This ain't great but it's good enough.

Sapphire Serenade was a small island in the calm South Blue sea. It was small but packed with people from all over. Most people lived a peaceful life. The island's main town was rich, but not everyone shared in that wealth. There were slums on the edge of town where the poorer folks lived.

Among these people, there was a young man named Parlin Corvo who stood out. He had long purple hair that was tied into a knot. He had a younger brother and sister, twins, who also had purple hair. Selene, his sister, had long hair down to her back, and Zeph, his brother, had short hair. Life was tough, but the Corvo siblings stuck together and took care of each other.

Parlin often had to take risks to feed his siblings. Sometimes he stole food from the market or moved their home to avoid the marines. But no matter what, he made sure to enjoy life. He always found a way to make his siblings smile and taught them to appreciate the little things. He was their protector and their biggest cheerleader, always encouraging them to stay hopeful and positive. To his siblings, Parlin was more than a brother - he was their hero.

Despite his optimism, Life didn't really return the favor. One day, while he was returning to his siblings with a bag full of fresh fruits, He encountered a man. He was very tall, with a bulky build and large arms that would probably kill someone with one punch. The man stood in his way and didn't allow him to move past.

"Heh, little brat. Ya stole those fruits, didn't ya?" The man's voice was gruff and harsh, which startled Parlin. At first, he thought the man might be a marine, but looking at his clothes made him doubt it. The man wore a big black cloak that covered his whole body, and he held two metal gloves on his hands.

"Don't worry, kid, I won't rat ya out. But there's a catch." The man grinned, revealing half of his face under the cloak. "Ya seem about 15 years old. If ya work for me, I'll keep quiet about this."

Parlin felt relieved that the man didn't ask for something worse, but he was still cautious about the offer to work for him. He hesitantly asked, "W-Will I get money for working?"

"MAHAHA! Of course, you will get paid. Just do the job right," the man replied with a loud laugh. Parlin was confused about what to do, but he kind of didn't have a choice in the matter. If he gets on the marines' radar, life would get a lot tougher.

Parlin gave in and slowly nodded in agreement, which was followed by another loud laugh from the man. "MAHAHA! Then meet me here by midnight, will ya? I'll tell ya all the details of the job then. For now, see ya later. MAHAHA!" And in the blink of an eye, the man disappeared, leaving Parlin searching in vain for him, nowhere to be found.

Parlin returned to his family, his mind preoccupied with the offer he had just received. He tried to see the positive side - he now had a job and could finally provide for his siblings. However, not knowing the job's details left him feeling uneasy. Before he knew it, time had flown by, and it was already midnight.

Silently, Parlin crept out of his shelter, careful not to disturb his sleeping siblings. He made his way to the spot where he had encountered the man before - an alleyway between the slums and the town. As promised, the man was there, patiently waiting for him.

"You came. If ya hadn't, I would have hunted you down. You dodged a bullet there, lucky brat. MAHAHA!" the man said, further unsettling Parlin. The man then handed him a piece of paper with a few words written on it. "This is your first task. Once you're done, go to the location written on the other side of the paper, and you'll get your pay," the man explained.

Parlin instantly panicked when he looked at the piece of paper and realized he couldn't read. He tried to tell the man, but the man ignored him, laughing loudly once more, and then disappeared in a blink of an eye. Parlin didn't bother searching for the man again. Instead, he decided to go back home and figure out the task on his own.

In the slums, there were only a few people who could read, and Parlin knew he couldn't count on them for help. He didn't want to risk showing the paper to anyone in case it contained orders to steal or harm someone. But he had an idea.

Parlin decided to seek out an elderly woman named Granny Rose who lived nearby. She was one of the few people known to be able to read in the slums. Granny Rose was kind-hearted and had helped him and his siblings before.

With cautious steps, Parlin made his way to Granny Rose's small house and knocked on the door. When she opened it, he greeted her and asked if she could read the paper for him, explaining that he couldn't do it himself.

