章節 20: Chapter 20: Borujin
Regardless of Roman and Doflamiongo, or the Torupor Four, the battle was over for them. However, for the ordinary people affected by their fight, the problem was just beginning.
At the intersection of the garbage processing area and the port area, two buildings were slowly turning into ruins amid smoke and flames.
One of them was a warehouse belonging to a factory, luckily empty of stored goods. But the other was a simple residential building made of wood, and the flames were starting to spread outward.
"Quick, put out the fire!!"
"Are there any injured people?"
Men, women, and children rushed back and forth, carrying buckets of seawater, trying their best to extinguish the fire.
Young men who had doused themselves with water charged into the flames to rescue trapped individuals and valuable items. Though they were covered in ash and blackened, at least:
"The Borujin family is all here, no casualties."
"Hoo... hoo..."
An elderly man with snow-white hair set down the wooden bucket he was holding and slowly sat down, supporting himself against the nearby wall.
He was "Old Borujin," an elderly worker who could no longer perform heavy labor.
"Grandpa, but our home is gone!"
Next to him, a young boy clenched his fists in anger. He was Old Borujin's grandson, "Little Borujin."
As a passionate youth, how could the boy easily accept the fact that his "home" was gone?
"Those bastards who blew up our home, I will never forgive them!"
"Alright, Borujin."
A middle-aged man, covered in ash and wearing a vest, came over and patted the young boy's shoulder.
He was Little Borujin's uncle, who had also once been young and naturally understood his nephew's feelings. However, after entering society, the middle-aged man had come to realize that a heart full of passion could not change anything.
"Those troublemakers who caused the explosion are not people we ordinary folks can provoke."
Although the middle-aged man had a good amount of muscle, it was merely proof that he was a laborer in the factory. Besides, he had a family to support, with dependents both young and old, relying on him.
Taking reckless action like going all out in rage was already a "luxury" of thought for the middle-aged man.
"Uncle, you're too weak!"
"I saw the faces of those guys; I must get back at them—"
"Enough,"
The middle-aged man covered the boy's mouth, cautiously scanning the surroundings. Although the people around were neighbors helping to put out the fire, there were also onlookers.
If there were members of the fighting parties among these people and they believed his nephew's words, they might resort to violence. At that point, their two families might not even be able to continue living in this town.
As for relying on the town sheriff?
Don't bother; the job of those "black-skins" was to protect the wealthy people in the upper city. Laborers like them in the garbage processing area, even if they died, were at most just a line of words in the official records.
But...
The middle-aged man looked up at the ruined house with an expression of resentment.
His father, and he and his older brother, had worked hard for more than a decade to save money and acquire this home. Yet, it was effortlessly reduced to ashes by the aftermath of those "powerful individuals" fighting.
Especially his older brother, burned to charcoal in the explosion at the factory's furnace.
Their home was destroyed, and they would have to rebuild. The only question was, how long would it take this time...
It was impossible not to feel bitterness in his heart, but as an ordinary person, what could he do?
Just as the middle-aged man was filled with helplessness and sorrow, his nephew suddenly exerted force and broke free from his hands, rushing out...
"Wait!"
A young boy named Borujin stood in front of two passing children, his eyes filled with anger.
"I remember your faces; you're the ones who burned down my home!"
?
------
"Don't be careless,"
"Although the leaders of the opposing group were injured in the explosion, there should still be many ordinary members left."
After disinfecting their wounds and applying bandages, changing into clean clothes, and replenishing their ammunition with lead bullets and gunpowder on the ship, Roman and Doflamiongo were fully armed and ready to set off to confront the "Four-Suit Family."
Strike while the iron is hot!
Although Roman and Doflamiongo's strength was far beyond that of ordinary children, they were still flesh and blood. They would bleed if cut and get hurt if hit by bullets. Caution and carefulness were still necessary.
As they reached the location of the previous battle, a young boy suddenly rushed up and blocked their path. He was wearing only a vest, and his eyes were filled with rage.
"I remember your faces; you're the ones who burned down my home!"
?
Seeing the boy suddenly blocking their way, Roman glanced at the house that had been reduced to ruins beside them and understood what was going on.
On the other hand, Doflamiongo raised an eyebrow, and a cold killing intent began to spread.
"So what?"
"You—"
Slap!
Before the boy could say anything defiant, a large hand fell on his head and pressed down firmly.
"I'm very sorry!"
"My nephew doesn't know any better; please forgive us, two gentlemen..."
