Chapter 588: Retired female navy officer! (Two in one)

The Kingdom of Ouikot in the East China Sea.

Cocosia Village.

In the orange orchard near the sea, there are many streets. Bellmer, who has retired for many years, is holding two girls by his hands and is walking among the fruit trees, carefully inspecting the growth status of these fruit trees.

In early autumn, the orange trees in the orchard have already produced green fruits. The sea breeze is blowing gently, and at a glance, the orchard full of green is also filled with golden colors.

"Bermere~"

"Look, this orange should be ready to be picked, right?"

An orange-haired girl who was following Bellemere suddenly broke away from her adoptive mother's hand and ran quickly towards a fruit tree in front of her. As she spoke, the girl had already arrived at the fruit tree and pointed to the heights with her finger. A yellow orange shouted excitedly.

Even oranges on the same fruit tree have different maturity levels. The oranges that bear fruit earlier are actually ready for picking.

"Run slower, Nami."

Bellmer held a lady's cigarette in her mouth and looked at Nami running away with a smile. After giving a concerned reminder, she also looked in the direction of the girl Nami's finger.

As Nami said, a very small part of the oranges in this orchard are already ripe. In the next month or two, she needs to come often to pick the ripe fruits in time, otherwise it will be cheap for the birds and Fruit worms.

"Well, it's ready to be picked."

"Here, Nami, try it and see if it tastes good."

Bellemeier held Nuoqigao with one hand and walked slowly closer. He gently held the ripe orange in his other hand. After looking at it for a while, he stretched out his hand and pinched the fruit. He picked the palm-sized orange and put it on Na Beautiful hands.

Bellmere is less than thirty years old, but he has adopted two orphans since he retired from the navy. Noki is a little older, fifteen or sixteen years old, with purple hair and dark skin. He looks a bit mature, and at nearly 1.7 meters tall, he looks like a grown man.

Nami is younger, thirteen or fourteen years old, fair and thin, exuding an innocent and youthful atmosphere.

After leaving the navy, Bellmeier raised two children single-handedly, but he has not been able to find a companion for himself for so many years. The hardships he has put in cannot be appreciated by outsiders.

However, being dependent on each other with Nokigao and Nami, Bellemere did not feel that it was difficult at all. Seeing the two children growing up, Bellemere felt very happy, and felt that the hardships he had experienced over the years were insignificant.

Nami, who was slightly shorter, took the fruit from her mother, and Nokigao on the side also approached with a smile.

Gently break the orange open and the juice splashes out.

The fresh fragrance hit their nostrils, and the thin acid mist also made Nokigao and Nami subconsciously hide back, then looked at each other and laughed in unison.

"Now, Bellemere, you eat first."

Nami handed half of the oranges to Bellemere's hand, and then the two children looked at their mother expectantly with squinted eyes.

"Looks good."

The plump pulp looked mouth-watering. Bellemeier took it with a smile, peeled off the skin, broke off a piece of pulp and put it in his mouth, and then said with a smile on his face:

"Well, it's very sweet."

When Nokigao and Nami heard this, they couldn't wait to taste the fresh oranges. However, when they broke off a piece of fruit pulp and put it into their mouths, the smiles on their faces suddenly froze. .

The strong sour smell made the two children tremble involuntarily, and their expressions became distorted.

"Hahahahaha!"

Seeing the two children being fooled, Bellemere suddenly burst into laughter.

It turns out that these oranges only look ripe, and they will have to hang for a while before they are actually edible.

"You lied, Bellemere!" Nami's face turned livid, and she gave the orange in her hand to her sworn sister, saying angrily.

"Nami, I didn't lie."

"It's really sweet, but you kids can't taste it."

"Hahaha!"

Bellemel broke off the pulp in his hand and put it into his mouth. He smiled and ran forward along the path. When he left, he didn't forget to turn around and laugh at his daughter, who looked like a child.

"If you think it's sweet, then eat half of it too!"

"I don't want it. I'll give it to you two. Don't waste it!"

Nami shouted and chased forward. Bellemer turned around and made a face, then ran away with a smile. The orchard was filled with the laughter of mother and daughter.

