Giyu sat at the relatively quiet edge of the Merry's bow, holding a plate of food Sanji had just handed him.
He murmured his thanks.
Giant pink cherry blossoms bloomed silently atop Drum Island's peaks. Everyone gazed at that miraculous sight, immersed in their own emotions.
Giyu quietly ate his food—the grilled meat was perfectly cooked.
This felt different from silently eating alone after completing missions with the Demon Slayer Corps. Here, the air carried not just the scent of grilled meat and spices, but also something else.
"Hey, Giyu!"
Usopp's voice suddenly sounded beside him, his breath carrying a wheat-like aroma. Looking at the large cup in his hand, Giyu finally identified it—the smell of liquor. Of course, he didn't just smell it; he could hear it in Usopp's voice too.
"Why are you drinking tea! Let me tell you~~" Usopp raised his liquor cup high, some of the liquid sloshing out and splashing on the deck.
"A brave Sea Warrior should drink liquor!"
After saying this, Usopp gulped down another mouthful, though he couldn't compare to Nami or Zoro—his body swayed unsteadily as he drank.
Giyu sat cross-legged, looking first at his steaming teacup, then at Usopp's delighted expression.
"Is it good?"
Throughout over ten years in the Demon Slayer Corps, Giyu had immersed himself in constantly growing stronger and battling Demons day after day.
Naturally, he had never tasted liquor before. He'd seen what drunken people looked like—their faces completely different from usual, utterly out of control.
Moreover, he was a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, bearing the responsibility of being the Water Hashira.
But...
Now was different. Now he was just aboard this ship called the Merry, sailing across the sea. If he just took a small taste, it should be alright, right?
Hearing Giyu's question, Usopp's eyes immediately lit up, and he began shouting:
"Hurry!! Bring another cup!!"
"Giyu's going to drink liquor!!"
"Ah!!?" Everyone except Chopper froze in astonishment.
Giyu, drinking liquor?
That person whose face usually showed no expression at all was actually going to drink liquor now???
Nami immediately stood up and walked over to Usopp. "Usopp!! What are you doing! Are you trying to corrupt him?"
Then she turned to Giyu beside them, clenching her fists, her eyes shimmering with inexplicable tears. "Please!! Don't become a big idiot like them!!"
Before Nami could finish, Zoro immediately came over with a liquor cup, handing it to Giyu before sitting down beside him. "Don't listen to that woman. It's good!"
"Trust me, just take one big gulp like this."
And so everyone gathered around, including Chopper who didn't quite understand the situation, wiping away his small tears as he watched to see what Giyu would do.
Giyu rarely swallowed nervously. He could feel everyone's gaze focused on him and the liquor cup in his hand.
But he truly wanted to try, just this once, to see what it felt like.
Gulp—
The spicy liquid slid down his throat, bringing a burning sensation, followed by a slightly bitter malt aroma.
Giyu slightly furrowed his brows, feeling the warm current burning all the way from his throat to his stomach.
The taste... was strange.
Not particularly tasty, but not unbearable either—it was an... unfamiliar experience. His body seemed to feel slightly warm, but his mind remained clear.
"How is it? How is it?!" Usopp pressed eagerly, his face full of anticipation.
Zoro also stood with his arms crossed, watching him with keen interest, especially focusing on his cheeks and eyes.
Giyu set down the glass, savoring the lingering aftertaste in his mouth, and offered an objective assessment: "The flavor... is acceptable."
"See! I told you!" Usopp immediately began to gloat as if he had discovered some new continent.
"Hey now, that's just one glass—it doesn't count for much!" Zoro picked up the barrel, making a show of refilling it for him. "Come on, try another one! That's when you'll really feel it!"
"You guys, don't go too far."
Vivi couldn't help but speak up, her tone gentle yet cautionary. "It's Giyu's first time drinking, right? Don't push him."
However, Giyu looked at the freshly filled glass, brimming to the point of overflowing, that was once again placed before him. After a moment of silence, he realized he genuinely wanted to confirm what that earlier sensation had truly been like.
Under the encouraging and curious gazes of the others, he picked up the glass once more.
The second glass went down.
