"Oi, Luffy, I'm telling you—that place is clearly not safe!"
At Luffy's suggestion, Usopp was the first on the Sunny to protest.
Nami and the others, staring at the ships on the shore flying pirate flags, also wore looks of resistance.
Clearly, none of them wanted to disembark.
"Nami-swan! Robin-chan!"
"Would you like me to pack you a lunchbox?"
As the Sunny's hopelessly lovestruck cook, Sanji floated over to the two women, his body swaying like a noodle.
Bam!
"You idiot, I never said I wanted to go ashore!"
Already reluctant about landing, Nami wasted no words and punched the curly-browed cook straight down.
"Sorry, I understand!"
With a large bump swelling on his head, Sanji trudged off into the galley, face mournful, to prepare food anyway.
Meanwhile, Luffy was still brimming with excitement.
"Sanji! Make some bento—I'm going adventuring!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Sanji's muffled reply came from the galley as he begrudgingly began cooking.
Law, watching the scene, allowed a small smile to tug at his lips. He bid Chopper farewell and leapt back to his own ship.
"I'll head to the island with Straw Hat. The rest of you stay here. If things get dangerous, dive the ship underwater."
Law's tone was heavy with concern as he addressed his crew.
Unlike the Straw Hats, the Heart Pirates lacked overall combat strength. In the New World, a battle could easily mean death for them all.
So all Law could ask was that his crew stay alive.
"Captain!"
On deck, the massive white bear doing his odd exercises looked crushed at Law's words.
"Enough. Listen to the captain."
A hulking, bearded brute finally spoke, his voice grim.
Hearing this, the rest of the crew lowered their heads in silence. Reaching this far into the New World had already taken everything they had.
The path ahead stretched long, and none of them had the courage to say aloud what they all felt. Instead, they bore the weight in silence.
Law read their expressions, clearly wishing to say more, but in the end he swallowed his words and turned his gaze toward the island they were about to land on…
The Blood Pirates were an old veteran crew who had roamed the New World for years.
They did not belong to any one power, but instead drifted between all factions, making their living through a single famed commodity: Blood Liquor.
They thrived by selling this liquor across every power bloc in the seas.
And the reason they had managed to prosper so long was simple—because their captain, Lucky Roux, was a Devil Fruit user.
The Brewing-Brewing Fruit (OC).
A name so straightforward that the ability was obvious at a glance.
But this power harbored a secret few knew—the method by which the brewing was performed.
Within the crew, a silent rule was universally followed: unless their very lives were on the line, none of them would ever taste anything their captain brewed.
Not because his brews tasted strange, but because the process of his brewing was far too disturbing to behold.
In the lush green half of the island, at its heart, a gaudy tent made of rags in every color stood.
Inside, a towering, heavyset man lounged atop a massive vine, his plump body quivering as he grinned with a crazed, almost possessed look.
"Hahaha! This… this is a brewer's paradise!"
"Hah! Too perfect!"
Crunch, crunch…
As he spoke, the fat man seized a green vine and shoved it into his mouth, chewing greedily.
Green plant juices dribbled down his chin as he gnawed.
The vine's pulp burst with moisture, flooding down his throat into his stomach—only to be cycled back out by his bizarre digestive system.
Moments later, a pale yellow liquid began dripping drip, drip, drip from a faucet-like opening at his navel.
The instant the first drop landed in a vessel, an intoxicating fragrance filled the air.
Outside the tent, the gathered crowd erupted in shouts.
"Captain Lachiru (OC)! Sell me that strengthening brew!"
"Shut up! It's mine—I was here first!"
"Bullshit, we were here before you!"
"Try and steal it from me and I'll kill you—!"
The arguing quickly escalated toward violence.
The Blood Pirates standing guard only watched coldly, unmoved, so long as no one crossed the line of their perimeter.
They took a quiet, guilty pleasure in watching desperate outsiders fight over their captain's… secretions.
Go on, drink it… die for it, you worthless scum, they thought in unison, smirking inwardly.
The brawl only grew fiercer. Treasures were being thrown into the fray in exchange for the liquor—even rare Devil Fruits were offered up.
Such was the value of Lachiru's pale yellow brew.
Inside, Lachiru remained perfectly at ease, lounging on his vine like an old god, chewing plant after plant, his hippo-like mouth working ceaselessly.
When the vessel before him was finally filled, he waved for a subordinate to replace it with a fresh container.
"So fragrant…"
Though the process was grotesque, even the crewman tasked with carrying the vessel couldn't help but marvel at the heavenly aroma.
Overcome by temptation, he leaned closer, wanting just one taste—
"You idiot! You trying to die?"
Lachiru roared furiously, glaring at the crewman mid-bite.
"These aren't for the likes of you greedy fools."
"If you don't value your life—go ahead, drink!"
He knew better than anyone the effects of the yellow liquid, and he offered no further warning.
The crewman, well aware of his captain's nature, broke into a cold sweat. Fighting the urge, he carefully divided the liquid into five rough bottles.
The moment he emerged outside, clutching them, every pirate present fixed on him with hungry, fevered eyes.
"Uhh… there's enough for everyone, all right? The captain's still brewing more, so don't look at me like that…"
But his words only fueled the frenzy. The crowd surged forward again in a wild scramble.
No one wanted to be last.
"Huh? What are they all fighting over?"
Amid the chaos, a boyish voice rang out from the rear. Moments later, a woman's calm voice followed.
"Hehe… perhaps it's perfume they're after?" Robin mused, wrinkling her nose as she sniffed the air.
A faint, enchanting aroma drifted all around them.
"Perfume? Really?" Nami, beside her, also sniffed the air curiously.
"Tch… and here I thought it was something tasty."
At the mention of perfume, Luffy instantly lost all interest. Still, his sharp nose kept him intrigued.
Then he spotted a ragged-looking man pushing his way through the crowd, cradling a bottle like a treasure.
"Juice?"
Luffy's eyes widened. Without hesitation, he stretched out his arm, aiming straight for the bottle in the man's grasp.
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