"What do you mean?" Following Jerry's observation, everyone except Skull—who had already noticed due to professional habit—showed confused expressions as they began scanning their surroundings more carefully.
Now that Jerry had pointed it out, they could see small groups of people gathered at street corners, discreetly observing passersby from the shadows. Some of those watchful eyes were definitely focused on the Black Star Pirates themselves.
"In other words, they could be Revolutionary Army operatives, or undercover agents working for some other organization..." Jerry said, patting Deuce's slightly tense shoulder reassuringly. "But let's not make a big deal about it. After all, it's not really our business."
He didn't need to look around extensively—just a brief application of his Observation Haki allowed him to capture and analyze considerable information about their watchers' positions and intentions.
"That's right, let's go find some food first," Ace declared, wearing a casual short-sleeved shirt with his hands crossed behind his head. "We came here to sample local cuisine, not worry about Revolutionary Army politics."
The mention of underground organizations didn't particularly interest Ace, whose priorities remained refreshingly straightforward.
"Don't just focus on eating—we also need to purchase supplies," Deuce reminded him with a nod. He had certainly heard of the Revolutionary Army before, but he hadn't expected to encounter their operations here.
According to Jerry's assessment, there had been traces of Revolutionary Army activity on the previous islands they'd visited as well. Deuce understood exactly what that pattern suggested about the political situation in South Blue.
The Revolutionary Army typically infiltrated and operated in secret, rarely launching open offensives without extensive preparation. Their widespread presence usually indicated either major operations in planning or regions where government oppression had reached critical levels.
Deuce silently hoped no actual warfare would break out during their visit—their crew would find it nearly impossible to remain neutral if open conflict erupted around them.
In a busy street-side restaurant filled with customers, the pirates had split into two tables to accommodate their group while enjoying various local delicacies.
"Mmm! This curry udon has incredible flavor!" Ace exclaimed, chewing noodles rapidly while brandishing his fork like a weapon. "I could easily eat ten servings in one sitting! What do you say—dare to challenge me?"
"What big talk!" Jerry responded with a competitive sneer, picking up a fork in each hand with obvious intent to employ some kind of dual-wielding eating technique. "Since you've issued such a sincere invitation, I'll graciously accept your challenge!"
"Meow!" Kotatsu chimed in for no apparent reason other than sensing that the moment required feline commentary.
"Haha, everyone can be the judges!" Ace declared, rubbing his hands together in preparation for serious consumption. He turned toward their navigator and called out, "Deuce, please tell the chef to speed up the noodle orders!"
"The outcome is far from decided," Jerry proclaimed confidently. "As they say, only those who love what they eat can truly win! And right now, you love noodles!"
Jerry refused to be intimidated by his nearly perfect record of losses in previous eating competitions.
Their eyes met with fierce intensity, as if sparks were crackling in the air between them. As the restaurant owner hurriedly served multiple portions of steaming udon, both competitors launched into their battle with characteristic enthusiasm.
"Absolutely delicious..." Ace offered positive commentary between massive bites, making the kitchen staff beam with pride as they praised the young man's excellent taste and healthy appetite.
Soon, several large portions of noodles had disappeared into both competitors' stomachs, with Ace's continuous praise for the food flowing as endlessly as his consumption.
Suddenly, a loud crash erupted from the other side of the restaurant, followed by an angry male voice shouting:
"What kind of garbage curry udon is this?! It's absolutely disgusting! And don't get me started on the revolting way those idiots are slurping their noodles—it's ruining my appetite for my pork wraps!"
The source of the outburst was a man with spiky red hair, fierce eyes, and a black jacket. A dagger and pistol were clearly visible at his waist, marking him as someone best avoided by ordinary citizens.
At his table, another man wearing a distinctive blue and white striped mask with multiple holes was gripping the red-haired man's arm tightly, whispering urgently for him to control his temper.
These two were none other than Eustass Kid and Killer, future supernovas who would eventually make names for themselves, though during this time period they had yet to officially begin their Grand Line journey.
"Hmph! Your meat isn't nearly as delicious as carrots anyway," Carrot declared without hesitation, looking over when she heard the insult. "Besides, there are carrots in curry udon, and carrots are absolutely the most delicious food in existence!"
Carrot's sudden outburst nearly made Carina choke on her own food. She quickly moved to calm the indignant rabbit mink.
"Ahem... Carrot, please sit down and ignore him," Carina said soothingly. "He wasn't specifically criticizing your beloved carrots."
"Eh? Really? I thought he was saying carrots taste bad..." Carrot slowly settled back into her seat, still muttering defensively. "Besides, vegetables and carrots are both delicious—why does everything have to be wrapped in meat?"
"Hahaha! Carrot, you can definitely have carrots in pork wraps too," Jerry called out encouragingly after finishing his current bowl of udon. While waiting for the next round to be served, he gave Carrot an enthusiastic thumbs-up before turning his attention to the spiky-haired troublemaker who looked vaguely familiar.
"What you like to eat is your personal business," Jerry said with deliberate indifference that somehow managed to sound more insulting than direct confrontation. "If you don't enjoy something, nobody's forcing you to consume it. But don't go slandering other people's preferences so easily. If a simple bowl of curry udon offends you this much, maybe you should take it up with the noodles themselves... Red-Hair."
Jerry's dismissive tone struck Kid like a physical blow, triggering unpleasant memories from his childhood that he'd tried hard to forget.
It had been a bright, sunny day when Kid and Killer had invited a girl they both liked to share curry udon together. Her smile had been so beautiful and gentle that Kid had momentarily imagined growing old with her.
However, disaster had struck because of that cursed curry udon. When the girl finished eating, curry soup had splattered all over her clothes, making her look like she'd been covered in some kind of golden substance.
The sight had naturally caused both Kid and Killer to burst into uncontrollable laughter. After their amusement subsided, the embarrassed and furious girl had beaten them both senseless before storming away.
From that day forward, curry udon had become a painful shared memory and a food both young men genuinely despised.
"You bastard! You're asking for death!" Kid roared, shoving Killer aside and charging toward Jerry with murderous intent.
Kid had always possessed a volcanic temper. Earlier, he had barely managed to restrain himself because Carrot was just a young girl and Killer had been urging caution. But Jerry's mocking words and casual use of "Red-Hair" as a nickname had brought back those humiliating memories with devastating clarity.
Kid slammed his hand against the edge of Jerry's dining table, using his considerable physical strength to attempt flipping the entire surface. However, despite applying tremendous force, the table didn't budge even slightly.
Kid looked down in surprise to see Jerry casually pressing his palm against the table's surface, as if some invisible force was anchoring the entire piece of furniture in place.
"Nice try, but not everyone can pull off the dramatic table-flip," Jerry commented calmly. He suddenly stood up and delivered a devastating shoulder strike that sent Kid flying like a cannonball through the restaurant's wooden door and onto the street beyond.
Jerry glanced at the Kid-shaped hole in the door with casual indifference before dusting off his shoulders and sitting back down.
"You want to flip my table?" he muttered under his breath with amusement. "Do you really think having red hair makes you Shanks
The restaurant fell into stunned silence as other customers processed what they had just witnessed, while the Black Star Pirates calmly returned to their meal as if nothing unusual had occurred.