“I didn’t think of doing anything, I just felt the presence of gold, silver, and jewelry here, so I came to take a look.”
Icey’s gaze was calm, and he wasn’t surprised by Ace and Sabo’s appearance in front of him.
“Get ready!”
The moment the words fell, Ace, who had been ready for a long time, didn’t hesitate and rushed forward directly with a steel water pipe.
The treasure hidden in the trunk was the wealth accumulated by him and Sabo for more than two years, preparing for future sailing adventures, and any potential threats had to be eliminated!
“Understood!” Sabo followed closely behind.
Struggling through the harsh environment and dealing with wandering thugs had forged their decisiveness and bravery far beyond their peers.
Although they were just kids, their speed was very fast. In just a few breaths, they rushed to Icey’s front.
Their coordination was tacit, blocking Icey’s attack route from both sides. If one person was countered, the other’s attack would hit the enemy!
However, they never expected that the man in front of them not only didn’t make any attacking or retreating movements but actively spread his arms, displaying a bold posture as if he didn’t care about them at all!
Boom!
Two dull sounds rang out. Ace leaped up with a steel pipe, hitting Icey’s head, while Sabo struck Icey’s right leg.
“You two, is this all you’ve got?”
Even after taking two hits, Icey remained in his original position, expressionless, with a mocking look as he gazed at the wide-eyed Ace and Sabo.
In the confrontation, Ace and Sabo realize that the enemy in front of them is quite formidable.
After exchanging a glance, they retreated at lightning speed, returning to their original positions.
Seeing this, Icey’s tense nerves finally relaxed, and a slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Damn, it hurts! Wasn’t it said that my body’s defense greatly increased? Why is my head buzzing?
Is this the strength that kids of their age should have?!
If Ace and Sabo, who were facing him like facing a major enemy, knew his true feelings at this moment, the scene would be quite spectacular!
“To be honest, I do know that you have a lot of gold, silver, and jewelry hidden here.”
Icey casually scratched his head and looked directly at the two of them, “But you don’t need to be so nervous.”
Having the treasure secret pointed out, Ace and Sabo trembled, showing a skeptical look.
After all, they were just kids, and all their thoughts were written on their faces, unlike Icey, a mature adult who knew how to hide the pain in his head with a smile.
“Although I have the ability to defeat you two, I’d rather talk about cooperation than solve problems with violence.”
The pirate world has always spoken with fists, so Icey allowed himself to be beaten with steel pipes to demonstrate his formidable strength.
Of course, he also wanted to test his current level of defense.
The result was quite good.
After all, Ace and Sabo already possessed the strength to defeat large beasts at this time!
“Don’t joke around! You guys, thinking you can just come and grab the treasure!”
Ace tightly grasped the steel pipe in his hand, showing no intention of backing down, “Sailing is my dream, and no matter what enemies I face, I won’t run away!”
Since childhood, all he had heard were sneers and insults about his bastard father, Pirate King Roger, gradually leading to his distrustful and solitary personality.
Because of this, Ace was extremely eager to set sail, to make a name for himself on the sea, and to completely escape the shadow of Gol D. Roger!
Seeing Ace’s determination, Sabo, who had initially planned to retreat temporarily, gritted his teeth and stepped forward, determined to confront the formidable enemy in front of him head-on.
“So your dream is to save money to set sail, then it’s even more necessary for us to cooperate.” Icey smiled lightly.
He had been wondering how to persuade them just now, but they unexpectedly provided the reason.
After a brief thought, he looked at the nervous Ace and Sabo and said, “I think you might have misunderstood something. I’m not one of those ruthless thugs. I’m just the owner of an ordinary restaurant in Windmill Village.”
“Recently, my restaurant has encountered some financial issues and needs investment. If you’re willing, you can invest some money and we can split the profits three ways.”
Seeing the puzzled look on their faces, Icey continued to tempt, “Compared to saving money cautiously in harsh environments, this way is much safer and easier to earn a stable income.”
His words plunged Ace and Sabo into silence.
“What should we do, Ace? If that guy isn’t lying, it doesn’t seem like a bad deal for us.” Sabo whispered to Ace.
“It’s very suspicious. He could have just robbed us directly, so why go through all this trouble?”
Ace furrowed his brows tightly, recalling the mockery and ridicule he always faced whenever he mentioned setting sail.
Looking at the guy in front of him, who always had a smile on his face, his suspicion deepened.
“Without any reason to trust our dream of setting sail, you just see us as potential prey for your treasure!” Ace questioned Icey firmly.
As expected, once the “lie” was exposed, the smile on the other’s face gradually faded, about to reveal his true ugly face.
However…
“Stop looking down on people! Do you think I should doubt and mock two men who are striving for their dreams?!”
Icey’s expression turned serious, completely different from what Ace imagined.
He completely broke through Ace and Sabo’s guard with a brief and angry sentence.
There had never been an adult who stood on equal ground and affirmed their dreams.
From beginning to end, all they faced were mockery and jokes, nothing else.
And now, the formidable monster in front of them, who didn’t even flinch under their full attack, actually called them “men” instead of kids!
“What do you want, you bastard!”
Ace raised his head high, shouting, not letting the tears in his eyes turn into tears.
“Just like I said before, I want to cooperate with you.” Icey said slowly.
With the same words but a completely different tone, Ace and Sabo were caught in a dilemma.
“If you still don’t trust me, you can follow me to Windmill Village to see the situation of the restaurant, and then make a decision.” Icey proposed a compromise.
Still maintaining their basic vigilance, Ace and Sabo glanced at each other, feeling that this was a good idea.
So, as the big brother, Ace was the first to put away the steel pipe in his hand, taking a step forward to compromise.
“Alright, we’ll trust you for now and go check out Windmill Village!”
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