"This is our restaurant's signature dish, Golden Sand Grilled Sausage Curry Rice."
A steaming plate was placed in front of The Plunderer, Shirogai Yamikuro.
The owner leaned in, whispering with concern.
"Uh... customer, I recommend keeping your distance from that guy. He might be... poisoned."
Shirogai casually picked up his spoon, unfazed.
"Relax, he's not dead. Just asleep."
"Asleep? You serious? Who falls asleep while eating? And for this long?"
The restaurant owner and other guests clearly didn't believe him.
Unbothered, Shirogai savored a mouthful of curry and grinned at the crowd.
"Haha, you'd be surprised. I know someone who always falls asleep mid-meal. But fine, I'll prove it."
Under their tense gazes, Shirogai raised his hand and gently tapped the head of the supposed corpse.
"Hey. Wake up, your ass is on fire."
"..."
The man's arm twitched.
Then suddenly, he jolted up—his left hand darting like a hawk's claw toward Shirogai's arm… only to grab air.
"Huh?"
Portgas D. Ace blinked in confusion, still halfway between dream and reality.
"Told you he was asleep. Chef, another serving of this curry."
Shirogai had already withdrawn his arm, continuing his meal without a care.
He had already acquired the Flame Flame Fruit's data. Ace was no longer a target—just another interesting encounter.
"He's… alive?!"
Gasps filled the restaurant.
Ace, cheeks stuffed with rice, blinked blearily at his surroundings and finally let out a sheepish sigh.
"Ah… crap. I fell asleep while eating again?"
He reached for the nearest cloth—which happened to be the skirt of a stunned woman beside him—and wiped his greasy face.
"Y-you pervert!"
The woman squealed and ran off, her cheeks red with embarrassment.
The whole restaurant buzzed with shock.
"He actually was asleep?!"
"Who the hell just knocks out mid-bite?!"
"How is a guy like that still alive, let alone traveling alone?"
"Shhh! He's got a tattoo on his back! That's a pirate mark!"
As murmurs spread, Ace kept eating, completely unfazed.
"Heh, whatever. This food's amazing."
Outside, the crowd slowly dispersed now that the "dead man" had come back to life.
But amidst the people, one hushed conversation caught a dangerous ear.
"That's the Whitebeard Pirates' mark, right? Someone said that before—it belongs to a really powerful crew."
The speaker had no idea who was listening... but someone was.
A broad-shouldered Marine with two cigars in his mouth paused in his tracks.
"A pirate with a Whitebeard mark...?"
Captain Smoker, the White Hunter of the Marines, narrowed his eyes. He had gone to sea in pursuit of The Plunderer, and his instincts flared.
"The atmosphere in this country... it's wrong. Too much pirate activity. Something's festering here."
He raised his gaze toward the restaurant.
"Whitebeard's crew... Why are they here?"
---
Back in the restaurant…
"Huh? When did you show up next to me?"
Ace finally glanced sideways and noticed the sharp-looking man eating quietly at the next table.
Shirogai ignored him, too absorbed in his food.
Ace studied him for a few seconds. Something about the guy felt… familiar.
"Have I seen you somewhere before?"
Shirogai waved him off silently.
Ace frowned, thinking hard. Then suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"Oh right! The bounty poster!"
He dug into his bag and pulled out a stack of wanted posters. After a quick shuffle, he found the one he was looking for:
The Plunderer, Shirogai Yamikuro
Bounty: 100 million Berries
Vice-Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. Considered extremely dangerous.
"Holy crap… this guy's bounty is insane."
Ace glanced from the poster to Shirogai, who was still chewing lazily.
"...He looks exactly the same."
"No way it's just a resemblance, right?"
Ace, mildly face-blind, turned to the restaurant owner and called him over.
"Hey, boss. Come here. This guy on the poster—isn't that him?"
"Huh?! That's a wanted poster?!"
The owner leaned in to look—only to freeze when he saw the image.
His face went pale. His knees buckled slightly.
He turned slowly toward Shirogai, now horrified.
That dangerous pirate with a 100 million Berries bounty… was in his restaurant.
"T-this… this..."
The man trembled, looking ready to bolt.
"Run…"
He tried to flee, but Ace caught his arm.
"Whoa, hold up, boss! Just answer me—he is the guy on the poster, right?"
"Shhh! Are you trying to get us killed?!"
The owner hissed in panic, glancing at Shirogai who didn't even flinch at the rising tension.
"He's a Pirate with a hundred million bounty! If we don't run now, we're all done for!"
Ace chuckled and patted the man's shoulder reassuringly.
"Relax. He's my little brother's Vice-Captain. He doesn't kill civilians."
Then Ace casually added, "Also, I've got a bounty over 100 million myself. So you're technically feeding two pirates right now."
The owner dropped to the floor with a thud, practically in shock.
"A-another one?!"
He pointed shakily to a drawer nearby.
"All the money's in there… just… take it and go..."
Ace laughed.
"Don't worry, boss. I like your cooking!"
He waved over to Shirogai with a grin.
"Hey! Name's—"
"Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Portgas D. Ace."
Ace froze.
The low, gravelly voice had come from behind.
He turned toward the entrance, eyes narrowing as a tall man with a justice coat stepped through.
Captain Smoker.
"Why are you here?"
---
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