Chapter 166: The Two Stars Shine
"Welcome. Right away."
Camie smiled and bowed, then turned and called inside, "Hachi, a customer ordered one takoyaki."
The boat wasn't large. A row of round chairs was set up at the bar on the deck, where Luffy sat.
Behind the bar was the ship's cabin. Hearing the order, a response immediately came from inside.
"Okay, Camie! Tell the customer to wait a moment, it'll be ready soon."
A blue curtain with a picture of takoyaki and the shop's name written in large characters hung between the bar and the cabin, not completely obscuring the view.
Luffy could vaguely see a burly man making the food inside, but his face from the chest up was blocked by the curtain. Likewise, the person inside couldn't see outside.
"I can already smell something really fragrant," Luffy sniffed, his eyes shining as drool trickled down.
Even though the other person hadn't finished making it, he was already eager to taste it.
"Right, right? Hachi's takoyaki is the best in the world," Camie praised proudly, her hands busy preparing the side dishes.
"Is that so!"
Upon hearing this, Luffy slammed his large hand on the countertop and shouted, "I've decided! I want twenty more orders!"
"Really! That's great! Hachi, the customer wants twenty more orders!"
Camie's eyes lit up as she exclaimed excitedly. She didn't expect such a big customer. She turned back and said casually:
"Thank you so much for your patronage. You must be taking it back for your companions, right? I'm sure they'll love it."
"Oh, right! I didn't even think of that. I should buy some back for them to try. Hee hee hee."
Luffy let out a big laugh, then said calmly, "Then let's make it one hundred orders."
"That's great! They'll definitely... Wait, how many people are eating one hundred orders?!!!"
Camie was so shocked her eyes nearly popped out, her chin hitting the ground.
"Wait! What do I do, what do I do? I've never had such a big order! Help me, Hachi!" Two spirals spun in Camie's eyes.
"What's wrong, Camie! Is it Macro and his guys again!"
Hearing her cry for help, Hachi subconsciously thought it was those slave traders causing trouble again and rushed out angrily. "You bastards! Watch me beat you all to a pulp—"
Before he could finish, he saw the bewildered Luffy sitting at the bar, and his eyes bulged out. "Straw Hat!!!"
"Eh? Who are you? Do you know me?" Luffy looked puzzled, tilting his head with a question mark popping up.
"You're... I'm..." Hachi was flustered. Seeing Luffy's reaction, he suddenly remembered.
The other person had apparently never seen him!
He quickly looked left and right. Not seeing those two familiar figures, Hachi couldn't help but sigh in relief.
"Phew~~."
I can't let my guard down yet. Straw Hat is here, so that Black Snake is probably here too, and Nami. If I'm discovered, it's all over!
"No, no! I don't know you! I've just seen your wanted poster!"
Hachi hurriedly waved his hands, saying with trepidation, "Also, uh, sorry, customer, but we're closing for the day."
"Eh! Wait, Hachi! This is a big customer! One hundred orders!" The unknowing Camie hurriedly tried to dissuade him.
Luffy seemed even more anxious than her, slapping the counter with his big hand. "Exactly! I haven't even eaten the world's number one takoyaki yet!"
Not making money was nothing. Him not getting to eat delicious takoyaki was a big deal!
Thud!
A blond figure suddenly jumped down. Reiner walked up to the bar and sat down. "What's going on, Luffy? I've been waiting for you for a while."
"—Hiss!"
Seeing Reiner arrive, Hachi instantly sucked in a sharp breath. The two of them made eye contact and were silent for a moment.
Could it be... he didn't recognize me?
Seeing the other didn't speak, Hachi couldn't help but think hopefully. After all, when they met before, he had shown his six arms.
This time he was wearing thick clothes, with four arms hidden. After so long, the other had probably forgotten.
Good, good. The gunshot wound on his back still ached faintly. Besides Nami, this was the man he was most afraid of meeting.
However, before his anxious heart could settle...
"You're still alive, octopus."
"He recognized me!!!" Hachi's eyes widened as he shrieked.
Luffy and Camie at the side were clearly a bit confused.
