45 Chapter – 45 Revolutionary Stuff
Three months later, within the dense forests of a certain island in the East Blue.
"Is this really the meeting place?" muttered Ryuma, scanning the surroundings. The landscape was dominated by trees, extending endlessly in every direction. The challenge was intensified by the nightfall, limiting visibility, yet there was no denying that they were deep within the heart of the forest.
Betty affirmed, "This is indeed the meeting point we discussed with the Chief."
Rio voiced his concern, "No matter how you look at it, this feels like the middle of nowhere. Are we certain they'll come here? What if it's some kind of trap?"
The parrot's skepticism held merit, but Betty reassured, "Don't worry, I've already verified things on my end. It's not a trap, I think."
"You think?" Ryuma said, casting a skeptical gaze at Betty.
Betty shrugged, "It can't be helped; certain risks have to be taken."
Ryuma sighed, cautioning, "Just make sure it's not something we end up regretting."
"Have some faith in me. I am the Commander of the East Division of the Revolutionary Army for a reason. Obviously, I won't make such a rookie mistake," Betty retorted with a dissatisfied pout.
"Alright, if you say so," nodded Ryuma.
"Good," smiled Betty. She then checked the time on her wristwatch and remarked, "We're a bit early. Wait a few more minutes; that Chief will be here soon enough."
The others nodded and opted to wait for the supposed 'chief,' trusting Betty's judgment. After a few minutes, Kuina abruptly spoke up, "Someone is here."
The group followed her gaze and observed three distinct light sources drawing near.
"There are only three people, and no one is tailing them," Ryuma stated after confirming the number of approaching figures through his Observation Haki. "And none of them seems to have impressive strength—just ordinary people."
Betty remarked, "Of course, they are normal people. If they were anything but ordinary, would they even need the help of the Revolutionary Army?"
"Makes sense," Ryuma nodded, accepting Betty's reasoning.
It didn't take long for the three light sources to draw closer, revealing the faces of the approaching trio. Among them, one was a young woman, likely in her late twenties, while the other two were men with rugged appearances.
The two men appeared rather ordinary, except for one of them wearing a red armband adorned with the crest of the Revolutionary Army, indicating he was the contact point Betty had mentioned.
However, the woman stood out. Despite wearing a mask, it only covered the left half of her face, leaving the right half exposed. Judging by the visible side, she was undoubtedly a beauty—silver hair tied in a ponytail, fair skin, and captivating blue eyes. Despite her attire being that of a normal village girl, it failed to conceal her alluring figure. With ample breasts, a slender waist, and a curvaceous posterior, she possessed an unmistakable hourglass figure.
As the three individuals arrived, Betty stepped forward, looking at the man wearing the Revolutionary Army armband, and praised, "Good work, Gamil."
Gamil nodded lightly, addressing Betty, "Betty-sama." He then introduced the woman accompanying him to Betty, saying, "She is the Chief I told you about on the Transponder Snail."
The woman, Layla Stroganoff, stepped forward and introduced herself, "I am Layla Stroganoff. It is an honor to meet someone from the Army of the People."
Betty nodded, "Good to meet you as well, Layla Stroganoff. I am Belo Betty, the East Army Commander. In response to your request, we have come to provide our aid in liberating this Kingdom."
Upon hearing Betty's words, Layla bowed deeply, expressing gratitude, "For accepting our request and coming to our aid on such short notice, I am really grateful to Betty-sama." She then paused, shifting her attention to Ryuma, Kuina, and Rio standing behind Betty, and asked, "But for the East Army Commander to bring two children and a bird with you... would it really be fine? The army we are fighting against is several thousand in numbers. We have been fighting them for the past decade but haven't made any major progress. Countless people have died; this battlefield is no place for children."
Betty chuckled, dismissing the concern, "Don't worry, that boy is stronger than anyone here. He will be able to handle himself better than you or me without any trouble. The same goes for the girl and the bird. There is no need for concern, isn't that right, Ryuma?"
