Lured by the temptation of food, the siblings gradually let down their guard and sat down with Ryuen and the others.
After some conversation, Ryuen and the others learned more about the siblings' background.
The boy's name was Hog, though calling him a boy was no longer accurate. At just 14 years old, he was already taller than Ryuen, standing at an impressive 2.7 meters!
The girl was named Leah, and she was four years younger than her brother. Compared to Hog's towering height, Leah was only 1.3 meters tall.
Ever since Cozia Island was destroyed by Germa 66, there weren't many people left in their village. After continuous battles, only the two siblings remained.
What Ryuen and the others saw at the village entrance today was something Hog had done himself, and the people who died were from the neighboring village.
As for why the neighboring village sent people to deal with the siblings, it was because of Hog's abilities and talent. His father had been a skilled shipbuilder, and Hog had inherited his father's talent!
So, the people from the neighboring village wanted to capture Hog and have him build ships for them.
To do so, they first captured Hog's sister, but they hadn't expected Hog to be so strong. He managed to rescue Leah and drove off the neighboring village's team.
This event had happened a few days ago, and today Hog was out looking for food. He hadn't expected to run into Ryuen and the others when he returned.
This guy's a shipbuilder!!
No wonder he was so tall and strong. Although Ryuen could easily block his attacks, in terms of raw strength, Hog wasn't any weaker than Kuina and the other girls.
And to think, he hadn't even trained and already had this kind of strength!
This guy is a talent!
Ryuen thought they couldn't let this guy go. Plus, they were going to need a shipbuilder on their crew, and Hog seemed perfect for the job!
"Since you're a shipbuilder, why don't you just build a ship and leave?" Nojiko asked, a bit confused.
"I can't. The wood here isn't up to shipbuilding standards, and I don't have enough materials. I've been looking for enough resources. As long as I can leave Cozia Island, I can take my sister and survive!" Hog said seriously.
Now that Cozia Island had been destroyed, the entire system had collapsed. The survivors were constantly fighting each other, and most importantly, there was no communication with the outside world. Trading ships were no longer a possibility.
So, staying on the island meant waiting for death.
"Hog, how about you come with us? You can be our shipbuilder. Of course, your sister can come with us too," Ryuen said, looking at Hog with a burning gaze.
The four girls were a bit surprised, but then they quickly realized they really would need a shipbuilder!
Hog and Leah were both stunned. Was this an offer to join them?
"Hey! Say something! Look at your sister, she's almost skin and bones! If this keeps up, it's only going to get worse. So, coming with us is the best choice right now," Ryuen continued, seeing that Hog was still in shock.
When Ryuen mentioned his sister, Hog looked at Leah. She had indeed gotten very thin due to a lack of food, and his own situation wasn't much better.
It was one thing for him to go hungry, but his sister couldn't bear it. He had promised his parents he would take care of her!
"I... I agree! Leah and I will come with you!" Hog made up his mind.
Seeing Hog agree, Ryuen and the others were overjoyed. Now they had a shipbuilder for their future ship, and they had found two more allies.
"Great! Then… to celebrate Hog and Leah joining, let's have a feast!" Ryuen happily announced.
"A feast?"
"That's right! A feast!"
"Yay! We're having a feast~~~"
Immediately, Nami opened her space and pulled out lots of food, milk, and juice. A joyful feast began at Rigal's house!
The most excited were of course Hog and Leah, who hadn't had such delicious food in a long time.
As the feast was winding down, Ryuen sensed some unusual movement outside the village entrance. Dozens of people were sneaking in, slowly making their way into the village.
"Someone's coming!" Kuina stood up quickly.
Hog and Leah immediately became tense, while Nami, Nojiko, and Daisy also furrowed their brows. But Ryuen looked a little surprised.
Kuina had learned Observation Haki? When did this happen?
"It's definitely people from the neighboring village. I knew they wouldn't give up!" Hog said seriously.
Leah was a little scared and hid behind her brother.
"Don't worry. We're strong, remember? Let's go take care of them!" Ryuen said calmly.
Hog's eyes brightened. That's right! Ryuen was very strong! He relaxed and then, the seven of them headed straight for the village entrance.
"Rigal!"
"I didn't think you'd still dare to come!" Hog said angrily when he saw the leader of the group.
It was this guy who came up with the idea to capture his sister a few days ago. Thankfully, he wasn't foolish and secretly rescued her first.
Otherwise, both he and his sister would have been at the mercy of these guys.
"Hehehe, Hog, last time we were careless, but this time we've joined forces with people from two villages. Are you still going to resist?" Rigal sneered, his eyes full of contempt and confidence.
Despite having more people this time, they looked like a group of young, inexperienced faces. They were just kids, not a threat at all!
This time, he had gathered over fifty people from two villages!
Even if Hog was strong, there's no way he could take on so many people!
As long as they could capture Hog, they could set sail smoothly and become real pirates!
And Rigal would become the captain of a pirate crew with the strength of dozens of people!
At that point, he'd be able to enjoy all the pleasures and riches without a care. Just thinking about it, Rigal couldn't hide his excitement and had a wide grin on his face.
"This guy must be delusional. Let's get rid of them and move on to the next place," Ryuen said, quickly covering his eyes.
It was too cringe-worthy~~~
Ryuen had no interest in this arrogant, overconfident guy.
As soon as Ryuen finished speaking, Nami and the others dashed out. Seeing them move, Hobart wasn't about to fall behind. He swung his axe and charged in!
"Ah!!"
"Ugh!!"
"Hog! We're sorry! We won't try to hurt you anymore, please let us go!"
The five of them crushed the group in an instant, and soon the air was filled with screams and pleas for mercy.
Leah, a little scared, instinctively hid behind Ryuen.
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