Yuta's acceptance of helping out Wano met relief signs from Momonosuke and Raizo, even Inuarashi looked more relieved.
"Hey hey, he's not the only one here, you know." Ace, at this, acted up.
"I have promised someone that I'll help Wano when I return there. There is no way I'm not coming. Count me in." He grinned. Yuta had no idea when this promise happened? From how much he has seen the manga, there was no scene of Ace going to Wano. But again, that manga ended just at the start of Wano, so there was that as well.
He didn't bother asking who; it would all be revealed sooner or later. Rather, his silent look at Maki gave him a disinterested look, but that small smirk forming on her lips said it all—she was in.
'Wano is on...' Yuta smirked back. Now they just had to wait for the Straw Hats to come back. Perhaps they could also get help from the Whitebeard Pirates. Possible.
However, if that comes to it, then it's also possible that Shanks too will step in. That redhead acts as a speed breaker on this sea, in the name of maintaining balance, he stops any big conflict from starting, especially if it's related to two major powerhouses of the world.
Two Emperors definitely count in this case. Perhaps he wouldn't if he knew that it was Luffy who was causing the ruckus, but who knows. Can't put money on that.
So on a happy note, they decided to leave the under-tree secret place for a more hospitable and habitable place to stay. There was none better in Zou than the Mink Tribe Village. So they all started to head there.
However, on the way, a loud explosion shook the skies of Zou. Smoke rose in the distance, and the ground beneath them trembled.
"What was that?" Ace asked, already jumping ahead with fire burning around his fists.
"I don't know," Yuta replied, "but we better find out fast."
Inuarashi's face was stern. "That blast came from outside the village. It's not a usual attack. We must investigate."
Yuta, Ace, and Inuarashi ran toward the site of the explosion, leaving others behind with grumbling. When they got there, they saw scorched ground, burnt trees, and smoke still rising—but no signs of any attacker. Whoever caused the blast was long gone. Thankfully, it happened far from the main village, so no one was hurt.
"Weird..." Ace said, looking around. "There's no one here."
Inuarashi nodded. "They knew exactly where to strike to avoid casualties. This was a distraction."
Yuta's eyes narrowed. He didn't say anything but thought about the manga and suddenly he remembered that there was someone else who was supposed to be here besides just them. "We need to check on the others." He said and started to rush back. Ace also followed while Inuarashi had to stay back and search for leads on who was responsible for the explosion.
They ran back quickly, only to discover that Nami, Sanji, Chopper, Brook, Momonosuke, and the rest hadn't made it to the Mink Tribe village yet.
"Shit," Yuta muttered with irritation. "They should've reached the village by now."
Yuta focused his senses, using Observation Haki, trying to track them down only to find nothing—his Haki wasn't that good.
"Found them, come." Ace, on the side, was doing the same and immediately found them. Grumbling something about showoff like he had any right, Yuta silently followed Ace.
When they reached the area, they saw a strange scene. Nami and the others were surrounded by men with guns in their hands, looking like they came straight out of a 1930s criminal gang movie. But even Yuta could tell that most of them were weak. The real issue was the man they were facing—a short round man wearing a black suit and a long coat. His face was stern, and a cigar hung from his mouth.
Yuta stopped in his tracks. "Who is that?" Yuta had seen him in the manga before, just didn't remember his name. He almost forgot that he was supposed to be here as well.
'Sigh, this series just has so many characters and so many things happening at the same time...'
Ace growled, "Capone Bege… one of the Worst Generation like Luffy."
Yuta's eyes narrowed. "What's he doing here?" Oh, the temptation to flip out his manga and look for the entire Zou arc was so flipping high for him now.
Bege smiled coldly. "Just here for a small delivery… don't worry, I'm not here to fight. Unless you give me a reason to."
"Since when did pirates start doing deliveries?" Maki, on the side, asked. Yuta couldn't say whether it was a genuine question or sarcasm.
Capone Bege stood calmly in front of the group. Smoke from his cigar curled into the air. He didn't look worried, even as Yuta and Ace appeared beside the others. He honestly wasn't expecting them to catch up this quickly.
Yuta narrowed his eyes. "You caused an explosion just for that?"
Bege shrugged. "Needed to separate my target. I didn't expect you two to return so quickly… and I especially didn't expect her to be that strong."
He glanced toward Maki, who glared back with her hand on her weapon. Capone didn't push further. Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out an envelope.
"This," he said, holding it out toward Sanji, "is a wedding invitation."
Everyone's face twisted in confusion. Sanji blinked. "What?"
Capone grinned. "A wedding invitation for the third son of the Vinsmoke family. This is an invitation to your wedding, of course—to Charlotte Pudding, one of Big Mom's daughters."
Shock spread across the group. "What...!" Which was followed by a comical synchronized reaction from the rest of the Straw Hats.
Even Momonosuke and Raizo looked confused. Brook and Chopper were just stunned silent. Sanji, however, froze. His cigarette almost dropped from his mouth.
"I'm not going," Sanji said firmly. "I want no part of that family."
Capone nodded slowly, as if he expected that. He walked up to Sanji and leaned in. "Then maybe this will change your mind," he whispered something into Sanji's ear.
The change in Sanji's face was instant. His calm expression twisted into anger, confusion, and something else—hesitation. His fists clenched. He looked down, biting his lip.
After a long pause, Sanji finally looked up. "Fine. I'll go."
"Sanji!" Nami shouted, shocked.
"It's fine," he said quickly. "I'll explain later."
Capone smiled and turned away. "Good choice. Come then, we're already late."
"Wait, you're not going just like that, are you?" shouted Nami, but this time around, Sanji didn't sway to her voice like he usually did. He stood firmly, with complete struggle on his face lingering until he gave the fakest smile he could before marching forward.
Yuta on the side sighed. He knew this part. Being a main part of the story, he didn't screen through it. Now the real question was whether to even let this happen. He certainly could act; however, it ultimately depended on Sanji and what he wished to choose.
And Yuta didn't think he'd choose to stay.
'I can't remember the real reason he willingly went along with Capone again. Sigh, this series is just way too long to remember every small detail.'