This time, the burning sensation seemed less intense, but a subtle feeling of lightness began to emerge faintly from his limbs. His vision remained unchanged, yet his bodily perception felt slightly blurred.
This sensation was utterly foreign to him.
"Great! That's our Giyu!" Usopp clapped and cheered.
"How do you feel?" Zoro wore a grin that could almost be described as wicked, his eyes still fixed on Giyu.
Giyu didn't answer immediately. He tried to stand up, intending to walk to the ship's railing for some fresh air. Under normal circumstances, this action would have been as natural to him as breathing.
Yet, the moment he straightened up—
A faint, almost imperceptible sense of imbalance washed over him. His body swayed slightly, so subtly it was nearly invisible, but to him, it was unmistakably clear.
What's going on? Is the ground... shaking? No, the ship is just sailing.
But why does it feel like this...
A crack appeared in Giyu's perpetually calm expression, a hint of astonishment flickering in his eyes.
He instinctively steadied his stance, but the feeling of absolute control over his body seemed veiled by an extremely thin layer of gauze.
"Pfft—"
Usopp was the first to burst into laughter.
Zoro also grinned widely. "Hey now, seriously? Giyu, it's only been two glasses!"
Even Sanji, cigarette in mouth, looked amusedly at the formidable monster aboard their ship. "Oh? An unexpected weakness has surfaced?"
Nami held her forehead, her expression one of resigned inevitability.
"I..."
Giyu tried to explain, but he found any explanation now would sound feeble. He truly sensed a loss of control—a completely new experience for him.
"Giyu! Giyu! Giyu! Try walking in a straight line!"
Seeing Giyu like this, Luffy immediately thought of something even more amusing. Eager to stir up trouble, he pointed at the seams between the planks on the deck.
As soon as he spoke, Usopp and Zoro joined in, chanting along.
"Walk a straight line!"
"Walk a straight line!!"
Giyu glanced at him but didn't move. He was fully aware of his current state - walking in a straight line would indeed be quite challenging.
"So Mr. Giyu... isn't much of a drinker," Vivi said softly, covering her mouth with her hand. Her tone held no mockery, only genuine curiosity.
At that moment, Chopper, who had been overlooked until now, watched everyone gathered around Giyu while staring at the barrel of pungent liquid. His curiosity was completely piqued.
Seizing the moment when no one was paying attention, he secretly dipped his hoof into the alcohol and quickly licked it.
"So spicy!! So weird!"
Chopper's entire face scrunched up as he stuck out his tongue, panting repeatedly.
But the little reindeer seemed unwilling to admit defeat. He walked over to the alcohol barrel and, despite Sanji's protests, picked up a cup larger than his face with both hooves, imitating Giyu's earlier actions—
"Chopper! You can't drink that!"
"Gulp gulp—"
He took a big swig.
The effect was immediate.
His entire deer face instantly turned pink. Releasing the cup, he immediately began staggering in circles on the deck, muttering incoherently:
"Wah... Dr. Kureha... I think I see so many stars..."
"Rumble Ball... hic... just one more..."
"I'm not... hic... a monster... I'm also... a brave Sea Warrior!"
As he spoke, he attempted to transform into his seven special forms, but only succeeded in rapidly switching between his human and reindeer forms.
Finally, with a poof, he transformed back into his small reindeer form, collapsing weakly onto the deck with all four hooves giving out, clutching his hat while giggling foolishly.
"Hahahaha!" Luffy pointed at Chopper, laughing even more exaggeratedly as he rolled on the floor. "Hey! Chopper! Are you okay!" Nami and Vivi hurried over to check on him.
Giyu remained standing where he was, experiencing the unfamiliar sensation of mild intoxication within his body while watching the completely out-of-control Chopper.
The air was filled with the aroma of malt and roasted meat.
He still didn't think alcohol tasted good, and he remained instinctively wary of this loss of bodily control.
But watching this vibrant scene before him, the unease born from losing control was somewhat diluted by the surrounding laughter.
He quietly walked to the side and sat down again, deciding not to touch that liquid called alcohol for the rest of the night. From nearby came Luffy's cheerful shouts:
"Celebrating our new crew member! Cheers!!!"
This time, however, he merely silently picked up his cup of hot tea and raised it toward the sky.