"Sigh-"
In a tailor shop on Sycorker Island, the proprietress was sewing a piece of clothing she had never seen before, following the customer's request, while listening to that same customer sighing heavily in her shop.
To be honest, when the tall man in a black suit first walked in, the proprietress had been thoroughly frightened.
The other person's towering stature and gloomy expression made her think she was being robbed by the mafia.
Fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared up. The customer took out a sum of money and asked her to make a set of clothes according to his measurements.
The customer was also very generous, so the proprietress simply decided to put aside her other work and prioritize his order.
After all, Sycorker Island was just an unremarkable little island in the Grand Line. Not many traveling merchants passed through, and even pirates rarely visited.
Most of her income usually came from mending clothes for the other townsfolk, so such a 'big order' was a rare opportunity.
Naruto, who was sitting not far from the proprietress, sighed heavily again, gloomily taking out a flask and gulping down a few mouthfuls.
'How could this happen?'
'This shouldn't be.'
He was genuinely frustrated.
Originally, everything had been progressing smoothly, just as he had predicted.
The giant bird was fast, and even though they had been slightly delayed by Wapol's attack, they still reached Reverse Mountain by dawn the next day.
Originally, he could have gone to the Calm Belt directly.
But since Reverse Mountain wasn't too far out of the way, he decided to make a slight detour.
The reason is very simple. Naruto wanted to visit the retired ship's doctor, Crocus, who lived there.
When he had come from the New World last time, he hadn't passed through Reverse Mountain, so he figured he shouldn't miss the chance this time.
The old doctor was already in his seventies. Every meeting could be their last… who knew when it would truly be the final one?
He still remembered his time on the Roger Pirates. Because of his training, Naruto was always covered in injuries.
As a result, he interacted with Crocus, the ship's doctor, far more often than with the other crew members.
Crocus sighed at the recent major events Naruto had stirred up, as well as the fall of [Golden Lion] Shiki.
After chatting for a while and confirming that the old doctor was still in good health, sharing a few drinks, