Moge walked slowly toward Old Man Ville’s wooden hut.
Back then, it was this old man who had fished him out of the sea.
However, the original Moge was already on his last breath; as soon as he was rescued, his soul was completely devoured and replaced by jack, who had traveled from another world.
The old man knew nothing of these secrets and still believed that he had pulled the child back from the gates of hell himself.
Before long, he reached the edge of the village.
A simple but tidy little wooden hut stood under a tree.
A white-haired, hunched old man sat in a rocking chair at the door, slowly sipping tea, his gaze fixed deeply on the sea.
Moge walked straight over and got straight to the point.
“Old man, did you need something from me?”
Old Man Ville didn’t speak immediately.
His cloudy eyes quietly sized him up for a long time before he spoke in a cold tone, “I’ve taught you for six years.
When you go out to make a name for yourself on the sea in the future, don’t embarrass me.”
Moge was long accustomed to this cold attitude.
He casually pulled over a chair and sat down, his tone carrying a hint of natural confidence.
“Who knows my current level better than you?
After all, you taught me yourself.”
He paused, his voice rising slightly with a hint of sharpness.
“I’ve long mastered the Flying Slash; I’m a genuine Swordsman.
My mastery of both types of Haki is also solid.
Even in the New World, I wouldn’t be considered weak.”
Old Man Ville sneered, his face full of disdain.
“Just this much ability?
You’re still far from it.
Back in my day, I…”
Moge immediately raised a hand to interrupt.
“Alright, alright, I’m tired of hearing about your glorious past.
I know you were powerful back then; you don’t need to mention it every day.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“You didn’t call me here just to nag about this, did you?”
“You brat, how dare you talk to me like that?
I’m passing on experience to you,” Old Man Ville said with great dissatisfaction.
Moge curled his lip and casually picked his ear.
“Old man, I’ve heard those glorious histories of yours eight hundred times; I know them by heart.
Just tell me, what do you want?”
“You bastard, I…” Old Man Ville was about to glare and start cursing, but he suddenly stopped and said flatly, “Forget it.
I called you here to give you something.
You’re about to set out to sea, and this will be useful to you.”
As he spoke, he fished out an old booklet from behind the rocking chair and handed it over.
“This is…
the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.” Moge reached out to take it, his fingertips tightening slightly as he froze on the spot.
“Hey, old man, how do you have this thing?
You’ve hidden it quite well!”
It was no wonder he was shocked.
The Devil Fruit Encyclopedia was something that seemed to be everywhere in the anime in his past life, but in this world, it was a true rarity.
It wasn’t something just any random person could produce.
Even though the old man had said he’d been in the New World before, Moge had only assumed he was an ordinary pirate.
Now that an encyclopedia had been tossed his way, he couldn’t help but think more about it.
In the original story, who among those who possessed an encyclopedia wasn’t a top-tier power?
The Vinsmoke Family, the Rocks Pirates…
which one of them was a simple character?
Old Man Ville remained calm, as if he had just handed over a stone from the roadside.
“I told you long ago that I was a famous figure in the New World back then.
This encyclopedia is something I personally copied when I was with Captain Rocks.”
“…”
Moge was silent for a moment, then directly rolled his eyes.
“You only said you’d been in the New World before; you never said you followed Rocks.
Besides, with you, old man, how can I tell which of your words are true and which are false?”
Despite his words, his hands were already gripping the encyclopedia tightly.
“But whatever, since you have such good stuff, I won’t complain about you.
Any other treasures?
Why don’t you give them all to me?”
Old Man Ville’s face immediately darkened, his beard bristling and eyes bulging.
“You brat!
I’ve taught you everything I should, and I even gave you the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
What else do you want?”
Moge said with a grin, “Anyway, you don’t have any children, so you’ll have to rely on me to take care of you in your old age.
After venturing through the New World for so many years, didn’t you manage to snag a few Devil Fruits or some Famous Blades?”
“No!
You brat, take your things and get lost already.
Looking at you just makes me angry!” Old Man Ville roared.
After cursing, the old man leaned back in his rocking chair.
Looking at the sky as it gradually turned pitch black, his voice suddenly softened, carrying a hint of imperceptible huskiness.
“I won’t be there to see you off when you set sail tomorrow.
Remember…
on the sea, don’t trust anyone easily.
Kill when you must, don’t be soft-hearted, don’t hesitate, don’t…”
At this moment, Moge’s expression was exceptionally serious.
He listened quietly to the old man’s rambling instructions without interrupting once.
He knew better than anyone that this seemingly harsh nagging was filled with concern for him.
For the past six years, the old man had treated him no differently than a biological grandson.
When Old Man Ville finally finished speaking, Moge slowly stood up.
Thump—
His knees hit the ground heavily as he respectfully kowtowed three times to the old man.
“Old man, thank you for saving my life all those years ago, and thank you for your constant guidance.
I definitely won’t let you down.
I will become a new legend of this sea.”
Moge was already in tears, his voice choking up.
“Just wait here for me to come back and take care of you in your final years!”
Watching the usually resolute youth crying uncontrollably and hearing these heartfelt words of gratitude, that face, which was normally cold and expressionless, finally couldn’t help but be slightly moved.
His eyes grew slightly hot, and tears almost overflowed, but he forced them back and scolded in a deep voice, “What are you crying for!
Men of the sea only bleed, they don’t shed tears!
Show some of the dignity of a Swordsman!”
The next day, the weather was clear.
Moge, accompanied by Carina, walked slowly toward the seaside.
A small but sturdy single-masted sailing ship was already quietly docked at the island’s shore.
The shore was already crowded with people.
Almost the entire village, young and old, had come.
Led by the village chief, they waited quietly to see them off.
Moge stopped, bowed deeply to the villagers, and gave a salute.
“Thank you all for taking care of me for all these years.”
The village chief walked forward leaning on his cane and patted him gently on the shoulder, his tone kind and solemn.
“Moge, my boy, we’ve watched you grow up.
You’ve long been family to our village; there’s no need for such formality.”
The old man paused, his gaze drifting toward the vast sea before returning to the youth.
“After you head out to sea, make something of yourself.
If you ever feel wronged or things aren’t going well out there, come back anytime.
This will always be your home.”
Moge nodded heavily, his eyes growing warm.
“I’ll remember, Chief.
This will always be my home.”
This remote island and these simple villagers were the first places where he felt warmth after traveling to this world.
Six years of companionship had made them like family.
Carina, standing beside him, also bowed slightly and said softly, “Thank you all for your constant care.”
The village chief looked at the now elegant and beautiful Carina and smiled with relief.
“The little girl who used to follow behind you has grown so much now.”
He turned to Moge, his tone carrying more of an instruction.
“On the way, you must protect her well.”
Moge’s eyes sharpened, his tone absolutely certain.
“Of course.
She is my most important partner.”
The village chief nodded with satisfaction, took a step back, and waved his hand.
“Alright, it’s getting late.
Set sail as soon as possible!”