The Grand Line, South Blue of Master Port.
On a nameless desolate island, a small new fishing village was being established.
Surprisingly, few able-bodied young men were among the villagers; instead, the population consisted mostly of the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled, many of whom bore scars or had physical impairments.
As the only young source of labor in the new village,
Alan was currently walking through a small forest outside the settlement with a short axe in hand. Three slice-clones followed closely behind him.
His face was still somewhat pale, yet his eyes shone with hope for a new life.
He had already built basic living quarters for his grandfather and the villagers. The few remaining small boats could now serve as fishing vessels—although the village lacked manpower, their years of experience as fishermen were enough to keep them alive.
People like them—ordinary folk in this world—always possessed remarkable resilience. Even with only a sliver of light, they could cling stubbornly to life.
"It looks like you're doing quite well."
But just as he was about to look for suitable timber, the sudden voice made his heart jolt.
"Who's there?!"
He tightened his grip on the axe handle, and the clones almost instantly turned toward the source of the sound.
In the next moment, however, the wariness in his eyes turned into delight.
A man in a long robe, wearing a rooster mask, was sitting cross-legged on a large boulder not far away.
And naturally—Alan could never forget that mask.
"Lord Rooster! Y-You… why are you here?!"
He shouted in surprise.
"What kind of question is that? Didn't you give me the coordinates of this island yourself?"
Rooster said cheerfully. "Still, I've got to say—you really managed to find a place like this. The nearby sea charts don't even record a desolate little island like this."
"Yes. Only our village knows about this island… Our previous home was farther north. When we went a bit farther offshore to fish, we'd occasionally stop here to rest."
Alan spoke softly.
Indeed.
Nameless islands like this—too small to develop, with no resources, no supplies, and absolutely no value—
Even countries like the Nismael Kingdom had no interest in recording them. Pirates and the Marine alike ignored such places, and no ordinary ships would ever dock here.
Only coastal fishermen with nothing to their name knew that such islands existed.
"Yeah…"
Rooster nodded in agreement.
Then he looked at Alan.
"You handled what I asked of you very well. You really did me a huge favor."
He had already noticed that Alan's face was a little pale.
The reason wasn't hard to guess—to fulfill Rooster's request, Alan had sacrificed one slice-clone, detonating it along with a merchant ship from the Kingdom of Nismael.
On top of that, another clone was currently imprisoned in Impel Down.
And it was worth remembering that, even if not completely—
When a clone died, the main body would still suffer some damage, and part of the pain experienced by the clone would also be felt by the original.
"No, I only made a negligible contribution."
But at that moment, Alan shook his head.
His eyes were exceptionally bright.
"On the contrary, Lord Rooster—what you've done is what's truly unbelievable!"
"Huh?"
Rooster froze for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise.
"You know what I've done?"
"Yes!"
Alan nodded vigorously.
"On the way here with my grandfather and the others, I stationed one slice-clone on each of two islands we passed."
He scratched his head.
"I originally did it in case someone came after us, so I could get an early warning. But by sheer coincidence, I ended up hearing about what you did…"
His expression was one of extreme excitement.
Clearly—after everything he had gone through before, he already deeply hated the Kingdom of Nismael, the Marine, and even the World Government itself.
So upon learning that Rooster had robbed the Celestial Tribute of the Nismael Kingdom, what he felt was nothing but joy and exhilaration.
After seeing the front-page headlines in the newspaper, he finally realized that even his earlier assessment of Rooster had been insufficient.
The man was not merely an ordinary powerhouse—he was a top-tier monster capable of easily defeating high-ranking naval commanders. He had seen the photos in the paper: the devastation of four naval bases, and the Arashi Great Forest whose very terrain had been almost completely reshaped. The sight had left him so shocked he was at a loss for words.
"I see."
Hearing this, Rooster nodded.
Yet beneath the mask, Roy couldn't help but sigh once more—this kid named Alan really was sharp and cautious.
"By the way, my lord, this time you came here to—?"
