Chapter 30: Wrath
"What are you talking about? We're nakama. Why can't you share your problems with me?" Kado grimaced, "If you're planning to get revenge on that fatty, count me in. I'm not afraid of trouble."
"Heh, if I wanted to make that fatty suffer, I would've already made him wish he were never born. I'm just going to pay respects to Mr. Bakrov," Fite smiled bitterly.
"Hey, are you crazy? That guy signed a mortgage agreement with your family, and now your ancestors' graves are about to be dug up. How can you still want to pay respects to him?" Kado was puzzled. In his opinion, Bakrov was probably not a good person.
"You can't say that. Mr. Bakrov treated my grandfather very well and did a lot for my family. It's just that by the time he got old, he had handed most of the family affairs over to his son, that fat guy from earlier. Even though Mr. Bakrov wanted to directly help my family with money, the pressure from his family made him compromise and sign the mortgage agreement with us. If it weren't for his past kindness, I might've died long ago," Fite couldn't help but recall the past. Even though he was very young then, his grandfather had told him a lot about it. Mr. Bakrov had been very caring when he was a child. If it wasn't for the family's pressure, he might not have been driven out of Moonlight Island and forced to wander on his own at such a young age.
"Oh, so that Bakrov guy was actually a good person?" Kado changed the subject and asked, "By the way, do you know where Mr. Bakrov was buried?"
"I think he was likely buried on this island. He once said that he wanted to witness the day our family succeeded, the day my parents returned after conquering the Grand Line. Even after his death, he preferred to be buried here rather than on the filthy, greed-filled Bakrov Island," Fite said, lost in reminiscence. It seemed he was recalling the moment when the elderly Mr. Bakrov spoke these words with unwavering determination. At that time, disillusioned with power and material gain, he resolutely stepped down from the position of head of the Bakrov family. He wanted no part in the family's disputes over profit and power, and he even refused to have his body buried on the Bakrov family's land, the stench of greed on Bakrov Island.
"What a truly admirable old man," Kado thought to himself with growing respect. "How many people in this world could let go of their greed for money and power and willingly live as an ordinary elder?"
"Yes, indeed," Fite replied with a faint smile. "I think if I can find the old steward of the Bakrov family, he might know where Mr. Bakrov is buried. After paying my respects to him, I'll likely leave for good. Until I have the Grand Line's records and fulfill my family's generations-old dream, I truly won't have the face to return here!" Fite looked skyward, as if addressing the spirits of his parents, and spoke each word with firm resolve.
.....
At the back of Honeymoon Island, in front of a secluded and rarely visited courtyard, Kado and Fite arrived after asking for directions. According to the island's guards, this was supposed to be where the old steward lived.
The run-down courtyard was overgrown with weeds and covered in dust. Spiderwebs adorned the doors and windows, making it appear completely abandoned.
"Is anyone here? Old steward, are you home?"
Kado called out a few times, but there was no response.
Fite pulled out a handful of dew-covered weeds from the nearby grass and began sweeping away the cobwebs from the door and windows. As he cleaned, he made his way into the house.
"I'm not dead yet! Go tell that bastard Loklav I'm still alive!"
A weak and aged voice suddenly rang out, startling Kado.
"Grandpa Steward, you're really here!" Fite exclaimed upon hearing the voice. He threw away the weeds in his hand and rushed into the house, ignoring the thick cobwebs.
"What? You're not one of Loklav's lackeys checking if I'm dead?" The voice spoke again, accompanied by the sound of someone getting out of bed.
"Grandpa Steward, it's me! It's little Fite!" Fite rushed forward and helped the frail figure struggling to sit up on the bed.
"Fite, are you Andre... Fite? Are you really Fite? Quickly, light a lamp! Let me take a good look at you. Little Fite, am I dreaming? Have you really come back? I never thought you'd return. I never thought I'd live to see this day. I thought it was impossible. I thought I wouldn't make it, that the master wouldn't make it, that this island wouldn't make it. Light a lamp, light a lamp! I must see clearly with my own eyes. Is this some cruel joke from that bastard Loklav? Or is it Heaven granting my final wish, creating an illusion?"
The old man clutched Fite's clothes desperately, his voice trembling as he shouted, "Light a lamp! Why is this room so dark?"
