As the restaurant owner rambled on with his explanation, Ryuuto finally understood the full story.
It seemed a lost Sea King had developed a love for the island's Monkey Sake. Every so often, after sobering up, it would demand more from the people of Sake Island. If they refused, it would conjure massive waves to destroy the coastal villages. In a way, however, this Sea King also served as the island's protector.
Having pieced it all together, Ryuuto was quite intrigued.
"Boss, what do we do now?" a pirate anxiously shouted at the restaurant owner.
The village where the restaurant was located wasn't far from the coast. If a monstrous wave came crashing down, everyone would be in grave danger.
"The village chief has probably gone to the shore to appease Lord Sea God. For now, we need to find more Monkey Sake," the owner replied, seeing no other choice. He began leading the group to gather what they could.
"Boss, why are we going up the mountain? Is the Monkey Sake stored up here?" Nami asked, taking the lead as the group walked along a small path toward the summit. The trail was lined with fruit trees that produced the ingredients for the sake.
"Monkey Sake is Monkey Sake, of course! It's sake brewed by monkeys!" the owner explained, his voice laced with urgency as he hurried up the mountain.
"How interesting!" Ace, who was also in the group, let out a hearty laugh.
As they ascended, the smell of alcohol in the air grew stronger and stronger.
Squeak, squeak~
A small, furry monkey suddenly appeared on the path. It was struggling to climb a tree, trying to reach the closest sake fruit.
"So cute!"
"Is that one of the monkeys from the mountain?"
Nami and Vivi stared at the little creature, their eyes practically sparkling with hearts.
The little monkey leaned forward and wrapped its arms around a sake fruit. But in its eagerness, it forgot about its footing. Its entire body slipped, leaving it dangling precariously, held up only by its grip on the fruit.
"Be careful, little monkey!" Nami shouted in warning.
Crack! Snap!
As expected, the branch couldn't support the monkey's weight. With a sharp crack, the branch broke, sending both the fruit and the monkey plummeting to the ground.
"Look out!"
Seeing this, Ryuuto murmured a word. His body flickered, leaving an afterimage as he instantly appeared in mid-air, catching both the monkey and the fruit securely. He then landed gently on the ground.
Before the little monkey could even react, it found itself in Nami's arms.
"So soft!" Nami said happily, ruffling the fur on the little monkey's head.
After walking for a while longer…
"We're almost there!" the restaurant owner said, pointing to a large cluster of buildings ahead.
The entire complex was constructed from wood, complete with brewing stations, houses, and warehouses. Numerous monkeys bustled about, diligently brewing their fine sake. At one of the brewing stations, four or five slightly larger monkeys stood around a massive vat, stirring its contents with large wooden poles.
"This is amazing… And the smell of that sake is incredible!" Ace said, taking a deep breath in blissful intoxication.
Nami and Vivi gasped in awe, their eyes wide with curiosity as they surveyed the scene. Crocus also looked around, his expression filled with interest.
Ryuuto's gaze fell on the massive wooden vat. As the monkeys stirred, huge plumes of steam billowed into the air. "So this is the source of the mist we saw rising from the mountain earlier," he thought to himself.
The restaurant owner was already communicating with one of the older-looking monkeys. This one had a white beard and whiskers and was gesturing wildly with its hands and feet.
"Their Monkey Sake won't be ready for another few days!" the owner announced to the group, his tone full of disappointment after finishing his "conversation." "What are we going to do now?"
"Don't worry. I'll go have a little chat with your so-called Sea God," Ace declared with a confident laugh. A ball of fire erupted from his right hand, his voice radiating immense power.
"That's right! Our captain can handle it, too!" Nami added.
"You're going to fight Lord Sea God? Don't! He's far too powerful! You're no match for him," the restaurant owner said, waving his hands frantically to stop them.
He then turned back to the white-bearded monkey and began another round of frantic gesturing. After a while, the owner ran back over to Ryuuto and the others.
"They said there's a cave where they stored a lot of Monkey Sake, but a powerful crocodile took it over a few years ago. If we need the sake urgently, we could try our luck there!" the owner said, his face lighting up with hope.
In his mind, the Sea God's power was like a force of nature, but a single strong crocodile in a mountain cave was a problem that these great pirates should be able to solve. Sake Island's famous liquor had always attracted pirates, some good, some bad. It was only thanks to the Sea God's protection that the island had known peace for so many years. The restaurant owner had his own little agenda.
Squeak, squeak~
Seeing the humans talking amongst themselves, the white-bearded monkey chittered impatiently, as if to hurry them along.
"Alright, let's go check it out," Ryuuto agreed with a nod.
"Yeah! Let's go beat up that bad crocodile and get the little monkeys' sake back!" Nami cheered, raising one fist in the air while cradling the furry little monkey in her other arm.
"Let's go, time to defeat the giant crocodile!" Vivi, swept up in Nami's enthusiasm, mimicked the gesture, her blue hair bouncing as she shouted.
"Hahahaha, let's go!" Ryuuto laughed, finding their high spirits and youthful energy utterly captivating. Both Nami and Vivi were dressed in shorts and short-sleeved shirts today, radiating a vibrant, carefree aura.
"You guys just defeated the Sand Crocodile, and now you're off to fight another crocodile. You really have a thing for them, don't you?" Ace joked with a loud laugh.
The restaurant owner confirmed the plan with the white-bearded monkey.
Squeak, squeak~
With a final call, the old monkey slowly began to lead the group toward the cave it had mentioned.
As everyone started to follow, the little monkey in Nami's arms struggled, holding its sake fruit, and jumped down. Nami didn't try to stop it. It seemed the little one was eager to get to work brewing.
After navigating a few winding paths, they arrived at a cave entrance concealed by thick grass and trees.
Squeak! Squeak!
The white-bearded monkey pointed at the cave, chittering and gesturing wildly. This time, no translation from the owner was needed. Everyone understood what it meant.
This was the place.
"Leave it to me!" Ace said, stepping in front of the group as a flame ignited in his right hand. He planned to use a burst of fire to clear away the overgrown entrance, but he knew he had to be careful not to destroy the precious sake inside. He surely had a plan.
The white-bearded monkey and the others took a few steps back.
Ace planted his feet firmly, drew back his right arm, and with a powerful shout, roared, "Fire Fist!"