Chapter 34: The Straw Hat Secured

"What choice do we have?"

Luffy, tied to a stone pillar, shouted indignantly, "Of course, we fight! What’s the point of hiding in the mountains, old man? Everyone should unite, take on those wretched, bastard nobles, and beat them all into the sky!"

It hadn't been long since the incident with Sabo, and it was still etched deeply in his mind.

"..." Scar-Face glanced at Luffy and sighed, offering no reply.

"Stop spouting nonsense."

Shano frowned, tapping Luffy’s face with his scabbard. "When adults are talking, children should stay out of it."

This troublesome kid; how could he be even less sensible than he was during the era of the Five Emperors?

The kingdom's army was well-equipped and backed by the World Government; there was no way ordinary citizens could contend with them. Even if every bandit in Mount Colubo were gathered together, it would be nothing more than an egg striking a stone.

In a world where absolute power rests in the hands of the individual, bottom-up resistance is even more difficult, often appearing as nothing more than a joke. What does it matter if you gather hundreds of thousands or even millions of people? Can they withstand Conqueror's Haki? Can they survive a descent of molten fire?

"A single spark can start a prairie fire" held no truth on this sea. Change could only come from a handful of the powerful reaching the pinnacle of authority and initiating it from the top down. This was the main reason he had never been interested in joining the Revolutionary Army.

Of course, his disagreement was purely tactical. After all, "feeling for the stones to cross the river" was understandable, and it was commendable that they had maintained their original intentions and taken action for so many years. In a world rotting to the core, the existence of such a group was already quite rare.

"How many of you are there in total?" Shano turned to look at Scar-Face.

"Including me, thirteen." Scar-Face looked despondent. "That night, I risked my life to pull over twenty people out of the sea of flames. But the elderly, the children, and those who were already frail... they couldn't survive the harsh conditions of the mountains..."

The other "bandits" couldn't help but look saddened, bowing their heads.

"You’ve done enough," Shano shook his head.

The man looked to be only in his early twenties. He hadn't fled when disaster struck but had instead chosen to save others everywhere. After retreating into the mountains, he had risked his life by posing as a wanted bandit to protect these displaced people—he was a real man.

Looking around, if these remaining dozen or so people were left to struggle for survival in these mountains, the outcome wouldn't be much better. They would either die from one cause or another, or lose their moral compass and become true bandits. He wouldn't have cared if he hadn't run into them, but having witnessed it firsthand, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

Shano pondered for a moment, thinking of the four hundred million Berries he had in the bank. He hadn't intended to touch that money; he had planned to leave it to collect interest and use it to cover shipbuilding costs after officially setting sail. Now, a plan began to take shape.

"To be honest, if I were still penniless, I wouldn't want to deal with you, and I wouldn't have the capacity to," Shano said, shrugging slightly at Scar-Face. "But since I can barely be considered a rich man now, I suppose I can find a way to help you out."

"A rich man?" Luffy’s eyes brightened instantly. "So you have lots of money, old man? Are you going to share it with them? Can I have some too? I’m really short on cash!!!"

He had been eating "dine-and-dash" meals at the shops down the mountain with Ace and Sabo, leaving nothing but IOUs he hadn't had a chance to pay off yet!

"Stop calling me 'old man'!" Shano, losing his patience, slapped him. "I'm not much older than you are! If you're going to butter me up, call me 'big brother'!"

"Ow..." Luffy rubbed the red palm print on his face, feeling aggrieved.

"Pay your own debts!" After glaring at Luffy, Shano looked at the surrounding refugees, lost in thought.

He wasn't planning on just throwing money around as Luffy suggested. They were strangers, after all, with no foundation of affection. It would be too bizarre to start handing out money just because of a moment of pity. Besides, it’s better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.

"I have an orange orchard back home, and I'm looking to scale up. I’m short on staff and need to hire some workers." He glanced at the straw hat on Luffy’s head. "I was planning to head home today anyway. Why don't you leave the Goa Kingdom and come back with me? You can settle down there. How about it?"

