One-Punch Man in the One Piece World

54. Cooperation

The Den Den Mushi mimicked Morgans' expression at that moment... trembling slightly with excitement.

"Robbery...robbery of heavenly gold?!"

Even through a Den Den Mushi (a type of electric telephone), you could hear the tremor in Morgans' voice.

That wasn't fear, but the excitement unique to journalists when they sniff out explosive news!

"Navy, pirates, Celestial Dragons' ships... Hahaha! Norton! You're even crazier than I imagined!"

"This is big news, isn't it?" Norton interrupted him, his tone flat. "Are we going to make the deal or not?"

The sound of flapping wings came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi, and Morgans seemed to be pacing around the room.

"Yes! Of course we'll do it!"

"Well then, I need your help," Norton said. "Where is the Drum Kingdom located? I need the permanent pointer that points there. I'm currently in 'Granfour'."

"The Kingdom of Drums?" Morgensten paused. "That medical superpower? What are you going there for? Wait... you mean..."

"I need a doctor," Norton said bluntly. "How can a fleet of nearly three thousand people function without a doctor? In battles on the Grand Line, injuries are commonplace."

The Den Den Mushi remained silent for a few seconds.

"I have the permanent pointer of the Drum Kingdom," Morgans said. "Now that we're partners, I can give you the permanent pointer of the Drum Kingdom. But you'll have to come and get it yourself."

"Where?"

"The next island in 'Granfour'," Morgans said. "I'll send someone there to wait for you. It's called 'Bell Island,' a spring island with a pleasant climate, where my newsbirds can land."

"Okay." Norton nodded. "Shall we set a time?"

"In two weeks," Morgans said. "That's enough time for you to sail to Bell Island. I'll have my men there with the Drum Kingdom's permanent pointer—a 'gift of goodwill' for our cooperation."

"make a deal."

After hanging up, Norton tossed the Den Den Mushi back to the man with the black-rimmed glasses. The man caught it hastily, his face covered in sweat.

"Sir... is this really alright?" he asked cautiously. "President Morgans, he..."

"From now on, you are the head of the Norton Pirates' intelligence department." Norton looked at him. "What's your name?"

"Roy, Roy," the man with black-rimmed glasses quickly replied, "Roy Field. He used to be in charge of intelligence gathering for the East China Sea at the World Economic News Agency."

"Very good, Roy." Norton patted him on the shoulder. "What I need you to do is simple—stay in touch with Morgans, but remember, you're one of my men. Any information he gives you, you must pass on to me first. Understand?"

Roy nodded vigorously: "Understood! Completely understood!"

"Crow," Norton turned to the man in the black suit beside him, "arrange a room for him. From today onwards, he will be in charge of intelligence work on the ship with you."

Chloe pushed up her glasses, the lenses reflecting light: "Understood."

After finishing up with the intelligence department's business, Norton took Nami and Funing back to the banquet hall.

In the open space outside the house, a dozen or so Luhanna were surrounded by a makeshift wooden fence.

Although these giant deer have been tamed, their wild nature remains, and they occasionally paw at the ground with their hooves, making a low, rumbling sound.

The pirates watched with a mixture of curiosity and fear, none daring to get too close.

"Why haven't they taken them yet?" Norton frowned.

"Admiral Norton!" Buggy and Sam ran over. "It was our idea! We planned to feed them first! But these guys eat so much! We just fed them three big bundles of hay, and it wasn't even enough to fill their teeth!"

"Go cut grass outside town," Norton ordered. "There are plenty of fallen leaves in the dry woods; enough for them to eat."

"yes!"

Just as the two were about to leave, Norton called them back: "Wait, bring all the hunting parties back. It might not be safe in the wilderness of this island after dark."

Buchi and Sam exchanged a glance, puzzled but nodded in agreement.

Nami leaned closer to Norton and whispered, "Are you worried about that snow disaster?"

Norton said, "Who can predict the weather? The weather on the Grand Line never follows any rules."

Fu Ning looked around: "Speaking of which, Zoro hasn't come back yet."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion broke out at the entrance to the town.