"What's wrong? Do you know them, Hachi?" Camie asked with some concern. Hachi's behavior seemed a bit strange.
Especially after that blond man arrived, Hachi looked so scared he seemed to have lost his soul.
"He's one of Arlong's men. That purple-skinned monster from Nami's hometown," Reiner explained to Luffy across the bar.
"Ah, so he's one of his men."
Luffy slapped his palm in realization, then turned to look at Hachi with an angry expression. "Then I'm not eating his takoyaki. Let's send this bastard flying."
Reiner didn't give the other a pleasant look either.
Upon hearing they were going to fight, Hachi hurriedly shielded Camie behind him:
"Wait! What happened in the past was all my fault. You can take revenge on me however you want, but Camie is innocent! Please don't hurt her!"
"Hachi-bro! How could this be!"
Camie became flustered, rushed into the kitchen, came out with a kitchen knife, and pointed the tip at them with trembling hands, shouting with tears in her eyes,
"You bad people! You're not allowed to hurt Hachi-bro!"
"Wait, Camie, it's not like that! You should leave here quickly. I made mistakes in the past. I don't want to involve you," Hachi hurriedly stood in front of her.
Reiner paid no attention to their argument. Luffy, on the other hand, was in a difficult position, turning his head with a frown.
"They don't look like bad people. Are you sure you didn't mistake them, Reiner?"
"He already admitted it, and you're still asking me if I made a mistake?" Reiner looked at Luffy with dead fish eyes.
"I say, you two."
From behind, Nami jumped down from the Merry, walked over, and grabbed his ear, saying irritably:
"I told you to come get Luffy, and you ended up dawdling with him, is that it?"
"Na-Nami."
Before he could explain, Hachi called out to her first.
Hearing the voice, Nami's gaze went past Reiner. The moment she saw the other, her face darkened. "Hachi."
A short while later, on the central deck of the Merry.
"This takoyaki is super delicious!"
"It's a super perfect match with cola!"
"Hic~~"
"I'm so glad everyone likes it."
Hachi, with a large bump on his head, scratched his cheek with one hand and smiled foolishly. His other five hands quickly operated, flipping the takoyaki balls. Beside him, Camie was helping out.
Unlike his previous attire, Hachi had now taken off his thick coat.
Camie was also not wearing a long skirt, but instead revealed her long tail fin, busy at work with a smile.
Sanji had completely lost himself, immersed in his fantasies about mermaids.
At Camie's pleading, Nami did not pursue the matter with Hachi any further.
She hated Arlong, and she hated everyone in the Arlong Pirates, but she did not hate the entire Fish-Man race because of it.
Nami had always been calm and kind. Seeing Hachi's sincere remorse, she didn't want to keep holding onto the past.
Under a tree in a corner of the lawn, Reiner sat with his legs crossed, his body leaning against the trunk, and spoke faintly, "Are you really okay?"
"Don't worry. Although Hachi did bad things with Arlong, you already taught him a lesson for me."
Nami held a serving of takoyaki, kneeling beside him. After swallowing the food in her mouth, she smiled softly. "The pain in my heart has long been healed by everyone."
"And..."
Nami's lips curved into a smile, revealing shallow dimples. She picked up a takoyaki with a bamboo skewer and held it to Reiner's mouth. "The takoyaki is really delicious. Try it."
Reiner looked at her without speaking, then smiled faintly, lowered his head, and bit the takoyaki offered to him, his body leaning back against the tree trunk.
"Mm, it's indeed delicious. Let's have Sanji ask him for the recipe."
"Hee hee, I already stole it from his boat."
Nami stuck out her tongue. "My skills haven't gotten rusty."
"Is that so?"
Reiner swallowed the food and looked at her with a straight face. "I'll test it tonight and find out."
Nami understood his hidden meaning. She wasn't shy, but instead gave a sly smile and leaned close to his ear, her voice soft and sweet:
"Grove 70 is the hotel district. I'm afraid you won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning."
"You should be afraid you won't get any sleep tonight."
After a while, everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, and the Merry was properly docked.
