One-Punch Man in the One Piece World

55. Subdue the Aivengi

But the Ivanki people did not back down!

Even when faced with an overwhelming disparity in strength, they continued to fight and charge forward.

The fallen person is dragged to the back by their companion, and a new person takes their place.

There was no fear in their eyes, only determination!

The battle lasted for nearly an hour.

As darkness fell completely, the edge of the withered forest was filled with Avenki warriors.

Most were only unconscious, while a few suffered more serious injuries.

Because Norton had given specific instructions, no one died.

The last one standing was the scarred man, who struggled to his feet, pointing the broken-horn weapon at Norton, his arm trembling.

Norton walked up to him.

"You're strong," the scarred man said in broken Common, "but if you try to take our land, we'll fight to the last man!"

"I don't need your land," Norton said.

The scarred man was stunned.

"My name is Norton, and I'm a pirate," Norton continued. "I've taken over Birchwood Town, but I won't stay long. I'll be leaving this island in a few days."

The Aivenki warriors looked at each other in bewilderment.

Sensing the changes in Birch Town, the Aivenki people thought they had found an opportunity and thus swarmed out.

But after fighting Norton's subordinates, all that remained was despair.

And now, in the midst of despair, hope has miraculously emerged?

"You said...leave?" The scarred man couldn't believe it.

"Yes." Norton nodded.

He was very interested in these barbarians who grew up in such a harsh region as the Grand Line. If he could recruit them, the Norton Pirates' basic combat strength would undoubtedly experience a qualitative leap.

These Ivanki people are simply no match for the officers.

Their combat power far surpasses that of ordinary pirates.

If recruited and trained, they will become an elite force under Norton.

"You just want to take back your land, don't you? I can help you achieve your wish. Just hand over half of your people and come with me to sea, and I will take everyone in Birchwood Town and return the land to you," Norton said.

This statement stunned everyone present, including the townspeople who had been brought out of the house.

"W-what? Lord Norton! You can't do this! This is our home, where we've lived for three hundred years!"

Many townspeople shouted.

The history of Birchwood Town was founded by Polito's ancestor—the pirate from the North Sea.

Most of the ordinary townspeople are descendants of pirates who were imprisoned on this island by the ancestors of Mayor Polito.

However, when you live in a place for so long, you will inevitably develop feelings for it.

Every house in Birchwood Town was built by the townspeople themselves.

They are unwilling to leave.

"Shut up." Norton turned around and gave the townspeople a cold look. "You are my prisoners. Wherever I say go, you go."

After saying that, Norton looked back at the scarred man.

"How about it? Interested? Don't worry, I won't harm your people. On the contrary, I'll carefully nurture them and make them even stronger!"

The scarred man's breathing quickened. He stared intently at Norton, as if trying to determine the truth of his words.

"Why...why did you do this?"

"Because I value your fighting prowess," Norton stated bluntly. "The Avenki are natural-born warriors, capable of hunting Ruhanna and surviving in such harsh environments. I need men like that."

The withered forest was completely silent.

The Avenki warriors spoke in hushed tones in a language Norton couldn't understand. The scarred man remained silent for a long time before finally raising his head.

"I need to discuss this with the elders."

"Okay," Norton said. "I'll give you a day. Give me your answer by this time tomorrow."

He turned to the officers and ordered, "Bring the wounded inside for treatment. Inventory the supplies and prepare to set sail. Our time on this island is running out."

Late at night, in the largest house in Birch Town.

Norton sat in the main seat, with Nami and Funing on either side. Charts and nautical logs were spread out on the table, but none of the three looked at them.

"Are you really going to take all the townspeople with you?" Nami asked. "Those townspeople, half of the Avenki warriors, plus our original three thousand men, will overload the fleet."

"Then let's steal more ships," Norton said. "The Grand Line has no shortage of pirate ships."

"Do you think the Aivenki people will agree?" Fu Ning asked.

"Yes, it will," Norton said confidently.

The Awenki people had no choice. With the impending snowstorm, and their current population and resources, it would be difficult for them to survive.

If we go with Norton, at least half of the people will survive.

Footsteps sounded outside, and Chloe pushed open the door and came in.

"Captain Norton, we have news from Morgans." Crowe handed over a note. "This is the intelligence Roy translated."

Norton took the note. It was very brief.

"The permanent pointer of the Drum Kingdom has been sent out."

Bonus information: The current king of the Drum Kingdom, Walbor, is cruel and has expelled many of the country's best doctors. It is recommended to seek medical talent from among the common people.

—Morgans

"Expelling doctors?" Nami frowned. "Has that king gone mad? In a place like the Grand Line, doctors are one of the most important resources."