Norton looked up and saw Zoro walking quickly towards him, his clothes torn in several places, and a shallow bloodstain on his cheek. Although it wasn't deep, it was clearly a fresh wound.

"Zoro!" Nami exclaimed, "You're injured?"

"Just a minor injury." Zoro wiped his face, walked up to Norton, and said seriously, "There's trouble outside town!"

Norton's eyes sharpened: "Speak."

"I encountered a group of people deep in the withered forest," Sauron said quickly, "clothed in animal skins, carrying spears and bone weapons, emerging from a hollow in a huge withered birch tree. They found me, and then..."

He paused.

"Then they attacked me! There were about thirty of them, their fighting techniques were very primitive, but their teamwork was excellent..." Zoro touched the scars on his face, "Their weapons were very sharp!"

Nami gasped.

The other party is definitely not some simple primitive tribe.

"Have they caught up with us?" Norton asked.

"Probably not," Zoro shook his head. "I shook them off. But those tree hollows... I saw more than one. There are probably many such people hiding in this withered forest."

Norton paused for a few seconds, then turned and walked toward the house where the townspeople were being held.

Inside the room, several town officials were locked up in a corner. Upon seeing Norton enter, they forced a fawning smile.

"Lord Norton, what are your orders?"

Norton told several town officials about Sauron's discovery.

The smiles of the town officials froze instantly.

"They're from Ivanki!"

"An Avenki?"

"The Aivenki are... the original inhabitants of this island," the town official said slowly. "They live in the hollows of dead birch trees. Every adult Aivenki must participate in hunting; only by successfully hunting a Ruhanna can they be considered a true adult."

"Natives?" Funing frowned. "Then what about the people of Birchwood Town...?"

"We are outsiders," the town officials said with a wry smile.

"Three hundred years ago, Mayor Polito's ancestors—a pirate crew from the North Blue—were forced to land on this island because the Log Pose was damaged."

"There were quite a few prisoners and slaves on board at the time, about two hundred in total. They found that although the island was cold, it was survivable, so... so they stayed."

Nami astutely grasped the key point: "Captives and slaves? So Birchwood was originally established through kidnapping and forced labor?"

The town officials did not deny it, adding, "Later, the mayor's family went into hiding on this island, deceiving later pirates and getting them to join the town... You all know this."

"Tell me about the Evanki people," Norton interrupted several town officials.

The town officials nodded: "We heard it from others... At first, Birchwood Town and the Aivenki people lived in peace."

"The island is large and has ample resources. But later... the population grew. We needed more timber to build houses and more land to grow crops. And the withered birch trees that the Aivenki people depended on for survival became the target of contention."

"You cut down their trees," Sauron said coldly.

"We have to do this!" the town officials raised their voices. "This snowstorm happens every four years, lasting seven days each time. During those seven days, the snow covers the entire island, and the temperature drops to freezing cold! Without sufficiently sturdy houses, we'll all die!"

"The wood of dead birch trees has special insulating properties, and only houses built with this kind of wood can withstand snow disasters. We cut down trees to survive! But the Awenki people... they live in tree hollows, and when snow disasters come, they can only rely on the body heat of the tribe to keep warm. Every year, many Awenki people freeze to death during snow disasters."

Norton said nothing more. He turned and walked out of the house, followed by Sauron and the others.

As darkness fell outside, the sound of wind drifted from the direction of the withered forest, like some kind of sob.

"Norton," Nami said softly, "what should we do now?"

Norton didn't answer immediately. He walked to the wooden fence and looked at the Ruhanna inside. The giant deer seemed to sense something and began to stir restlessly, stomping their hooves heavily on the ground.

"Sauron, how strong were those Evanki people you encountered?" Norton asked.

Zoro pondered for a moment: "Their individual combat strength is not as good as mine, but their teamwork is excellent. Their spears and bone knives can easily pierce dead wood. Moreover... they seem to know how to use the terrain. Fighting them in the dead forest would be very disadvantageous."

"Because they are familiar with this land," Fu Ning said.

Norton nodded. He looked in the direction of the withered forest, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"The Avenki people lose their numbers every year due to snowstorms, while the population of Birchtown is increasing. With this imbalance, the Avenki will eventually be driven to the brink of extinction," Norton suddenly said.

