Chapter 236: Alice
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Shuigu Ancient Town was filled with relics, their age and mystery adding an aura of intrigue.
Aoki wasn't certain which ruins might contain the devil fruit, so he could only let Robin explore at her own pace.
This process was bound to take time.
But neither of them was in a hurry.
Robin was thoroughly enjoying herself, immersed in the ruins' historical significance.
As for Aoki, he was confident. If the mythical zoa Bat-Bat Fruit Model: Vampire truly existed on the island, he would find it eventually. It wasn't going anywhere.
On the first day, the two did little else but wander around the island.
Robin identified several ruins that appeared to hold significant historical value, marking them as top priorities for exploration.
However, her evaluation was based on a historian's perspective and had little to do with the likelihood of finding a devil fruit.
As night fell, they settled into an abandoned building in the ancient town.
The darkness inside the building was soon banished by bright, floating lights.
Brooms, dustpans, mops, rags, and other cleaning tools moved through the air as if by magic. Water swirled and flowed, scrubbing the floors and walls. In no time, the once-dusty room was spotless.
"I didn't expect the ability of the Float-Float Fruit could be used like this," Robin remarked, a mixture of amusement and amazement in her expression.
Aoki leaned back on the sofa, his tone casual. "What, you've never seen household chores done this efficiently?"
Still, controlling so many objects simultaneously with such precision wasn't an easy task, even for someone like him.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
The two exchanged a glance.
The cleaning tools froze mid-air. Aoki stood up and walked to the door, opening it to reveal Alice standing outside, her red hair glowing in the light. Her ample figure seemed even more pronounced, emphasized by her imposing presence. Behind her were two men carrying supplies.
"General Alice? Is something the matter?" Aoki asked.
"I noticed you arrived empty-handed, so I figured you probably didn't have any daily necessities. Take these; you'll need them."
Alice waved her hand, signaling the two men to bring in the supplies.
Aoki glanced at the haul: personal care items, rice, flour, grains, oil—everything they might need.
"Thank you, General Alice," Aoki said sincerely.
"You're welcome. Since you're in potential danger because of us, it's our responsibility to look after you. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to let me know," Alice replied before turning to leave.
Robin stepped up beside Aoki, watching Alice and her companions disappear into the night.
"Their ship was destroyed, yet they're still providing for so many people. They can't have much in the way of supplies left," Robin observed.
"I'll make sure to send them some later," Aoki replied thoughtfully.
Although they'd come to the island with nothing, Aoki's personal storage in the alternate space was overflowing with necessities.
---
The building chosen by Aoki and Robin was situated in the heart of Shuigu Ancient Town. Alice and her group, on the other hand, had set up camp in the northern part of the town, closer to the coast.
As soon as Alice returned to her camp, a visitor arrived at her door.
A middle-aged man covered in dust stepped inside. His thinning hair gave him an aged appearance, but his sharp eyes suggested otherwise.
"Huck, what brings you here so late?" Alice asked, trying to sound casual.
"Your Highness—General, it's not late. It's just getting dark," Huck corrected her, his tone matter-of-fact.
Alice winced slightly, realizing her slip-up.
Huck, ignoring her reaction, continued, "I came because there's a problem. A significant amount of supplies are missing from the warehouse—two bags of rice, a barrel of oil, and four sets of daily necessities are gone."
Alice's eyes darted to the side.
"I... I gave them to Mr. Aoki and Ms. Robin," she admitted hesitantly.
"Aoki? The archaeologist who arrived today?" Huck asked, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.
"Yes," Alice confirmed.
Huck sighed deeply. "If you wanted to help them, you could have at least consulted me first. Why give away so much at once? What are we supposed to eat now?"
"They're scholars. They don't have the skills to survive in the wild. What's wrong with helping them out?" Alice argued defensively.
Huck shook his head. "General, have you forgotten our situation? We barely have enough to sustain ourselves."
Alice fell silent, guilt flickering across her face. After a moment, she spoke firmly. "Don't worry, Huck. I'll make it right. I'll catch more fish next time, and I promise I won't let anyone go hungry."
"How can I let you, the general, go fishing yourself?" Huck protested. "I'll assign someone else to do it."
Alice frowned.
"At this point, why bother with my identity? I'm the strongest here and can catch the most fish—"
Huck interrupted her firmly.
"This isn't about your identity, General. It's precisely because you are the strongest that you need to conserve your energy. What if you exhaust yourself fishing and the enemy attacks suddenly?"
Alice's momentum faltered, and she reluctantly relented.
"All right then," she said, sighing.
Huck turned to leave but paused as if struck by a sudden thought.
"General, have you confirmed the identities of those two archaeologists? Could they be spies sent by the enemy?"
Alice froze, a flicker of guilt crossing her face. "Why would you think that? I don't believe they're bad people!"
Huck rubbed his temples, clearly frustrated.
---
By dawn, Robin was already up and ready.
"I'm heading out!" she called, grabbing her backpack and stepping outside.
It wasn't until the sun was fully up that Aoki finally stirred.
Since arriving at Shuigu Ancient Town, life had taken on an unusually leisurely pace.
The ancient town posed no immediate danger, and Robin, with her magical equipment, could handle herself just fine. She no longer needed Aoki's constant protection.
No enemies, no missions, no battles to fight—Aoki suddenly found himself with little to do.
He didn't require food, water, or even sleep, but the lack of activity was so tranquil it bordered on boring.
As Aoki stepped out of the building, he spotted a familiar face approaching him.
"Mr. Aoki!"
It was the young man with the high forehead, waving enthusiastically.
"Mr. Evan, on patrol again?" Aoki greeted him with a nod.
Living in the small town meant that while Aoki hadn't gone out of his way to make friends, he had naturally grown familiar with certain people, especially Evan and General Alice.
After exchanging pleasantries, Aoki wandered off, casually exploring the ancient town.
Unlike his calm demeanor, the atmosphere on the island grew increasingly tense as the days passed.
Alice, who had previously visited Aoki and Robin daily, had been too busy to see them at all over the last two days, working tirelessly from dawn until late at night.
This change didn't go unnoticed by Aoki.
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His wandering thoughts were interrupted when he looked up.
On the distant shoreline, a group of people was busy at work amidst a mess of scattered wood.
At the center of the chaos was a crooked, shuttle-shaped structure.
Alice's group was divided into two teams. One group patrolled the island, ensuring the enemy wouldn't catch them unaware. The other was fully focused on shipbuilding.
Aoki squinted at the odd-looking "shuttle," taking a moment to realize it was supposed to be a ship.
"It looks even worse than the one I made," he thought to himself, suppressing a sigh.
Of course, the circumstances for both were entirely different.
Aoki's project had been a small, three-to-four-meter boat where functionality didn't matter—it didn't even need to float properly.
Alice's team, however, was trying to construct a ship over ten meters long.
Their goal wasn't ambition but necessity.
With over fifty people to accommodate, a smaller vessel would be insufficient. Moreover, the harsh climate of the New World demanded larger, sturdier ships capable of withstanding treacherous conditions.
Even so, by New World standards, a ten-meter ship was still considered tiny. For comparison, the old ship Aoki and Robin had purchased was over twenty meters long.
Building a ship over ten meters was no easy feat, especially for Alice's group, who were clearly amateurs.
Lacking technical skills, blueprints, proper tools, and even sufficient materials, constructing a seaworthy vessel under these conditions was a nightmare.
Yet, despite these obstacles, they had managed to produce something resembling a ship in such a short time.
Aoki silently acknowledged their effort, thinking, For complete outsiders, this is impressive.
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