His explanation was vague. In his actual plan, he intended to withdraw a few tens of millions of Berries, keeping the rest as a fund for his voyage. He wasn't just planning to expand the orchard; he intended to set up a few home-style workshops to process the harvested oranges.

The oranges produced in Cocoyasi Village were of excellent quality—the flavor far surpassed the citrus fruits he had tasted in his past life. However, the purchase price for primary agricultural products was incredibly low. Otherwise, Bell-mère wouldn't have spent her entire year busy tending the orchard, yet still been too poor to buy Nami new clothes before he became the pillar of the family.

If he followed his plan—processing high-quality oranges into salted or candied goods like canned fruit, jams, and preserves—the added value would increase significantly. Scar-Face could handle the daily management of the workshops, and Bell-mère could either take it easy or continue tending to her beloved orchard if she wished.

Limited by location and trading channels, he might not make a massive fortune. But it would be more than enough to improve their living conditions and support these miserable refugees, allowing them to earn their own keep.

"R-really? Is that really possible?!" Scar-Face was stunned, then gripped Shano’s hands, overcome with emotion. "Sir, are you really willing to take us in and give us a job?!"

"Yes. Have everyone pack up; we're leaving in a while." Shano nodded slightly. "Don't worry about the tickets; I'll cover those too."

"That's amazing!"
"We’re saved! We’re finally saved!"
"Thank you, sir! Thank you!"

The refugees nearby could hardly believe it at first. Once Shano confirmed it, their long-suppressed emotions erupted. Some wept, some knelt on the spot, and others hugged each other, sobbing in relief. Winter had arrived, and they had spent these days in the mountains living in constant fear and trembling, neither fed nor clothed properly. It had been an agonizing existence.

"Thank you so much, thank you so much..." Scar-Face’s voice choked up. "You’ve effectively saved the lives of these dozen or so people. I—I’m not good with words, but, sir! From now on, my life is yours! Whatever you want me to do, I will do it!"

"Sir, we feel the same!" the surrounding refugees echoed loudly.

"Waaaah!" Luffy cried from the side. "Hey, can you untie me first, old man? I can't wipe my tears; it’s so uncomfortable."

Shano gave the brat a speechless look and drew his sword, the *Masamune*.

*Swish-swish.*

The blade flashed, and the hemp ropes binding Luffy’s limbs were instantly severed.

"Wow, that’s some amazing swordsmanship!"

Luffy flexed his wrists, marveling at the precision, when suddenly blood began to seep from his arms. He screamed in panic, frantically tearing his shirt into strips to wrap and stop the bleeding. "Wow! How did you cut my skin too?!"

"..."

Shano coughed to hide his embarrassment, sheathing his sword, and turned back to the dark-skinned man.

"Shano," he said. "What about you? What’s your real name? What should I call you from now on?"

"Just call me Scar-Face." The man shook his head sincerely. "I won't lie to you. I was a guard raised in a noble's house since I was a child. The butler gave me a name, but I never liked it. I’ve grown used to the name Scar-Face over the past few months, so I think I'll just live by that name from now on."

"Alright, Scar-Face! Gather whatever is important; we're leaving now!" Shano laughed heartily.

As everyone began to busy themselves, he turned his gaze back to Luffy. He couldn't forget this most important task before leaving.

"That hurts, Old Man Shano!" Luffy pointed indignantly at the wounds on his arms. "Could you have been a bit more careful when cutting the ropes? You're making me not want to thank you for helping me out!"

That was just talk, of course. Luffy felt a sense of gratitude toward this guy who had appeared and helped the refugees out of their predicament. Besides, he was finally completely free! He wouldn't have to keep racking his brain over how to hunt enough to pay back ten times the amount of meat he’d eaten.

"Sorry, my swordsmanship is indeed a bit rusty." Shano smiled slightly. "As compensation, I'll show you a little magic trick."

"Magic trick?!!"

Luffy was instantly energized, dropping into a classic monkey-style squat on the table. "Yeah, yeah, do it!"

And so...

In the next second, under the boy's wide-eyed, foolish gaze, Shano suddenly reached out and took the straw hat from his head.