In the North Blue, the White Town of Flevance.
A new day dawned as usual.
But for the people of this town, whether doctors or ordinary citizens, no one wanted time to pass so quickly anymore.
When the end of life caused by the disease was already visible on the horizon, the only thing keeping people's emotions from collapsing was the hope they had placed in the doctors at the hospital.
Three months had already passed.
Every single day was torture.
They hoped the doctors would bring good news.
They hoped the doctors could save those who were still fortunate enough to be alive.
There was no future left for this country.
They only wanted to survive.
Or at the very least, they wanted their children to survive.
Once the white patches appeared, it meant Amber Lead Syndrome had begun to manifest.
There was still time.
But perhaps only a few months.
Maybe a year.
Maybe a year and a half and it wasn't only the disease.
Three months earlier, Flevance's guards had discovered that all the nobles had already fled the country.
The neighboring nations had surrounded the borders with barbed wire and stationed armed soldiers everywhere.
The entire kingdom of Flevance had been abandoned by the world.
Faced with death, people experienced a profound terror.
As emotions collapsed, order disappeared, and the once-prosperous White Town descended into chaos.
Had the doctors not stepped forward, the citizens would likely have killed each other long before the disease itself could finish them off.
But three months later, the doctors still had no clue how to cure it.
Some people once again cut through the barbed wire in an attempt to escape the quarantined nation.
The moment they stepped across the border, they were shot dead.
Their bodies were burned where they fell.
Another two months passed.
More and more people died.
Every household in the country heard the sounds of grief every day.
A middle-aged man looked at the white patches spreading across his own arm.
Then he looked toward his sick child inside the house.
Amber Lead Syndrome.
The previous generation could survive until fifty.
The next generation often died before thirty.
The generation after that rarely reached fifteen.
But there wasn't even fifteen years left.
His child was only eleven.
There should have been four more years.
So why...?
Theory was only theory.
Eleven years old still counted as younger than fifteen.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A knock sounded at the door.
When he opened it, a husband and wife were standing outside.
"Going to the hospital?"
"Yeah."
The simple exchange ended there.
None of them had the strength for further conversation.
After settling their children, the three adults headed toward the hospital together, hoping to hear the latest news.
But after five months, there were already far too many people just like them.
People carrying hope.
People clinging to hope.
People surviving because of hope.
The area in front of the hospital was packed.
Yet there was no chaos.
No shouting.
No arguments.
Everyone waited quietly.
Because they all understood one thing.
Any disturbance might affect the doctors.
They had come here only for today's hope.
Soon, a young doctor walked out of the hospital.
His eyes were bloodshot.
His steps were unsteady.
The moment he raised his head, his red eyes met the gaze of the crowd.
Every person standing before the hospital stared at him.
Their hearts tightened.
Their hands clenched.
The hope in their eyes pressed down on him like a mountain.
"Sorry..."
Just a single word.
That single word shattered everyone's hope of survival.
No one cursed him.
No one blamed him.
But the overwhelming pressure caused the young doctor to collapse to the ground.
He couldn't take it anymore!
His job was simply to step outside and announce the day's results.
But the pressure and emotional burden it carried were even greater than the exhaustion inside the hospital.
Everyone left in silence.
No one stepped forward to help the doctor lying collapsed on the ground.
It wasn't because they were cold-hearted or unreasonable.
It was because today's result had further diminished their hope, while despair and breakdown drew even closer.
As the crowd departed, a woman stood by the roadside with a group of children.
Her hands were clasped together in prayer.
Passersby hurried past them.
Compared to two months ago, very few people still gave them food.
After all, five months had passed since Flevance had been sealed off.
Food and all kinds of supplies were becoming increasingly scarce.
The church orphanage had always struggled to survive, and now a single nun was trying to care for dozens of children with even fewer resources than before.
Money had become meaningless in this country.
Even the soldiers stationed beyond the border fences were unwilling to risk their lives for those stacks of Beli.
According to the orders they had received, Amber Lead Syndrome was contagious.
Bang!
The hospital doors suddenly flew open.
The sound made everyone stop in their tracks.
Had they found a cure?
Was there a new breakthrough?
The crowd that had been slowly dispersing froze in place.
Yet no one dared turn around.
After months of repeatedly chasing hope only to fall back into despair, they no longer wanted to see a spark ignite only to be extinguished a moment later.
"Huff... huff..."
