The man leading the group stood two and a half meters tall, with a thin frame and sunken eye sockets. With his hands in his pockets, he watched the direction Dragon had left and spoke softly.
"Garp's son, Monkey D. Dragon."
"The higher-ups guessed correctly; the Marines did indeed choose to shield him. Well, he is Garp's son, after all; he has that much privilege."
"However, they likely don't know that Monkey D. Dragon's true crime on God Valley was not holding a Marine superior at gunpoint, but firing a shot at a great World Noble. Even if it was a tranquilizer gun, it is unforgivable."
"Listen up, everyone."
He didn't look back as he continued to issue orders in a cold voice.
"From now on, everyone will disguise themselves as pirates. Use the method of attacking towns to kill Monkey D. Dragon directly in the chaos! Do not hold back!"
"Remember! He was killed by pirates. Many civilians in the Rulusia Kingdom can testify to this! You must never let anyone know that the World Government is moving against him. He is Garp's son, after all. If this causes Garp to harbor resentment toward the World Government, the losses will outweigh the gains."
"Yes! Lord Guillaume!"
"Change clothes!"
In the East District town of the Rulusia Kingdom.
Walking along this bustling long street, Dragon looked around curiously from time to time, admiring the buildings on both sides and some never-before-seen goods sold in the nearby shops.
At the beginning...
...he still felt a strong sense of novelty.
But before long...
...he couldn't hold out any longer.
It wasn't that he had grown tired of the scenery so quickly.
Rather, he was hungry... After escaping from Marineford, he had first snuck onto a Marine warship transporting grain to leave the base.
After the warship reached an island providing logistical supplies to the Marines, he took the opportunity to sneak onto the cargo ship that brought him here.
He had hidden in the cargo hold of that ship for two full days and nights.
Until now, he hadn't eaten a single grain of rice.
During the escape, he had been too nervous to feel the hunger.
But now that he had relaxed, that sense of hunger suddenly surged forth violently.
Especially when he smelled the aroma of food wafting from the restaurants and eateries along the street, he became even hungrier.
"Grumble, grumble..."
Under the strange looks of passersby, Dragon's stomach let out a thunderous growl, making him so embarrassed he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
What made it even more embarrassing was that he couldn't even produce a single Berries right now.
Seeing the hopeful gaze of an old man pushing a cart selling ramen nearby, Dragon said nothing, clutched his stomach, and fled in panic.
"Sorry... I don't have any money...!"
Dragon sprinted all the way, found a small alley leading to the sea, and ducked inside.
He planned to head to the shore first.
He wanted to see if he could find some shells, oysters, sea crabs, or shrimp on the beach to fill his stomach.
As for eating for free, he would absolutely never do such a thing.
Even if he starved to death, he wouldn't do it.
However...
...perhaps he was just too hungry.
He had only just run out of the alley when he collapsed headfirst onto the beach heading toward the sea.
When Dragon slowly woke up...
...he was surprised to find himself inside a dilapidated wooden shack.
There was nothing in the room.
No furniture, no clothes, no tools, not even a bed.
He was currently lying on the floor.
The floor beneath him was a sampan board broken in several places, making it very uneven and uncomfortable to lie on.
"Where am I?"
Dragon sat up somewhat dazed, wanting to go out and take a look.
Just then, a small figure walked in from outside the wooden shack, carrying a chipped bowl in his hands as he approached.
It was a little boy.
He was very, very young, perhaps only two or three years old.
He wore tattered clothes and didn't even have shoes on his feet.
Perhaps seeing that Dragon was awake...
...the little boy was startled. The chipped bowl in his hands shook, but it didn't spill. He gripped it tightly and, with some fear, slowly held it out in front of Dragon.
Inside the chipped bowl was a serving of dark rice water.
The rice water was very thin; one couldn't even see more than a few grains of rice at the bottom of the bowl.
But Dragon, who had long since been dizzy with hunger, was in no position to be picky.
At this moment, even this bowl of rice water made his stomach growl loudly again.
He pointed at himself with difficulty and asked the little boy, "Is this... for me to eat?"
The little boy nodded without speaking, just holding out the chipped bowl and licking his lips.
"Then thank you very much! Once I've eaten my fill, I will definitely repay you. I'll go catch some fish..."
As he spoke, Dragon took the chipped bowl from the boy's hands, brought it to his lips, and gulped down the rice water in large mouthfuls.
Instantly, a warmth from the food filled the void in his stomach.
Though it wasn't very nutritious, it greatly reduced his hunger.
With the bowl of rice water down, Dragon felt as if he had been resurrected and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Ah—I'm saved! Thank you so much!"
He held the chipped bowl with both hands and gave it back to the little boy.
Only then did he notice that the little boy, upon taking the bowl back, couldn't help but swallow hard. Beneath his tattered clothes, his gaunt stomach also let out a hungry grumble.
Dragon froze, then opened his mouth as a deep sense of guilt flooded his heart.
"Did... did you not eat anything yourself? I'm... I'm sorry! I'll go to the beach right now and find something to eat! Please wait here!"
He gritted his teeth, scrambled up from the floor, and prepared to head out.
Just as he stepped out of the doorway of the dilapidated shack, Dragon saw a short-haired woman. Her clothes were equally tattered, but she had a dignified appearance and firm eyes that exuded a distinct temperament. She was walking over carrying an iron pot filled with rice water.
The rice water in the pot was also very thin.
A few shells were floating in the liquid.
Yet the woman carried it as if it were a precious treasure.
Seeing Dragon, the woman even gave him a smile.
"Young man, you're awake? You're not full yet, are you? Come and have some more rice water..."
But before she could finish, Dragon, who had suddenly run out, couldn't stop in time. He crashed into her in a panic, sending the iron pot in her hands flying.
In an instant...
...all the rice water in the pot spilled onto the woman and all over the ground.
Watching this, Dragon was at a loss. He clutched his head and wailed with a face full of guilt.
"I'm... I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I... I will compensate you!"
This guilt became even more intense as the sound of the little boy's aggrieved crying drifted from the wooden shack behind him.
At this moment, Dragon felt like he wanted to die.
He felt that he was simply atrocious.