"Hey, Village Chief! You keep saying that kid will protect the village, but where is he now? Why can't we even see his shadow when it matters most?"
"Yeah, that guy probably ran away a long time ago."
"He's just a liar!"
At that moment, Farmer felt shaken by everyone's doubts. He had trusted Raion so much—trusted him enough to consider marrying his daughter to him. Could Raion really have abandoned them in such a critical moment?
If that's true, then I have only myself to blame for trusting the wrong person.
Farmer turned to Wei Erdan and said, "Xiao Wei, go to the back mountain and look for Raion. If you find him, tell him what's happening here—quickly!"
Wei Erdan nodded and sprinted toward the back mountain…
Meanwhile, Anderson's crew had landed on the island.
Though Anderson wasn't as bulky as his younger brother, he still stood an intimidating 1.9 meters tall—towering over most ordinary men. With his solid, muscular build and the powers granted by a Devil Fruit, the villagers felt a sinking dread. Today could be the end for them.
Worse still, Anderson had brought more than double the number of men compared to the villagers' militia. Even without lifting a hand himself, the villagers had no hope of winning.
Standing across from them, Anderson spoke with a cruel grin. "Farmer, you killed my brother while I was away. Do you think I'll just pretend nothing happened?"
Farmer remained silent.
Some villagers couldn't hold back their fear and shouted, "Anderson, it wasn't us who killed your brother! It was an outsider named Raion!"
"Yeah, yeah, it's none of our business at all!" another cried out desperately.
Anderson's expression darkened. "Where's this kid you're talking about now?"
Everyone glanced nervously at each other. "That kid… might have escaped…"
Unexpectedly, Anderson burst out laughing. "Are you people trying to make a fool out of me?"
The deputy village chief stepped forward. "No, it's true! There really is such a boy—he killed Andrin…"
"Hmph! Why should I believe such crap? You kill my brother and now blame some stranger I've never even heard of—and conveniently, he's run away? If I told you that story, would you believe it?"
Anderson's words silenced the villagers. Everything they said was true, but it sounded like a pitiful excuse.
Seeing no other way out, Farmer asked, "Anderson, what will it take for you to leave us in peace?"
Anderson chuckled, then laughed loudly. "Ahahaha! Well, well. The village chief speaks sense. Fine—I'll forget about Andrin's death, but you'll have to agree to two conditions."
The villagers' eyes lit up. There was still a chance to avoid a massacre.
Farmer asked cautiously, "What are your conditions?"
Anderson raised one finger. "First, the protection fee will now be 50,000 Baileys per person, per month."
"Fifty thousand?!" The villagers gasped. This was five times the original amount. Many of them looked stricken.
Farmer remained calm and asked, "And the second condition?"
Anderson's grin turned sinister. "Second, your daughter Wei Erdan and the deputy chief's daughter Jenny will come with me."
"What?!"
Farmer's face twisted with rage. "The deputy chief's daughter and my daughter are both only fifteen years old! How can you even suggest such a thing?! And 50,000 Baileys per person? Even if we sold everything we own, we couldn't scrape together that much every month!"
Anderson sneered. "Not my problem. Wei Erdan's a fiery beauty, and I've had my eye on her for a long time. Jenny's a beauty too. You killed my brother, so this is how you'll pay me back."
In that moment, Farmer realized Anderson's real motive. He wasn't here for revenge—he was here to squeeze more from the villagers.
For Andrin's death, Anderson didn't show an ounce of sadness. Instead, he was exploiting the situation for his own greed. If Farmer gave his daughter to him, it would be like throwing her into a fire pit.
Farmer would rather die than let that happen.
He drew his saber, pointing it directly at Anderson. "You devil! Don't you dare! Even if I die and fall into hell itself, I won't let my daughter be harmed!"
Farmer might not have been a fighter, but he was fearless, upright, and unshakably protective of his daughter. This was why the villagers respected him so deeply.
Anderson's grin didn't falter. "Old man, you've got guts. Fine. I'll kill you all, then take Wei Erdan for myself…"
"What?!"
Farmer had hoped that facing Anderson head-on might protect his daughter, but Anderson's words proved he wouldn't stop. Wei Erdan's beauty had already sealed her fate in his eyes.
Just as Anderson raised his hand to give the attack order, three ships sailed into the harbor.
"Is that Raion?" the villagers whispered hopefully.
No. It wasn't Raion.
It was reinforcements—the villagers of Zhenxi Village had arrived after receiving the news!
The two villages, Zhendong and Zhenxi, had always been allies. They understood the old saying: "When the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold." If Zhendong fell today, Zhenxi would be next.
The arrival of Zhenxi's villagers brought their numbers up to match the pirates'.
But… numbers weren't everything.
Everyone knew that even with equal forces, Anderson's strength made this battle almost hopeless.
Still, when the Zhenxi villagers arrived, they immediately surrounded the Wolf Pirate Group.
Anderson smirked. "So, you've just added more people to die? Fine by me."
The pirates clashed with the villagers, swords ringing through the air in a flurry of sparks and screams.
The villagers, though normally terrified of the Wolf Pirate Group, fought desperately. At this point, survival meant fighting with everything they had.
Anderson himself stormed into the battle, but Miller stepped in his path. "Your opponent is me!"
Anderson sneered. "The so-called 'Guardian'? Let's see how long you can protect them."
Steel clashed as Anderson and Miller began their fight.
At that moment, Wei Erdan came running back from the mountain. Seeing the chaos of battle, she froze for a moment. It's started already…
Then, she shouted desperately into the crowd…
PS: Did Wei Erdan bring Raion back?