"Get lost! We don't welcome cheapskates here. A pirate without even enough for a drink—how shameful!" Bang! Just as Rosen and the others approached the tavern, they saw a bruised and battered man being thrown out.
Clutching his wounds, the drunk pirate shouted, "You'll all be destroyed! Just wait—wait—waaa…" He was so drunk he couldn't even finish a sentence.
Thud! Daz Bones kicked the pirate out of the way, clearing the path for the boss—he was an eyesore.
The pirate rubbed his eyes. When he saw who it was, he sobered up instantly and fled in a panic.
"Boss, bring out your best food and drink," Mr. 5 said as they entered the tavern, which was completely empty except for an old man from Skypiea—the tavern's owner.
"You pirates from the Blue Sea are all so rude. Got any money?" Mofra glared at them, unflinching and confrontational.
"No need to say it like that. You don't get many customers here either," Rosen said with a slight smile. The tavern keeper had quite the personality—he wasn't even afraid some pirate might slash him down.
"If you've got money, you get good food and drink. No money, get out," Mofra said bluntly.
Rosen glanced at Robin, who placed a wad of Beli on the table. Mofra then brought out the drinks and personally went to the kitchen to cook up a huge meal for them—and impressively fast at that.
In less than ten minutes, a table full of food enough for twenty people was served. Rosen wasn't in a rush to ask questions—after days at sea, a good meal was welcome.
"Queen Sis, look! That grandpa has wings! Can Natalie go touch them?" Natalie stared at Mofra, eyes sparkling. So this was an angel? Didn't look all that pretty, but definitely interesting...
"If you want to, ask him yourself," Hathaway said, neither encouraging nor stopping her. She took a bite of the grilled fish fillet and her eyes lit up—it was delicious.
The ship's food was good, but this was on another level.
"Is it the sky island ingredients?" Rosen and the others were just as surprised. Due to the low resistance in the sky sea, certain fish evolved in unique ways to survive in the air—making their meat incredibly tasty.
"The food and drinks come to ten billion," Mofra said without flinching.
"Old man, are you looking for trouble? Ten billion for one meal? Why not just rob us?" Mr. 5 exploded.
Even Hathaway and Robin frowned—if this was a scam, it wouldn't end well.
"Mr. 5, calm down. I don't think he means Beli," Rosen said calmly.
"What's the rush? If you've got such a temper, why not kill me already? I wasn't done speaking—it's ten billion Ikes, which is only about a hundred thousand of your Blue Sea Beli," Mofra said, annoyed.
Mr. 5 nearly swung at the man but held back after hearing the second part. Just a hundred thousand Beli for this much food? That's a bargain.
"Boss, which path leads to Angel Island?" Rosen took the opportunity to ask.
"You're headed to Angel Island?" Mofra paused, then fell into thought.
"You don't know?" Rosen frowned. That would be a problem—he wasn't good at multiple-choice questions.
"I've been here for decades. There's nothing I don't know. But in recent years, few Blue Sea folks going to Angel Island come back alive. Oh well—not my problem if you die. Second fork on the right," Mofra replied after a moment.
He wasn't lying, but his attitude irked Mr. 5 to no end.
"Hey, little girl! What do you think you're doing? Don't just touch people's wings! You want a beating?" Mofra suddenly felt something behind him. He turned and saw a cute little girl, about seven or eight, poking his wings with a finger.
Natalie frowned adorably and silently took out her round shield and a dagger, radiating fighting spirit. "You yelled at me?"
"I…" Mofra looked at the girl who clearly wanted a duel. He was in his seventies—was he really about to throw down with a child?
Rosen burst into laughter. It reminded him of the day he first met Natalie—just as fiery and unafraid.
"What's he laughing at?" Hathaway asked, confused. Robin shrugged. No idea—but if the boss was happy, that was good enough.
"Alright, alright, my bad. Enjoy your meal…" Mofra gave in, seeing how serious Natalie looked.
"Oh…" Natalie put her weapons away. But as she turned around, she sneakily poked Mofra's wings again, sending him into a rage.
"You little brat! Don't push your luck or I'll really whack you!"
"Come on then, who's afraid?"
And just like that, the old man and the little girl actually started brawling.
"Whoa—they're actually fighting! Hahaha… I can't take it. This is too funny. Aren't they, like, seventy years apart in age?" a crew member burst into laughter at the scene.
Robin covered her mouth, giggling. Soon, everyone joined in, cheering Natalie on.
"Hit him in the face! Get that old guy good!"
Rosen was speechless. How did this even turn into a fight? But judging by how they were holding back, it probably wouldn't get out of hand. Let them be.
Just then, the sky outside suddenly turned dark with thunderclouds. Lightning crackled. A strange bolt of lightning zigzagged through the clouds, almost like it had a will of its own.
Then—boom!—a bolt struck the cloud island directly.
It landed in the middle of a group of pirates, nearly scaring them to death. The blast left their ears ringing.
Their captain, James, suddenly snapped out of his daze. He saw a figure emerge from the lightning.
Barefoot, with four drums on his back etched with tomoe, long earlobes, and casually munching on an apple—Enel.
After taking a bite, he casually glanced around. "Blue Sea people, huh? How boring."
"Where did you come from? Speak clearly or—"
"So noisy. Discharge. One million volts." Enel raised a finger, and a white bolt shot out, striking the speaker and leaving him charred and unconscious.
"Enemy attack!" The others raised the alarm and surrounded the intruder.
"Lightning? No way," James muttered, cold sweat forming. Was this the Rumble-Rumble Fruit? The most powerful Logia-type? Not one of the strongest—the strongest, widely acknowledged in the New World.
A legendary Devil Fruit known for its incredible speed and unmatched destructive power—lightning.
Many had sought it. Some searched their entire lives for this fruit. And now, here it was—wielded by a man from Skypiea. And they'd run into him.
Some Devil Fruits were so powerful that even partial mastery could unleash devastating effects. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was one of them.
"You guys get on the ship and leave. I'll catch up," James ordered as he stood. In the next moment, his body transformed into a white crane—he had a Zoan-type Devil Fruit: the Bird-Bird Fruit, Crane Form.
"Captain?!"
(End of Chapter)
===================================
DROP THEM POWER STONES PLEASE
SUPPORT ME ON P@TREON IF YOU'D LIKE ACCESS ON ADVANCED CHAPTERS
PAT REON . COM / TurdTranslations (Just remove the space).