Chapter 55: Bello Betty's Departure from East Blue

Roja sighed heavily as he surveyed the nightmarish scene before him.

The inferno consumed everything in its path—bodies, buildings, the very fabric of the world. People struggled to build and create amidst this chaos, simply striving to survive.

Yet, under the merciless violence, their efforts were easily torn asunder.

Roja's eyes glazed over, transporting him back to the fiery chaos and devastation he had witnessed in the Kingdom of Ke more than a year ago.

This was the grim reality of life in this world—chaos, bloodshed, death—a cycle that seemed never-ending.

"The nobles sit high above, draining the lifeblood of the people, while pirates run rampant, destabilizing the foundations below with violence. Those at the bottom can only suffer silently, as if their weakness condemns them to death," Roja exclaimed, his voice echoing with frustration, reminiscent of his outburst in the Kingdom of Krojashi.

"These damned pirates!" Fujitora's grip tightened on his sword as he cursed.

"It's not pirates, it's the Kingdom Guard," a panting voice interrupted.

Roja turned to see a young female Marine soldier in recruit attire.

With her shaved head, she appeared no older than sixteen.

"I'm Marine Seaman Recruit Bell-mère, stationed in the Kingdom of Oykot," Bell-mère explained, still catching her breath.

After finally calming down, Bell-mère glanced at the girl lying in Roja's arms with pity in her eyes. "Is she the only survivor? What a tragedy."

"What do you mean by Kingdom Guard?" Roja demanded, his gaze piercing.

"Well," Bell-mère sighed, "This is Moluobu Village. The villagers were just robbed by pirates and burdened with taxes in wooden currency and to the nobles."

"The royal family of the Oikot Kingdom refused to comply, so the villagers were forced to rebel, only to be suppressed by the Kingdom Guard," Bell-mère continued, her fists clenched tightly.

"I wish it were just pirates. Marines have no authority to intervene in the internal affairs of sovereign nations, but I never expected them to behave so despicably," she lamented.

"Who would've thought the guards would slaughter peasants armed only with farm tools," Bell-mère muttered with disbelief.

"Those bastards!" Fujitora erupted, his usually calm demeanor shattered. His eyes widened with rage as he tightly gripped his stick and sword, emanating a terrifying aura.

Had he not consciously restrained himself, the overwhelming anger in Fujitora's presence could have overwhelmed both Bell-mère and Roja.

Perhaps Bell-mère's words had stirred painful memories in the young girl's heart.

She clutched Roja's chest desperately, tears soaking his clothes in an instant as she choked out, "My mother said, as long as I wave the flag, everyone will find the courage and strength to resist."

"And my father said, as long as the nobles see our determination to resist, they'll demand a little less tax, giving us a chance to survive until the next harvest," she added.

"But I waved the flag so hard, I didn't dare to stop, yet everyone was killed," the girl lamented.

"Why? Everyone here was kind, so why were they killed? Why?" her voice, childish and strained, echoed in the aftermath of the fire.

In the eerie silence that followed, only the girl's sobs could be heard amidst the crackling of the flames—a haunting reminder of the atrocities committed by those in power.

Roja had no answer to the girl's heartbreaking question. All he could do was hold her tightly, offering whatever solace he could in the face of such overwhelming tragedy.

Fujitora clenched his teeth, his body almost trembling with rage.

Naguri's eyes blazed with murderous intent.

Bell-mère bowed her head, her fists clenched in frustration.

After all, the girl was just six or seven years old. She had exhausted herself waving the flag, and the trauma of the day's events caused her to cry until she passed out in Roja's arms.

Yet, her ability to endure until now was a testament to her inner strength—a form of protection for her spirit amidst such horrors.

"I'm going to kill those nobles," Nagli declared, his murderous intent no longer concealable.

He gripped his mallet tightly, his long eyebrows almost covering his eyes, blown up by his intense aura. His bloodshot eyes glared with fury.

Meanwhile, Fujitora silently unsheathed his stick knife, its blade gleaming red in the firelight.

Even Fujitora, usually gentle and mild-mannered, felt the urge to become a force of destruction in this moment.

"Stop," Roja intervened, halting their intentions.

"Do you even know who to target? Do you know where the nobles are? And even if you manage to eliminate the guards, can you ensure that pirates won't seize the opportunity to ravage this country?" Roja questioned sternly.

After reprimanding them, Roja turned to Bell-mère and asked calmly and coldly, "Do you have any information?"

"Miss Bell-mère, can you provide us with some information? Can you assure us that the Marines here will be able to withstand pirate attacks after losing part of their guards and royal family?" Roja inquired.

Bell-mère hesitated for a moment before nodding earnestly. "I can provide information, and Oykot didn't try to conceal this operation at all."