Hachi knew they were looking for a coating mechanic and offered to lead the way.
Although this island discriminated against Fish-Men, he still disguised himself and came ashore from time to time, so he was considered half a local and knew his way around.
Luffy agreed without a second thought.
"Camie, you should go back first. It's really too dangerous to go ashore," Hachi advised her with concern.
"...But!"
Camie lowered her head, her face reluctant, and said in a weak voice, "If I just wear a skirt..."
"No, Camie! You know the situation here!" Hachi became stern.
Luffy shouted indignantly, "What are you doing, Hachi! Why won't you let her come ashore!"
"Exactly! You're making little Camie unhappy!"
A fire of rage burned behind Sanji. He pointed at Hachi and cursed, baring his teeth:
"You stinky octopus! Apologize to my little Camie right now, or I'll turn you into takoyaki!"
"It's because of the kidnappers, right?"
Reiner, naturally aware of the situation on this island, spoke up to reassure her, "It's alright, Camie. If you want to come ashore, just come. I'll keep an eye out."
The only person on the entire island who could snatch someone from under his nose was that one person, and clearly, there was nothing to worry about from him.
Any kidnapper who dared to walk past him would get two big slaps first, then have their hands and feet broken and be made to crawl off this island.
"That's right, that's right! No matter what danger there is, we'll protect you!" Luffy said, crossing his arms and nodding with utmost confidence.
"Is it really okay?!"
Camie was instantly excited, cupping her hands, her bright eyes shining with happy anticipation. "Thank you, Luffy-bro, Reiner-bro."
Under everyone's denunciation, Hachi finally relented.
Camie put on a long skirt to cover her tail fin, and with a little disguise, she went ashore with them.
The moment the Straw Hat Pirates landed, the entire Sabaody Archipelago was thrown into an uproar for them.
"The Straw Hat crew... one, two..."
Atop a Yarukiman Mangrove tree, a man with a sword and axe at his waist and an eyepatch stood on a branch, his gaze fixed on the crew that had just set foot on this island.
"Five members with bounties over a hundred million have landed. Plus the nine on the island, that's fourteen in total. Truly a rare, grand scene," X. Drake murmured.
At the entrance of a Western restaurant in the shopping district, a group of men in suits, with the demeanor of mafia, were walking in.
"Godfather, we just received news. That crew has landed on the island."
A subordinate bent down and whispered into the ear of a man in a black and white striped suit, a cigar held in his mouth.
"They've finally arrived. A group of super rookies whose total bounty is comparable to the other eight pirate crews."
Capone "Gang" Bege walked into the restaurant with a blank expression and said in a low voice, "One should be quiet when eating. We'll talk later."
Not long after he led his men into the restaurant, another group walked down this street.
Wherever they went, all the civilians looked away, not daring to meet their gaze, avoiding them at all costs.
"Tch, so boring."
A man with red spiky hair, wearing sunglasses and a dark red fur coat, scoffed.
Striding arrogantly, he looked at the two wanted posters in his hand. A fiery glint flashed in Eustass Kid's eyes.
"Kid, you're not thinking of going after them, are you?"
From behind him, a samurai with a blue and white mask covering his face and wild golden hair showing, spoke in a low voice.
"Right now on this island, I'm not the only one interested in them. What's wrong, Killer? Don't you think this is interesting?"
A corner of Kid's mouth lifted. He rested one hand on the pistol at his waist and sneered, "As a warm-up before entering the New World to challenge the Four Emperors, let's test the mettle of these two shining stars."
"Yo, looks like there's a show to watch."
Just then, a cool laugh from the roadside caught Kid's attention. Following the sound, he saw a man in a white cap with black spots sitting on a wooden crate by the road.
The other had his legs crossed, a long nodachi held in his arms, resting on his shoulder. Several subordinates in white clothes and baseball caps stood behind the man.
The man looked up. The face under the brim of his hat showed a cool smile. "On this journey, I've been seeing news about you every day in the papers, Eustass-ya."
"You want to play too? Surgeon of Death, Trafalgar Law," Kid grinned, revealing a dangerous smile.
(End of chapter)
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