Syris hadn't expected the little boy, Algren, to already know his true identity. This realization struck him deeply—the entire village had known he was a pirate, yet they had chosen to accept him. Their kindness wasn't born out of fear but genuine acceptance of him as a person, flaws and all.
"Don't forget, Syris," an elderly voice called out. "I'm from the same era as you."
An old, hunched man emerged from the crowd. It was the village chief.
"Village Chief, you..." Syris's voice cracked as tears streamed down his face.
"I knew who you were from the day you arrived," the chief admitted. "In our conversations, I understood your wish to live a peaceful life, so I respected it."
Syris was overwhelmed. The tears he had held back for years flowed freely now.
The chief turned to Satoru. "Young Navy man, we will not let you take away our family."
The villagers, led by the chief, stood protectively in front of Syris. Their unwavering resolve took Satoru by surprise.
"Family..." Satoru muttered, momentarily dazed. He had expected fear and rejection once the villagers learned of Syris's past. Instead, he found loyalty and acceptance.
"You're all harboring a pirate," Satoru finally said, though without his usual conviction. "I have the authority to arrest everyone here."
But not a single villager budged. Their collective determination to protect Syris was unshakable.
Satoru sighed. "This is really troublesome."
At that moment, Syris spoke up. "Everyone, listen to me." His voice was firm, commanding attention.
The villagers turned to him, and even Satoru paused to hear him out.
"I know you want to protect me," Syris said, "but I've made mistakes—terrible ones. I need to atone for what I've done."
"No, Grandpa Riel!" Algren cried, clinging to Syris's leg. "You can't leave! You promised to teach me to become stronger!"
"Yeah! You're not a pirate to us, Uncle Riel—you're our hero!" another villager shouted.
Satoru felt the weight of their emotions. For a moment, he felt like the villain in this scenario.
"You're all making this really difficult for me," Satoru muttered, scratching the back of his head.
"You bad guy!" Algren shouted, glaring fiercely at Satoru. "Leave our village!"
Caught between his duty and the villagers' pleas, Satoru sighed. "Alright, fine. It's like I never came here."
The villagers erupted in relieved cheers, and Syris let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"But," Satoru interrupted, raising a hand, "I have one condition."
The atmosphere tensed again.
"What do you want?" the village chief asked cautiously. "As long as it's within our power, we won't refuse."
Satoru crouched down to Algren's eye level. "Hey, kid, what's your name?"
"Algren," the boy answered confidently, despite the tears in his eyes.
"Alright, Algren," Satoru said with a grin. "Here's my condition: after learning everything Syris—no, Riel—teaches you, you'll join the Navy and become a good marine."
The villagers exchanged surprised glances, having expected something far worse.
"I promise!" Algren declared. "It's been my dream to join the Navy, and Grandpa Riel always said I should."
"Good," Satoru said, standing up. "Then it's settled. But remember, if you don't join the Navy, I'll come back for Riel—and this time, I'll take him straight to Impel Down."
"I'll do it!" Algren shouted. "I'll become a Navy admiral someday!"
Satoru smirked. "I'll hold you to that."
He turned to Syris. "Take good care of this kid, senior. He has potential. Who knows? He might even surpass you one day."
Before anyone could respond, Satoru's figure vanished, leaving the villagers and Syris in stunned silence.
---
Back on the warship, Satoru reappeared, startling the crew.
The vice admiral approached cautiously. "Sir, you came back empty-handed... Did the mission fail?"
"Hand me the Den Den Mushi," Satoru said. "I'll report to the Marshal myself."
When Sengoku answered, Satoru wasted no time. "Marshal Sengoku, let me guess—you sent me after Syris because he used *that* move on you back in the day, didn't you?"
There was a long silence on the other end before a resigned voice grumbled, "Just get back here, Satoru."