment, then pulled out an item.
It was a golden brooch carved with intricate patterns, which he had casually bought while strolling through the market in Magnolia town. Its craftsmanship was exquisite, and it shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight.
"This can be considered the advance payment for lodging and food." Ryoma casually tossed the golden brooch over.
Bellemere instinctively reached out and caught it, the heavy feel of the gold ornament making her heart skip a beat.
She knew with a quick glance that this item was valuable, definitely not comparable to a few meals and a broken wooden house. It was worth at least tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of Berries.
"This is too expensive, I can't accept it."
She immediately wanted to return the brooch. Although she was poor, she had her principles.
"Take it."
Ryoma, however, waved his hand, his attitude firm.
"I'll be bothering you for a while, so I can't really just eat and live for free. Besides, this is the only valuable thing I have on me, it's useless if I keep it."
He acted as if he had just thrown away a worthless stone.
This frankness and generosity momentarily stunned Bellemere.
She looked at the brooch in her hand, then at Ryoma, and finally didn't refuse again, quietly putting it away, deciding to keep it for him and return it when he left.
"Alright, I'll keep it for you for now."
She carefully put the brooch into her pocket, signifying her acceptance of the deal.
"Come with me, I'll show you where you'll be staying."
Bellemere turned and led Ryoma deeper into the tangerine grove.
Nami and Nojiko followed behind, their two heads close together, curiously observing this suddenly appearing "sucker."
"Nojiko, he's so rich." Nami whispered, her eyes sparkling,
"That golden thing could buy many books.'
"Don't talk nonsense."
Nojiko seemed more composed. "He's from an unknown background, we should be careful."
Their whispers naturally didn't escape Ryoma's ears, he just found it a bit amusing.
This mischievous future Grand Navigator was currently just a little money-grubber with a head full of books and money.
Ryoma was quite satisfied with the wooden house. After all, he hadn't expected any special treatment.
After settling in, he ate a simple dinner under Bellemere's supervision.
Dinner consisted of tangerines, bread, and a little cured meat. Though simple, it was delicious to the hungry Ryoma.
After dinner, Bellemere went to attend to her own affairs, leaving Nami and Nojiko to "watch" him.
"Hey, your name is Ryoma, right?"
Nami was the boldest. She moved a small stool and sat opposite Ryoma, propping her chin on her hands, her big eyes blinking at him.
"Did you really get shipwrecked? Are you from a very distant place?"
Ryoma leaned against the wall and casually replied, "Sort of."
"Then if you have money, why don't you just stay in an inn in town instead of our broken house?"
Nami's questions came one after another, full of curiosity.
Ryoma smiled without answering, closing his eyes and silently sensing the changes within his body. The shackles that had bound his magic were loosening little by little.
Now, it was just a matter of waiting—waiting for his magic to recover, waiting for the fish-man who would bring disaster to this small island, Arlong, to arrive.
Eliminating him would not only completely change the fate of Nami and this village but also serve as his first step to test his skills in this world.
After that would be the vast, boundless sea, the training of Haki, and confrontations with those monsters.
Thinking of all this, Ryoma felt a long-lost surge of excitement.
Early the next morning, just as dawn broke, Ryoma got out of bed.
He didn't disturb anyone, leaving the tangerine grove alone and wandering around Cocoyasi Village.
The village was small, with simple folk, and most villagers cast curious glances at him, a new face.
Ryoma smiled and greeted everyone he met. The best way to integrate into a place was to let everyone know and become familiar with you.
His gentle and polite demeanor quickly earned him the initial goodwill of the villagers, and everyone soon knew that a nice young man was staying in Bellemere's tangerine grove.
He walked around the village and happened to run into Genzo, who was wearing a windmill hat.
"Oh? So you're the young man Bellemere took in?" Genzo looked Ryoma up and down.
"Yes, Genzo-san, please take care of me in the future."
Ryoma offered him a cigarette he had "borrowed" from Bellemere.
Genzo took the cigarette, and his impression of Ryoma improved. The two of them chatted idly at the village entrance.
Ryoma subtly extracted information from Genzo, comparing the recent situation of this world, especially the East Blue, with the information in his memory.
"The sea hasn't been peaceful lately."
Genzo exhaled a smoke ring, worried. "Many fierce pirates have emerged in the East Blue recently, there's just no peace."
After bidding farewell to Genzo, Ryoma walked alone to the cliff by the sea and unfolded the newspaper he had obtained from Genzo.
It was at this very moment that he clearly felt the shackles that had bound him for a full twenty-four hours completely collapse and dissipate with an almost imperceptible crisp sound.
That familiar magic power surged and flowed within him once more.
Ryoma walked back towards the tangerine grove, his mood greatly improved.
He had a preliminary grasp of the information, and his power had recovered. Now, it was time to systematically execute his plan.
As he walked, he mentally sorted through his subsequent arrangements.
First was physical training. Every strong individual in this world possessed a monstrous physique, which was the foundation for training Haki and his most urgent shortcoming to address.
Second, and most importantly, was waiting.
Waiting for that greedy and ferocious shark to arrive on this tranquil island with his minions.
Thinking of this, Ryoma stopped walking.
He spread his palm, and with a thought, a small, crystalline hexagonal ice crystal condensed out of thin air in his palm, emitting faint wisps of cold air, only to silently melt away the next second, leaving no trace.
He clenched his fist, feeling the power he had regained, and cast his gaze towards the distant horizon where the sea met the sky.
Arlong... don't make me wait too long.