Under the curious and somewhat bewildered gazes of Foosha Village's residents, Kairo walked into the village's only shoe store with one dog and two rabbits in tow.
Naturally, Kairo wasn't stingy when it came to his crew.
He simply bought every pair of canvas sneakers in the store.
As luck would have it, there happened to be a pair of red canvas sneakers on the shelf.
The moment Da Hong saw them—
His eyes locked on instantly.
He stared at them like a lovestruck rabbit gazing at the object of his secret affection.
His eyes practically glowed.
After Kairo finished paying, Da Hong immediately grabbed the red sneakers and hugged them tightly.
Without sparing a glance for the other shoes, he dashed straight back toward the ship.
Kairo didn't leave immediately.
Instead, he bought a hat for Droopy and some repair tools for the green rabbit.
After receiving their gifts, the dog and the rabbit eagerly rushed back to the ship as well, apparently eager to show off their new belongings.
Watching the three of them playing around happily on the deck, Kairo couldn't help but smile.
Though these three crew members weren't exactly the social type—
At least he wasn't alone anymore.
"Alright then."
"Let the romantic journey through the One Piece world begin from Foosha Village."
Glancing around the village, Kairo took a deep breath.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of relief.
If he couldn't return home—
Then he might as well travel across this world and see every mountain and ocean it had to offer.
At least that way, this unexpected journey wouldn't be wasted.
Meanwhile — Loguetown Waters
Garp's warship slowly entered the waters near Loguetown.
Standing on deck with a telescope in hand, Garp scanned the harbor and surrounding sea.
But no matter how carefully he looked—
The strange ship was nowhere to be seen.
"That's odd…"
"They were clearly heading toward Loguetown. How did they suddenly disappear?"
Beside him, the adjutant lowered his own telescope and sighed like a deflated balloon.
"Vice Admiral Garp… I think we lost them."
BONK!
Garp smacked the adjutant on the head, instantly raising a large bump.
"That ship never came to Loguetown!"
The adjutant clutched his head miserably.
"Vice Admiral Garp, could you please hit a little lighter?!"
"Do you realize how terrifying your Fist of Love is?!"
Just then—
Buru buru buru…
The Den Den Mushi in Garp's pocket suddenly rang.
"Garp!"
A voice came from the snail.
"It's been several days already. Are you even coming back to Foosha Village during this leave?"
"If you don't hurry back, all your grandsons are going to run off!"
"…Huh?"
Garp blinked blankly.
Then his eyes widened suddenly.
"Uwoop! What do you mean my grandsons are going to run off?!"
The speaker was Woody Slap (Uwoop Slap), the mayor of Foosha Village and an old acquaintance of Garp.
"I just found out today," Uwoop sighed.
"Ace already set out to sea over ten days ago."
"The kids are growing up, and you're always away. Even with us and the Dadan family, we can't keep watch over them forever."
"If you have time, you'd better come back and take a look."
"Ever since Ace left, Luffy hasn't been acting right."
"Oh, and another thing."
"A strange group arrived in the village today."
"A boy with two rabbits that walk on two legs and a Droopy dog. They bought a bunch of things in town…"
"What?!"
Before Uwoop could finish, Garp's eyes widened again.
"A boy, two rabbits, and a dog?! Are you sure you saw that correctly?!"
"I'm old, not blind!" Uwoop replied irritably.
"If you don't believe me, come see for yourself."
"That boy just went into Makino's bar."
Then the call abruptly ended.
"…How is that possible?"
Garp stared at the Den Den Mushi in shock.
"They were near Loguetown waters just now… how could they suddenly appear in Foosha Village?"
"Could someone on that ship have the Door-Door Fruit?"
As a Marine Vice Admiral, Garp knew that abilities like teleportation did exist.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
The Door-Door Fruit already had a user.
There couldn't be another one.
After a moment of thinking—
Garp's expression suddenly changed.
"THIS IS BAD!"
"What if they're planning to kidnap the villagers of Foosha Village to take revenge on me?!"
The Marines on deck stared at him in disbelief.
"Vice Admiral Garp, please calm down!"
"Sir, there's no need to panic!"
"We'll set course for Foosha Village immediately!"
Foosha Village — Makino's Bar
Standing outside the village's only bar, Kairo glanced back at the curious villagers who had gathered around to stare at the unfamiliar traveler.
He chuckled softly to himself.
Then he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
He had seen this tavern countless times in the anime.
But seeing it in person felt different.
It was brighter and more spacious than he remembered.
The tables and chairs were neatly arranged.
The bar counter shone as if it had just been polished.
Behind the counter stood a slender young woman with short dark-green hair.
Her gentle smile gave off a warm and welcoming aura.
Makino.
Owner of the bar.
Kind, gentle, and cheerful.
Although Kairo recognized her immediately, he pretended not to.
He walked up to the counter like an ordinary traveler.
Makino noticed him right away.
She quickly set aside the cloth she had been using to wipe the counter and greeted him warmly.
"Hello there! What would you like to drink?"
"Whiskey."
Kairo glanced around casually.
"It looks like the bar hasn't officially opened yet. Am I interrupting anything by coming in this early?"
Makino smiled softly.
"As long as a guest arrives, the bar is open."
"You must be visiting Foosha Village for the first time."
"My name is Makino. If you need anything, please feel free to ask."
She placed a glass of whiskey in front of him.
"Thank you."
Kairo took a small sip.
"By the way, is there an inn in the village?"
"There is," Makino said, pointing toward a staircase beside the bar.
"The second floor of the tavern also serves as a guesthouse."
"Are you planning to stay in Foosha Village for a while?"
"Yes."
"I'm a traveler," Kairo replied.
"Whenever I arrive somewhere new, I usually stay for some time—exploring the local culture and collecting folk stories."
"I also have another dream."
"One day, I want to write a novel based on my travels."
Makino's eyes lit up immediately.
"You're a traveler and a writer?"
"May I ask your name?"
"Kairo."
"Mr. Kairo!"
Makino changed her tone instantly.
"Would you be willing to share some of your travel stories with the villagers?"
"I'm sure everyone here would love to hear them."
"If you agree, your food, drinks, and lodging at the tavern will all be free!"
Kairo smiled.
"Of course."
"Sharing travel stories is part of the journey itself."