Struggling to shake off his uncle's hand, the boy stubbornly raised his head.
"It's not me who's wrong; it's them—?!"
A dark barrel of a gun was pointed at the boy, silencing his remaining words.
In many situations, it's not about right or wrong but about whose fist is bigger.
"Sir!"
Facing the gun, the middle-aged man panicked and instinctively pulled the boy behind him, spreading his arms out.
"Uncle, move aside!"
In the next moment, the boy pushed the man behind him with force.
"If someone has something to say, come at me!"
The boy clenched his fists, and his teeth gnashed with a sound. Anger mixed with regret in his eyes.
Facing a powerful adversary, pure "justice" and "courage" were just paths to certain death.
In an instant, it seemed the boy was about to meet a bloody end.
"Doflamiongo, don't be like this."
Roman reached out and stopped Doflamiongo from pulling the trigger. Although Doflamiongo's actions were the norm in this world—disagree with me? Let me ask the knife or gun in my hand!—for Roman, there was no need for things to escalate this way.
"Regarding our previous battle and how it affected your home, I apologize."
With just one sentence, the uncle and nephew who had been ready to defend themselves froze, and even the white-haired old man who had just stood up halted his steps.
Roman stepped forward, taking out a stack of beli.
"Here is 500,000 beli,"
In an instant, the people on the entire street lit up, their eyes shining with greed.
"Although it's not much, it should be enough to get you through this difficult time. However—"
Roman carefully sized up the boy before him, who wore only a thin vest and had a stubbornness that knew no fear.
"What's your name?"
"...Borujin, everyone calls me Little Borujin."
Most commoners didn't have surnames.
"The culprit who burned down your home is Torupor, the leader of the 'Four-Suit Family.'"
Although Roman was the one who ignited the explosion, it was indeed Torupor's Devil Fruit ability that caused the destruction of the two buildings.
As the words "Four-Suit Family" and "Torupor" came out of Roman's mouth, the faces of the people around them changed, which made Roman nod inwardly.
Very well, it seems those four guys are not unknown figures in this area.
"Now, we're going to find trouble with them."
Roman reached out and handed the thick stack of 500,000 beli to Borujin.
"Since you had the guts to stand in front of us, you probably won't mind being our guide, right?"
···
"Borujin, don't take it!!"
Facing this sum of money that could instantly change their family's situation, the middle-aged man and the white-haired old man's expressions changed drastically.
Swish,
Without hesitation, the boy in the vest took the beli that Roman handed over and turned to give it to the middle-aged man behind him.
"Uncle,"
"Grandpa, Mom, little brother, I'm counting on you."
The boy was naturally full of hot blood, but growing up in this chaotic world, he wasn't a fool who didn't know anything. The fact that the other party didn't shoot him and was willing to "compensate" meant that he, Borujin, wasn't a foolish person either.
Moreover, for the boys in the garbage processing area, joining a certain "family" was also a way to get out of their predicament.
Bang!
Facing the two little boys who were even younger than himself, the boy knelt on one knee and lowered his head.
"From now on,"
"My life belongs to you!"
In the garbage processing area of Spadar Maruz Town, 100,000 beli could break anyone's legs and arms, and 500,000 beli could buy anyone's life.
Note that it was anyone's life!
The saying "life is priceless" was just a beautiful slogan in any world.
Even in Roman's previous life, the esteemed President of America could "open his brain" in the street, and the mayor of a baton-wielding city could "be shot in the back with seven bullets, ruled as suicide." Every year, there were countless "accidents" of dying under cement mixers.
As for this world of One Piece, lives were directly "priced": the bounty amount on a wanted poster was proof of a person's strength.
As for the lives of the weak, they were worth nothing at all!
"Welcome to join us, Borujin."
After saying that, Roman turned to look at Doflamiongo, and Doflamiongo also remembered Roman's plan to recruit more people.
"Let's go; from now on, you are a member of our 'Don Quixote Family.'"
In the pitiful gazes of the middle-aged man and the old man, the boy stood up and led the way, prepared to go to the residence of the "Four-Suit Family" with Roman and Doflamiongo, as if it was a farewell.
"Hey, don't make the atmosphere so oppressive."
Before they set off, Roman turned to the middle-aged man who was holding the money his nephew was willing to sacrifice his life for.
"What we need is a guide, not cannon fodder or combatants. If you have time to mourn, it's better to tidy up your home; we'll be back for dinner later."
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(End of this chapter)
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