One Piece: Lord of the Weather Chapter 10: common

The first week passed quietly.

Pablo continued his routine as usual: charcoal for Savia, fishing for food, and wandering with open eyes.

But his eyes now were looking for sothing specific.

---

The First Theft

On the eighth day, he found his opportunity.

A man in his fifties, a carpenter at the edge of the village, left every day to his work site on the eastern side of the island and did not return until sunset.

His house was dium-sized, and his wife often visited her family.

Today was Tuesday.

Pablo waited until he saw her leave, then approached the side window whose closure he had noticed was not tight.

He pushed it gently.

It opened.

He entered and exited in less than two minutes.

A small bag with eight hundred Beli.

---

The Second Theft

Four days later.

A widow living alone in a small house, but her clothes were better than most villagers, and on her finger was a real gold ring.

Well-off by Verona's standards.

Pablo noticed that she went to her stall in the market every morning and stayed there until midday.

He entered through the back door as usual.

The house was cleaner and more organized than usual.

He found in the wooden table drawer a bag with one thousand four hundred Beli and a small silver ring.

He took the money and left the ring.

The ring might be recognized.

He left with the sa quietness.

---

The next day, the news spread.

It began with a whisper between two won in the market.

"I heard that Zolani discovered her money had disappeared?"

"And I heard that the carpenter also lost sothing last week."

Pablo passed by them without slowing his pace.

He heard every word.

The rumor spread.

---

In the following days, Pablo clearly noticed the change.

People started closing their windows more tightly. So added new locks to their doors. Neighbors began watching the street more than usual.

The small village beca more alert.

But Pablo did not stop.

---

The Third Theft

Harder than the previous two.

He chose a house in the middle of the village. Its owner was a small rchant who sotis left for hours during the day.

But the neighbors were now more attentive.

Pablo waited in the opposite alley until he saw that all the neighbors were preoccupied.

One mont was enough.

He entered through the front door directly, confidently, as if he knew the place.

Confidence looks less suspicious than sneaking.

He found what he wanted in less than a minute and left.

One thousand two hundred Beli.

---

In the market the next day, the rumors were bigger.

"A thief in Verona."

"Three houses so far."

"We must be careful."

An old man sitting in front of his stall said loudly:

"The first ti I catch this thief, I will break his hands."

Pablo passed by him with a completely neutral face.

---

The Fourth Theft

Pablo stopped for a full week.

Not out of fear, but calculation.

When rumors spread and people are on alert, any small mistake costs everything.

He used the week for charcoal and fishing and watched the village from a distance.

After a week, he noticed that the alertness had begun to ease slightly. People cannot stay on alert forever.

Human nature returns to relaxation.

He chose a target at the edge of the village, far from the previous three houses.

A man who owned a boat and sotis disappeared at sea for entire days.

He had been absent for two days.

He entered and exited quickly.

One thousand six hundred Beli.

---

The Fifth Theft

The hardest so far.

The rumors returned strongly after the fourth theft.

"He hasn't stopped."

"Five houses now."

"Maybe soone from outside the island."

That last sentence relieved Pablo slightly.

People do not imagine that the thief is among them.

But the situation beca very difficult. Every house was now tightly locked, and every neighbor watched their neighbor.

Pablo thought for a long ti.

The old thod would not work much in this atmosphere.

He needed a different thod.

Then an idea ca to him.

People watch their houses and their neighbors, but they do not watch what they carry with them.

rchants returning from the market with money from sales, fishern returning from selling their fish with coins in their pockets.

Money moves from place to place every day.

And crowding is the best cover.

He spent two days observing people's movent in the market: who sold a lot, who carried more.

On the weekly market day, when the crowding was at its peak, Pablo approached a large-bodied rchant preoccupied with calculating his goods. With a quick, light motion learned from years on the streets, he took the bag from his side pocket and continued walking without changing his pace.

Two thousand five hundred Beli.

The largest yet.

---

He returned to his room and gathered everything he owned.

The six hundred Beli weekly from Savia multiplied by four weeks: two thousand four hundred.

The five thefts combined: seven thousand five hundred.

What he had before: four thousand four hundred.

The total: fourteen thousand three hundred Beli.

If he added to that the four thousand he would take from Savia.

He looked at the number.

Real progress.

But sixty thousand was still far away.

About forty thousand left in two months.

He closed his eyes.

The old thod would not be enough.

Picking pockets in the market was a good idea but dangerous if he made one mistake.

He needed to think more.

But that was for tomorrow.

Today he had progressed, and that was enough.