"Everyone, I'm heading out too. Just as you said, Oran, I'm going to sing the praises of freedom to my heart's content!"
On the shores of the Sorbet Kingdom, Ivankov, carrying some food and water, prepared to set sail on a small wooden boat riddled with patches.
No one knew what the survivors of the Valley of the Gods had planned for their futures, but Ivankov had decided to take his first step.
"Big Bro, I'm planning to stay here with Oran and Kuma for now. We'll figure out the future slowly."
Ginny wasn't leaving with Ivankov. To be precise, among the last few people remaining, only Ivankov was ready to depart now.
"Ivankov, that boat isn't realistic for a long voyage. Have you really thought this through?"
Oran couldn't stay in the Sorbet Kingdom forever—he had many things to do. But per his habit, he wouldn't act recklessly when time allowed. At the very least, he'd need to build a sturdy ship first.
When Ivankov had invited him earlier, Oran had flat-out rejected the idea of entrusting his life to the whims of the sea.
"Of course! Though we haven't known each other long, I feel like we're already friends. Farewell, everyone! Don't forget me!"
With a gust of offshore wind, Ivankov's small boat drifted further away.
"Little Ivankov! I'll never forget your face!"
Kuma shouted loudly until Ivankov's figure vanished on the horizon, then returned to the church.
"Let's go, Kuma. We haven't settled dinner yet."
Ginny was thirteen, Kuma nine. For them, filling their stomachs was the pressing issue.
Having escaped, they couldn't resort to stealing or rummaging through trash to survive. But they lacked skills, and their only stable income came from Kuma chopping firewood.
"No need to chop wood today. I found a kind person who'll cover our dinner."
"A kind person?"
"Exactly. Let's grab Kate, pack our stuff, and head out."
Among those staying was Kate, a mink from the Mink Tribe. She didn't know how to return home—Zou was a giant, moving elephant, and without a life card to Zou, even minks struggled to find it, especially since Zou roamed the perilous New World.
Even if she returned, her small family was already broken.
Her heart condition made her believe she might die suddenly someday. When Oran asked about her plans, she answered earnestly:
"You killed one of my enemies and brought me off that island. The Mink Tribe never leaves a debt unpaid. I might not live long, but for the time I have left, I'll repay you!
If possible, I'd like to entrust my dreams to you as well!"
Influenced by the Mink Tribe's mindset, Oran seemed to have earned a cat's gratitude.
In their current situation, Kate's racial ability to generate electricity was a significant help to Oran. Without his usual subordinates or staff, Oran naturally wouldn't refuse.
But becoming the ultimate villain wasn't in his plans. He intended to find a suitable environment to address her heart issue.
This naturally warlike race would prove valuable to him in the future.
"You're back! I've sorted out the stuff you mentioned!"
Behind Kate were two wooden crates, items Oran had brought from the Valley of the Gods.
The ship was too large to take, but he'd managed to bring plenty of cargo, including things difficult to replicate in this world, like Hextech Crystals.
Even with the full production process, without raw materials, Oran couldn't make them. For the foreseeable future, these were non-renewable resources for him.
Oran and Kuma each shouldered a crate and headed toward the other side of the church. As for Kuma carrying heavy loads…
Though the youngest of the group, Kuma's strength was extraordinary, nearly matching the standard load capacity of Oran's exoskeleton.
After walking for a while, when Ginny's stomach began growling, Oran finally stopped.
"We're here."
"This… isn't this the palace?!"
"Yep. The kind person I mentioned lives here. I spoke with your king yesterday. Here's the decree."
While answering Ginny, Oran showed a decree to the guards.
Working odd jobs was out of the question. Accumulating initial capital that way was too arduous, so Oran chose a quicker method.
The two crates weren't just anything—they were filled with rifles.
The firearms' technology wasn't advanced, nowhere near the level of the Teleportation Gate. To Oran, they were scrap metal.
But Shark, who'd helped move things, thought the guns were high quality, so they were brought along.
Yet, these weapons, which Oran dismissed, surpassed the South Blue's average level.
Technology varied drastically across these seas. Some Grand Line islands could easily produce submachine guns, but in the East Blue, revolvers were rare.
Most people used single-shot pistols, and the best way to fire continuously was to carry multiple guns.
The South Blue was slightly better, but not by much, especially in the impoverished Sorbet Kingdom.
Of course, two crates of rifles alone wouldn't earn Oran a dinner invitation from the king. The weapons were merely a foot in the door. Using them, Oran struck a deal with the Sorbet Kingdom's king.
Oran would improve the nation's forging techniques and build machines to boost domestic productivity. In return, the Sorbet Kingdom would provide substantial funding and some aid.
The current king, Bulldog, was a good ruler. Though the nation was poor, its people were spiritually fulfilled and harbored no major grievances.
The blueprint Oran described could transform the country to some extent, so Bulldog didn't refuse.
The poverty was relative, spread across the population. As a nation, it could still muster the funds to meet Oran's demands.
"Oran, how'd you get the king to invite you?"
"I just happened to have something they lack. By the way, did you look at the stuff I gave you?"
"I did, but it's kind of complicated. I don't really get what it means…"
Kuma scratched his head, seeming embarrassed that he couldn't help with even this small task.
"No worries. I'll teach you when we get back. It shouldn't be too hard."
Oran needed specific materials to build certain things, but the kingdom lacked equipment to extract them, and its industrial system couldn't support building such equipment.
In the end, Oran set his sights on Kuma's ability. The Paw-Paw Fruit could repel conceptual things like pain—a fruit wielding partial rule-based power.
In theory, using it to separate certain substances wasn't complex, but it required Kuma to understand what those substances were.