At this moment, Alan asked curiously.
"Nothing special. I just came to check on how you're doing, and also…"
As Rooster spoke, he pointed at the ground beneath his feet.
Only then did Alan notice that beneath the large boulder Rooster was sitting on, there were several bundles.
Because the color of the bundles was close to that of the rock—and because he had been too shocked earlier—he hadn't noticed them at all.
"These are all food, water, tools, medical supplies, and other essential survival materials,"
Rooster chuckled. "I figured you could use them."
Hearing this, Alan froze for a moment.
Then, naturally, a look of joy flashed through his eyes.
"Thank you, Lord Rooster… I—I really don't know how to thank you."
In response, Rooster simply waved his hand.
Even Big Mom, with her almost childlike immaturity, knew that "there is also benevolence in the world of pirates." Roy, of course, was no exception.
What's more, after what had happened last time, he had gained a good understanding of Alan's character and found him trustworthy.
But just then—
"Um… Lord Rooster…"
Alan hesitated, clearly conflicted.
Afterward, he clenched his teeth and said,
"My lord, c-could you stay for a while?"
"…Hm?"
Hearing this, Rooster looked at him with some confusion.
Alan then blurted everything out in one go:
"If possible… I—I want to join the Twelve Zodiac as well!"
"But I know I'm not qualified, because I'm very weak—so I want to become stronger!"
"To become strong, I'm willing to do anything!"
In his eyes was a level of resolve and determination that did not belong to someone his age.
Looking into his eyes, Rooster understood his motivation.
"Because of your sister?"
Of course, he hadn't forgotten Alan's sister, Kori—a girl who had been bought by the Celestial Dragons.
"Yes!"
Alan nodded firmly, clenching his fists.
"I've already asked Uncle Mandy to take care of my grandfather. He's a good man… I must go to the Sabaody Archipelago to search for Kori's whereabouts."
"But I'm too weak."
His fingernails dug almost into his flesh.
Yes—even after eating a Devil Fruit and gaining its power, he was still far too weak.
And he knew very well that if he wanted to save his sister… with his current strength, it was absolutely impossible.
So he wanted to become stronger, at any cost.
"As I thought."
Hearing this, Rooster was not surprised.
Beneath the mask, Roy fell into thought.
In the end, he reached a conclusion—this might actually work.
Alan was someone who could be trusted, and as a user of the Slice-Slice Fruit, he indeed possessed considerable potential.
At the same time, as someone who was himself part of the Marine, Roy naturally knew that the Marine and the World Government had recently begun an extremely aggressive manhunt for Rooster.
So in truth, even without Alan, he had already planned for Rooster to lie low somewhere and avoid the spotlight for a while. After all, even if this was "just" a clone, once it was lost, it was gone for good.
And this small island fit his requirements for "lying low" perfectly.
More importantly—
"The Sabaody Archipelago's human auction house… just hearing about it sounds insanely profitable."
With that thought in mind, Roy naturally made his decision.
"I can stay here and train you."
"As for joining the organization—if you become strong enough, I can submit an application on your behalf."
"But…"
He looked at Alan, his words carrying a calm, evaluative tone.
"Are you really okay with this? I'm a wanted criminal—standing with me means becoming an enemy of the world."
Hearing this, Alan smiled.
"As for that, I actually asked everyone about it a long time ago."
As he spoke, he gripped the axe in his hands even tighter.
He could not forget the scene from the night they left Master Port—the slaves wailing and sobbing aboard the small boats.
He could not forget what everyone in the village had told him about the inhuman abuse they suffered during their time as slaves.
The pain of losing loved ones, limbs being broken, the taste of blood, the cries of the girls—
All of it, every single bit, was something they could never forget, and never would.
"We're just ordinary people. On our own, we don't have the power to change everything, nor the strength to take revenge."
He looked at Rooster.
"But Lord Rooster—everyone is willing to believe in you. If you truly intend to become enemies of the world… then please, be sure to take us with you."