Granny Rose smiled warmly, agreeing to help him. She then started to read the contents of the paper aloud."You have three days to collect 1500 berries. I don't care how you collect them," Granny Rose read from the paper. Then she turned to the back page and continued, "Marketplace, behind Willy's Tavern. What is this?"

Parlin panicked a little, but he quickly came up with an excuse. "Oh, me and some friends from the city were playing pretend pirates. The captain gave me this, but don't worry, he means it as fake money," he blurted out, trying to sound convincing. Cold sweat began to flow down Parlin's face as he saw doubt written all over Granny Rose's face.

Granny Rose raised an eyebrow, clearly not entirely convinced by Parlin's explanation. She had known him for a long time and could sense when he was hiding something. "Pretend pirates, you say?" she replied, her voice gentle but probing.

Parlin nodded nervously, hoping that she would buy his story and not ask any more questions. Granny Rose studied him for a moment, and finally, she let out a soft chuckle. "Well, if you say so, dear. Just be careful, and don't get into any real trouble," she advised, giving him a warm smile.

Parlin let out a sigh of relief, grateful that Granny Rose didn't press further. He thanked her for her help and left her house with the task at hand still on his mind. He thought the task seemed easy because he had stolen money before. 1500 berries didn't seem like a lot, and he believed he could easily pickpocket one of the rich idiots to meet the requirement. He felt excited about the job, thinking it would be a piece of cake for him.

The purple-haired boy got to work right away, feeling confident as he walked into the city. In the busy streets, he "accidentally" bumped into a man wearing a shiny monocle on his left eye. "Watch where you're going, dirty brat!" the man scolded, pushing Parlin away before walking off. Parlin pretended to look pitiful, but inside, he was smirking, as he had successfully stolen the man's wallet during the encounter.

He quickly ran and hid in an alley before opening the wallet with a big smile. He took out all the money and started counting it, finding a total of 2500 Berries. Parlin celebrated his success, feeling like he had struck gold. He hid the money in his pocket and rushed back home, eager to provide for his siblings.

Since the job only required 1500 berries, Parlin decided to hide the extra 1000 in his house for safekeeping. That night, he hurried to the location written on the back of the paper. He went to the marketplace, which was mostly deserted except for three or four people who appeared to be junkies wandering around at night.

Curiosity filled Parlin's mind as he wondered about the reward for completing the task. Finding Willy's tavern, he made his way behind the building. There, he discovered a hidden door. Feeling a bit cautious, he decided to knock before opening it.

The door creaked open, revealing the same man he had met the previous night. "Welcome to our official meeting place. This is where you come after every job is done. Now, where is the money?" the man said.

Parlin handed over the wallet with exactly 1500 Berries inside. The man's smile widened as he inspected the money. However, much to Parlin's dismay, the man only took out 100 berries and handed it back to him. This made Parlin furious, rightfully so. After all, he was the one who stole the full 1500 berries. The anger was evident on Parlin's face, but all he received from the man was another loud laugh.

"MAHAHA! Feeling wronged, kid?" The man sneered, quickly moving towards Parlin. He grabbed Parlin's neck, squeezing it hard. "This is what you get, and you better accept it! The second you stop obeying me, I won't just hurt you, but your stinkin siblings will be in trouble too, got it?!" The man shouted.

"They call me 'The Broker', and I won't think twice about killing you, so don't push me!" The Broker said. Parlin had a hard time hearing him. His breath was cut off, and his head felt light from how tightly The Broker was squeezing. Then, the man let him go, and Parlin fell to his knees, gasping for air.

"Since you're so sure of yourself, your next task is to gather 15000 berries in three days. And don't look so shocked, I'm only paying you a 100. MAHAHAHA, SEE YA!" he said, then vanished like he always did.

Parlin stayed there, trying to catch his breath. Blood was coming out of his nose, and he felt very dizzy. He knew this could happen, but he didn't want to believe it. No one just gives you a job for nothing. He had made a big mistake. This was the first time Parlin had to deal with the tough truth without trying to see any good in it. Now, he wasn't just broke, he was also stuck working for this man.