Chapter 65: Alabasta – Royal Banquet Chaos & the 'D' Revelation
The next day at noon, Cobra invited everyone to gather in the palace banquet hall for a feast. As dish after dish was brought out, the long table was soon laden with exquisite delicacies. Luffy—who had been starving on dried rations the night before—couldn't hold back anymore and immediately started devouring everything in sight.
"Itadakimasu!" With Luffy's cheerful shout, the banquet officially began.
He attacked with both hands—left hand grabbing rice balls, right hand snatching grilled meat. His cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, food disappearing down his throat almost without chewing, like a bottomless pit. Sol beside him ate with slightly more elegance, but his speed was no slower. The plates in front of the two piled up visibly.
"Absolutely no table manners…"
"Isn't one supposed to be quiet and refined at a royal banquet?" The guards standing along the sides couldn't help whispering to each other.
Servers moved back and forth, clearing empty plates and bringing new delicacies almost instantly.
Zoro downed half a bottle of strong liquor in one go before starting to eat, not forgetting to remind the others: "Eat faster, or there won't be any left later."
Sanji elegantly sliced his steak. Seeing Chopper slurping noodles like a vacuum, he couldn't help advising: "Slow down—there's plenty more food."
"Sol said the Straw Hat crew's dinner table is another kind of battlefield! You can't let your guard down until you're full!" Chopper swallowed a mouthful of noodles and answered muffledly.
Vivi, seeing this, kindly pushed her own plate of grilled meat toward Chopper: "Eat as much as you want—there's still a lot more."
"Luffy! Did you just steal my lobster?!" Usopp suddenly slammed the table, pointing accusingly at the lobster Luffy was happily gnawing on. Seeing Luffy play dumb, his eyes glinted mischievously. He brought out a plate of rice balls covered in his special ultra-spicy chili sauce.
Luffy grabbed one without suspicion and bit down. The next second he was spewing flames from the heat. Nami immediately delivered an iron fist: "Don't spray food everywhere!"
"Usopp, do you have more of that chili sauce?" Sol's eyes actually lit up. He proactively handed over his grilled meat for seasoning, then gave a thumbs-up while chewing: "Five ants!"
"Your taste buds are ridiculous…" Usopp stared in disbelief. That level of spiciness would make normal people breathe fire—yet in Sol's mouth it was just perfect seasoning.
Robin reclined elegantly in her chair, slender fingers swirling the red wine in her crystal glass, a meaningful smile on her lips: "What a… truly interesting crew."
After everyone was full and satisfied, Luffy excitedly grabbed two chopsticks and dragged Chopper into performing the "Chopstick Dance." Their ridiculous, goofy movements had the whole hall roaring with laughter—even the guards who had been frowning earlier couldn't hold back, clutching their stomachs and crying tears of mirth.
King Cobra originally wore a kind smile; Vivi laughed so hard she nearly slid off her chair, holding onto the table for support.
Zoro crossed his arms and shook his head with a sigh, though the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. Sanji—cigarette in mouth—laughed while complaining: "These two idiots…" Nami facepalmed but couldn't help clapping along to the rhythm. Sol was already laughing so hard he couldn't close his mouth. Usopp eventually joined in and started dancing too.
The entire palace hall echoed with joyful laughter. What was supposed to be a solemn royal banquet had turned into the Straw Hat crew's personal rave party. Even the usually refined Robin covered her mouth and laughed softly, delight sparkling in her eyes.
When the final "Chopstick Dance" ended, everyone was laughing so hard they could barely breathe. The banquet drew to a close in this joyful atmosphere. King Cobra stood up, smiling warmly: "It's been a very long time since we had such a lively banquet. Truly an unforgettable day."
Luffy grinned wide and raised both hands: "That's how a party should be—fun!"
That night in the palace bathhouse, steam rose thickly under the lamplight. Sol leaned against the edge of the pool with his bandana over his eyes, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation. Luffy and Usopp were having a water fight nearby, splashing everywhere and laughing nonstop. Zoro carefully scrubbed Chopper's back with a towel; the little reindeer squinted in bliss. At that moment, Sanji sidled over sneakily and whispered:
"Hey… do you guys know where the women's bath is?"
Igaram immediately glared: "Idiot! How could I possibly tell you?! Princess Vivi is bathing right now!"
Unexpectedly, King Cobra stroked his beard and calmly pointed at the wall beside them: "Right behind there."
Igaram: "!!! Your Majesty! You're betraying Princess Vivi?!"
Sanji, Luffy, and Usopp's eyes instantly lit up. They crept toward the wall like little thieves. Usopp suddenly sniffed: "Wait… do you guys smell something burning?"
Cobra shrugged nonchalantly: "Burning? This is a bathhouse—where would open flames come from?"
Sanji closed his eyes in ecstasy: "That must be the scent of love~"
"Ah! Usopp! Our towels are on fire!" Luffy suddenly yelled and dove back into the pool. Everyone frantically splashed around before realizing Sol's fingertip was emitting faint blue flames. His bandana had slipped, revealing a pair of half-lidded, amused eyes.
"Hm?" Sol lazily scanned the group. "Anyone else planning to peep? Raise your hand."
"N-No way!" The three troublemakers shook their heads frantically in unison—only then remembering that this man was Vivi's actual boyfriend… and he was in the same pool as them.
Zoro carried Chopper back into the water and snorted: "Bunch of morons."
In the women's bath on the other side of the wall, Nami was helping Vivi scrub her back. Hearing the chaos next door, she couldn't help laughing: "Nice job, Sol."
Vivi blushed, embarrassed: "Sorry, Nami… I didn't expect Father to be so unreliable…"
Nami waved it off with a grin: "It's fine. With Sol there, they couldn't cause any real trouble~"
Late at night, after bathing, everyone returned to their chambers to rest. Nami was about to close her door when she noticed Sol still hadn't returned. She asked Usopp as he passed by.
"Sol? He said he had something to discuss with King Cobra and told us to rest first." Usopp yawned.
"Mysterious as always…" Nami raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. She gently closed the door, looking forward to a rare good night's beauty sleep. At the other end of the corridor, Luffy and the others were already half-asleep, exchanging goodnights before stumbling into their rooms.
At that moment, in the palace study, candle flames flickered. Cobra pushed two freshly printed wanted posters across the desk toward Sol.
"Monkey D. Luffy: 100,000,000 Berries" "Roronoa Zoro: 60,000,000 Berries"
"Heh, no poster for me this time?" Sol flicked the posters lightly with his fingertip, puzzled. "What are the Marines thinking?"
Cobra's expression was grave: "The port has been completely surrounded by the Navy. If I hadn't used my authority as king to temporarily hold them back, they would have stormed in already."
Sol solemnly thanked the king, then changed the subject: "King Cobra… you people are also 'D,' aren't you?"
Cobra's pupils shrank sharply. His voice cracked: "You… how do you know about that?!"
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