Chapter 7

7. The Trouble with Berries

The situation was simpler than Liu Hao had imagined. The two men had a decent demeanor, and Zheng Zhi's appearance helped a lot. His tall and imposing figure, along with the two of them carrying standard knives, made them seem quite formidable. They spoke of being hired to build a house, discussed buying a small piece of land, and even offered money upfront.

In the world of One Piece, the villagers were most worried about encountering pirates. Other things were relatively acceptable. The village had no land to sell, but hiring labor to clear some land was fine.

Liu Hao and Zheng Zhi chose a location near the forest, at the edge of the village, with a good vantage point and a clear view of the sea. This location was suggested by the village chief, who also indicated that they needed to remain vigilant against possible pirate attacks from the sea and provide warnings.

From this, it was clear that ordinary people in the world of One Piece lived in constant danger. The village chief's warning to Liu Hao and Zheng Zhi was just a precaution, indicating that they never intended to fight the pirates to the death.

They knew that such a fight would be endless and would only result in the loss of the village's population, which was truly tragic. In the manga, these ordinary people were completely overlooked; the audience's attention was only on the main characters or a few important roles, while the extras were just numbers.

The house they built didn't look good, but it was quite sturdy. It had two rooms on either side, a hall at the entrance, a small kitchen behind the hall, and a balcony at the back facing the sea. The windows in the rooms and the kitchen also faced the sea, as if to remain vigilant against pirates.

In the new house, Liu Hao and Zheng Zhi sat facing each other. Over the past three days, they had participated in building the house and had become familiar with the young men in the village. They also understood the overall situation of the village.

In general, the village could sustain its population through farming. Besides providing enough food, they could even sell some to passing merchant ships in exchange for cloth and other daily necessities. Other goods were considered luxuries.

Meat was mainly supplied by a few hunters and a fishing family that caught fish in the nearby sea.

The village was very primitive and poor.

Of course, there were some benefits. Perhaps because the East Blue was full of islands, fish were generally cheap, and the difficulty of trade made grain prices low. For Liu Hao and Zheng Zhi, this was very advantageous. With the berries they had, they could survive for a year without eating much meat.

The basic survival problem was solved. To live better, it depended on their own abilities.

"We can't go without meat!"

When the budget was mentioned, Zheng Zhi shook his head. They weren't there to survive; training was the goal. They needed nutrition, and eating more meat would yield better results.

"I agree with this. The good news is that fish are relatively cheap. Let's start by negotiating with the fishermen for daily fish supplies."

Liu Hao's first suggestion was accepted by Zheng Zhi, who continued to listen.

"For vegetables, we won't grow them. We'll buy from different families each day. This won't cost much for the villagers, and it will help us integrate into the village. As for meat, we'll have to figure it out ourselves!"

Talking about meat was a big problem. Learning hunting from the hunters in the short term was out of the question. You can't just come and take their livelihood, which would make them very uncomfortable.

Zheng Zhi also thought about this issue and shook his head. Their current combat ability was quite weak. Encountering large beasts would be like sending themselves to be eaten. For them, with no hunting experience, it was better to focus on improving their physical strength in the short term.

"If we hunt and get game, we can trade the fur to the hunters for meat. This might break down their psychological barriers!"

Liu Hao could only think of this solution to prove that they weren't hunting for money but for meat.

"If we have to bet, we can buy meat from the hunters for the first three months, hinting that we just want to eat meat. After proving this, we can hint that we want them to teach us. When we start hunting, we can give the fur to the hunters who taught us!"

Liu Hao's second plan had a 50-50 chance of success, with a significant element of risk.

Zheng Zhi nodded, "We can try. A compromise: buy meat every other day, showing restraint, and buy more fish in between. This way, the chances of winning the bet are higher."

"Doing this, our berries should last for half a year!"

"Half a year is enough!" Zheng Zhi thought for a moment and continued, "I have a backup plan. If the hunters can't help, we'll rely on the military from the base for trade in six months. We'll have to borrow money then!"

"Damn, that's a smart move!" Liu Hao was amazed, "Let's do it! I've found a reliable partner!"

