"They're so pitiful!"
Along the way, Ryuuto's group had encountered far too many people who had collapsed from starvation on the road. They were wrapped in the most basic of rags, their bodies nothing but skin and bones. The sight drew frequent sounds of sympathy from Nami and Vivi.
Then… they would take some food from the pack on Jean Bart's back and hand it to them.
"Here, this is for you. Eat up!"
As Nami gently placed a grilled fish in front of one man, he seemed to jolt back to life, lunging at the fish with an explosion of energy. He devoured it ravenously, with no regard for his appearance.
"Thank you, thank you!"
The man wept as he ate, then dropped to his knees before Nami, thanking her profusely.
But this scene—
It caused a predatory gleam to ignite in the eyes of the other villagers who were still on their feet.
"They! They have… food!"
It's unknown who said it first, but a dozen pairs of fierce eyes turned toward them, sizing them up, calculating whether they could snatch the food from Ryuuto's group by force.
But in the crowd's view, Jean Bart stood at an imposing five meters tall, and Jesus Burgess at three and a half. They were simply too conspicuous.
After weighing the odds, they ultimately decided not to rush forward.
They knew they couldn't win against Ryuuto's crew. After all, they weren't bandits, just villagers driven to desperation by hunger.
Alas!
This world…
Food was either in the hands of wealthy lords or powerful fighters. The thought made them hate the state of the world all over again.
Ryuuto found the scene unbearable as well and had Jean Bart take out some food and place it on the ground.
"Captain, why won't they come forward?" Vivi asked Ryuuto, noticing that not a single one of the emaciated villagers dared to approach.
Ryuuto didn't speak, only shaking his head slowly.
Once the group had walked into a nearby forest—
The sounds of a frantic scramble erupted behind them, accompanied by the violent clashes of a fight.
The villagers desperately shielded the food they had snatched, completely ignoring the blows raining down on them from behind.
The food before them was the only thing in the world that mattered.
"It smells so good!"
Deep in the forest, a small figure in a yellow-green kimono inhaled the scent of food, her expression intoxicated. She clutched the straw hat in her hands, as if steeling herself for a decision.
"Do you… do you need any straw hats?"
Suddenly, the small figure broke into a run, darting out from the woods to appear directly in front of Ryuuto's group. She panted for a few seconds, her small chest slowly calming, before asking them in a small, nervous voice.
The group looked at the little girl, who seemed as skittish as a frightened fawn.
For a moment, no one spoke.
This only made Tama more anxious.
"We'll take them all! But we don't have any money. Can we trade food for the hats in your hands?" Seeing that it was Tama, Ryuuto said with a light chuckle.
Tama finally let out a long breath, and a look of immense joy visibly bloomed in her eyes.
"Mhm, gulp… Yes, you can!"
Hearing that she could trade her hats for food, Tama swallowed hard and nodded frantically.
"Jean Bart!"
Ryuuto called out to him, then knelt down and gently ruffled Tama's hair.
Jean Bart, in perfect coordination, took out a generous amount of food and carefully placed it in Tama's arms. There was grilled fish, cured meats, and sweet, fresh fruit.
"Ah! Th-That's too much!"
Tama was soon buried in a mountain of food, shaking her head and protesting.
"What's your name, little one? Why are you out here all by yourself at your age?" Nami shot Jean Bart a disapproving glance before taking out a cloth to wrap up all the food, carefully tying the bundle onto Tama's back.
"My name is Tama… You've really given me too much. My hats aren't worth this much!" Overwhelmed by the kindness, Tama felt dizzy. She had only hoped to trade her hats for a few days' worth of food, but they had given her a huge bundle, enough to last her more than half a month.
"I don't eat very much!" Tama added in a tiny voice, her lips pouting slightly.
"Hahahaha, just take it, Tama. We need to ask you for a favor anyway," Nami said, unable to resist rubbing the girl's head as she comforted her.
After Nami spoke, Ryuuto, Hancock, Van Augur, and the others all looked at Tama with encouraging smiles.
"You're the second person to be so nice to me!" The sudden flood of goodwill made her little face flush red as tears welled up in her eyes.
Led by Tama, the group headed toward Okobore Town and Amigasa Village, each of them now wearing one of the straw hats she had woven.
It had to be said, a normal-sized straw hat perched on the heads of Jean Bart and Jesus Burgess looked utterly charming.
"Hee hee hee…"
Noticing this, Tama couldn't help but giggle.
Thump!
Just as they passed through the forest, the sound of a heavy paw slamming onto the ground echoed, and a komainu that looked very much like a lion suddenly charged out.
Roar!
The komainu stared warily at Ryuuto and his crew, letting out a deep growl.
"Komachiyo, don't be rude! They're my new friends. Look… we have food now!" Seeing Komachiyo, Tama excitedly ran over to him. Komachiyo cooperatively lowered his head, allowing Tama to climb up. He then caught the scent of the food and began to prance around, happy for Tama.
"Mr. Ryuuto, this is Komachiyo!"
Tama then introduced Komachiyo to Ryuuto and the others.
"He's so cute! Can we pet him?" Seeing how adorable Komachiyo was, Nami and Vivi asked Tama before rushing over and immediately starting to stroke his fur.
For Tama's sake, Komachiyo was perfectly obedient.
And so…
The group continued toward Amigasa Village, only now Tama was riding on Komachiyo's head. She let out a sigh of relief; otherwise, carrying all that food would have been exhausting.
"Mr. Ryuuto, Miss Nami, where are you from? You're not from Wano Country, are you? Are you powerful pirates?" After looking back several times, Tama finally couldn't resist asking.
