One Piece: The Silver Sovereign

The moment they set foot on the island, Roger, Rayleigh, and the others with strong Observation Haki showed subtle changes in their expressions, and they became a bit grim.

"Captain, Vice-Captain, is there something wrong with this island?"

Someone who noticed their expressions asked.

"It's nothing serious. It's just that the atmosphere here feels a bit oppressive. Just be careful while you're out and about."

"Don't worry, Captain, we'll be cautious."

They left a few of the stronger crew members behind to guard the ship, while the rest went ashore to explore freely.

Not far from their landing spot was a town. The group entered it together, but as soon as Shirakawa saw the city, his expression changed.

The place was too dilapidated, with shabby houses that couldn't even keep out the rain. The people wore tattered clothes full of patches, and they were all thin to the point of emaciation.

As the crew walked in, the townspeople reacted in various ways; some looked frightened, while others had crazed expressions in their eyes.

"Captain, I don't think it's a good idea for us to stay here."

Buggy whispered cautiously to Roger. These people seemed terrifying to him.

Shirakawa also remained on alert. Suddenly, someone pulled out a dagger and charged at him like a madman.

Shirakawa's expression shifted slightly. He grabbed the attacker's wrist and, with a shoulder throw, knocked him unconscious.

"Shirakawa, that was too harsh."

Roger scolded him.

"Sorry, Captain. I'll be more careful next time."

Shirakawa was confused. With so many people around, why had he been the one targeted?

The attacker seemed to have sounded some kind of signal. More people with weapons began to close in on them, and most of them had their eyes fixed on Shirakawa.

"Hey, why are you all staring at me? I don't think I've done anything to offend you, have I?"

Even Shirakawa started to panic a little under so many hostile glares.

"They're not hostile toward you; it's probably the nobles of this country they hate."

"Nobles? What does that have to do with me? I'm not one of them."

"Well, maybe it's your aura, you do give off a noble-like vibe."

Although Shirakawa had blended in with the Roger Pirates, his natural demeanor still stood out.

"So now it's my aura's fault?"

"Just knock them out. No need to go too hard."

"Understood, Captain."

Shirakawa stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. A faint wave of Conqueror's Haki surged from his body.

In an instant, everyone surrounding him rolled their eyes back and collapsed unconscious.

That was already him holding back; otherwise, some of them might've been killed by the force of his Haki.

These people were mentally very fragile. It was obvious they had been under long-term psychological oppression and couldn't handle anything more intense.

"Let's go. There's no useful information to gain from this kind of town. Keep moving forward."

So the group continued onward for nearly two more days, until they finally reached a city that was at least somewhat more prosperous.

"Let's split up when we go in, try not to draw attention."

"Yes, Captain."

A while later, Shirakawa, Buggy, and Shanks formed a small three-man group and entered the city together.

The street scenes of this city instantly caught Shirakawa's eye; it felt more like a proper city.

While the people here weren't dressed extravagantly, they were at least neat and presentable. The basic infrastructure and buildings were all in place as well.

"Let's go to a tavern,"

Shanks suggested to the others. For a drinker, a tavern was the obvious choice.

"Sure!" Buggy quickly agreed.

"Alright, let's go."

They finally found a tavern on a quiet backstreet. Unexpectedly, they ran into someone familiar, Vice-Captain Rayleigh.

"Vice-Captain? What are you doing here? Weren't you with the Captain?"

"Duh. I'm here to drink. As for Roger, I have no idea where he went."

Shanks and Buggy each ordered a beer, while Shirakawa chose a fruit wine.

As they drank, they also learned some things about this island from the tavern owner.

This island was large but housed three different countries, which were often at war with each other. This constant conflict drained resources and energy from each nation.

Naturally, the ones who suffered most were the common people. Not only were they forced to hand over their belongings, but they were also sometimes drafted into the military against their will.

As a result, resentment toward the nobility ran deep among the population. These wars were nearly always started by the nobles, and it was their agents who came to collect taxes and property.

"I see… So Vice-Captain, you already had some idea what this island was like?"

"We sensed something was off, yes. When we landed, we could feel a battle taking place somewhere nearby. But we didn't know the details, so we just told everyone to be cautious."

"Looks like we'll be fine as long as we avoid the main battlefields."

"By the way, Vice-Captain, how long are we staying on this island?"

"Who knows? Once the Log Pose finishes recording the magnetic field of the next island, we can leave. That could take a month, or even a year."

"A year?! That long?"

Shirakawa asked in surprise.

"Well, unless you happen to have a permanent pointer to the next island, in which case you can ask the Captain. If he agrees, we can leave anytime."

"Yeah… I don't have one of those."

"Then we wait."

Rayleigh said casually.

After a few more drinks, they were all a little tipsy and decided to find an inn to rest.

Just as they stepped outside, a shadowy figure crashed into Shirakawa's chest, hard enough to daze him. The figure then clung to him, refusing to get up.

"Miss, we've never met before. Don't you think this is a bit inappropriate?"

Shirakawa looked down and saw that it was a young woman.

"Shut up,"

A low and muffled voice came from her position against his chest.

"Shirakawa, you lucky dog…"

Rayleigh, standing in front of them, said with a tone full of teasing jealousy. He had seen that the girl was originally heading toward him, but then changed direction the moment Shirakawa appeared.

"Guess good looks do get you everything."

"Vice-Captain, this isn't my fault; she threw herself at me."

"Shut up,"

The voice came again.

"Alright, alright. I'll shut up."

Just then, a squad of soldiers rushed past them in a hurry.

They looked like warriors from one of the countries, apparently searching for someone.