While the chase was going on, a few people also quickly inspected the entire orchard.

Bellmere, who was out of breath from running, ran into a simple pergola in the orchard, slumped down on a wooden chair, and gasped for air.

Nokigao and Nami ran over one after another, holding their knees with their hands, looking exhausted.

Looking at Nokigao and Nami who were out of breath, Bellemeier smiled silently. When he handed the water bottle he carried with him to Nokigao, he breathed a sigh of relief and stretched. , and then narrowed his eyes comfortably.

The breeze blew by, rustling the fruit trees in the orchard.

They were located on the mountainside. Looking around, they could see the village below the mountain and the blue sea.

After catching their breath, Noqigao and Nami also sat down in the pergola, looking sideways and taking in the harmonious and peaceful scene of Cocosia Village.

Nami looked at her for a while, then came to Bellemere's side, holding Bellemere's arm with some dependence, resting her head gently on her mother's arm, and squinting her eyes comfortably.

She would be a big girl in a few years, but Nami was still like a child.

The Kingdom of Oikot was not harmonious and prosperous, and the Cocosia Village was not a paradise. Although the people on the island were simple and honest, the sea was not as peaceful as imagined.

It was just that Bellemere kept the so-called wind and rain out of the place called home, so that her two children could grow up without worries, and even became a little ignorant of the world.

"Bellemere, Nami, look, there is a ship coming to the island!"

"It's a warship!"

On the empty sea surface, a warship flying the seagull flag was heading quickly towards the harbor of Cocosia Village. Nokigo, who looked far away, discovered the warship, and her words also broke the tranquility in the pavilion.

"Warship?!"

Hearing the word warship, Bellemere suddenly sat up straight from the wooden chair. Although she was from the navy, she didn't look happy at all when she heard the word warship. Instead, she quickly became gloomy.

Nami seemed to have thought of something bad at this moment, and held her mother's arm tightly with both hands.

"Let's go. Let's go down the mountain and go back to the town."

Bellemere stood up, and the joy she had before was gone at this moment.

"Ding ding ding ding--"

The warship entered the harbor, and the sound of the gong on the ship also attracted the attention of the people. The arrival of the navy was reported to Ajian, the sheriff who managed the village.

After hearing this noise, the villagers quickly gathered towards the harbor. Not long after, there were more than a hundred villagers gathered. At the same time, there were many villagers who were working on the mountain and gathered towards the harbor after hearing the noise.

Kokosia Village does not have a village chief in the traditional sense. Here, the village elders with higher prestige and older age assume the so-called "village chief" responsibilities.

And the sheriff Ajian has a certain official background and is currently considered one of the "talkers" in this village.

As for the representative of the village elders, it is the only doctor in the village, Dr. Nagao. Dr. Nagao is in his early sixties, thin, wearing sunglasses, and has a small goatee, which looks somewhat fashionable.

Under the leadership of the two of them, the villagers who gathered in the harbor were also quite orderly and quiet, and everyone's eyes were on the warship docked on the coast.

The warship stopped steadily.

A long wooden ladder was lowered from above, and a team of navy led by Colonel Mouse of the 16th Navy Branch came to the shore.

Looking at the villagers of Kokosia gathered at the harbor, Colonel Mouse suddenly laughed "geigeigei", and then came to the Sheriff Ajian and the village doctor and village elder Dr. Nagao with a smile on his face:

"Long time no see!"

"Captain Ajian, and Dr. Nagao!"

Colonel Mouse was approachable, with a smile on his slightly wretched face. But his face was just like his title, with a pointed mouth, buck teeth, skinny cheeks, and a gloomy and timid look, like a human-shaped mouse.

"Colonel Mouse, why are you here suddenly?"

"Why didn't you notify us in advance? If we knew you were coming, we would have to make some preparations in advance to entertain you."

Sheriff Ajian forced a smile and asked.

Colonel Mouse has had quite a few contacts with the villagers of Cocosia. He is the highest commander of the 16th Navy Branch, responsible for the maritime safety of nearly 100 villages and towns nearby, including Cocosia Village. In a place like the East China Sea, generally speaking, a colonel is the highest-level commander of the navy that people can come into contact with.

A real big shot!

