After returning to Cocoa Village, Ryuen and his group led Hog and Leah into the house.
Bellemere looked at the two unfamiliar faces that had suddenly appeared, her face full of confusion.
She couldn't help but mumble to herself, "They've been gone so long and they brought back two strangers."
What surprised her even more was that the tall, over two-meter man was only fourteen years old!
"Ahem... Bellemere, this is the situation. They'll be living here from now on." Ryuen cleared his throat and started explaining to Bellemere.
Hog and Leah immediately bowed deeply when they heard this and said in unison, "Ms. Bellemere, please take care of us!"
Bellemere looked at the two polite people in front of her, her face breaking into a warm smile as she nodded slightly in welcome. "Welcome to our family. From now on, consider this place your home."
Hog and Leah's faces lit up with joy upon hearing these words. Since Bellemere had accepted them, it meant they finally had a warm home!
As expected, that evening, another barbecue party was held.
Although only two people had joined, the atmosphere of the entire party became unusually lively, filled with laughter and joy.
The next day, before dawn, Ryuen and the others eagerly dragged Hog and Leah out of their sleep and forced them, still half-asleep, into the training room.
"Do I... have to train too?" Leah rubbed her sleepy eyes, her tone uncertain.
"Of course!" Ryuen answered firmly.
"In the future, we'll face all kinds of dangers at sea, and we won't always be able to stay by your side. For your own good, and for all of us, you need to train!" he said, his gaze determined and his expression serious.
Upon hearing this, Leah paused for a moment before showing a hint of resolve. "I... I understand."
Then, Ryuen began to teach Hog and Leah in detail how to train their bodies.
He knew well that, as future companions on the ship, they needed to become strong enough to stand on their own to face the unknown challenges and dangers.
The peaceful days passed for over half a month.
During this time, Ryuen and the others hadn't gone to sea, and Hog and Leah's training was on track. Everything was progressing as planned.
But today, something seemed different.
Garp was back!
And this old guy had actually single-handedly replaced all the officers of the East Blue Marine Criminal Investigation Bureau!
"Vice Admiral Garp is amazing!" Ryuen said, genuinely impressed.
The title of Marine Hero was indeed something to be proud of. After all, it was the Marine Criminal Investigation Bureau, and Garp had managed to do this.
Ryuen couldn't help but feel admiration.
"Brat, I really want you to join us in the Marine. A promising junior like you should be with us!" Garp suddenly said seriously.
Standing beside him, Bogart, the legendary undefeated swordsman, looked shocked by Garp's words.
He didn't understand why Vice Admiral Garp was going to such lengths to recruit a junior who was only in his teens.
If Garp knew what Bogart was thinking, he would probably say, "What do you know? By recruiting this kid, we'll have a strong team in the future! Didn't you see that this time when we came to Cococcia Village, the team grew by two more people?"
But after hearing this, Ryuen furrowed his brow slightly.
Undoubtedly, Garp's sincerity was clear, but there were too many factions within the Marine, and Ryuen wasn't sure if joining now might lead to him eventually betraying the Marine.
To Ryuen, the Marine was just a violent organization that constantly claimed to be the embodiment of justice.
That's just how strange this world was.
From Ryuen's perspective, the Marine and pirates were like two different political ideologies in this world.
There is no right or wrong in this world—only different standpoints. If you stand on the opposite side of someone's interests, then you are their enemy!
Pirates are looting, and the Marines are doing the same. Even Green Bull said it himself: this world is led by the World Government. If you want to blame someone, blame it on the fact that you're not on our side.
But, there's always another way to solve things. It just depends on how we handle it when the time comes.
"Vice Admiral Garp, like I said before, we won't make any decisions before we come of age, but... for Bellemere's sake, there is a big chance we'll join the Marines," Ryuen said with a polite smile.
"Ah, I understand now. I'll be waiting for you at the Marine headquarters!" Garp said loudly, his face calm.
It seemed like Garp was already certain that Ryuen would join the Marines in the future. With that confidence, he quickly left Cocossia Village with Bogart.
Once Garp left, everyone in the house gathered in the training room.
"Ryuen, what did Vice Admiral Garp say to you?" Bellemere asked, her voice anxious.
"Bellemere, don't worry. Vice Admiral Garp is a good person. He won't harm us. He just told me about the outcome for Captain Nezumi," Ryuen replied softly as he came to his senses.
"Captain Nezumi?" Bellemere frowned, asking in confusion.
"Yes, Captain Nezumi brought a warship last time, trying to rob our Cocossia Village, right? Vice Admiral Garp came to give us an explanation about it," Ryuen said calmly.
Bellemere nodded, though she didn't fully understand.
That scene was still hard for her to accept.
She had retired from the Marines and believed in their justice, but that day's event could not be ignored.
A Marine branch leader, under the pretense of justice, came to rob the wealth of civilians. That was something Bellemere, a retired Marine, could not accept.
Moreover, the reason Vice Admiral Garp cared so much about this matter was, in the end, because of Ryuen and the others.
Otherwise, why would a normal civilian be worth Vice Admiral Garp's careful attention?
At most, they would just kill Mouse Captain. Explaining this matter wasn't necessary; getting rid of Mouse Captain would be the best solution.
"Alright, Bellemere, don't think too much about it. We'll know how to handle things in the future," Ryuen reassured her.
"Mm."
"Ryuen, and Nami, I know you'll both become famous figures on the sea one day. But when that time comes, before making any decisions, you have to think things through carefully, okay?" Bellemere said with concern.
"We understand, Bellemere!"
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