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27th of February
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"Where is the first shop we're going to?" Asked Laurent, walking alongside Fred on the main road of the sole town on Alshaw island. The town is called Alshaw town. However, it's closer to a city than a town because it covers the whole island.
Alshaw is one of the few big, independent islands controlled by the marines. Most of those islands are in the New World and are governed by big-name pirates like Whitebeard and Kaido. However, although few, all the big islands in Paradise are controlled by the marines, making them the most influential figure in that region of the sea.
"This is a big town." Commented Fred while looking at the map the marines gave them before answering Laurent's question. "If we follow this road, about two kilometers before we reach the first victim." He said, looking back at the map, trying to memorize it.
"Let's hurry up, then. The sooner we end this case, the better for us." Exclaimed Laurent, speeding up a little more to reach their destination faster.
'I wish there were cars in this world. It would make things so much easier.' Silently thought Laurent while signaling Fred to follow him.
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"Is this the third one?" Asked Laurent, standing before the third shop they'd visited today. Looking at the sign in front of the shop read 'Pigiani's furniture shop!'
"Pigiani? That's one hell of an Italian name." Commented Laurent while observing the front of the shop, trying to see if there were anything weird about the place. However, Fred was perplexed by what Laurent said.
"Italian? What's that?" He asked, leaving the observation to Laurent. Unlike Laurent, he doesn't need to know and look for every detail before forming an opinion. So, he vacates the observation part to Laurent most of the time. The man has good observational skills, after all.
"Italian refers to a person that lives in Italy." Responding Laurent, and hesitated for a while before continuing. "Italy is a land in the New World that's known for its Pasta. They also have a powerful man named Paolo Maldini. I don't know what he's up to now, though." He finished and continued his observation, not even blushing.
"Pasta is my favorite type of food." Exclaimed Fred, believing Laurent's story. "I hope I can go to Italy one day. If they're known for Pasta, they can cook it better than others. I want to get a taste of that." Continued Fred as he entered his world.
Purposefully ignoring his friend, Laurent advanced toward the entrance, ready to enter the shop.
*knocking sounds* x3
After knocking on the door, Laurent heard the voice of an older individual telling them to enter the shop. Going in, he came across an older man, approaching his eighties, sitting at the front desk, ready to receive them.
"Hello! This is Pigiani's furniture shop. My name is Pigiani. What would you like to buy?" Asked the older individual with a tired tone of voice.
After greeting the man, Laurent took the badge the marines handed them earlier and showed it to Pigiani. It was put in the folder. "We are the ones investigating the stealing case that had been going on on this island. Would you mind if we ask you some questions?" Asked Laurent. However, he received a distrustful look from Pigiani.
"Why would they send kids to investigate such a big case? Have they already given up on us?" Complained the older man, not minding hurting Laurent or Fred's feelings. Feeling a tick mark on his face, Laurent stopped himself from saying anything rashly before responding to the man's questions.
"We're not normal kids, sir." Started Laurent, accentuating the word kid to show his displeasure with it. "We're special agents directly under the order of Commodore Stone. He's the one who ordered us to take care of this case. This badge could be a statement to that." He finished, handing the badge to Pagiani.
"We're the most capable of solving this case, sir. If you don't trust us, complain to the Commodore. Now, please answer our questions, or we might believe you're an associate of the stealer." Added Laurent as the older man observed the badge he was handed.
Hearing the last bit from Laurent, Pigiani's already poor impression of him worsened as the elder grew agitated. "Are you threatening me?" Questioned the older man, seemingly used to using these words against marines. However, the young marine's following remarks stunned him.
"I'm not threatening you, sir. I'm just stating the facts as they are." Stated Laurent, shocking the older man. This is not the first time he has dealt with marines. However, this is the first time he deals with one as antagonistic as Laurent. Usually, the marines on this island would be at the mercy of the civilians, almost acting subserviently to them. It went to the point where the civilians in this place forgot who was supposed to protect them.
That's why most individuals on this island hold nasty attitudes toward the soldiers, not even acknowledging their importance.
Having seen and experienced all that in the past three hours, Laurent, a former army officer, grew angry at the residents of this island.
Laurent knows how hard soldiers work. He was and still is a soldier, so he knows how most of them think and act to protect their land to the best of their ability. However, doing all that to be treated like trash of society upon entering is the thing Laurent always hated about people. Unless there is war, people don't think the military is necessary until they are in a dire situation.
Due to Commodore Stone's reputation in Paradise, Alshaw island hasn't been attacked for a while. That occurrence threw the residents into a false sense of peace, forgetting the people that made that peace possible.
'In this world without law, the gravest sin is forgetting who your protector is.' Thought Laurent as he looked at Pigiani with despise-filled eyes.
Not knowing how to answer Laurent's hostility against him, Pigiani avoided Laurent's gaze and glanced at Fred, who looked amused at the older man's reaction.
"Don't worry, sir." Interjected Fred, feeling the shop owner's embarrassment. "We'll leave as soon as you answer our questions." He added, patting Laurent on the shoulder to help his friend calm down.
"A-Alright..." Responded Pigiani, sitting back on his chair, ready to participate in the investigation. Seeing him willing to cooperate, Fred smiled and signaled the unsmiling Laurent to ask the questions.
As Fred and Laurent took turns asking questions, Pigiani unknowingly gave more information than he should on every question Lauent asked, looking terrified by the young recruits' gaze.
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"Have you noticed anything particular during the interviews?" Asked Laurent once he and Fred returned to the Dojo.
"I have noticed one thing after going to the third shop. However, I wanted to wait until we questioned every shop owner to ensure I was correct." Responded Fred, compiling all the answers they had gathered during this day's investigation.
"What's the answer now?" Laurent continued asking, intrigued by Fred's words. Seeing his friend's eagerness, Fred didn't make him wait and answered directly.
"Every shop the robber stole from seemed to dabble in the wood industry." Said Fred, to Laurent's surprise.
'How did I not notice that?' Questioned Laurent, unable to comprehend why such a simple answer flew over his head. However, Fred's next word answered that question for him.
"I think I know you very well. A typical Laurent would overcomplicate things the more information he gathers and try to think about complex answers to resolve a case. That's why I forced myself to focus on the simpler things and see if the answer would be hidden under our noses. If that hadn't worked, I would've had to rely on you to solve the case. Fortunately, it did." Finished Fred, smiling as he completed organizing the new information before putting it in the folder. It would help them when they write a report after solving the case.
"That's crazy!" Exclaimed Laurent, surprised by Fred's action. "Thankfully, I had you with me. Otherwise, it would've taken me a long time to find this info." He added, a thankful smile on his face.
"Don't mention it." Responded Fred with a smile before continuing. "Now that we have a lead, we must think about how to catch the escaped inmate. Leaving a 17 million Berries bounty owner in the wild is not a good idea.
"That's true!" Spoke Laurent, his expression becoming serious as he continued. "What would an inmate try to do with stolen wood?"