A doctor stood at the hospital entrance, gasping for breath.
But there was a smile on his face.
"Amber Lead... Syndrome... isn't contagious!"
In an instant, everyone turned around.
Not contagious.
Although it wasn't news of a cure, this conclusion meant they could leave.
Leave this country.
Leave the land that had poisoned them.
They could take their children elsewhere.
To places with better medical technology.
To places where hope still existed.
"Waaah..."
"We... haven't been abandoned."
"The Grand Line... there are incredible doctors on the Grand Line! As long as..."
"Hurry! As long as we can get out, we still have a chance!"
"Please! Please take my child with you! I have money! I've saved a lot of Beli! Traveling to the Grand Line will definitely require money!"
Everyone started running.
They needed to go home.
They needed to gather their children and escape this country.
They needed to search for a chance to survive.
Amid the chaos, the nun shielded the children around her, making sure they wouldn't be trampled.
A little girl nestled in her arms looked up and asked,
"Can Coco be saved now? Are we going to take Coco and the others to find new doctors?"
As the crowd gradually dispersed, the nun found herself surrounded by the children's hopeful gazes.
Some of those children already had white patches on their skin.
"Yes."
The nun smiled as she always did and nodded firmly.
"Coco and the others will get better. Don't worry."
Seeing her smile, most of the children relaxed.
Adults wouldn't lie to children, right?
They were sick.
But Sister would find a way to make them better.
Because adults didn't lie to children.
Only the little girl Annie lowered her head.
Annie was already nearly twelve years old.
Compared to the other children, she could understand the situation much more clearly.
There were six sick children in the church.
Fifteen had already died.
Only thirteen could still move around normally.
And white patches had already appeared on Annie's own body as well.
Taking nineteen children away from here and then finding a doctor capable of curing Amber Lead Syndrome was simply too difficult.
Very soon, the crowd gathered outside the hospital completely dispersed.
Everyone hurried home to pack their belongings and take their families away from this country.
The nun also led the children back to the church.
Although she had reassured them, she knew very well that she had no solution.
But with the amount of food remaining, leaving this place was the only way they could continue living.
And only by continuing to live would these children have any hope of being cured.
That very night, all the children carried their small bags and headed toward the border.
The sick children were placed on handcarts.
They walked, rested, and continued onward.
It was deep into the night before they finally approached the border fence.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, followed by desperate shouting.
"Amber Lead Syndrome isn't contagious..."
Bang!
"We're harmless! This is the hospital's report—"
Bang!
"No!!"
"Please don't kill us... please, save my child! He won't—"
Bang!
The pleading and cries came to an abrupt halt.
Moments later, roaring flames consumed the bodies of those who had been shot.
Only a portion of the refugees managed to flee back.
The nun stared toward the fence with the children.
The soldiers wearing protective suits had no interest in listening to explanations.
They only fired their weapons and executed anyone who approached.
"Si... Sister..."
"We're going back! Quickly, hurry!"
The children immediately turned around and ran in the direction they had come from.
Amid the chaos, Annie tripped while pushing a cart.
A heart-shaped fruit rolled out of her backpack.
Food in the church had become increasingly scarce.
Although she didn't recognize this beautifully shaped fruit, she had kept it because she wanted Coco, who was sick, to eat it.
"Annie!"
The nun shouted her name.
But knowing how precious food had become, Annie still turned back, picked up the fruit, and resumed pushing the cart.
And that scene happened to be witnessed by a soldier outside the fence.
That was a Devil Fruit!
Just as he was about to react, a World Government agent standing beside him noticed it as well.
The two exchanged glances.
Immediately, both stopped moving.
The White Town, Flevance.
In truth, as early as a hundred years ago, the World Government had already discovered that Amber Lead was a poison.
But for the sake of profit, and to continue producing weapons made from Amber Lead, the Government and the nobles concealed the truth and deceived the population into continuing to mine it.
After a century, Amber Lead Syndrome had finally erupted.
The destruction of Flevance was already inevitable.
And the World Government would never allow any ordinary citizen of Flevance to leave alive.
If survivors escaped, unnecessary consequences might arise.
The lives of insects were worthless.
What mattered was the authority of the World Government.
Some of the soldiers guarding the border came from neighboring countries.
But the ones supervising the operation and spreading the lie that Amber Lead Syndrome was contagious were World Government agents.
Barrels was a North Blue Marine officer who had been requisitioned by the World Government for this operation.
