Pirate Tracking

"Lillian! It's too dangerous. Go home," the man scolded.

"But dad! I want to make them pay!"

"You don't have any experience in battle. And besides, you have your own life here."

"The life here is over. There's nothing left. They took everything, and there's no point in staying. I'd rather die than spend another day in this town."

"It's settled then," I interrupted.

"Huh?" they both turned to me, confused.

"I'm going to beat the shit out of the blue-eyed pirates, so if you want to come along, you're more than welcome. You don't have to fight. Just lead me to their place."

Lillian's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah. I probably can't find them on my own."

"Lillian, I'm still worried... but if you insist, go with him," her father gave in.

"I'll be fine," she replied coldly. It didn't seem like their relationship had been particularly good for the past time. "Let's go. I'll lead the way. They aren't too far away, and we can walk by foot."

I nodded and followed her. "I'll make sure to sent them to impel down. Just wait for me," I told the old man before leaving.

"Good luck."

"What's your name, by the way?" Lillian asked, walking ahead.

"Eden. Nice to meet you."

"Thanks, Eden. I'll show you the way."

"That's fine."

Not much could be said about the place. The landscape was comparable to that of Orange Town, with many trees and bushes. The only difference was that there were a lot more rocks and boulders around.

"So how do you know where they are?"

"Well, before the pirates attacked, we had a couple of fishermen that lived nearby. They were friends with me, and apparently, they had gotten looted as well. Some of them had managed to track the pirates down, but none dared to take revenge. The Navy doesn't want to help, either. They've gotten their hands full, so I'm grateful that someone like you showed up. By the way, are you a bounty hunter?"

"Uhm, well yes. Right now I am, but I have other plans."

"Such as?"

"Don't worry about it," I said, brushing it off. I didn't want to tell her about my pirate dreams, considering that her hometown was completely devastated. It'd probably be a good idea to keep my true intentions a secret for now. If she were to leave now, I could already say goodbye to my 37 million berries.

"Okay, then," she replied.

"What about you? What do you do?"

"I'm just an everyday villager. Nothing's special about me. We used to live slowly and peacefully every day, but you know. They came."

"Well, do you have any aspirations, at least?"

"I do want to be a marine one day. Not the typical ones who just sit around and wait for the higher ups to solve things. I want to fight and get stronger. But at the same time, I've heard bad things about the navy as well. Or who knows. Perhaps you'll convince me to join bounty hunting. Either way, I want to become someone who does something good. That's my dream."

"I can understand that. But shouldn't you be training then? It's not easy to join the marines, you know."

"I do train. Just in secret," she said proudly, flexing her muscles with a smile. "I'm a swordswoman."

"Oh, that's great! Uh, where's your sword then?"

"It's back at the village," she sighed. "I don't really use it, and my father doesn't want me to, but I've secretly been practicing. I'm not that good yet, though, but I can beat most of the boys at my age."

"Hmm, fair enough. I can't really help you with that, though. I've never touched a sword, so you're the expert here."

"That's fine. You seem strong, anyway."

"How can you tell?"

"Eh? Uhh... Just a hunch, I guess."

"A hunch? You must have great instincts, then. But why would you immediately think that I'd be able to take on a 37-million berry pirate if you haven't even seen me fight?"

"Just a gut feeling."

I chuckled. "Right. I just thought—"

"Shh, we're here," she interrupted. "There are three pirates guarding the entrance," she whispered, pulling me into a bush.

"What? Where?"

"Behind the hill over there," she pointed. "They're equipped with swords."

"I can't see them?"

"Just trust me. They're there."

A smile crept on my face. "I knew it," I whispered. "You have observation haki!"