"What happened? What's going on in Cocoa Weed Town?"
"Hurry up and tell us, A-Jian!"
"Don't tell me it's that bastard Wapol's royal guard stirring up trouble again? He's already driven out almost every doctor except those twenty he keeps for himself. What more does he want?"
The tavern erupted in worried discussion.
The man who brought the news, named A-Jian, was panting and out of breath. "It is the royal guard, but they're not there for doctors this time. They're looking for a kid!"
"Huh? A kid? What kid?"
"Wapol's at it again? Did he suddenly come up with some twisted new decree?"
"There's no new decree. But apparently, he's been obsessed recently with finding a kid who can crush bullets with his bare hands," A-Jian said. "Just now, word came from Cocoa Weed Town that a kid crushed bullets to save the Yeti. The royal guards heard the rumor and rushed over."
"What?! A kid who can crush bullets? Are you serious?"
"I'm telling the truth!" A-Jian said sternly. "I heard the guards couldn't find the kid, so they arrested the innkeeper where he was staying and sent word that if the kid doesn't come to the castle, they'll execute the innkeeper."
"No way… That's awful! What does this kid look like?"
"Let me think…" A-Jian paused. "Right, he looks only a few years old, wears two swords on his waist, and carries a wine gourd."
"Wait a second… Are you sure that's the kid the royal guards are after?"
A-Jian looked confused. "Yeah, I'm sure. Why?"
The tavern went quiet as all the patrons slowly turned to stare at Lin Mo, who was still sitting calmly at the bar, drinking.
One of them swallowed hard, pointed at Lin Mo, and asked, "That kid… you don't mean him, do you?"
A-Jian looked over at Lin Mo, stunned, and shouted, "Ah! That's him! That's definitely him! What the hell—is he really here?!"
"Oh wow, looks like you're becoming famous," Law said with a half-smile.
Lin Mo silently downed the rest of his second drink.
The entire tavern fell into a stunned silence, everyone staring at him.
Lin Mo calmly reached into his coat pocket.
Everyone instinctively held their breath.
Then he simply pulled out another handful of Berries and handed his empty gourd to the barkeep. In an even voice, he said, "Same drink. Fill it."
The barkeep hesitated, then quickly took the money and the gourd.
Law let out a small chuckle.
But murmurs filled the tavern again.
"Are we sure this is the kid A-Jian was talking about?"
"He doesn't look that special… though he does seem to handle his booze well."
"You've gotta be mistaken. If he really came all this way from Cocoa Weed Town through all that snow, it can't just be to have a drink, right?"
Wrong. That was exactly why Lin Mo had come.
And among everyone present, only Law truly knew that.
The bartender returned the now full wine gourd to Lin Mo.
Lin Mo hung it back on his belt, hopped down from the stool, and headed for the door.
Law followed immediately.
The rest of the tavern patrons watched with mixed expressions as Lin Mo left.
Once outside, Lin Mo didn't linger in the town. He headed straight for Wapol's castle.
"You're really going to save the innkeeper?" Law asked as he walked alongside him.
Lin Mo didn't answer.
Law went on, "I thought you'd just ignore it. You act so aloof and cold, but really, you're much kinder than those guys who just talk big."
"…"
Lin Mo was speechless. Is this guy misunderstanding something?
Sure, he could've ignored the captured innkeeper.
But he'd paid a deposit when he checked in. If the innkeeper died, who would refund him?
It was only a few dozen Berries, but still—enough to buy several bottles of wine.
Besides, over the past two months, the innkeeper had always looked out for him, often reminding him to be careful when going out alone. Knowing he liked to drink, he even shared his own homemade wine now and then.
The guy had been pretty decent.
Lin Mo had a strong sense of fairness. Helping the innkeeper was just his way of repaying kindness.
That's all.
Calling that "kindness"? Lin Mo didn't think so.
Wapol's castle was on a drum-shaped mountain. To reach it, one had to use a special gondola lift.
Coincidentally, the royal guards were preparing to send up some supplies when they spotted two kids approaching.
One of the guards shouted, "Hey! This isn't a place for brats! Get lost!"
But Lin Mo and Law kept walking.
Soon, they reached the base of the gondola lift.
The guards were about to shout again when one of them tugged on his companion's arm and pointed nervously at Lin Mo's swords and gourd. "Wait… I think he's the kid His Majesty is looking for."
"What?" The other guard took a closer look at Lin Mo and froze. "Crap… he really might be…"
"He's definitely the one you're looking for," Law added with a smirk.
The two guards instinctively stepped back.
Lin Mo ignored them and stepped straight into the gondola.
Law followed.
The guards exchanged a glance, then activated the lift and sent a signal to their comrades at the top.
When Lin Mo and Law reached the summit, they were met by a fully armed squad of guards.
Leading them was a broad, square-faced man in a thick green coat—Dalton.
Captain of the Drum Kingdom's royal guard and a user of the Zoan-type Ox-Ox Fruit, Dalton could transform into a human-ox hybrid.
From Lin Mo's memory, Dalton was a good man—loyal, humble, and brave.
He had long despised Wapol's tyranny and would one day rise up against him. Though defeated and imprisoned, he would eventually be freed and, with the help of Luffy's crew, overthrow Wapol and become king of the newly renamed Sakura Kingdom.
But for now, Dalton was still a pawn under Wapol's rule.
No matter how much he hated the orders, he still carried them out.
When Dalton saw two kids step off the gondola, he frowned and turned to his men. "Are you sure you've got the right people? Do these two children really pose a threat to the kingdom?"