Chu Qiye and Edward had first met in a bar.
Both hot-blooded and competitive, they ended up wagering on who could drink more. They emptied the entire bar without a clear winner.
Neither willing to admit defeat, their contest escalated. After drinking for two days and two nights straight, Edward was ultimately the first to collapse.
It was a classic case of "no discord, no concord." From that bout, they became friends. Just a few months after parting ways, they ran into each other again on Hachinosu, and their friendship only deepened from there.
"You've come at just the right time. I received a barrel of hundred-year-aged liquor yesterday—fine stuff you couldn't buy even with ten million Beli. I was planning to savor it slowly, but then you had to show up today."
"Gurararara… Don't be so stingy. Liquor only tastes good when you drink it together."
A few minutes later, Chu Qiye leapt up from the cellar, hoisting a barrel in one hand.
After filling his own bowl, he was about to pour for Edward when the latter moved swiftly and snatched the barrel away.
"Come on, Qiye! Cheers!" Edward declared, turning the tables.
Chu Qiye shook his head with a wry smile and clinked his large bowl against Edward's.
"Ahh… refreshing! Truly fine liquor!"
A century-aged brew was no joke in potency. An ordinary person might get drunk just from smelling it.
Edward downed half a barrel in one go, and a faint flush quickly rose to his face.
In contrast, Chu Qiye drained his bowl without the slightest change in expression. It was as if he had just drunk water instead of alcohol.
"You brat, you're a real monster! No matter how strong the liquor, it's like drinking water to you," Edward couldn't help but sigh.
Though he always claimed he would outdrink Chu Qiye, Edward knew very well that this guy was truly "unfazed by a thousand cups." Getting him drunk was impossible.
He recalled their first drinking match—two full days and nights, emptying every bar on an entire street.
When it ended, Chu Qiye's face hadn't even turned red. Edward, on the other hand, had been dead drunk and needed several days to sober up.
"Want to know why I can drink a thousand cups without falling?" Chu Qiye asked mysteriously.
"Mm?"
Edward immediately straightened up, ears practically perked, afraid of missing a single word.
He had never cared about other people's secrets. But as a lover of fine liquor, he desperately wanted to know the secret behind Chu Qiye's legendary tolerance.
Chu Qiye smiled knowingly and spoke in an exaggeratedly slow tone. "The secret to my thousand-cup tolerance is… is…"
As he listened, Edward unconsciously clenched his fists, even his breathing growing heavier.
Just as he was about to reveal it, Chu Qiye suddenly changed tone. "Ah… forget it. I'll tell you some other time."
"…"
Realizing he'd been played, Edward instantly flew into a rage. He grabbed Chu Qiye by the collar and lifted him into the air.
In front of the over six-meter-tall Edward, Chu Qiye looked like a small doll.
"You little punk, playing me again! Either tell me the secret to your drinking tolerance today, or I'll toss you into the sea to feed the fish!"
"Easy, easy… calm down first."
"As for the secret, I'll definitely tell you someday—and you'll be the first to know. Just not now."
After hearing that, most of Edward's anger dissipated. What else could he do after that promise? Of course, he chose to forgive him.
The secret to Chu Qiye's tolerance was naturally the secret of the Eight Extraordinary Skills.
Six Treasury Immortals could convert everything in his stomach into energy—alcohol included. That was why he could drink endlessly without getting drunk.
Six Treasury Immortals was a divine art capable of granting immortality. If news of it spread, the uproar would be unimaginable.
Until he possessed power sufficient to stand against the world, Chu Qiye would never reveal the existence of the Eight Extraordinary Skills. To outsiders, he would simply claim it was natural talent—or perhaps the ability of a Devil Fruit.
"Damn it… I really have poor taste in friends," Edward muttered as he set Chu Qiye down.
"Big brother, shouldn't I be the one saying that?"
Chu Qiye adjusted his collar with a bitter smile. "Every time you come here, you eat my food, drink my wine, take my money, and break my door. Who exactly has poor judgment in friends?"
"Gurararara…" Edward laughed awkwardly. "No need to be so calculating between brothers. Come on, let's keep drinking."
But Chu Qiye didn't pick up his bowl. Straightening his clothes, he shed his playful demeanor and looked at Edward seriously.
"You didn't come just to drink with me this time, did you?"
Edward set down the barrel as well, his expression turning solemn.
"You know Rocks is forming a pirate crew?"
Chu Qiye chuckled. "Hachinosu isn't that big. I deal with half the pirates on this island every day. How could I not know?"
"Fair enough."
"He invited you?"
Edward nodded. "Not just me—and not just on Hachinosu. Throughout the entire New World, every pirate with a name worth mentioning has received an invitation."
"He calls it a pirate crew, but it's more like a grand pirate assembly—gathering all the most vicious pirates of the New World."
There was a trace of disdain in Edward's voice.
Chu Qiye curled his lip. "That guy's ambition is sky-high."
"Exactly," Edward agreed.
"Did you accept?" Chu Qiye asked.
After a brief silence, Edward spoke slowly. "Yes. We fought. I lost. So I agreed to join."
After a pause, he continued, "His ambition may be enormous, but joining his crew will be an excellent opportunity for growth. That's the second reason I chose to join."
Hearing this, something seemed to occur to Chu Qiye, and he frowned slightly.
Edward looked at him deeply. "Your abilities are far too outstanding. He won't overlook you."
Chu Qiye gave a helpless laugh. "I figured as much…"
"For powerful pirates, Rocks invites them personally. He's already approached Shiki, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and me. You're the last one."
Given Rocks' style, "invitation" was just a polite term. It was more like coercion wrapped in temptation. If persuasion failed, he would resort to force—refusal simply wasn't an option.
"I came today to warn you, so you can prepare."
"Prepare how? You know what he's like. Can I really refuse?"
Chu Qiye shrugged, looking unconcerned. "Actually, you're right. Joining his crew is a great opportunity for training. I've got no reason to miss it."
"Gurararara…" Edward laughed happily. "Good. As long as you've thought it through. From now on, we'll be comrades on the same ship."