Seeing Tama's cautious demeanor, Ryuuto guessed that she was trying to beat around the bush and ask about Ace.
After all, little Tama's dream was:
"When she grows up, she wants to become a glamorous kunoichi, board Ace's pirate ship, and see the world!"
"Tama, are you perhaps trying to ask about Ace?" Ryuuto said suddenly, a teasing smile on his face.
Thump!
At the mention of that familiar name, Tama felt her heart skip a beat.
Not only her, but Nami, Hancock, and the others also turned their curious gazes toward him, wondering how Ace could possibly be connected to the little girl in front of them.
"Oh, Ace… he's doing great. He's a world-famous pirate now!"
Seeing her reaction, Ryuuto stopped teasing and spoke slowly.
"We're good friends of Ace!" Nami added. This bombshell sent Tama's excitement soaring.
"Ace!"
Hearing the news, Tama was overcome with emotion. She clenched her fists tightly and whispered his name.
"Can you tell me about him?"
Tama was so swept up in her joy that the normally clever girl failed to notice a key detail: she had never mentioned Ace, yet Ryuuto had guessed exactly who was on her mind.
Of course…
Hancock, Nami, and the others weren't surprised by Ryuuto's display of insight.
It wasn't the first time he had done something like this.
Since Tama had asked so earnestly, Ryuuto could only oblige, recounting a slightly embellished version of Ace's exploits for her.
He started with Ace defeating the former Warlord, Hanafuda, then moved on to how he had caused a huge stir during the Summit War before escaping safely, leaving the entire Navy helpless to stop him.
Listening to the thrilling tale, Tama's eyes sparkled.
She, too, wanted to be like Oden and go out to sea to see the outside world!
Tama's expression of longing did not escape Ryuuto's notice…
"Hurry up and grow big and strong, Tama."
"There are still so many wonderful things in this world waiting for you to discover," Ryuuto said in a low, persuasive tone, his voice full of an infectious power.
"Mhm!"
Tama clenched her fists and nodded vigorously.
Speaking of which, Ryuuto couldn't help but think of Tama's ability. As the user of the Paramecia-type Kibi Kibi no Mi, Tama could pinch dango from her cheeks and feed them to animals or SMILE fruit users.
Once they ate her dango, they were forced to obey her commands.
It was an incredibly powerful, rule-based Devil Fruit ability.
If Tama were to be placed within the Beasts Pirates—
There would be nothing left for Kaido to do.
From then on, they would be called the "Beasts Tama"!!
As long as Tama had enough dango, Kaido's army of SMILE users would instantly switch sides and fall under her command.
It was an absolutely overwhelming power!
The SMILE fruits had a major flaw: their users retained their animal instincts, making them utterly unable to resist Tama's dango.
Against a normal Devil Fruit user, however, Tama could feed them as many dango as she wanted, and it would have no effect.
Caesar Clown could never have imagined that his proudest invention would one day be so utterly defeated by a little girl.
Chatting as they went, the group made their way toward Amigasa Village. Along the path, they saw smokestacks belching poisonous fumes into the sky and rivers polluted and black.
Combined with the starving villagers collapsed by the roadside, the sight prompted constant sighs.
"This is a man-made disaster!"
The thought solidified in Ryuuto's mind, strengthening his resolve to defeat Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido. It was no wonder Yamato felt so strongly; who could witness the tragedy of Kuri and remain indifferent?
Soon, they arrived at a small, impoverished-looking village.
The air was thick with toxic smoke and pollution. The villagers were physically weak, their faces pale and sickly, radiating a sense of utter despair.
"Mr. Hitetsu, I'm back!" Tama called out cheerfully, standing in front of a small thatched hut.
While she did, Ryuuto's group took in their surroundings, observing the poor village that survived by weaving straw hats.
"Tama! How did selling the hats go today? You didn't give your food to someone else again, did you?" Hearing Tama's call, a samurai in a kimono and wearing a mask emerged from the hut. He pushed aside the door curtain, his voice laced with concern.
It turned out that Tama often went out to sell hats, but whenever she met someone who couldn't afford to eat, she would give them her own food.
As a result, Tama herself often went hungry.
Perhaps this was one of the reasons why she hadn't seemed to grow much in the past three or four years.
This kind little girl would help others even if it meant starving herself.
"Don't worry, Mr. Hitetsu! I brought back a lot of food today!" Seeing Tenguyama Hitetsu appear, Tama jumped down and patted the bundle on her back, shouting loudly.
For once, Tama could hold her head high.
Then…
Tenguyama Hitetsu's gaze met that of Ryuuto and his crew.
"You're from the outside, aren't you?"
Hitetsu identified them with a single glance. Their attire was completely different from the traditional style of Wano.
Fortunately, Tama jumped in to mediate.
After her explanation, Tenguyama Hitetsu and Ryuuto's group came to an understanding.
"Please, come in!"
At Tenguyama Hitetsu's invitation, Ryuuto's group entered the hut.
Tama had already rushed inside to unpack the food from her bundle. Looking at the spread of unfamiliar foods on the table, she nearly started drooling but managed to restrain herself and look back at her guests.
Meanwhile, at the entrance to Amigasa Village, several Gifters were collecting taxes.
"Damn it, hand over the food! This is tribute for Lord Hawkins!" one of the Gifters shouted arrogantly as they burst into a family's home and began to rummage through their belongings violently.
They ignored the villagers' desperate pleas, snatching away the food they had for the next two days.
But what could these poor villagers possibly have?
It was nothing more than coarse millet chaff, but even so, the Gifters took it all.
"Seriously, just this stuff?"
Not only did they rob them, but they even had the nerve to mock them as they left.