This old man was nothing like the short, stocky dwarves of typical magical fairy tales. Instead, he was remarkably tall, his seated figure already as imposing as Rojen's standing height, his build equally robust.
"Old person's home," Rojen greeted with a smile as he approached, but he was immediately cut off.
"Call me Salo."
Salo then gestured coldly toward the tavern behind him. "Go inside and wait."
Awkwardness washed over Rojen. He had intended to question the old man about the situation, but Salo clearly had no intention of conversing.
With a shrug, Rojen reluctantly entered the tavern.
As he stepped inside, he immediately noticed the lively atmosphere.
"It's true, it's true! This really is the Magic Kingdom! Those guys can really do magic, I just saw it!"
"I saw it too! It was so thrilling!"
"If only... if only we could learn Magic too."
Hearing the excited chatter from the nearby table, Rojen couldn't help but turn his head.
Their ordinary clothes and lack of the distinctive local flair marked them as outsiders, just like him.
Just as he was about to approach them, a buzz-cut man wiping glasses behind the tavern bar suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"You think you can learn Magic? Keep dreaming!"
"What?"
One of the group looked up at the buzz-cut man. "Why not?"
The buzz-cut man sneered. "Why?"
"Do you even know that Magic has been a taboo in the Barut Kingdom for the past fifty years? Only those with the King's permission are allowed to study it."
"And you outsiders? Forget about it."
"Even your old boss, Modoray, that King's lapdog, only mastered a sliver of shapeshifting. You? Ha ha."
With their hopes dashed, the faces of Modoray's followers darkened.
Upon hearing the name "Modoray," Rojen's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the group seated at a nearby table. A smirk playing on his lips, he strode over.
"Sand, who authorized you to spread such nonsense here?!"
The tavern curtain was shoved aside disdainfully as Salo, a towering figure nearly four meters tall, stooped to enter, his expression grim.
"wizard Salo."
The buzz-cut man called Sand immediately paled with terror.
"The King's affairs are not for you to comment on. I hereby sentence you to three days of silence as punishment," Salo declared coolly.
From beneath his sleeve, an odd wooden rod extended, its tip pointed at Sand. In an instant, a beam of green light shot forth and struck Sand's chest.
"Wūūūūū!"
Sand staggered, his face twisting in agony, but he dared not resist. Head bowed in dejection, he resumed his work.
"Magic!! It's really magic!!"
Salo's display only fueled the excitement of the outsiders.
"Absolutely! That guy Sand, something's glued his mouth shut! He can't speak!"
The group murmured excitedly among themselves, their spirits soaring at witnessing legendary magic firsthand. Even Rojen couldn't help but steal glances at the imposing old man with his towering frame.
'Have I crossed over into the Harry Potter world?' he wondered, growing increasingly skeptical.
"But young Sand did get one thing right," Salo suddenly announced, his voice cutting through the crowd's excitement, "Magic... you can forget about it."
The crowd's earlier excitement immediately deflated.
"Why can't we learn magic?" Rojen asked, pulling up a chair, his curiosity piqued.
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't," Salo snapped, glaring at Rojen with icy disdain.
Rebuffed, Rojen fell silent and rejoined Modoray's subordinates. Hailing from the outside world, they naturally found common ground and quickly bonded, chatting animatedly as if they were old friends.
"Rojen, are you serious? Are there really islands floating in the air?"
"And what about that dwarf island you mentioned?"
"I'm more curious about mermaids! Those are legendary creatures!"
"A sea monster as big as an island? Good heavens, I can't even imagine it! Do such creatures really exist?"
Soon, Rojen's vast knowledge and worldly experience captivated the crew, leaving them in awe.
"Yes, all of those exist," Rojen said with a smile. "That's why the Barut Kingdom isn't so extraordinary after all."
He spoke loudly, making no attempt to hide his conversation, which only darkened Salo's expression.
Yet Salo couldn't help but wonder how this young man, who looked so young, had come to know such incredible wonders of the outside world. Some of the things Rojen described were so fantastical that even Salo himself wasn't sure if they were real, yet Rojen spoke with the conviction of someone who had witnessed them firsthand. And Salo was certain the young man was telling the truth!
"Damn it! If it weren't for that bastard King!"
Salo clenched his fist, fury blazing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
Ever since the Barut Kingdom underwent a cataclysmic transformation fifty years ago, it had been completely cut off from the outside world. The only contact they had was through Modoray, a cunning merchant who had been granted the sole right to trade with the outside world by the King himself over the past five years. Moreover, the King's fifty-year-old ban on magic had gradually led to the Barut Kingdom's decline.
Stealing a glance at Rojen, Salo couldn't help but yearn to know what the world beyond their borders was like.
"There's a fruit called the Devil Fruit," Rojen said with a faint smile. "Eat it, and you'll gain incredible powers. In my opinion, it's far more convenient than magic."
"So, you don't need to worry too much about this Magic."
His words resonated with the crowd. 'Right, what's so great about Magic anyway? They won't even let us learn it! Once Father gets out and obtains a Devil Fruit, we'll be way more powerful than all of you!'
Magic might be the stuff of legends, but Devil Fruits were very real to these people.
Of course, most had only heard of them, never seen one. But they certainly weren't about to admit their ignorance now, instead venting their frustration at being denied the chance to learn Magic.
"Brothers, you're so knowledgeable! You're amazing!"
"Yeah, most people don't even know about this stuff, but you know everything so clearly!"
The crowd suddenly realized how different Rojen was. Many things that ordinary people couldn't possibly know, only someone who had truly experienced them firsthand could understand so clearly.
"I just took a trip to the Grand Line," Rojen said nonchalantly.
Rojen's words caused everyone to gasp and fall silent, staring at him in shock.
Salo, who had been listening quietly nearby, narrowed his pupils and whirled around abruptly.
"He... he's been to the Grand Line?!"
Everyone was utterly stunned.
If the Four Seas were the domain of commoners and weaklings, then the Grand Line was the realm where true powerhouses roamed supreme!
"That's right! I heard about this place from someone in the Grand Line and decided to come see for myself," Rojen said with a faint smile.
Just as Salo had been observing him, Rojen had been keenly aware of the old wizard's presence. He had noticed Salo's right fist clench visibly when he mentioned the Grand Line, and the excited glint that appeared in his eyes.
Something's wrong, Rojen immediately realized. This old man is hiding something.
"By the way," Rojen continued, "can you tell me where your old boss took the person and the cat he captured?"
(End Of This Chapter)
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