Ryuma shrugged, "I suppose." He didn't particularly care that Layla Stroganoff had underestimated him. She was just an ordinary human, and obviously, she wouldn't be able to gauge the true extent of his strength.
Layla looked at Ryuma, Kuina, and Rio skeptically but ultimately chose to remain silent. Since the East Army Commander of the Revolutionary Army was so certain, it wasn't her place to question them. Besides, they were here to provide aid in response to her request, and she did not want to do anything to offend them.
After a moment of silence, Layla came back to her senses and said, "In any case, let us change places and move to a better location to discuss what we must do."
"Alright then, lead the way," nodded Betty.
"Please follow me," said Layla as she turned around and started to move in a particular direction.
As the group began to follow Layla Stroganoff, Ryuma whispered to the parrot perched on his shoulder, "Rio."
"Leave it to me," Rio immediately understood Ryuma's intention and flew away. He was going to keep track of their movement from a higher altitude and constantly check where they were going.
Although there was no apparent need for such caution, Ryuma didn't want to be careless and walk into some kind of trap. With Rio keeping a watch, he was confident that nothing unexpected would happen.
Understanding Ryuma's intention, Betty smiled lightly and chose to remain silent.
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At a small Village on the outskirts of the Island
After an hour of traveling through the forest, their group arrived at the outskirts of a small village. Even with just a brief glance, everyone understood that the village was extremely poor.
The houses were dilapidated, and the roads were unpaved. Death and dread seemed to linger within the village. All the doors and windows were shut, with not a single drop of light escaping outside. The lights in the houses were not lit, contributing to the village being shrouded in darkness.
Looking at the completely dark village, Kuina couldn't help but question, "Why is it so dark here? Is there no electricity in the village?"
Layla shook her head, explaining, "There is... however, the people of the village cannot afford to pay for it."
"Then why not use lamps?" Kuina further pressed for an answer. To her, it seemed a bit strange to live in perpetual darkness.
"Most of them don't have enough money to spare for the fuel source used in lamps either," answered Layla.
"It's that bad here, huh?" muttered Betty.
Layla nodded, "Yes, something like 'light' is a luxury in this kingdom for normal folks." She further explained, "There are dozens of taxes that the people in this kingdom have to pay, so they cannot be lavish at all. If they fail to pay the taxes, they will be imprisoned and have to spend the rest of their lives working in the mines and farms owned by the Royal Family, and the treatment there is as bad as it can get—everyone is treated as slaves!"
"Then what about the war effort? You said that you have been fighting against the Royal Army for the past decade. If the people here are so poor, how are you all fighting against the King's army? Wars require weapons, and you cannot obtain weapons without funds. Not to mention the rations, the medical equipment, and other things as well, none of them come without money," asked Ryuma.
The others also looked at Layla with curious expressions.
After a bit of hesitation, Layla replied, "First of all, even though I said wars and the war effort, it couldn't really be considered that because all we have been doing for the past decade is trying to put up resistance against the rule of that tyrant. And secondly, normal people are not involved in our 'war effort.' Our group only consists of a few hundred or so members scattered across different villages and mountains. We build our own weapons using stones, wood, and bones of animals and fishes as raw material. Iron weapons such as swords, guns, bullets, cannons, and gunpowder are only obtained when we raid some platoons or mines to free up people working there. However, even if we have obtained those things, we don't use them all the time. We have been gathering weapons for the past decade so that we wouldn't be short of weapons when we finally rebel."
"I see, it is really tough for you people, huh?" muttered Ryuma.
Layla sighed, "All we desire is to be free from all this and live a proper life. Because of the effort of the past decade, our numbers have grown despite the casualties we have suffered in each raid. We also have a lot of sympathizers within the Kingdom who support our cause. Still, to be honest, the difference in our numbers is too much. Compared to the Royal Army, our group is too small, so even though we are putting up resistance, it's not really that significant, and we haven't been able to deal any strong blow to that tyrant's rule. As such, I really hope that the Revolutionary Army can provide us the aid we require."
