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Weiwei wanted to share some snacks with the little girl Ayu, but she had already finished all the chocolate and dried fish. At this moment, her hands were empty.
She smiled awkwardly and asked, "Ayu, what's this place called? I mean, the name of your village."
"Etch… Etchikasa Village," Ayu replied hesitantly.
"Amigasa Village?" Weiwei blinked. The hat-making village?
She thought about it for a moment. It sounded vaguely familiar, but nothing specific came to mind. She considered flying up to get a better view of the terrain, but she didn't want to frighten the child. More urgently, she asked the question weighing most on her mind.
"So, um… do you have anything to eat around here?"
—Half an hour later—
They arrived at Ayu's home.
It was a simple shack with four thin walls. Torn paper covered the windows, the wooden walls let in the wind, and the furnishings consisted of a three-legged table and a few frayed straw mats.
Though only four years old, Ayu had taken on adult responsibilities. She led Weiwei to her home and began preparing food. Grandpa Hitetsu had eaten the last of their rice days ago, but before leaving, he'd taken a large sack of red beans from one of Kaido's subordinates and entrusted them to her. Ayu now used what was left to cook a pot of red bean soup for Weiwei.
Nervous about her cooking skills, Ayu handed the bowl over cautiously, watching Weiwei's face closely for a reaction.
"It's delicious!"
Weiwei downed three bowls in a row! The hunger gnawing at her stomach finally began to subside—it no longer growled with each breath.
Still, soup was just soup. She was far from full. Honestly, she could probably drink ten more bowls of this.
When she learned these were the last of Ayu's red beans, Weiwei felt a pang of guilt.
"Huh? That was all the red beans? Your grandpa gave you so many… ugh, that old man's so unreliable… A-anyway, I'm full! I'm good now."
Ayu lowered her head and didn't reply.
In truth, it wasn't Grandpa Hitetsu who had brought her the beans. It was that weird old man—the Golden Lion. He'd left her a whole sack, enough to feed her for a year. But Amigasa Village was still full of starving people. Some villagers had seen her with food and asked for help: one said his kids were about to starve, another said an old lady was dying. Little by little, Ayu gave her red beans away. Now, only a handful had been left—now eaten by Weiwei.
Weiwei frowned. "Wait, that was all the food you had? And you gave it to me? Then what are you gonna eat?"
Ayu clenched her small fists. Her face grew serious, and she tried to sound like an adult. "I-I'm not hungry!"
But just as she spoke, her stomach let out a loud grumble, echoing in the quiet house.
Weiwei sighed deeply. That sound only made her feel even more guilty.
With a gentle smile, she made a promise that sounded a bit like something the Golden Lion might say. "Don't worry. I'll help you with the food problem. Let me rest a bit, and then I'll 'borrow' something for us."
She had a good impression of this brave little girl. Someone who gives you their only food without hesitation? Walking away like nothing happened would be inhuman. Ayu, in turn, found Weiwei elegant, strong, and impressive—much better than that crazy old man with flying hair. There was something naturally admirable about her. Even though she was also a woman, Ayu admired her instantly. So cool…
But Weiwei's image as a graceful big sister didn't last long.
"What?! This is Wano Country?!" she blurted out, stunned. No way! I'm a walking compass! How did I get here?!
Ayu panicked at her loud reaction. Thinking she'd said something wrong, she quickly raised her hands. "Surrender! I surrender!"
Weiwei nearly facepalmed. She gave the girl a pat on the head, like she would to Karoo.
Lowering her voice, she asked, "So… who's in charge of Wano right now? Is the Shogun still Orochi? Is Kaido here?"
Ayu recognized the names but didn't understand much about them.
Weiwei recalled that Onigashima, Kaido's base, was close to the mainland—visible from the coast. But the beach she landed on didn't show any trace of it. Maybe I'm on the wrong side of Wano…?
As for Kaido's legend of being captured 18 times and surviving countless executions—it had to be exaggerated. If he really wanted to die, he could just stand still and let a Marine Admiral finish him. That nonsense about indestructibility was pure bluster. Still, there was no doubt about his overwhelming strength.
If Kaido fought me now… it'd be like me swatting that owl from the Tone Dial shop.
The plan to "borrow" food was immediately shelved.
First things first—restore stamina. Even if she ran into trouble, she'd need the energy to escape.
Beyond physical strength, she desperately needed a weapon.
Armed or unarmed made a huge difference for her in combat. Her Huazhou blade was still with Karoo, so right now, she had nothing.
"Weapons?" Ayu tapped her chin, thinking hard. Then her eyes lit up. "Master Tenguyama Hitetsu might have what you need! Let's go see him!"
She grabbed Weiwei's hand and pulled her toward the woods.
Ayu's home was on the edge of the beach village. They hadn't explored much earlier, but now, heading through the forest toward the southern side, Weiwei finally saw the full state of Amigasa Village.
Poverty. Abject poverty.
In five years, the village would be nearly abandoned. But now, a few people still lived here.
The fields were barren. The villagers were thin, their skin yellowed from malnutrition, a foul odor clinging to them. Their faces were lifeless, most of them lying in their courtyards or homes, motionless.
Weiwei felt her pace slowing. She crouched and lifted Ayu onto her back. "Hop on. I'll carry you. Just point the way."
Ayu hesitated. They weren't that close. Wasn't it rude to ride on someone's back?
But once they started moving, her hesitation vanished.
This beautiful sister was fast—light steps, then a sudden burst forward, like a flash of lightning.
However, they kept veering off track…
"You're going the wrong way! Master Hitetsu lives in the treehouse, not over here!"
"Sister, it's the other way—your right!"
"Ah! This is the east side of the village again! We're back where we started!"
Weiwei's speed had increased since her transformation, but so had the speed at which she got lost…
At first, Ayu was nervous. Then, she found it… thrilling. No one had ever played with her like this before.
Watching the landscape rush past at dizzying speed was a rare, precious experience for a four-year-old girl.
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