Yasa cast a cold glance at the villagers, as if he hadn't heard their chatter. He continued walking, entering the winding alleys.
Several hours passed. The dazzling sun climbed from the east to directly overhead, and the island's villagers began preparing their midday meals. Still, there was no sign of Enel.
He opened his Observation Haki wide, glancing at every person he encountered. All he found were Birdmen with wings on their backs.
Could my estimation be wrong? Has Enel not been born yet? Yasa's heart sank, the joy of landing on Birka turning to gloom.
It was 1493 of the Sea Circle Era, 27 years before the story's beginning. There were too many unknowns.
No, perhaps he's hiding at home and not coming out to play, he comforted himself silently.
Enel was often subjected to the villagers' contempt, beatings, and abuse. It was entirely possible he'd be hiding at home.
At this time, Yasa's Observation Haki domain covered a very small area. He couldn't sense anything in some cloud houses, and he couldn't break through the buildings' barriers to hear the "sounds" coming from inside.
"If Enel hadn't been born, I'd have to search for the Rumble-Rumble Fruit myself for a while," he thought, having prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Everything must be done by myself. Relying on others won't work.
If the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was hidden somewhere on Birka Island, these villagers really might not find it. Otherwise, how could Enel have eaten it?
Yasa rubbed his temples to ease the headache from thinking too much. "First, I'll go to the beach to catch some shells and fish for lunch. Then I'll search for both the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and Enel at the same time."
With a plan in mind, Yasa's headache faded. He slowly walked toward the other side of Birka Island's beach. The cooking smoke rising from the villagers' fires, carrying the aroma of food, made his stomach growl.
As he approached the White White Sea, just about to solve his hunger problem, he suddenly heard the playful voices of children around seven or eight years old.
He couldn't hear what they were saying clearly, but he could vaguely make out:
"Kill him! Kill this wingless monster!"
"This monster dares to think about the village's 'spaceship' design plans!"
"Hmph! He wants to kill us all. The lord won't discipline him, but we can't let him off that easily."
The clamor of voices dissipated into the sea breeze. If not for Yasa's mastery of Observation Haki, which heightened his senses to their peak, he would have missed these faint whispers.
"Spaceship blueprints?" Yasa's heart leapt, his eyes lighting up. "The Ark Maxim—the wingless monster? Could it be Enel? Ha! The heavens smile upon me!"
Suppressing his excitement, he hurried over and hid behind a tree to eavesdrop.
"Huh? The monster stopped moving."
"Did we beat it to death?"
"What a useless thing. Two punches and it's done for. Let's go home and eat!"
The brats had pummeled Enel with kicks and punches. Seeing him motionless now, their childish fear took over, and they scattered like startled birds.
Before fleeing, they threw out taunts:
"This trash is good for nothing. It's a waste of food being alive. Better off dead."
"Let's go! Don't look back. Home for dinner!"
In an instant, the crowd vanished without a trace, leaving only a small figure twitching on the ground.
Without the children's cover, Yasa clearly saw the face of the person who'd been beaten black and blue.
The child lying curled on the Island Cloud caught Yasa's eye first with those long earlobes hanging to his chest. Through the gaps in the arms protecting his head, Yasa glimpsed a wild hairstyle. Though the face looked young, that flat nose gave him away—this was indeed Enel, the future God.
Yasa was certain he'd found his man. On Birka Island, only Enel lacked wings besides himself. Who else could have such long earlobes?
When the crowd had dispersed, Enel slowly rose from the ground. His face remained expressionless, but his eyes burned with a deep-seated hatred that would never fade.
The seeds of hatred had been planted. One day they'd sprout and grow into a towering tree.
Yasa felt no sympathy for Enel's plight. At the end of the day, it all came down to strength. Only those with power could avoid being bullied, could control their own fate.
The figure hiding behind the tree flashed forward, instantly blocking Enel's path. He would never let slip this perfect opportunity to gather intelligence.
Yet before Yasa could speak, Enel—still wiping his tears and not looking ahead—seemed to grow a third eye. He dodged Yasa as if he were a wall blocking the road, continuing straight forward.
It felt like...
"Observation Haki?" Yasa's pupils contracted, his heart pounding with shock.
He'd always thought Enel's powerful Observation Haki relied on the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's electrical amplification. But now it seemed that might not be true?
To think someone so small—barely six or seven years old—had awakened Observation Haki? It was utterly astonishing. No wonder he could monitor all conversations on Sky Island under the fruit's influence!
"A promising specimen," Yasa mused, his eyes flashing with cold calculation. "What a pity I'm here to steal your fortune!" His face remained impassive as he asked, "Why not fight back? You could easily dodge their attacks, couldn't you?"
Enel remained silent, continuing his unsteady walk forward. Perhaps the movement strained his wounds, causing him to occasionally draw in a sharp breath.
Yasa, unfazed by Enel's silence, continued, "Hey, brat, why aren't you talking? Since you don't have wings like me, maybe we're from the same place!"
"Hm?" Enel's head snapped up. He turned to scrutinize Yasa, his eyes lighting up when he confirmed the man's lack of wings. "Are you a Moon Islander too?"
His voice brimmed with hope, as if his loneliness had made him desperate for companionship.
"Moon Islander?" Yasa blinked. He knew Sky Islanders were actually Moon Islanders who'd been forced to this Pirate World when their moon's energy ran dry. They'd evolved wings out of nostalgia for their home, but now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
"Sort of," Yasa replied vaguely. "But why didn't you fight back earlier? With your amazing ability, dodging their attacks should've been easy. Why not teach them a lesson? And how did you get that power to 'see' people's true selves?"
Yasa's curiosity burned brightest on that last point.