"Ms. Shinobu, please ripen this batch of tuna."
A pirate brought a basket of small tuna to Shinobu. "Their maximum lifespan is only thirty years; don't over-ripen them."
Shinobu numbly used her ability. A pile of tuna over two meters long appeared in the kitchen; its lively jumping caused a commotion.
Several chefs quickly carried the tuna away to process it.
"And these lobsters, feel free to ripen them; these shrimp have a very long lifespan." Immediately after, someone brought over a basket of lobsters.
"So, can my Juku Juku Jutsu be used like this?" thought Shinobu, who had been borrowed by Buggy to help in the kitchen.
"Since you can make Momonosuke bigger, making these fish and shrimp bigger shouldn't be a problem," Buggy had said at the time.
"You ate the Juku Juku no Mi, not the Rot-Rot Fruit. Don't always think about using Devil Fruit abilities for attacking."
In the end, Shinobu did it quite easily... Why hadn't she thought of this before? Otherwise, with a little effort, feeding a whole city wouldn't have been a problem, and so many people wouldn't have starved to death.
Voices came from outside. "Captain Buggy said today's seafood is completely free! Everyone can eat as much as they like, but before you eat, make sure to thank the beautiful ninja of Wano Country, Shinobu."
"Thank you, Shinobu!!!"
The deafening sound reached her. Hearing the laughter of the civilians outside, Shinobu suddenly felt her body fill with strength.
"Stop, Ms. Shinobu! This lobster is already big enough."
Shinobu snapped back to her senses and found a lobster over five meters tall waving its claws right at her.
"Whoa!" Shinobu was about to dodge when a swift flash of a blade passed by. The lobster was split in two, revealing its transparent meat.
"Denjiro?" Shinobu found that the one helping was actually Denjiro, one of the Nine Red Scabbards. He was accompanied by Kawamatsu, Kiku, and Kozuki Hiyori.
A group of chefs hurriedly ran over to haul the giant lobster away, discussing how to prepare it.
"I heard the cheering outside, Shinobu. You're the most popular person in the Flower Capital right now!" Denjiro said with a smile as he sheathed his sword.
"What are you all doing here?" Shinobu asked.
"Tired of work, so I brought Lady Hiyori out for a walk." Denjiro's arms felt sore just thinking about his work.
"Ms. Shinobu, we have enough food now. You can take a break," the kitchen manager said. "Go enjoy the banquet with your friends!"
The group left the kitchen and stepped out onto the noisy street.
"I'm sorry, Princess Hiyori. I... I'm working for the enemy." Shinobu found it hard to face Kozuki Hiyori.
"It's alright, I'm working for them too," Kozuki Hiyori said. "Denjiro and the others are the same."
She looked at the cheerful crowd around them. "Though I hate to admit it, Wano Country is indeed getting better under his rule. So, work hard, Shinobu. This is also for the sake of Wano Country."
"Princess Hiyori..." Shinobu's eyes grew a bit moist.
Don't worry, Princess Hiyori, I'll work hard to compress the growth of the transponder snails to the limit! As soon as they hatch, I'll make them breed the next generation!!!
"I feel like Shinobu is really fired up..." Kiku giggled, covering her mouth.
"Hey, should we respond to the recruitment? I heard that if you join the combat unit, you don't have to work anymore," Kawamatsu said. "I'm about to vomit from tempering weapons every day."
"Go ahead, and take me with you," Kozuki Hiyori said. "I want to go out to sea and see the world too..."
"But it seems we'll be going to war with other Pirate Crews. It'll be dangerous," Denjiro said, sounding worried.
"Don't I have all of you to protect me? Besides, I have much more sailing experience than you. I even stayed on Pirate King Roger's ship," Kozuki Hiyori laughed.
She vaguely remembered a red-nosed fellow who was always trying to make her happy. It was just that after meeting again, they had become enemies.
"Alright then, we'll go out to sea and see the world as well," Denjiro decided.
"We'll go sign up after the banquet!"
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"Shanks, why do I feel like you're a bit distracted?"
At the main banquet venue, the two Pirate Crews were drinking and celebrating, but Buggy noticed that Shanks kept stealing glances elsewhere.
"Ah... It's nothing. Isn't this normal? Haha~" Shanks said, sounding a bit flustered.
Buggy looked in the direction Shanks was peeking and saw someone he recognized: Otama, the Kibi Kibi no Mi ability user.
Otama was picking out things to eat, but Shanks shouldn't know her.
Buggy shifted his gaze to Speed, who was accompanying Otama. Was Shanks staring at her?
"Shanks..." Buggy said slowly. "Even though you've been single for a long time and lost your left arm, I hope you maintain your standards!"
"A person shouldn't... at least shouldn't..."
"What are you talking about?" Shanks was a bit bewildered.
"You've been peeking at her this whole time, haven't you?" Buggy pointed at Speed in the distance. "I respect everyone's preferences, and no man can resist the temptation of a 'My Little Pony'..."
"But you're my friend, Shanks. I don't want to see you go down a degenerate path..."
Shanks was stunned for a moment before he finally reacted.
"Buggy, you bastard! I was just looking at her hairstyle! I don't have such filthy thoughts!" Shanks grabbed the front of Buggy's clothes and roared.
The banquet scene suddenly fell silent. No one knew why the Captains of the two Pirate Crews were suddenly in a conflict.
"Don't mind them. Just old friends who haven't seen each other in years messing around," Beckman said. "Everyone, keep having fun."
"Our Captain is occasionally a bit improper. You'll get used to it," Mr. 3 added from the side.
The banquet returned to its lively state, and Beckman and Mr. 3 clinked glasses in mutual respect.
"What filthy thoughts? I don't understand, Shanks," Buggy said with an innocent face.
So he was looking at the hairstyle?
Speed's half-black, half-white hairstyle was very similar to his daughter Uta's. Was this guy missing his daughter?
"You've seemed preoccupied lately, almost like you're having a midlife crisis. If something's on your mind, you can tell me. Maybe I can help," Buggy said.
"You wouldn't understand. Some things only I can solve," Shanks said, taking a drink.
His daughter, whom he hadn't seen in years, seemed to have entered her rebellious phase. What should he do if she won't listen?
"Don't be so gloomy. Our era hasn't passed yet. If our two Pirate Crews join forces, even storming the Holy Land, Mary Geoise wouldn't be difficult."
Buggy patted Shanks on the shoulder. "Power can solve almost all problems. If it can't, then your power simply isn't enough."
"I wish I were as carefree as you," Shanks said. "Let's not talk about that. Let's hurry up and deal with that guy. I have my own matters to attend to."
"No rush. Not everyone has arrived yet," Buggy said.
"You called someone else?" Shanks hadn't expected Buggy to be so cautious. "Wait... it wouldn't be Luffy, would it?"
Shanks could only think of Luffy as someone who had a connection with Buggy and the strength to get involved.
"Not just him, there's also..." Buggy was about to speak when he noticed Shanks looking in another direction.
A tall figure slowly walked out, exuding the aura of a powerful warrior. The banquet fell into a hush once again.
"Katakuri?" Buggy looked at the uninvited guest. "What are you doing here?"
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A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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