The Merry glided across the calm sea, the Log Pose steadily pointing into the distance.
After experiencing the shocking weather phenomena of the Grand Line yesterday and the subsequent rest, an air of anticipation for their first destination permeated the ship.
"Whoa! The first island! What's it gonna be like?" Luffy stretched his neck, his body almost leaning over the railing, his eyes sparkling with pure excitement.
Meanwhile, Sanji, Nami, Zoro, and Usopp were either dancing animatedly or standing on the deck, wearing happy smiles at the prospect of the adventure ahead.
Giyu stood quietly to the side, observing the crew's exuberant reactions. The concept of exploring a new island was still somewhat vague to him, but the Straw Hat crew's enthusiasm seemed to slightly dispel the silence around him.
Soon, a dark spot appeared on the horizon, gradually growing larger.
The island's outline became clearer. Most striking was the dense cluster of rocks of varying heights covering the island. From a distance, they resembled a massive cactus rock formation, appearing both bizarre and magnificent under the sunlight.
"Wow! What's that! Giant cacti?" Luffy shouted excitedly from his perch on the Merry's figurehead, growing even more thrilled.
At this moment, Mr.9 and Ms. Wednesday exchanged a glance, their eyes filled only with urgent desire to escape.
As the Merry began approaching Whiskey Peak, the two simultaneously struggled violently, squirming like eels toward the ship's railing in an attempt to jump overboard and flee.
"No way, no way!"
Luffy shouted, his arms suddenly stretching out and wrapping around their waists before yanking them back aboard. The two escapees flopped onto the deck.
Then Luffy grinned, dragging them close while keeping his arms tightly wrapped around them. "We finally arrived! Where are you trying to go play?"
Zoro, holding his swords, sneered and said, "Heh, trying to run away when we've reached your hideout?"
Giyu stood a bit further away, silently watching the scene. His gaze swept over the two panicked faces before turning toward the distant town on the shore.
As the Merry drew closer, faint sounds of commotion began reaching everyone's ears.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
They could even hear the cheerful rhythm of drums and gongs.
The closer the ship got, the more deafening the sounds became. When they could clearly see the shore, the sight made the Straw Hat crew pause in surprise.
The dock was absolutely packed with people!
Men, women, and children dressed in bright festival attire were desperately waving bouquets and streamers, their faces beaming with extremely enthusiastic, almost excessive radiant smiles. They beat drums, played out-of-tune trumpets, and danced in cheerful but somewhat clumsy movements - the entire port had become a sea of revelry!
"Heroes! Welcome our heroes!"
"Straw Hat Kid Luffy! We love you!"
"Brave warriors of the sea! Whiskey Peak welcomes you!"
Their movements were perfectly synchronized, their eyes gleaming with an almost fanatical light.
"Wow! So many people came to welcome us!" Luffy was instantly captivated by the scene, excitedly waving to the crowd.
Meanwhile, Zoro watched the people on shore with some caution, warning, "Be a bit careful, something doesn't feel right."
Hearing Zoro's remark, Usopp immediately took offense and began shouting, "Zoro, you're just jealous of us, aren't you? Hahahahaha!"
Giyu frowned slightly. The smiles on the faces of the people on shore made him somewhat uncomfortable.
[Manual of Interpersonal Relationships (Trial Version)]
[Target: Villagers]
[Status: Overly excited, fanatical]
[Preferences: Unknown?]
[Recommendation: Remain vigilant]
Familiar text from the manual appeared in the air above the deck, causing Giyu to unconsciously tighten his grip on his sword.
After Luffy released Ms. Wednesday, she began scanning the crowd, her gaze moving from slow to frantic.
But as her eyes passed over every face, she couldn't find that familiar figure - the always serious Igaram with hair that looked like multiple trumpets combined.
Yet, he wasn't among the crowd.
A strong sense of unease instantly gripped her. She immediately turned to a cheering villager and asked urgently, "Where's the mayor? Iga... Where is Mayor Igaram? Why hasn't he come?"
The villager's smile froze, his eyes began to dart away, and he stammered, "Ah... the... the mayor..."
Another villager immediately pushed forward, wearing an even brighter smile, and answered hastily, "Mayor Igaram... he suddenly came down with a fever! Yes, a fever! He's very sick, resting in bed, and truly couldn't come to welcome our heroes. We're terribly sorry! Hahahahaha!!"
"A fever?" Ms. Wednesday's brow furrowed tightly. This seemed too convenient, suspiciously so.
As the Merry docked at the shore, the villagers enthusiastically swarmed forward.
"Alright, alright! No need to worry about all that!" they said, almost pushing and shoving as they welcomed the Straw Hat crew along with the still confused Mr.9 and Ms. Wednesday ashore.
"Our heroes must be tired from your long journey! We've prepared a lavish feast! Please do us the honor! Hahahahaha!!"
The scene at the town's central square was even more astonishing.
Long tables were piled high with food: sizzling meat skewers dripping with oil, mountains of fruit, and barrels of foaming wheat ale.
The sight before them made Giyu even more suspicious - this abundance of food didn't match what the two people on the ship had said about food shortages.