And because of that, he recognized what he had just seen.
A Devil Fruit...
The moment Barrels heard the words Devil Fruit, his heart trembled.
No matter what type it was, even the most common Zoan could be worth 100 million Beli.
For an ordinary North Blue Marine officer like him, it was a fortune beyond imagination.
But now there was someone else who knew the secret.
And Barrels understood that the other man's silence meant he had exactly the same plan.
Very soon, the shift rotation arrived.
Both men declined their scheduled rest period and exchanged a glance.
At five o'clock in the morning, another group attempted to cross the border.
The two rushed over at top speed, searching the crowd for the children they had seen before.
"Get back!"
"Damn it!"
They cursed under their breath.
This time, however, there were far more people, and many were armed.
Clearly, those who had chosen this moment had long since given up on reason.
Amid the chaos, a dagger pierced a protective suit.
Barrels slipped away into the darkness.
That single stab had gone straight through the man's heart.
Time passed quickly.
Another two months went by.
The doctors of Flevance still had made no progress against Amber Lead Syndrome.
Now, even the doctors themselves had begun to lose faith in the possibility of a cure.
A cure was impossible.
Food supplies were running dangerously low.
Under such circumstances, most people began preparing weapons.
If they wanted to live, if they wanted their children to live, they had no other choice.
Plans were made.
Times and locations for breaking through the border were agreed upon.
Everyone was preparing.
At the same time, Barrels felt his patience nearing its limit.
Why hadn't that little girl with the Devil Fruit appeared?
The woman accompanying the children appeared to be a church nun.
But for now he still couldn't enter.
The World Government had ordered them to seal off all of Flevance.
He was only a minor branch officer.
If he entered, there was no guarantee he would ever leave again.
Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Boom!
A series of gunshots erupted, accompanied by artillery fire.
Soon afterward, a masked CP agent arrived and delivered a new order from the World Government.
[Put on protective suits and enter Flevance. Kill all infected individuals and burn the bodies on site.]
The opportunity had finally arrived.
Barrels immediately volunteered to lead a team inside.
After selecting a narrow alley, he shot every member of his squad in the back.
Then he headed straight for the church.
Unfortunately, the little girl wasn't there.
Facing the nervous nun, Barrels thought for a moment before removing his protective mask.
"Sir... sir?"
The nun froze.
She had expected him to kill them.
She had never expected him to remove his mask.
Barrels spoke directly.
"I know very well that Amber Lead Syndrome isn't contagious. But because of orders from above... we have no choice but to carry them out."
The act of removing his mask eased the nun's fears.
After a slight bow, hope appeared in her eyes.
"Mr... Mr. Soldier."
"I know this is an unreasonable request, but could you... could you please take these children out of here?"
"They're still so young. Their lives have only just begun."
"I'm begging you, take them away from this place. Only by leaving... will they have any hope of surviving."
"The youngest is only three years old. They've only just come into this world..."
"I promise."
Barrels answered without hesitation.
Barrels immediately agreed and put on a friendly smile.
"But tonight is the latest possible time. The people of Flevance have begun armed resistance, and orders from above are to kill everyone."
"It's five o'clock now. After dark, at nine tonight, I'll come and take you away."
"Remember this, don't trust anyone except me."
The nun nodded seriously.
Every soldier stationed at the border feared even approaching them.
After shooting civilians, they would immediately burn the bodies.
Only this soldier...
Only this soldier was willing to help.
"Remember, gather all the children together. It'll make the evacuation easier."
"Yes! Thank you... thank you, Mr. Soldier. Could... could you tell me your name..."
Before she could finish, Barrels shook his head slightly.
"If you know my name, I might be questioned by my superiors in the future and executed because of this. So..."
The nun's eyes reddened as she wiped away her tears.
"I understand."
"As long as the children can leave, then after I die, even as a soul, I will pray for you every day..."
Barrels left the church and waited in a hidden location for nightfall.
As for taking those children away...
He had never intended to do that.
His objective, from beginning to end, was only that Devil Fruit.
So much time had already passed.
All he could do now was gamble that the Devil Fruit hadn't been eaten.
If it had already been eaten, then everything he had done during these past months would have been completely pointless.
But if it hadn't been eaten, then by using escape as the condition, the fruit would be handed over to him willingly.
Compared to threatening a group of people who were already doomed to die, this method carried far fewer risks and uncertainties.
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