Liu Hao was quite happy. He had his own plans. On this island, he would train for half a year. During this time, he could travel to the village on the south island with the fishermen and, if possible, visit Kaya's village to leave a good impression on Koshiro.

Speaking of One Piece's sword techniques, Liu Hao was truly envious. The sword aura could extend so far, cutting through entire mountains, with a tremendous killing power.

A month passed. Every day before dawn, the two of them ran along the beach, practicing various frog jumps, military boxing, Taizu Changquan, and Tai Chi. They meditated during breaks, dedicating almost all their time to training.

The villagers had become accustomed to their actions. After a month, they had become more harmonious. The purchase of vegetables and grain benefited every villager, and the fishermen and hunters always smiled at them. The only concern was whether their berries would last.

The training results over the past month were much better than at school. However, Liu Hao and Zheng Zhi had to adjust their budget. The better the results, the more they ate. What started as a normal portion for one person now wasn't enough for two.

In the living room, the two of them looked at their attribute panels, temporarily forgetting their worries.

Liu Hao

Vitality: 89

Energy: 40

Spirit: 1000

When his Vitality attribute broke 50, his Spirit attribute increased to 900. Over the month, his Spirit attribute increased the most, even without dedicated cultivation. Liu Hao wondered if he was a genius in this area.

In comparison, entering the One Piece dimension increased his Vitality by 50 points and his Energy by 22 points, with significant results.

Liu Hao didn't ask about Zheng Zhi's numbers; they had developed a默契 (tacit understanding) in this area.

Closing the panel, the pressure of money immediately returned. They needed to meet and budget again today.

"About three months, and we'll be eating more and more!" Zheng Zhi, in charge of finances, looked troubled.

"The real problem is the lack of income. I can't think of a way to earn money!" Liu Hao was also at a loss. "Can we only cut expenses?"

"Even if we find a way to earn money, would we really do it? What's the point of bringing a pile of berries back to Earth?" Zheng Zhi rolled his eyes. "Let's continue for another month. In the third month, we'll start reducing meat to prepare the hunters mentally."

"For now, that's the best we can do. Tomorrow, let's talk to the fishermen and visit the south island to get familiar. This world has no ID cards, which is a hassle. It looks like we won't achieve our other goal anytime soon!"

Liu Hao had no solution for this issue. If there was no way, he would suggest the garbage dump near Windmill Village. Before that, they needed to visit a town to bring back the information about the garbage dump.

"Alright, I've heard that the village on the south island is similar to ours, with fewer people. It seems that pirates have been recruiting young men into their groups, and those who refuse are killed. This has been going on for two years, and they probably won't return!"

Without experiencing it, it's hard to imagine, like the news of wars in the Middle East. Zheng Zhi was in this state.

"Joining a pirate group means a life of robbery and murder. Even if they are still alive, they can't return!"

Liu Hao knew that these people were likely taken by low-level pirate groups, with a very low chance of survival. They were cannon fodder, and it was questionable whether they could even survive one round.

"Do you think if a pirate group came to our village and we couldn't escape, we would be forced to join them?"

Zheng Zhi had been thinking about this for a long time. To save their lives, joining a pirate group wasn't a big issue, but he couldn't bring himself to participate in their atrocities.

"If that happens, we should think about how to kill the pirates on the sea. I've thought about the possibility of killing in the future, but I absolutely don't want to do inhumane things. Once we start, our humanity will keep declining, and we'll end up as beasts. I can't accept that!"

Liu Hao looked at the sea outside, his voice low. He had considered using the fact that he would revive on Earth if he died in the One Piece dimension to gain experience in killing, with pirates being the best targets.

"If a pirate group comes near the end of the year, I'll charge forward!" Zheng Zhi clearly thought the same as Liu Hao.

"Brother, have you thought about how we lack killing power?"

"Right, our knives are just for show!"

"By the way, in this dimension, knives and swords are the same. We should call our knives 'swords.'"

Liu Hao remembered this issue after hearing Zheng Zhi's words.

"Damn