West Blue, the Kai Family's ancestral home. The island's full name was quite long: "The Island of God-Given Sunlight and Hope," reflecting the meaning of Kai D. Yasa's name.
The island wasn't particularly large. It had once been bustling with activity when the Kai Family resided there, but after they ventured into the Grand Line for trade, contact was lost. The family's servants gradually departed, leaving the island deserted.
After a long journey spanning half the world, Yasa followed his fading memories and finally returned to this "home" after several days.
Stepping onto the weed-choked, moss-covered ground, he gazed at the dilapidated castle in the distance.
The iron gates were rusted beyond recognition, the once-clear windows shattered, and the courtyard flowers long dead, buried beneath a blanket of weeds. It was clear no one had maintained the place in years.
"If it's broken, it's broken," Yasa murmured, his fragmented memories stirring a sense of melancholy. "The world is vast. Where can't one make a home?"
Creak...
The iron gate dragged open with a grating screech that made his teeth ache.
Yasa entered the castle, retrieving the sapphire necklace he had carried for many years.
This necklace, a gift from his parents, was said to unlock the basement treasury.
He had no interest in the treasure itself, only wanting to see if there were any mementos left behind that he could use for their burial.
After two hours of searching the treasury, Yasa successfully erected a joint grave in the castle's rear courtyard, a memorial to his deceased parents.
He shaped earth into incense sticks, lit one for them, and slowly stood up, ready to leave the island and embark on the Grand Line.
Suddenly...
"Hmm? Someone's landed on the island?" Yasa's eyebrow twitched. Through his Observation Haki, he detected a large group of people landing on the island in succession.
Mountains, forests, dewdrops, snakes, insects, ants, rodents beneath the earth, and the sound of the wind—all flooded his mind.
"What are these people doing here?"
Yasa's figure blurred as he flew toward the dilapidated pier. The distance was so short that his speed was indistinguishable from teleportation, closing the gap in a second.
"Young Boss, even your ship's been blown to smithereens. Where do you think you can run now?"
Two groups had landed on the island. At the forefront was a disheveled young woman, her fair face smudged with soot, yet her exquisite beauty still shone through.
Behind her marched a squad of Mafia members, clad in black suits, shoes, hats, and sunglasses, each armed with a gun.
The Mafia seemed to be playing a cat-and-mouse game, leisurely trailing the young woman while taunting her with crude remarks.
"Hey, brothers! Look at her hips sway. How about we have some fun with her after we catch her?"
"Don't mess with the Boss's plans!"
"Young Boss, stop running! Just hand over what our Boss wants!"
Though these men appeared to be elite members of some criminal organization, their language was no better than that of street thugs.
"Young Boss, just tell us where the Fortress Fruit is, and we promise not to lay a finger on you!"
The Petty Boss of the Mafia group quickened his pace, cornering the young woman. Grinning savagely, the gang closed in around her.
The girl was equally fierce, her face resolute as she cried out in a delicate voice, "Don't even dream of it! Capone Bege, that traitor with treachery written all over his face! After all my father did to elevate him, he dared to kill him!"
Her eyes reddened, tears streaming down her dark face, leaving two pale streaks in their wake.
"Hmph! Victory belongs to the victor... Even if Boss Bege hadn't rebelled, someone else would have! He simply sped up the inevitable!" The Petty Boss, aware his side was in the wrong, avoided arguing the point.
"Young Boss, the Fortress Fruit is what Boss Bege wants. Hand it over or reveal its location, and we guarantee you safe passage. We'll even give you a ship to leave on. What do you say?" he coaxed.
"Don't waste your breath. Just kill me!" The girl's voice was firm. She closed her eyes, resigned to whatever fate awaited her.
"Don't make us force your hand!" The Petty Boss snapped, his patience wearing thin.
"Boss, should we hand her over to the boys? They have ways of making her talk..." Several black-clad lackeys eyed the girl's figure, secretly swallowing hard, their eyes gleaming with lust.
"Be careful, don't kill her!" The Petty Boss adjusted his sunglasses and stepped aside for his men.
A horde of lackeys grinned lewdly and pounced.
"Get away! Stay back... My Aurora will kill you all!" Aurora screamed, terrified by the approaching men, and pressed herself against the stone wall. Tears streamed down her face, washing away the black ash and revealing her true features.
"Heh heh heh! Young Boss, you'd better talk乖乖 and save yourself some pain. Otherwise, we might accidentally slash that pretty face of yours. Wouldn't that be a shame?"
Though eager to taste the beautiful girl, the lackeys hadn't forgotten their mission.
"Pleasure Street could really use a beauty like you, Young Boss. If we sell you there, business would boom! Hahaha!"
They reveled in their threats, painting vivid scenarios that turned Aurora's delicate face as white as snow. Her teeth sank into her lip, clearly terrified.
Just then, an untimely voice echoed from behind the stone wall.
"Um... could you all hold on a moment?" Yasa couldn't bear to watch any longer and quickly spoke up.
What did I just hear? Fortress Fruit? Yasa's expression shifted.
"Who's there? Get out here now!" The lackeys froze, momentarily stunned.
The Petty Boss whirled around, startled by the voice. He instantly drew his flintlock and pointed it toward the sound.
"Uh..." Yasa squatted innocently on the rock, scratching his head like a naive young man. "I was just sleeping here. Seems I've disturbed you. Should I move somewhere else so you can continue?"
He blinked at the group with a sincere expression.
"Hmph! Kill this insolent brat!" The Petty Boss's face darkened. With a command, two burly lackeys lunged at Yasa.
The two men charged forward, their faces contorted with fury. Thick, carrot-like fingers curled into claws, reaching for him from both sides.
They seemed to know street brawling inside and out, cutting off every escape route and cornering Yasa to face four hands against his two fists.
Aurora's face paled. Seeing Yasa standing motionless, she assumed he was paralyzed with fear and felt a pang of guilt. "Why is he being so stupid? Why didn't he just run? Why did he have to get involved in this mess?"
But the moment her thought finished, the two lackeys who had closed in suddenly screamed and flew backward like cannonballs.
They had been struck by some immense force, dragging across the ground for dozens of meters, plowing a long furrow in the dirt. Their chests were caved in, eyes wide with horror, dark red chunks of internal organs and blood gurgling from their mouths. They were dead on the spot.