"As long as the people desire freedom and liberation, the Revolutionary Army will be there to provide support," answered Betty in response, and added, "Another thing I want to say is that no effort is worthless. It may not be fruitful immediately, but at some point, in the future, in some manner, be it big or small; it will bear its fruit."
"Thank you; I really hope that's the case because if it isn't, this kingdom will soon perish," said Layla with a sad smile.
At this moment, Ryuma once again looked at the woman walking a few steps ahead of him. He wouldn't deny that although she wasn't strong in combat, she seemed to possess an exceptionally strong will. To endure and continue fighting for a decade was not something just anyone could do. Unable to suppress his curiosity, Ryuma questioned, "Say, lady, can I ask something?"
"What is it, boy?" asked Layla, wondering what the teenager wanted to know.
"I get that you people have been fighting for the past decade to survive and all. However, such a thing is not possible without a good leader. Forgive me if you think that I am underestimating your capabilities, but I find it rather odd that a 'normal village girl' is able to manage all these things," Ryuma inquired.
As Ryuma posed this question, Layla's eyes widened. She looked at the boy in surprise and said, "To be able to notice such an oddity at such a young age, I see, you are indeed a bit different, boy." Then her lips arched in a smile, and she continued, "Indeed, such a thing is odd for a 'normal village girl,' and I guess there is no use hiding such a thing from the Revolutionary Army. I am not a 'normal village girl,' and we also happen to have the support of my uncle, who used to be the Commander in Chief of the Royal army during the reign of the previous King."
"I see, that makes sense," nodded Betty.
Not just Betty, but even Kuina and Gamil also understood. Layla did not reveal her exact identity; however, everyone had a faint guess in their heart about her identity.
"Layla-sama, is it really alright for you to reveal that?" whispered the second man with a worried expression. He had been silent the entire time, but when Layla revealed such information, he could no longer stay quiet.
Layla nodded with a determined expression, "I get it that you are worried, Albert, but I believe that it's worth the risk since this is our only chance."
Albert sighed, "Alright, I hope it works out this time."
After reassuring Albert, Layla looked at the members of the Revolutionary Army behind her and then continued to walk. Soon, they stopped before a building, and Layla spoke, "Well, we have arrived at the destination."
It was a rugged old tavern with criminal-like people surrounding it. As soon as Layla, Albert, and Gamil arrived at the tavern while leading Betty, Ryuma, and Kuina, the thugs around the tavern bowed down to Layla, "Ane-sama!" much to the surprise of Ryuma and the others.
Layla nodded lightly and, without paying much mind to the thugs, she entered inside the tavern with Ryuma, and the others followed closely behind.
Inside the tavern, a few men and women were drinking or smoking while discussing various topics. Paying them no mind, Layla went to the counter and spoke to the bartender, "Uncle, I have brought them with me."
The bartender—a thin elderly man in his late sixties—looked at the three people behind Layla with a skeptical gaze, "Are they really?" No matter how he looked at them, they didn't seem to be the type of people who could provide the aid they needed. He then asked Gamil, "Will it really work?"
Gamil nodded, "It will be fine since the East Army Commander has personally come here to help out," pointing at Betty.
"Young lady, are you really the East Army Commander of that army?" asked 'Uncle.'
Betty smirked as she took a cigarette from one of the thugs in the tavern without him even realizing. While taking a puff of smoke, she answered, "Indeed, we have come to your aid, but we have to verify a lot of things before we actually provide our aid."
Although 'Uncle' was still a little skeptical, given the reputation of the Revolutionary Army, he decided to give Betty and the others the benefit of the doubt and nodded, "Alright, then follow me."
'Uncle' then looked at Albert, "Handle things here." He and Layla led Betty, Ryuma, and Rio to the back room of the tavern to discuss the matter.
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