Fite held onto the old man, unable to hold back his sobs. Kado finally snapped into action, opening the long-sealed doors and windows. Sunlight poured into the room, brightening it and washing away the air of decay.
"It's real... it's real! It really is little Fite! I've lived to see this day. I didn't wait in vain. I made it! Master, I made it! I truly made it!"
An elderly man with gray hair and a face full of wrinkles had tears streaming from his cloudy eyes, soaking the dirty and disheveled clothes on his chest. He cupped Fite's face with his hands, carefully examining him while muttering to himself.
"Grandpa, it's me, Fite of the Andre family. I can't believe this. What's going on? Was this that bastard Loklav's doing? How dare he leave a loyal servant of the Bakrov family to rot here waiting to die! I'll kill him. I swear, no matter what, he's dead," Fite said, wiping the tears from the old man's face, his eyes blazing with fiery determination.
"Yes, he deserves to die. He should be dismembered and made to kneel before the master's grave to repent. He's a bastard! You must kill him! He's no longer the kind Loklav from his youth; he's a devil, a heartless devil," the old man shouted, his voice filled with rage as though he wished he could tear Loklav apart with his bare hands.
"Grandpa, let me help you to the yard. I'll clean up for you. I'll cook for you. How have you become so thin? I have food now. I have money now. I'll take care of you. I'm not the child I once was. I've grown up. I have companions now. I have people I cherish. I have the ability to achieve my dreams. I can write invaluable records now. I've grown up, and I can take care of you now," Fite rambled, pouring out his emotions, his words a torrent of feelings that seemed endless, as though no number of words could convey all that he wanted to say.
"Good child, just seeing you is enough for me. I'm content, and I'm at peace. The master would be at peace too. Just being able to wait for this day makes me feel fulfilled. I don't ask for much more. To see you, to fulfill the master's last wish entrusted to me—that makes me the most qualified, the most competent steward. I have not failed the master's final wish," the old man said, his trembling hands stroking Fite's face as he began to recount his experiences over the years, speaking each word with care.
From the old man's story, Kado pieced together the rough outline of what had happened.
It turned out that before Fite was forced to leave Honeymoon Island, he had been heartbroken over his grandfather's passing. At that time, Mr. Bakrov was already gravely ill. Unable to bear the thought of young Fite suffering persecution on the island after his own death, the old man had sent him away in advance. Despite his wealth and access to top-tier medical care, which could have extended his life by at least another year, Mr. Bakrov was driven to his deathbed prematurely. Loklav, in his ambition to seize full control of the Bakrov family, had revealed a shocking secret at Mr. Bakrov's bedside.
The secret was that the branch of the Adam Tree sold to the Andre family had already been tampered with. The grand ship built at the cost of tens of billions was also sabotaged. That ship was never capable of conquering the Grand Line. In fact, it would struggle even to reach the New World!
Loklav had committed such heinous and inhumane acts solely because he coveted Honeymoon Island. He didn't want the Andre family to return, didn't want them to succeed. He wanted the island for himself—this beautiful, idyllic island with its perfect scenery and climate.
When Mr. Bakrov discovered this, his health rapidly deteriorated. On his deathbed, he confided all the secrets to the old steward, entrusting him with his final wish: to wait for Fite's return and to fulfill his sole dying request. Mr. Bakrov left Fite a letter and a piece of parchment.
The letter was filled with regret, apologies, and rage toward his own son. As Fite read the now-yellowed letter, his tears fell, smudging the already faint writing.
The parchment contained Mr. Bakrov's will, written in his capacity as the head of the Bakrov family. The will declared that Honeymoon Island, originally known as Androka Island, should be returned to the Andre family—and to Andre Fite—after his death.
This will had been prepared back when Mr. Bakrov was still the family head. From the start, he had no intention of taking the Andre family's Honeymoon Island permanently. The mortgage agreement had been signed only under pressure, and he had written this will at the same time as a countermeasure.
After learning the truth, Fite's entire body trembled. His teeth clenched tightly, veins bulged on his forehead, seemingly on the verge of bursting.
"I really dislike that fat man. He's such scum," Kado remarked before turning to leave.
"He's as good as dead," Fite declared.
End of chapter
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