"MEAT---!!!" Luffy's eyes turned completely star-shaped as he immediately rushed to the table, grabbing food and stuffing it into his mouth.
"Wahahaha! You've prepared quite well for the brave Usopp, the Sea Warrior!" Usopp also joined the battle of frantically chewing food.
Sanji looked at all the roasted meat and fruit but then felt somewhat strange, muttering to himself:
"All these fresh ingredients... doesn't seem like something a food-short town could produce..."
But this thought was quickly interrupted by the cheerful laughter of the village women.
"You heroes must be tired~~~ This meat and fruit~~ was specially prepared for you~~ Let us feed you~~~"
"Okay~~~~~~"
Nami and Zoro, however, declined the food, saying they had already eaten their fill on the ship, but they readily accepted the wine glasses being offered to them. Both Nami and Zoro took large wooden mugs and drank heartily.
"No, are we supposed to join in eating too? We're not heroes, hahahahaha!"
"No, no~~~ You've worked hard bringing the heroes here~~~ Eat together~~~"
For some reason, Mr.9 and Ms. Wednesday were also pushed by the residents to sit beside the Straw Hat crew, forced to join the meat-eating and toast-making frenzy.
Giyu sat at a corner of the dining table, with only a small plate of fruit before him. The villagers' enthusiasm nearly overwhelmed him as people kept coming over to offer Giyu food while praising their heroic deeds.
[Target: Villagers]
[Status: Overly enthusiastic]
[Preference: Persuading to eat]
[Recommendation: Maintain observation]
He silently picked up an apple slice but merely held it without eating, his gaze calmly observing the surroundings with unwavering composure.
Behind these people's enthusiasm, there was always an indescribable sense of urgency.
There was even an elderly man who wiped his eyes with a dirty sleeve while passionately telling the feasting Straw Hat crew:
"Heroes! You don't know - we've nearly exhausted all our resources to prepare this banquet... Last year's harvest here wasn't good, and those damned pirates kept coming to steal. We've been starving for months... But to welcome you, it's worth it! Everything is worth it!"
The banquet's atmosphere grew increasingly frenzied, bordering on madness.
The sunlight gradually intensified as noon quietly arrived.
Suddenly, a discordant note cut through the clamor.
"Uh... why do I feel..." Usopp was holding a chicken leg while boasting about his adventures when his eyelids suddenly drooped mid-sentence, "... kind of... sleepy..."
Before he finished speaking, the chicken leg fell from his hand. He swayed twice before collapsing onto the table with a thud, immediately starting to snore.
Almost simultaneously, Sanji, who was about to light a cigarette, paused mid-motion, the lighter slipping from his suddenly limp fingers.
He shook his head, trying to focus his blurry vision on the ongoing revelry: "Strange... body... losing strength..." Then he too slumped softly to the ground.
"The meat... so good..."
Luffy's stomach was swollen to an enormous size like a balloon. After mumbling these words, he face-planted into the huge roast meat platter before him, also emitting loud snores.
Mr.9, who was supposed to be a town resident, had been forced to eat some meat during the frenzy and subsequently collapsed as well.
The lively banquet scene instantly fell into complete silence.
All the villagers' smiles vanished at the same moment, replaced by cold indifference.
Nami's smile immediately disappeared too. Her wine glass clattered to the ground and shattered, then she pretended to fall asleep by leaning back in her chair, half-opening her eyes to observe Zoro and Giyu's reactions as they remained awake.
Zoro still held his wine glass, his expression unchanged as he laughed loudly and drank, then looked at the villagers who had suddenly stopped their movements.
"What's wrong? Is this all you've got? Not drinking anymore?"
When Luffy collapsed into the meat pile, Giyu had already firmly placed his hand on his sword hilt. Though still seated, he had entered a state of absolute combat readiness. Those sea-blue eyes showed no trace of emotion anymore, only icy vigilance.
Looking at the fallen Mr.9 beside her, the absent Igaram in the crowd, and the gazes the residents were directing at her, Ms. Wednesday's face turned deathly pale. Her voice grew sharp with extreme vigilance: "What's wrong with everyone?!"
"Fufufufu..."
A low, eerie laugh came from the rooftop beside the square, shattering the suffocating silence.
"What's wrong? Isn't it obvious, Ms. Wednesday?"
From the shadows, two figures slowly emerged, stepping into the glaring sunlight.
One had spiky hair, a tall and lean build, wore sunglasses and a brownish-red coat, with... a booger dangling from his nostril... The corner of his mouth curled into a scornful arc.
The other was a tall woman with short golden hair, holding a parasol with yellow and blue striped patterns. Though dressed in an innocent, romantic style, her eyes held the playful cruelty of a cat toying with a mouse.
"Of course it's because..."
The tall, lean man named Mr.5 poked his nose, playing with the booger between his fingers, his tone dripping with mockery, "They added sleeping pills to the barbecue—enough to give our heroes a good, long nap."
"Really now, you made us wait so long," complained the golden-haired woman, codenamed Ms. Valentine, in a sickly sweet voice as she twirled her parasol lightly.
"But at last, we can begin... cleaning house."