Chapter 78

10 years ago, Arlong took a tribute from every adult and child in Cocoyasi Village as he declared it his property. Bell-mère could not pay for her and her two adoptive daughters. She sacrificed herself instead of admitting that the little girls were not related to her.

Bell-mère-san

In order to stay alive, every villager had to pay 100,000 Beli and 50,000 Beli more per child to the Arlong Pirates. Everyone in Cocoyasi Village was able to pay and they were preparing to leave. However, one noticed Bell-mère's isolated house when he noticed smoke coming up from a chimney in the trees.

Genzo knew very well that she could not afford to pay such a high price. He asked her two adoptive daughters, Nami and Nojiko, to flee and hide. When the fish-men arrive at Bell-mère's house, she attacked them. However, she was no match against their brute force. When Genzo told her about the pirate's demands. She agreed and gave Arlong 100,000 Beli. The pirates believe she was paying for herself, as one adult. But, as they are about to leave, she told them that the money was for her two adoptive daughters. She could not abandon them and after expressing her love to the two, they attempted to run to her side. She accepted her fate as Arlong raised his gun to her head and told them it would be a warning to all villagers who could not pay. A loud bang erupted and the two children buried their crying faces in horror as their mother was executed.

Part 1

In Luwen, Eastern Westalis, four boys pretend to be soldiers fighting a war between Westalis and Ostania. While their trench goes under fire, one of the boys, "Advisor," quickly turns the situation in his side's favor. He uses some string to drop a pot on the head of "Major," knocking him out. While "General" gets distracted by this, Advisor sneaks behind him and points his gun at the boy's head, telling him that he dies if he turns around. General refuses to back down and gets shot in the head with a rubber band. While Major and General complain about losing again, Advisor is told that he gets intense when they play war games. Advisor, who will one day become Twilight, replies that when he plays a role, he gets pretty into it. General tells Loid that he will not get a rank until he gets some proper military gear, to which Loid says that his father is strict about those things. "Corporal" tries to reason with General, reminding him that Loid found their secret hideout, an old army storage depot. While playing cards, the boys plan a sleepover in their hideout. Afterward, the children march back to the town and go their separate ways.

Loid returns home and sees his father inside. With his toy gun still in hand, Loid tries to hide it behind his back. His father chastises him for playing soldier and tells him to focus on his studies and future. Loid says he plans on joining the army with his friends, and his father refuses the idea, calling him a coward. After Loid proclaims he will kill all the monsters from the East, his father slaps him. He asks if Loid knows anything about these "Ostanian monsters" and tells him there will be no war and that he should be hoping for peace instead of conflict. Upset, Loid breaks his toy gun in his hand and runs to his room. Loid's mother argues with her husband, questioning his treatment of their son, while he justifies it for Loid's own good. In his room, Loid calls his father out for speaking about peace while fighting with his mother.

The next day, Loid and his friends hang out at the town square. While buying croquettes, the adults ask the boys to help prepare for the upcoming town fair. While helping out, Loid asks if there really will be a war. The adults assure him that the new pact the East and West put together has ended such conflicts. General then teases Loid, saying whether there is war or peace, Loid will not be let in the army for not having a proper soldier uniform. When Loid protests, he gets reminded of the toy gun he just broke and is embarrassed.

Returning home, Loid sees his father who is preparing to leave for a work trip. Loid tells him about a reference book he needs for school and asks for pocket money. His father is happy to hear his, which shakes Loid. After Loid receives the money, his father promises to take him to the town fair when he returns. Feeling guilty about his lie, Loid calls out to his father but stops himself.

After buying the soldier set, Loid goes to the secret hideout and shows it off to his friends. As the boys get ready to play, Loid gets overcome with guilt and decides to help set up the fair, leaving the hideout. At the croquette shop, Loid talks with the croquette lady about war and the people of Ostania. Loid starts feeling conflicted, realizing how different things are from what he thought they would be. Loid asks the croquette lady if he can make ten dalc in a day if he helps out at her shop, hoping to pay back his father. Loid then thinks about apologizing to his father and asking his friends if they can play a different game.

Suddenly, a bomb is launched into the town and destroys the secret hideout. Meanwhile, the radio broadcasts a special alert, with reports that the Ostanian Army has crossed the border and is launching its attack on the eastern provinces of Westalis.

Neith

When time began, there was only endless black waters. Yet, from water comes all life, and from this primordial force was born the first of Goddesses, Neith.

As the waters continued to form the world and everything within it, Neith's natural instinct to protect and nurture the people led her to champion the hunt. With meat she fed them and with hides she clothed them, but as the people she sought to protect grew old, or sick, or died on the battlefield, Neith's compassion forced her to change her calling.

With nimble fingers, the Goddess wove shrouds to shield the lost spirits of the dead on their journey to the underworld, leaving a loose thread she could trace as the ghosts ventured down the river. As time passed, more and more threads spread across the world, weaving an intricate pattern of fate that only Neith could see.