"So they'll fight back!" Nami understood. "Especially now—Birchwood Town is under our control, this is their best chance to take back the land."

As if to prove her words, on the edge of town...

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The pirates' panicked cries echoed from the town entrance.

Norton strode toward the source of the sound.

Zoro gripped the sword at his waist, with Nami and Funing close behind.

At the town's entrance, dozens of pirates were nervously gripping their weapons, facing the direction of the withered forest.

At the edge of the withered forest, shadowy figures were gathering.

The men wore simple clothes sewn from deerskin, their faces painted with white totem patterns, and they held spears and bone weapons. Their eyes gleamed sharply in the darkening sky, like a pack of wolves eyeing their prey.

The leader was an exceptionally tall man. He had three parallel scars on his face, running from his forehead to his chin, which looked like marks left by Ruhanna's antlers.

The man held not a spear, but a huge, forked deer antler, its tip sharpened to the point of a knife.

"The Evanki people..." Nami whispered.

The scarred man raised his antler weapon and let out a long, drawn-out cry, like that of a deer.

The next second, hundreds of Aivengi warriors rushed out of the withered forest and charged towards the pirates at the town's entrance.

"Charge!"

Someone shouted, and the pirates reluctantly went to meet them.

The battle erupted instantly.

Norton did not immediately make a move, but stood still, observing the Avenki's fighting style.

As Zoro said, the fighting techniques of these natives are very primitive—there are no complicated moves, no fancy skills, only the most direct thrusts, slashes, and parries.

But their teamwork was flawless; the three of them worked together, covering each other, and their spears pierced out from incredible angles.

What Norton was more concerned about was their weapons.

Sparks actually flew when those bone spears clashed with the pirates' steel swords.

Moreover, the strength of the Aivengi warriors is astonishing; several pirates were sent flying in a single exchange.

"Their weapons must have been made from Ruhanna's bones," Sauron said. "They're harder than steel."

Norton nodded.

He could tell that the individual strength of these Avenki warriors was approaching that of the elite forces of the Marine Headquarters.

In the familiar environment of the withered forest, their combat effectiveness would be even higher.

"King, should we make a move?" Fu Ning asked.

"Wait a little longer," Norton said.

He wanted to see how long these pirates could hold out without officers in command.

The answer is soon.

Although the pirates outnumbered each other, their fighting strength was far inferior.

Each charge by the Avenki tore through the defenses, and every thrust of their spears drew blood. The screams of the pirates began to rise.

The scarred man—clearly the leader of the Avenki—had reached the town's entrance.

With a swing of his antler weapon, he sent three pirates flying, crashing heavily against the wooden house wall, where they lay motionless.

That's enough.

Norton finally moved, taking a step forward and shooting out like a cannonball, leaving a shallow crater in the ground.

The scarred man sensed danger, turned around abruptly, and held his antler weapon horizontally in front of him.

As Norton's fist struck, the scarred man, weapon and all, flew backward, crashing into a birch tree at the edge of the withered forest. The antler weapon broke in half and fell to the ground.

All the Avenki warriors stopped what they were doing and stared in shock at the scene.

Their leader was actually sent flying by a single punch?

Norton withdrew his fist and looked at the withered forest.

More Avenki are emerging from the tree hollow; their numbers have already exceeded one thousand and are still increasing.

"All officers, assemble."

Norton's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the town.

A moment later, Sanji, Zeff, Kuro, Buggy, Mochi, Cabaji... all the officers on the ship gathered at the town entrance.

"Prepare for battle," Norton said, "but remember, try not to kill."

"Why?" Bucky asked, puzzled. "These savages are going to kill us!"

"Because they're just defending their homeland." Norton glanced at Bucky. "And I need them."

As soon as he finished speaking, he charged towards the Avenki's lines.

The battle broke out again, but this time, the situation was completely different.

Zeff's legwork was powerful and sweeping, each kick taking down three or four Avenki warriors. Kro's cat-like claws weaved through the crowd, targeting joints and weapons. Bucky's body split into countless pieces, flying through the air and obstructing the enemy's vision...

The arrival of the cadres instantly turned the tide of the battle.