Chapter 57: The Banquet
The sea breeze died down, but the smell of smoke still hung in the air.
Hachi, dragging the unconscious Kuroobi, stumbled and splashed into the sea, the two of them quickly disappearing over the horizon.
On the beach, Ace was excitedly rubbing his fists, while Luffy was already jumping up and down. "Let's go, let's go! I'm starving!!"
They had only taken a few steps when Roy suddenly stopped.
He seemed to sense something and looked back at the wreckage of the Arlong Pirates' ship, his eyes landing on a spot near the stern. A small smile touched his lips.
"Almost forgot. They had one more 'pet' with them."
He gently clenched his right hand, and the very air seemed to shudder.
"BOOM!!!"
The ocean surface exploded as a massive, dark shadow was warped from the seabed and hurled into the air!
"MOO?!!"
The giant Sea Cow, Mohmoo, stared with wide, terrified eyes, flailing its fins uselessly, unable to escape the invisible force holding it.
The villagers of Cocoyasi were stunned silent.
"My god... is that a Sea King?!"
"It's huge! How is it flying?!!"
"Wait... isn't that the monster that was pulling Arlong's ship?!"
Ace and Luffy, however, immediately got stars in their eyes.
"ROAST BEEF!!!"
"AWESOME!! We're gonna feast tonight!!"
Roy smiled and lowered his hand. Behind him, Ace's flames were already roaring to life.
"Well then... let's start the banquet!"
A few hours later, the village square was filled with the smell of roasting meat.
Mohmoo's massive body, expertly butchered by Roy, was now being roasted to perfection over a massive fire pit controlled by Ace's Flare-Flare Fruit.
The villagers sat together, laughing and cheering, holding skewers of fresh, sizzling sea-cow steak. The children were running circles around Luffy and Ace, who were now the heroes of the village.
Genzo, the pinwheel on his hat spinning, walked over, his face smudged with grease. He was holding a bowl of sake, his expression full of emotion. The village doctor, Nako, was with him.
"Rear Admiral Roy."
Genzo gave a nervous but respectful salute. "You... you saved our entire village. We... we don't know how to thank you..."
Dr. Nako bowed as well. "If you hadn't arrived when you did... I can't bear to think what would have happened."
Roy just waved his hand, his expression calm. "There's no need to thank me."
"We're Marines," he said, his voice firm. "Hunting pirates and protecting citizens is our duty."
"Besides," Roy suddenly turned to Genzo, his eyes sincere, "you were very brave. Not many people have the courage to stand up to pirates like that."
Genzo froze, then broke into a wide, blushing grin. The 36-year-old sheriff had never imagined he would one day be praised by a Rear Admiral from Headquarters.
"I..." He just scratched the back of his head, chuckling. "Heh heh heh..."
While he was flustered, the scene at the main grill had devolved into chaos.
"Hey! I saw that medium-rare piece first!!"
"Don't be greedy, Ace! You just had three steaks!"
"Yeah, well, you had four skewers!!"
"Stop fighting! I'll just cut a piece off this big leg here..."
"Luffy, you don't know how to cut meat!!"
"BWAHAHAHA—!"
The villagers roared with laughter, the traumatic day forgotten, replaced by a feeling of warmth and peace.
Roy sat down, accepting a piece of grilled steak from Genzo. He took a bite.
"Mmm." He nodded, satisfied. "Tastes good."
"Mom and Dad would have liked this."
Loguetown Port - Night
The fog had not yet lifted, and the dim port lights swayed in the sea breeze. The town was quiet.
Suddenly, a massive crash tore through the night!
"BOOM!!!"
The water in the harbor exploded as a giant, scorched, and tattered pirate ship appeared out of thin air, its flag—the saw-toothed shark of the Arlong Pirates—barely hanging on.
"Wh-What?!"
"It's a pirate ship!!"
"Pirates are attacking the port!!!"
The docks erupted in panic. Marines scrambled from the watchtowers, aiming their rifles.
But just as the tension was about to snap—
"EVERYONE, STAND DOWN!!"
A furious roar cut through the chaos.
Smoke billowed from the end of the dock as Smoker, his "Justice" coat on, marched forward, his cigars chewed down to the filter.
He glanced at the massive, wrecked ship, and his eye twitched. "This... is definitely... that bastard Roy's doing."
Sure enough, a voice called out, "Yo, Smokey~"
Roy was leaning against the ship's railing, his Marine uniform immaculate in the moonlight, a smug grin on his face.
Two small, grease-covered heads popped up next to him.
"Smokey!" Luffy waved. "We brought you a present!"
"You're... back?" Smoker's temple was throbbing. "What the hell did you three do now?!"
Five minutes later - Loguetown Marine Office
The room was lit by a single lamp, illuminating the ship's logbooks and ledgers—a record of years of plunder and extortion.
Smoker flipped through them, snorting. "Filthy Fish-Men... They've been robbing villages all over the Grand Line. This is all stolen treasure."
Roy was leaning against the window. "The ship's all yours. The cargo, too. Do what you want with it."
Smoker glanced at him. "It took you a whole day to take care of these small-time thugs?"
Roy just laughed and pointed at the two kids, who were already eating a second dinner. "Me? I didn't do anything. It was all them."
Ace, who was chewing on a piece of jerky, looked up. "Just a few Fish-Men. They were nothing."
Luffy, his mouth full, added, "And we had a super-awesome banquet!"
Smoker's eyebrows shot up. He looked at the two kids, really looked at them, for the first time. Their auras had changed.
He was quiet for a second, then finally let out a grunt. "Hmph. Not bad... brats."
Luffy and Ace immediately stopped chewing. They looked at each other, stunned.
"Did... did that grumpy old man... just compliment us?!"
"Is he sick or something?!"
"YOU LITTLE BASTARDS!" Smoker roared, slamming his desk. "GET OUT!!!"
The two kids scrambled, laughing, grabbing Roy and dragging him toward the door.
"Wait!" Smoker called out. "You just had a banquet! Where are you going in such a hurry?"
Ace didn't look back. "We're going to see our Grandma! She's waiting for us with supper!"
Luffy yelled, "She's making me meat soup!"
"You... Hey! Wait up! Be careful, you'll get lost on the way, you directionally-challenged brats!"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING DIRECTIONALLY-CHALLENGED?!"
"That bastard Roy..." Smoker muttered, watching them run off. "Finally comes to visit and he just... runs off again..."
On the docks, the citizens of Loguetown were staring in awe at the captured Arlong Pirates' ship.
"I heard... they saved all of Cocoyasi Village!"
"They took down the Arlong Pirates and came back... all in one day? And they had a banquet?!"
"That's Rear Admiral Roy from Headquarters... He's amazing!"
The breeze carried the faint, lingering smell of barbecue.
"As expected of the Marines' finest..."
"With him around, the East Blue is finally safe."
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