"That's why we need to go find him." Norton burned the note. "Tell Roy to keep in touch with Morgans."

"Yes." Kro nodded and left.

Nami stared at the burning note and suddenly said, "Norton, are we really going to rob our way all the way to the New World? The Marines, pirates, even... the Celestial Tribe?"

"Scared?" Norton looked at her.

"A little," Nami said honestly, "but at the same time... I'm also very excited."

Her biggest dream used to be to draw charts of the entire world. Now, she realizes she might witness a voyage that could change the world's landscape.

Fu Ning chuckled: "If my father knew, he would definitely regret letting me board the White Pearl."

"Will you regret it?" Norton asked.

Fu Ning shook her head and followed Norton, feeling a sensation she had never experienced before... a feeling called freedom.

The three looked at each other and smiled.

Outside, moonlight illuminated the withered forest.

In the Aivenki camp, the campfire burned all night.

The faint sounds of the elders arguing could be heard, deciding the fate of the entire clan.

Meanwhile, in a more distant port, the Norton Pirates' fleet lay quietly at anchor.

The ship was brightly lit, and the pirates were busy moving supplies and repairing the vessel in preparation for their upcoming voyage.

The nights on the Grand Line are never peaceful.

The next morning.

As the first rays of pale sunlight filtered through the gaps in the withered birch trees and into the town, the scarred man was already standing outside Norton's house.

Behind him followed three elderly Aivenki elders, their faces covered with wrinkles deeper than tree bark, their deerskin coats adorned with faded bone ornaments—eye bones from Ruhanna hunted by successive chieftains, worn only by elders.

Norton pushed open the door and walked out, followed by Nami and Funing.

Zoro and Sanji also came out from the next room, clearly having been awake for some time.

"We agree," the scarred man said bluntly. "Half of the warriors will go with you, and the rest of our people will stay on the island to reclaim the land of Birch Town."

Norton nodded, showing no surprise.

"But I'm going with you." The scarred man's eyes were fixed on Norton.

He has decided to resign as chieftain and elect a new chieftain from among the remaining tribespeople on the island.

The reason for doing this was because they didn't trust their people to be handed over to the powerful and unfamiliar Norton.

Following Norton will not only allow us to take care of our people, but also ensure that no one will be harmed before Norton dies if he intends to harm them!

"Interesting... What's your name?" Norton seemed to know what the scarred man was thinking.

"El," the scarred man said, "that's my name."

"Chief El," Norton said, "from this day forward, you are the commander of the Norton Pirates' 'Avengi Squad.' Your people will receive the best training, weapons, and treatment."

El nodded, then turned to the elders and quickly gave them instructions in Evanki. The three elders embraced him one by one, their movements solemn, as if performing some kind of ritual.

Then, El turned around and whistled three times in the direction of the withered forest.

A moment later, Avenki warriors emerged from the withered forest. They formed two lines, one behind El and the other behind the elders. Norton roughly estimated that each line had about two hundred men.

"The warriors who came with you are on the left," El said. "The ones who stayed on the island are on the right. All the adult warriors who participated in the hunting ceremony are here."

Nami noticed that most of the warriors who went with Norton were young, and their eyes, besides being resolute, also held a hint of curiosity about the unknown.

Those who remained were mostly older, with more composed expressions.

"Get ready," Norton said to Al. "Take your weapons and belongings. We'll meet at the port in an hour."

...

...

Two hundred Ivanki warriors, along with all the townspeople of Birch Town, made the originally spacious shoreline extremely crowded.

Zeff, Kro, and others shouted to maintain order and sent people onto different ships in batches.

"Admiral Norton! We don't have enough ships!" A junior officer in charge of dispatching rushed over, sweating profusely. "Our twenty-seven ships are barely enough to carry three thousand people, and now we have over a thousand more..."

"Let's squeeze in," Norton said. "There are plenty of ships on the high seas; we can just steal a few more!"

"But food and fresh water..."

"Has all the food supplies from Birchwood Town been loaded onto the ships?" Norton interrupted him. "The Avenki know where on the island we can replenish our fresh water supply; let them lead the way. As for the long-term issues..."

"Once we reach Bell Island, everything will be resolved."

The underling wanted to say something, but seeing Norton's look, he swallowed his words, saluted, and ran away.

At the dock, the townspeople were being forced onto a ship by pirates.

Many people looked back repeatedly, gazing in the direction of the town, their eyes filled with reluctance.

Several elderly people knelt on the ground, grabbed a handful of soil, wrapped it in a cloth, and stuffed it into their clothes.

Meanwhile, the Avenki warriors were boarding the ship.