Therefore, Ken's humble attitude is understandable.

In a world like One Piece, what do you say about equality for all? That's a bit funny. Ordinary people are inferior to the navy colonel.

"Hey, what are you treating me to?"

"Ajian, you are too polite."

"I came here this time to ask you something."

"It's almost autumn harvest, and the pirates are becoming active. I'm under a lot of pressure!"

"In order to chase pirates and protect the people in Cocosia Village and the many people under its jurisdiction, I really chase pirates day and night, just to protect the hard-won peace for everyone."

"Look, I haven't closed my eyes for several days. Look at my dark circles."

Colonel Mouse put on a difficult and hard-working look, rubbed his skinny cheeks, and complained.

However, the villagers around him looked at Colonel Mouse's performance coldly, still quiet and indifferent.

On the contrary, Ajian echoed:

"Yes, yes!"

"You have worked hard, and so have all the navy officers."

"We have been able to live in peace and not be disturbed by pirates for so many years, all thanks to your dedication to duty, Colonel."

"Since you are here, then rest on the island and have a good rest."

Although Ajian had a smile on his face, he had already cursed in his heart.

What kind of people are these navy officers? He has already known them clearly in these years of contact, and he has already expected what the other party is up to.

Sure enough

Colonel Mouse nodded in approval when he heard this, and then suddenly changed the subject:

"Ajian, you still understand our navy!"

"You don't know that in order to pursue the pirates, our branch has also paid a very high price. Several warships have sunk, and the losses are heavy!"

"It's hard to say!"

"You also know that the Navy Headquarters has also experienced many changes in recent years."

"Every year, the military funds and supplies allocated by the headquarters to our branch are limited."

"Look, we have suffered a little loss in the process of pursuing pirates, so some supplies are insufficient."

"If this continues, the branch will be unsustainable."

"This time I came here to ask everyone in Kokosia Village to help and provide some help to our navy."

"With supplies, we can better kill the pirates and escort everyone's lives!"

"You this way"

At this point, Major Mouse squinted his eyes and looked at Ajian in front of him and Dr. Nagao next to him, with a smile on his face.

What he didn't say was actually quite straightforward. After hearing this, everyone could understand the subtext of his words.

The general meaning was that I had no money and no food, and I wanted to "borrow" from your village. If you don't lend me money, I can't guarantee the safety of your village anymore.

Although Colonel Mouse was polite on the surface, the threat revealed in his words was very obvious, and his intention was clear.

"That's what I should do, that's what I should do!"

The 16th branch stretched out its hands to ask the people of Cocosia Village for money and food. This has become a routine in recent years. In the early years, the villagers actually felt that Colonel Mouse's approach was problematic and resisted.

However, the 16th branch of the navy had no intention of taking it by force. Seeing that the villagers disagreed, they left.

But not long after these navy left, Cocosia Village was robbed by pirates. Facing the brutal pirates, the people on the island suffered heavy losses.

The 16th branch responded quickly to the request for the navy to capture the pirates, but they were late and didn't even meet the pirates.

At first, the public didn't have any idea, just thought it was accidental, but after such things happened several times in a row, smart people like Ajian and Dr. Nagao knew what was going on.

What to do?

There is basically no channel for spreading information on the sea. In the early years, they also tried to report the 16th branch to other naval branches for colluding with pirates, but for such a thing without any evidence, the colonels of the same level in other branches had no intention of intervening in it.

If the mouse dared to do this, it should have been taken care of. The surrounding branches have already become a community of interests.

As for the public reporting the matter to the Navy Headquarters?

Are you kidding?

People in the East China Sea may not even be able to reach the Grand Line, let alone report the matter to the Navy Headquarters

Ordinary people have no way to fight the sea, and going out to sea is a sure death.

People still have to continue living in this village, so what should they do?

The only way is to gather the abilities of every household and try to meet Colonel Mouse's requirements as much as possible.

Ajian agreed readily, and Colonel Mouse smiled with satisfaction. He hooked his fingers at the navy behind him and said:

"Then we will rest on the island for a few days."

"Mr. Ajian, thank you for your hard work!"

Colonel Mouse bowed slightly and thanked him politely.