Now, the war between Gods grows ever more fevered, and Neith can no longer sit idle. The threads of fate are fraying at the edges and she must once again pick up her bow and hunt, or watch the world return to the waters from whence it came.

Curious Probe

Originally designed by the Khalai caste to lay the foundation for Protoss settlements, Probes are robotic drones that service the Nexus and gather the numerous resources needed to power Protoss technologies. Probes also manufacture and plant the micro-beacons that anchor the teleport matrices of structures. These beacons allow the Protoss to warp-in prefabricated structures from their homeworld. Often Probes are used as rudimentary spies, sent ahead to survey the potential locations of enemy encampments.

Probius is a Protoss Probe who took part in the initial stages of the Reclamation of Aiur as part of an Akhundelar under Kaldalis. During the initial landing, Probius was able to set down a warp beacon for a Pylon while the conflict raged around him. Though the Akhundelar suffered heavy casualties, Probius's Pylon allowed reinforcements to be warped in at a key moment, allowing the Daelaam to establish a beachhead on Aiur.

Probes are not programmed with individuality, personalities, or traits such as curiosity, as self-aware AI was deemed heretical to the Protoss at the time of Probius's creation due to an AI uprising named the Purifier Rebellion in their distant past. However, Probius gained a spark of life upon entering the Nexus, bringing him to "life" and granting him a sense of curiosity and adventure.

Big Pink Loser

As Patrick wakes up one morning, a parcel is shoved into his mouth. Curious, he opens it and finds a large, shiny trophy inside. Excited, he starts showing everyone his new award, including the jellyfish and even the Bikini Atoll Island. He shows it off to SpongeBob, who then realizes that the trophy is actually for him after spotting his name on it.

Patrick is disappointed as he hands the award to SpongeBob, feeling even more disappointed when he unwittingly opens a closet filled to the brim with SpongeBob's awards. SpongeBob tries to help him find a way to win an award, and eventually, Patrick decides to get a job working alongside SpongeBob at the Krusty Krab. Squidward quits in response.

First, Patrick is assigned to take some food to a customer. However, every time he brings it to the customer, he eats it, even as SpongeBob breaks down the process for him. A simpler task SpongeBob gives Patrick is to answer the phone, but he ends up getting angry when he thinks people are calling the wrong number when they are calling the "Krusty Krab" (he says "No, this is Patrick!" after 3 calls) which SpongeBob then tells him is the actual name of the restaurant. At this point, Patrick is almost completely demoralized, but SpongeBob urges him on. Patrick follows up with sweeping dust from under the floor near table 3, but uses the wrong end of the broom and while sweeping, a customer approaches him to ask "Hey, pal, you just blow in from Stupidtown?" which saddens Patrick further. Suddenly, a delivery man comes in with a load of awards for SpongeBob. This greatly infuriates Patrick to the point where he whacks the floor with the broom eight times, making dust fly everywhere and all the customers cough. Patrick loses control and laments that he will never win a trophy.

After rushing the frustrated and disheartened Patrick off into the kitchen, SpongeBob presents him with the extremely simple and basic task of opening a jar. When even this proves to be difficult at first, SpongeBob instructs him to do it exactly as he does. This mantra prompts Patrick to open the jar successfully. However, for a second, Patrick thinks he broke it. SpongeBob tells him he did it right, and he and SpongeBob begin celebrating. Patrick now feels more confident and poised, and he controls his temper by telling SpongeBob how he opened the jar. SpongeBob tells Patrick to do what he does, and he will have an award someday.

The next day, Patrick starts taking even more cues from SpongeBob. He ends up wearing the same outfit as him and copying every single one of SpongeBob's actions and mannerisms in the hope of achieving the same success as his friend, much to the surprise of the Bikini Bottom citizens, who think they are seeing double of SpongeBob. In annoyance towards Patrick's imitation, SpongeBob seemingly places his hand on a hot grill to prove Patrick was copying him. Patrick takes the bait, and once he cries out in pain, SpongeBob reveals that he was using a decoy hand. As he and Patrick run back to their neighborhood, Patrick's hat flies off, and Squidward picks it up while returning to work. SpongeBob tries multiple antics to convince Patrick to stop copying him, all of which are unsuccessful. SpongeBob even notices that Patrick has painted his rock to look almost exactly like SpongeBob's pineapple.

SpongeBob resorts to dressing up as Patrick, but it only makes Patrick more certain of the fact that his old self was nothing but a "big pink loser." As it turns out, however, the next award to arrive, which Patrick initially thinks is for SpongeBob again, is actually for a person who won it for "doing absolutely nothing longer than anyone else." This award turns out to be for Patrick, and SpongeBob is proud of him. Overjoyed, Patrick decides to protect his new title by going back under his rock and falling fast asleep, returning to his old, lazy self after he realized that it was the reason why he got an award in the first place.

Oda Eiichiro

Nosebleed FWOOOSH!! Thank you very much for all the chocolates!! They've got my brain power running at full speed!!

鼻血ブ――!!たくさんのチョコどうもありがとうございます!!これで脳ミソ全開だ!!

Chapter 79