Jango adjusted his signature heart-shaped glasses and casually remarked, "I heard that the Governor of the Navia Kingdom is originally someone from the Faraise Kingdom."
The villagers froze in surprise. One of them curiously asked, "Someone from the Faraise Kingdom? Then why have we never heard of his name back when he was in our country? And why did he rise to fame in Navia instead?"
"That is indeed quite an interesting story," Jango said with a tone of intrigue, as if recounting a bard's tale. "In fact, this has become a popular topic among us traveling poets. The Governor of Navia, Morgan William, is not only handsome and well-educated but also carries himself with grace and is deeply aware of the struggles of the common people. When you consider the claim that he hails from the Faraise Kingdom, we poets have a common theory."
"What theory?" Just as Jango expected, the villagers' curiosity had been piqued.
"You all should know that your current king did not inherit the throne like other monarchs or as past kings did—from father to son. Instead, he succeeded his elder brother over a decade ago in a case of fraternal succession," Jango said with a meaningful expression, inviting the villagers to use their imagination. "And have you ever heard any news about the descendants of the former king?"
Though Jango did not explicitly state it, his implication was clear.
The village sheriff, Genzo, who had been silently listening to Jango's story, finally couldn't help but question, "Are you suggesting that Morgan William might be a descendant of the former king, abandoned as a child? And you're basing this on hearsay and speculation?"
"As I said, it's just a theory among us poets," Jango replied with a smile.
Genzo shook his head at the response. "That theory is far-fetched. The royal family doesn't even have the surname Morgan."
"Perhaps it was to conceal his identity, taking his mother's surname," Jango suggested, strumming his guitar lightly. "Morgan William, like the royal family members of the Faraise Kingdom, has blond hair, blue eyes, a tall and dignified stature, and has received an excellent education. Yet, as a governor of a nation, he remains tight-lipped about his origins. His age and the timing of his rise to power coincide with the current king's ascension. Doesn't that warrant some suspicion and speculation?"
As a sheriff, Genzo was more rational and skeptical of conspiracy theories like Jango's. However, the villagers of Cocoyasi Village were not all as logical as Genzo. Having been abandoned by their ruling class and feeling the weight of their social standing, such conspiracy theories found fertile ground among them.
"Now that you mention it, it is strange that the former king supposedly left no descendants," a young villager remarked, stroking his chin.
His companion, with an air of knowingness, added, "They were probably assassinated in the fight for the throne."
Another villager suddenly speculated, "Whether or not he's royalty, if Morgan William really came from our country, could we appeal to him for help?"
"Don't even think about it," Genzo interjected. "Regardless of where he came from, he's now the Governor of Navia Kingdom. We are citizens of the Faraise Kingdom, outside his jurisdiction. Hoping for his help is as futile as relying on the Marines."
Genzo glanced at Jango again. "Jango, you've mentioned before that the Morgan Pirates are closely tied to the Governor of Navia. If that's true, then we can't count on them either. They wouldn't risk fighting another powerful pirate crew for people from another country. And even if they did save us, our position and circumstances would only become more complicated."
"But Jango and you both said that Arlong's bounty is so high. In the East Blue, even if the Marines wanted to come, they might not dare to, and even if they did, they might not stand a chance," someone argued.
The mood turned somber as silence fell over the group.
After a long pause, one villager sighed deeply and said, "Are we really going to rely on Nami, that poor child, to save up 100 million Beli to buy back our village? So many of us adults, and yet we expect a young girl to save us?"
Arlong had deliberately given Nami a glimmer of hope to keep her working for him. He told her that if she could save up 100 million Beli, she could buy back her hometown, Cocoyasi Village. Nami hadn't wanted to tell the villagers about this, confiding only in her sister Nojiko. However, Nojiko, unwilling to let the villagers misunderstand Nami, had revealed the truth to them shortly afterward.
Thus, Nami and the villagers found themselves in a strange state of mutual concealment.
"I don't have much faith in that plan," Jango said, pouring cold water on their hopes. "From what you've told me, those Fish-Men are utterly inhuman. They may not keep their word."
"If those Fish-Men really break their promise, we'll have no choice but to fight," said the elderly village doctor, Nako, gritting his teeth. "If the king and the Marines won't care about our lives, then we won't hesitate to seek help from another nation—or even sell our souls to pirates, those devils!"
...
In the waters near Cocoyasi Village, a warship sailed steadily toward the island.
On the deck, the very man whose origins the villagers were speculating about—William—was sparring with Aramis. Naturally, Aramis was no match for William. However, William had blindfolded himself with a black cloth, making the duel much more even.
William was shirtless, a faint mist of steam enveloping his body like a thin veil, aiding his perception of the surroundings.
The reason William had blindfolded himself for the match was that he had recently learned some techniques from the manta ray Fish-Man, Kuroobi, about Fish-Man Karate.
Many of the moves in Fish-Man Karate relied on the webbing or unique skin of Fish-Men to maximize their effectiveness. However, certain techniques, such as the application of strength and the methods of sensing and utilizing water, intrigued William, who believed they could be adapted and learned.
Fish-Man Karate, like the One Sword Style and Life Return, involved heightened sensory awareness. Fish-Man Karate emphasized sensing the connection between oneself and external water sources, a skill deeply tied to the Fish-Men's aquatic nature, as they lived surrounded by seawater.
One Sword Style required swordsmen to feel the "breath" of their swords and all things, a concept that bore similarities to Fish-Man Karate.
Life Return, on the other hand, trained practitioners to achieve complete control over their bodies, to the point where even their hair could be manipulated at will.
As a Logia Devil Fruit user, William had a natural ability to manipulate the elements he produced—in his case, steam, thanks to the Steam-Steam Fruit. From an early stage, he had been able to sense his surroundings through the steam he generated.
The sensory abilities honed through Life Return gave William precise control over the steam he produced. The breath-hearing techniques of swordsmanship enhanced his awareness of the environment when in his elemental form. And the connection between steam and water allowed William, though not a Fish-Man, to develop a unique method of sensing his surroundings. This hybrid approach substituted, in part, for the Fish-Men's innate sensitivity to water, deepening his control over steam.
Fish-Man Karate originally emphasized strengthening the connection between Fish-Men and water. William reasoned that as a Steam-Steam Fruit user, he could adapt these techniques to enhance his connection with "steam."
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