Chapter 28 - Home, Hope, and Helping Hands

After returning home, Coby began contemplating his next steps. His main goal of returning to his hometown had been achieved, but he had to decide whether to go somewhere else or stay temporarily in the village.

While Coby was pondering alone, the roof of his parents' house suddenly collapsed due to its old age and lack of maintenance over the years. Seeing the nearly dilapidated condition of the house, Coby decided to stay there temporarily.

"For some time, staying here seems fine. Fixing this house will be my next task," Coby said with determination.

Coby went to the village to buy the necessary tools for repairing the house. He hoped that there would be some simple tools available in the village.

Upon arriving at the village, Coby realized that the trial regarding the bandits, conducted by the villagers, had concluded. It was decided that the bandits would work for free to help the villagers repair the damages they had caused and return all the stolen possessions to the villagers.

Coby didn't say anything about the decision. He had fought the bandits solely to assist the villagers with his own strength, without expecting any rewards.

Observing the situation in the village, Village Head Gyuro saw Coby in the crowd of villagers. He approached Coby and loudly proclaimed, "Listen, everyone! This is the child who single-handedly fought the bandits. He is Coby, the son of Masaru and Yumi."

Coby was taken aback by Gyuro's words. Everyone began looking at him.

Feeling overwhelmed by so many people looking at him simultaneously, Coby was momentarily confused about what to do.

Then, a woman approached Coby and said, "Are you Coby, Masaru-san's child? I didn't expect you to have grown this much, Coby. Thank you so much for defeating those bandits."

After the woman, one by one, the villagers expressed their heartfelt gratitude. Coby could only respond with simple words and felt somewhat shy that it wasn't a big deal for him.

Coby witnessed the happiness radiating from the faces of the villagers after the bandits were captured. In his heart, he reflected, "It's truly heartwarming to see the joy of the villagers. With the power I possess, I believe I can do more and help the less fortunate in this world."

Indeed, the world of One Piece is not a perfect world. Many cruel things are not depicted in the anime. Only the strong have a voice in this world, and many innocent civilians like the villagers suffer due to the advent of the pirate era and the emergence of criminals like the bandits.

But with the knowledge and power I possess, I hope I can help many people. It may be a difficult goal, and many people may question why I would save people I don't even know, but I consider this to be the One Piece world that I've always dreamed of in my previous life. I hope everyone can also enjoy this world with the same feeling that I have.

After pondering on these thoughts, Coby felt a newfound power encompassing his body. Despite the heavy burden he carried, he felt that it didn't matter because that was the purpose he had determined in this world.

A few moments later, Coby stopped contemplating everything and focused his attention on his initial goal: buying the tools to repair his parents' house.

Village Head Gyuro heard about Coby's goal of purchasing the tools and willingly offered his assistance, along with the villagers who overheard.

They were eager to help Coby rebuild his parents' house. They felt that it was their way of repaying Coby for saving their village from the bandits' evil deeds.

Coby didn't refuse the villagers' offer of help. He

realized that his ability to repair houses was limited, but he still strived to do his best in some of the rough tasks he could handle.

After Coby and the villagers arrived at his parents' house, they began working together to repair the devastated home.

Thanks to the physical strength he had trained for over four years, Coby quickly cleared the debris and ruins of the house. The villagers were greatly amazed by Coby's strength. He simply smiled shyly in response to their praise.

By the end of the day, the house had been fully repaired. Since its size wasn't too large and its structure wasn't too complex, the house was quickly restored to its former state, following the design that Coby remembered.

I smiled with happiness seeing the house restored to its former glory, watching the villagers express their gratitude for the help they had given.

"Coby, the house has been repaired. How about celebrating all the good things that happened today with a feast?" suggested one of the villagers. Everyone agreed to the idea, and of course, I didn't mind either.

Upon hearing the plan for a celebration as an expression of gratitude for all the goodness that had occurred that day, the entire village rushed to the center of the village to prepare all the necessary items.

Suddenly, an interesting idea crossed my mind, and I smiled with an implied meaning that only I knew.

After some time, night fell, and the villagers were ready with a bonfire and other provisions to start the feast.

I arrived carrying a large piece of meat, and the villagers were astonished by its size. One of them asked where I had obtained the meat.

I simply replied that I had managed to catch a stray Sea King and acquired this meat as a result.

Everyone stared at me in awe, their mouths wide open, taken aback by my casual remark. "Hahaha, my plan to surprise them worked."

When I realized the silence that enveloped the surroundings, I exclaimed loudly, "Come on, let's start this feast!"

The villagers, regaining their awareness, began to get excited upon hearing my voice. "Let's Gooooo start the celebration!"