Faced with the relentless questioning from Zoro and Kuina, Lin Mo made it clear he had no intention of entertaining them.
And indeed, no matter how much the two of them pouted or tried to act cute, Lin Mo simply ignored them.
Finally out of options, Kuina suddenly had an idea. "Lin Mo, if you tell us, I'll use all my saved-up allowance from over the years to buy you wine. Deal?"
Not a chance.
Lin Mo sighed. "No need. I've got money."
"Don't be so stingy," Zoro muttered.
As they spoke, the three of them arrived at the liveliest street of the Frost Moon Village night market.
The street buzzed with hawkers' cries and a steady stream of people. It was bustling with life.
Lin Mo remained calm, while Zoro and Kuina's cheeks flushed with excitement as they looked around with childlike wonder.
Kids would be kids, after all.
"There," Kuina said, pointing to a row of stalls on the left side of the street. A middle-aged woman stood behind a wooden cart, loudly calling out to customers. "That's Aunt Sugimoto. The wine her family brews sells out the fastest. If we'd gotten here any later, it would've been gone already."
Even as she spoke, people had already begun gathering around the small cart, forming a line for the limited stock of wine.
The three quickly walked over and joined the end of the queue.
"You two go play," Lin Mo said. He had no intention of letting the two tag along any further.
"But Aunt Sugimoto only lets each person buy one small jar," Kuina replied with a sweet smile. "If Zoro and I stay, we can help you buy two extra jars."
Just as she finished speaking, a group of rough-looking men shoved their way through the crowd and marched straight to Sugimoto's stall.
Leading them was a tall man with a long face, a cross-shaped scar on his forehead, and a sword hanging from his waist.
It was Sieg the bandit.
He was the same man who would one day pour wine over the head of none other than Red-Haired Shanks, one of the future Four Emperors.
Of course, at that time, Shanks simply laughed it off with his usual grace.
As of this point in the timeline, Sieg and his crew hadn't yet arrived at Windmill Village, nor had they crossed paths with Shanks.
"So many people in line. Must be good stuff," Sieg said arrogantly. "I'll take the whole cart."
The villagers instinctively stepped back in fear.
"But... but my wine is sold in limited quantities," Aunt Sugimoto stammered. "Only one jar per person. If you want some, you'll have to get in line..."
"Line up?" Sieg sneered. "I'm an eight-million-berry bounty. You want me to line up?"
Aunt Sugimoto trembled on the verge of tears. The villagers didn't dare speak up.
An eight-million-berry outlaw was no joke. For these unarmed villagers, provoking him meant asking for death.
Both Zoro and Kuina instinctively reached for the bamboo swords strapped to their backs.
Kuina's voice rang out, cold and firm. "I don't care how many berries you're worth. This is Frost Moon Village. We don't tolerate thugs here."
"Yeah!" Zoro gripped his twin bamboo swords tightly. "We're not letting you throw your weight around!"
Sieg tilted his head and looked over at the three of them, chuckling.
His lackeys burst into mocking laughter.
"Did you hear that? A bunch of little brats trying to act tough!"
"You're lucky our boss hasn't gotten mad yet. Get lost while you can!"
"Our boss is gonna be the King of Bandits someday. Beat it!"
Zoro leaned closer and whispered, "Kuina... you think we can take them?"
Kuina glanced at Lin Mo, who hadn't said a word this whole time, then took a deep breath. "Even if we can't, we still have to try. We can't let them run wild in our village."
"Hey!" Kuina snapped, her gaze sharp as she stared Sieg down. "What's this nonsense about being 'King of Bandits'? All I see are bullies picking on the weak. You think we'll just stand by and let you do as you please?"
"What did you say?" Sieg frowned.
Aunt Sugimoto panicked. "Kuina, stop! Just go. All of you, go now!"
Though Kuina's swordsmanship was among the best at the Isshin Dojo even stronger than most adults she was still just a child. With a bamboo sword, what could she possibly do against real criminals?
The villagers murmured in fear, urging Kuina and the others not to provoke Sieg.
"You want to leave?" Sieg drew the sword from his waist and aimed the tip at Kuina's forehead. "Sure. Leave behind an arm."
Kuina clenched her jaw.
Zoro suddenly pulled her behind him, brandishing both bamboo swords in front of her. "Kuina, get back. I'll fight this guy."
"You idiot," Kuina said, annoyed. "I'm stronger than you. I should be the one fighting!"
Sieg laughed. "Touching. Two brats fighting over who gets to die first. Fine. I'll oblige you both!"
Just as Sieg was about to attack, a calm voice interrupted him.
"You're not going to line up?"
The street fell silent. No one dared respond.
Their silence was answer enough.
Lin Mo looked directly at Sieg. "You showed up late. That means you line up behind me."
Without waiting for a reply, Lin Mo casually walked past Sieg and stood at the wine cart.
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
Every pair of eyes was on the young man now standing before the cart of wine jars.
"How much for one jar?" Lin Mo asked.
Sugimoto blinked, stunned, then stammered, "Fifty berries per jar..."
Lin Mo handed her two hundred berries and picked up a jar.
Uncorking it, he took a sip in front of everyone.
"Not bad," he said with a nod of approval.
Sieg's face twisted into a scowl, his eyes locked on Lin Mo like a predator eyeing its prey.
But Lin Mo ignored him and turned to Zoro and Kuina. "Weren't you two going to help me buy more?"
The two of them blinked, then rushed over, setting their bamboo swords aside to grab jars of wine.
Sieg stepped forward, placing the edge of his sword against Lin Mo's neck. "Who gave you permission to buy wine, brat?"
Lin Mo looked at him and said calmly, "Take the sword away."
To everyone's surprise, Sieg actually moved the blade.
But the very next second, a flash of killing intent crossed his face as he swung his sword toward Lin Mo's throat.
"Run, Lin Mo!" someone screamed.
"He's going to die!"
"Someone, help him! Where's Koushirou? Is it too late to fetch him?"
The crowd panicked, voices rising in desperation.
Zoro and Kuina held their breath.
But Lin Mo, in the instant Sieg's blade came down, simply stepped back.
The sword passed just half a centimeter in front of his throat.
Sieg's lips twitched. When had he ever been humiliated like this? And by a kid, no less.
Now he was furious.
"You brat! You've got a death wish!" he roared, raising his sword high for a killing blow.
But Lin Mo still didn't flinch. He turned slightly toward Zoro and Kuina and said, "Buy the wine."
"You've got to be kidding," Kuina muttered, though she still paid for two jars, one for herself and one for Zoro.
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