"As for safety, you don't need to worry too much. While the Marine presence around Oykot might not be enough to protect every village, it should be sufficient to safeguard most of the people," she assured them.

"In reality, we've always been focused on defending against pirates. What the guards do is merely clean up the mess for the nobles," Bell-mère's tone dripped with criticism towards the king and disgust towards the guards.

"Good," Roja said softly as he handed the unconscious girl to the onboard doctor who rushed over. Then, turning to Bell-mère, he said, "I'll rely on you to lead the way."

"Where are you going?" Bell-mère asked.

"The capital," Roja's eyes were chillingly cold.

"What are you two still standing there for? Hurry up and catch up!" Roja barked at Fujitora and Nagli, who were still dazed.

To be honest, Roja knew deep down that killing the royal family wouldn't solve anything. The root cause of the tragedy in Moluobu Village couldn't be resolved by violence.

However, he couldn't bear it any longer. After obtaining the information from Bell-mère, the last vestige of rationality in Roja's mind vanished.

Tonight, he was going to take matters into his own hands.

Under the cover of night, flames erupted in the palace.

In the darkness, the three men, as terrifying as demons, mercilessly slaughtered the royal family of Oykot and eradicated the notorious guards of the capital.

The king of the Oykot Kingdom and the captain of the guard army, who led the team to attack Moluobu Village, were publicly hanged alive on the city gate.

Following this event, rumors spread throughout the capital, attributing the royal family's downfall and the elimination of the guards to public dissatisfaction stemming from the tragedy in Moluobu Village.

However, the remaining nobles in the capital claimed that vicious pirates had infiltrated the city, using this as leverage to pressure the Marines into sending more troops for protection.

Meanwhile, Roja had already departed with his group, leaving Bell-mère standing on a rock in Moluobu Village. She waved vigorously at Roja and the others as they sailed away.

She didn't inquire about Roja and their companions' identities, but she knew deep down that one day, she would read about their heroic deeds in the newspapers.

"From today onwards, join us. If you truly wish to prevent tragedies like Moluobu Village from occurring elsewhere in the world, I will teach you everything I know," Roja said gently to the girl from Moluobu Village as he looked back at her from the stern of the ship.

"I will definitely do it," the little girl's tone was resolute.

Roja had no doubt about her determination. She could wave the flag vigorously until she exhausted herself; she was much stronger than others her age, even if the price of her growth was immensely heavy.

"By the way, I haven't asked your name yet," Roja remarked, sensing the weight of their conversation for a girl of her age. He deliberately changed the topic.

"My name is Belo Betty," the little girl named Belo Betty replied, clutching the worn flag tightly in her hand. She wiped away her tears, her eyes filled with determination.

"Good kill," Zoro's applause rang out aboard the Thousand Sunny.

As a character inherently inclined towards decisive action against evil, Zoro couldn't contain his outburst in the face of the despicable actions of the royal family and guards.

"It's beyond belief, it's barbaric. How could they commit such atrocities?" Chopper's eyes were wide with shock. He struggled to comprehend how people could stoop so low as to slaughter defenseless farmers.

"Bell-mère," Nami's voice wavered as tears streamed down her face.

Confronted with her former adoptive mother, she found it difficult to contain her emotions. She empathized deeply with the tragedy of Moluobu Village, having been an orphan herself from the Oykot Kingdom. It was Bell-mère who had taken her and Nojiko from the Oykot Kingdom to Cocoyasi Village and raised them.

In this moment, Nami felt a renewed sense of pride in her adoptive mother. Bell-mère remained strong and unwaveringly righteous.

The chat room buzzed with venting voices.

Roger: "It's such a relief. Roja's anger resonates with me. Faced with those despicable nobles, you should exterminate them like the vile pests they are."

Roger laughed heartily.

He despised aristocrats who oppressed the people, having once destroyed the army of a kingdom led by nobles. He knew all too well that the quality of a noble's army depended largely on the king, a lesson learned from sailing and witnessing numerous repulsive nations.

Cobra: "I can understand the need to suppress an uprising, but why was the massacre of the entire Moluobu village so extreme?"

Rocks: "These nobles enjoy the protection of the Marines. From what I've seen, the Celestial Dragons are likely even worse than the nobles of the Oykot Kingdom."

Garp: "The scumbags in Oykot deserved to die. If I had been there, I would have done it myself."

"Hey, Garp, there are certain things you just can't say," Sengoku reminded sternly in the headquarters conference room.

"Just spit it out, what's the problem?" Garp's tone was heavy with frustration.

Seeing the grim expression and fiery glare in Garp's eyes, Sengoku realized there was little he could say to calm him down.

If Garp could rein in his temper out of fear of the Five Elders, he wouldn't be Garp.

"Well," Sengoku sighed, at a loss for words.