Their luggage was simple: each person carried a bone spear, a bone knife at their waist, and a bundle sewn from Luhanna leather on their back. Some also carried small bone carvings—family amulets.

El stood at the edge of the harbor, watching the remaining half of his people on the island. The elders were leading them towards Birch Town.

As agreed, the town would belong to Norton after he withdrew.

"El".

Al turned his head and saw Norton walking over.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to them?" Norton asked.

"We've already said goodbye," Al said. "The words of parting should be spoken on the night the decision is made. After the sun rises, there is only the road ahead."

Norton nodded and said nothing more.

An hour later, everyone had boarded the ship.

Norton stood at the bow of the White Pearl, looking out over the harbor.

The town of Birch Trees appeared quiet and dilapidated in the morning light. On the largest withered birch tree at the entrance of the town, the totem of the Aivenki people—a deer antler pattern drawn with red clay—was already hung.

"Raise the sails!" Norton ordered.

"Set sail—"

The orders were passed down one by one.

The sails of all the ships rose at the same time, billowing in the morning breeze. The sound of anchor chains being reeled in filled the air.

The fleet slowly sailed away from the port and headed towards the open sea.

Nami stood next to Norton, holding the Log Pose in her hand.

The pointer steadily pointed in one direction—the location of Bell Island, the handover point agreed upon by Morgans.

"At the current speed, we should arrive in about ten days," Nami said, "provided the weather is normal."

The weather on the Grand Line is always an unknown.

After the fleet sailed out of the waters around Granville Island, the sea became open.

The sky was grayish-blue, and the clouds were low, giving a sense of oppression.

Norton ordered his officers to return to their ships to maintain order, while he remained on the White Pearl.

El and one hundred Avenki warriors were assigned to this flagship, while another one hundred were assigned to other ships.

On deck, the Avenki warriors curiously examined the enormous three-masted sailing ship.

They had never seen such a massive wooden structure, let alone the complex sail and cable systems.

"How are you feeling?" Norton walked over to Al.

El looked at the distant sea: "It's... vast. On the island, the view only extends to the edge of the withered forest. But here... there's no end in sight."

"This is the ocean," Norton said. "The Grand Line has seven routes, each connecting dozens of islands. You will see many more later."

El was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Where are you taking us?"

"First, go to Spring Island, called Bell Island, and retrieve something," Norton said. "Then go to Drum Kingdom and find the doctor."

"doctor?"

"My fleet now has nearly four thousand men, and we can't do without doctors," Norton said. "Injuries in battle are common, not to mention the possibility of falling ill. Diseases on the Grand Line are sometimes more deadly than swords."

Al nodded.

In Granville, the Awenki also have their own witch doctors who know how to treat injuries and illnesses using the roots and stems of plants from the island and the bone marrow of Ruhanna.

But that knowledge only applies to that island; it might be completely useless in the outside world.

By midday, the fleet had moved far away from Granville Island, and could only be seen as a small black dot on the sea.

Nami came down from the observation deck, her brow furrowed slightly: "Norton, something's not right with the weather."

"How so?"

"The temperature is dropping," Nami said. "Although it's slow, it's definitely dropping. It's noon now, which should be the warmest time of day, but I feel colder than in the morning."

Norton looked up at the sky. The clouds were thicker than when he set out, the sun was completely obscured, and the sky was leaden gray.

"Is it going to rain?" Fu Ning walked over, having also put on a jacket.

"It doesn't look like it." Nami shook her head. "The air pressure changes before it rains aren't like this. And... look at the sea."

Everyone looked at the seawater beside the boat.

The once deep blue sea now appeared strangely pale, and the waves had shrunk, as if the seawater had become viscous.

Zoro stepped out of the cabin and yawned—he had just been catching up on sleep. But the yawn stopped halfway through.

"...It's so cold!"

Zoro was only wearing a thin green belly roll, and his arms were already covered in goosebumps.

Sanji lit a cigarette, but it took several tries to ignite it with the flint.

"The temperature is dropping very quickly. In just a few minutes, it has dropped at least five degrees."

Norton stretched out his hand, palm up, and something white floated down and landed on his hand.

It's a snowflake.

"It's snowing?" Fu Ning asked in surprise.

Nami's expression turned serious.

More snowflakes fell.

At first, there were only a few scattered snowflakes, but soon the snow became dense, falling from the sky like goose feathers. The sea breeze swirled the snowflakes, stinging slightly on the face.

Temperatures continue to drop.

Norton could feel the air around him getting colder rapidly.

The sailors on deck began rubbing their hands and stamping their feet, their breath turning into white mist.

"Norton!" a shout came from the lookout tower. "The sea...the sea is frozen over!"