Chapter 12: Something Magical Happened
Sure enough, a bonfire was lit in the distant town.
"What's that?"
"Their town was taken over by Buggy the Clown…" Alvida explained briefly.
Cheng Lang was surprised, then nodded.
It made sense.
If they were heading to Rogue Town, their route would naturally overlap with Luffy's—especially now that he'd probably met Nami and locked in his course.
"Let's go check it out."
The trio—two women and one man—headed into town.
Laughter and joy filled the streets.
Villagers greeted Alvida warmly.
Those who knew her offered drinks and food.
Cheng Lang and the others were treated like honored guests.
The village chief arrived—two girls and a man, no pirate flag in sight.
He welcomed them and began retelling the tale of Luffy and his crew.
Cheng Lang found it amusing.
The story matched what he remembered.
Kuya Mi looked puzzled.
"Are they still considered pirates?"
"Haha, of course!" the village chief laughed.
"There are good and bad people everywhere. Luffy and his crew are clearly good pirates."
Kuya Mi's expression was complicated—curious, confused.
The chief chuckled.
"There aren't many good people in this world. If you meet one, why worry about their label?"
Cheng Lang patted Kuya Mi's head.
"The chief's right. Just like the Navy isn't always good, pirates aren't always bad. It depends on the person."
Kuya Mi nodded and dug into the banquet food.
She ate a lot.
She listened even more.
Eventually, someone offered her ale.
She accepted.
Alvida ended up carrying her back to the ship.
Cheng Lang stayed behind.
"Hey, young man…"
"I'm just passing through. But I wanted to ask—do you have any cattle, sheep, or chickens for sale?"
The village chief hesitated.
They had some—but not many.
Buggy's crew had looted treasure and slaughtered livestock.
Even their banquets had drained the town's resources.
"It's not about money," the chief said.
"You've seen our situation. We need to distribute livestock to keep people from starving."
"I understand," Cheng Lang said.
He thought for a moment.
"How about this? I'll give you a safe shelter—enough for thousands. I'll also build a dozen houses."
"…Are you serious?" the chief asked, stunned.
Cheng Lang's offer sounded like a fantasy.
"You guys doing renovations?"
The chief knew about their ship—but without a pirate flag, he hadn't paid much attention.
"Not starving yet, but close. So—what do you say?"
"How much do I owe you?"
"Same deal. Two cows, two sheep, two chickens."
"…Is this real?" The chief was speechless.
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"It's just something simple," Cheng Lang said with a smile.
The chief nodded.
He figured it would take months to build anything.
He could find livestock in the meantime.
But reality hit hard.
Cheng Lang walked to the ruins—blown apart by cannon fire.
He pulled out a blueprint.
Tapped the rubble.
Bang.
The debris vanished.
"?!"
The chief was stunned.
Then Cheng Lang started building.
The houses rose like blocks—stacked and shaped with precision.
At first, the chief worried about durability.
But no matter how hard he pushed, the walls held firm.
In less than an hour, Cheng Lang had built over a dozen square homes.
Balconies. Chimneys. Two stories.
No windows or furniture yet—but still a massive time-saver.
"How's that?"
"It's… it's incredible."
"Too bad I couldn't find sand. Otherwise, I'd make glass too."
"That's fine! That's more than enough!" the chief said quickly—afraid Cheng Lang might build even more.
He hadn't just cleared the land—he'd built homes.
Work that would've taken months was done in an hour.
Even with the five million Berry Luffy left behind, it wouldn't have fed this many families.
But now…
"Come with me. I'll show you the shelter."
"You already built it?"
"Just a little convenience."
Cheng Lang led him underground.
The chief was stunned.
"This… this space under our town! Wait—won't it collapse? Landslide risk! No, no, this isn't safe!"
Cheng Lang scratched his head.
His powers were far beyond normal comprehension.
"Relax. I've got it."
He placed stone pillars one by one.
In moments, the underground was reinforced.
He hadn't calculated volume before—but now he did.
Torches every twelve blocks.
Seventy rows vertically.
One hundred thirty-one horizontally.
Area: roughly the size of 3,077 basketball courts.
The chief dropped to his knees.
The underground shelter could house three to four thousand people.
For a town of a thousand, it was more than enough.
It solved housing.
It solved future disaster protection.
"…How much do you want?" the chief asked, dazed.
"Didn't we agree? Two cows, two sheep, two chickens."
"Are you sure?"
The chief felt like he was dreaming.
Such a massive project—for livestock?
Cheng Lang chuckled.
He'd mined so much iron from beneath their town.
If the boat weren't full, he'd still be digging.
He thought for a moment.
"If you feel like you owe me, just give me some of your village's specialty goods."
"…Deal."
The chief agreed.
Cheng Lang then built a passage to the surface—so no one would get trapped underground.
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