In his youth, he could have maintained order even in the face of such darkness. But since stepping down from the position of marshal, he had grown increasingly disenchanted with such matters.

"It's been five days since I left the Kingdom of Oykot," he added.

"The incident in the Oykot Kingdom has been labeled as the work of vicious pirates, and several arrest warrants have been issued, though only a few blurry photos have been circulated," he concluded.

The arrest warrant photos were so blurry that even comparing them face-to-face with Roja and the others wouldn't reveal any resemblance.

However, the bounty amounts were staggering. Fujitora's bounty reached 100 million Berries, Naguri's was 80 million Berries, and Roja's stood at 20 million Berries.

For newcomers, the rewards were exceptionally high. For pirates, such sums could bring joy for a long time, as to them, the reward held as much value as status or honor.

Roja glanced at the bounty in the newspaper briefly, but soon lost interest.

That evening, Roja and his companions arrived at Logue Town, their final stop for resupply before using Fujitora's abilities to cross the Red Line into North Blue.

In the quiet of the Logue Town night, Roja found himself lost in thought. Unable to sleep, he rose from his bed in the hotel and began to write a letter.

"To Gomon, Jimmy, and my fellow comrades of the Revolutionary Army of Goa Kingdom,

During my voyage to the Kingdom of Oykot, I bore witness to the ruthless suppression of a peasant uprising in Moluobu Village by the royal family. The streets ran red with blood, and only one survivor remained: a young girl named Belo Betty.

Why did the royal family of Oykot resort to such cruel and bloody measures? Simply because they perceived the peasant uprising as a challenge to their authority.

But what crime had the farmers of Moluobu Village committed? They struggled to survive under the weight of exorbitant taxes and oppressive economic conditions.

This matter has stirred many emotions within me.

Sincerely,

[Roja]"

"I personally believe that these nobles have grown complacent in their power, acting as if they are superior to others, sitting atop their thrones and paying no heed to the plight of the people.

When faced with such individuals, it is only fitting for the masses to oppose them and rise up in revolt. I find such actions most commendable.

Public uprisings should be welcomed, as they provide an opportunity to understand the grievances of the people and work towards solving their problems. Resorting to violent suppression is not advisable.

I hope you will take this as a warning."

After dawn, Roja emerged from the hotel and handed the letter to the postman, who would deliver it to the Kingdom of Goa.

With little delay, Roja and his crew set sail from Logue Town after restocking their supplies of food and fresh water.

As they sailed onward, they soon caught sight of the Red Line stretching into the sky and the awe-inspiring sight of the upside-down mountain once again.

"Follow the current straight up," Roja commanded.

Unlike last time, when he chose to follow the cross-sea caravan to investigate ordinary trade routes, this time Roja wanted to experience the phenomenon of the upwelling current near the Upside Down Mountain.

As the ship neared the Reversing Mountain and Waterway, Roja and his crew could feel the powerful undercurrents churning beneath the vessel.

The ship's speed increased as it surged towards the Upside Down Mountain.

At this moment, the ship's rudder could no longer alter its course, leaving them helpless as they approached the looming mountain.

Then, with a loud clang, the ship collided with the mountain.

At that moment, Fujitora unsheathed his stick sword, slashing through the air with precision. Several purple halos materialized alongside the ship, effortlessly altering its trajectory.

Guided by these adjustments, the ship smoothly navigated the reverse current of the Upside Down Mountain, steadily gaining speed. As the acceleration intensified, the wind whipped against their faces, pulling them back.

The sheer power of this reverse current was truly daunting to contemplate.

Driven by this incredible velocity, it wasn't long before the ship surged to the summit of the mountain, propelled by a massive splash of water.

Here, at the convergence of the four seas' currents, the impact was awe-inspiring.

Once again, it was Fujitora who intervened, using his abilities to suspend the entire ship in mid-air.

Once the ship stabilized, Roja retrieved his notes and began recording the details of their encounter with the Upside Down Mountain.

It was no wonder that traversing from the Four Seas to the Grand Line posed such a formidable challenge. The sheer force of the current here was enough to overwhelm ordinary ships entirely. Without proper experience, approaching the undercurrents could spell disaster, with vessels easily being swept into the Upside Down Mountain upon their approach.

Moreover, after navigating through this current, the challenge didn't end there. Ships had to carefully consider whether to descend into the downcurrent channel of the Grand Line, a feat even more challenging than entering the channel of the Reverse Mountain.

As Roja gazed out from the ship's altitude of thousands of meters, he couldn't help but cast his eyes towards the direction of East Blue.

To him, it had once been a desolate place. But now, as he looked back, he felt as though he could see a myriad of sparks, signifying the countless adventures that awaited in the vast expanse of the Grand Line.

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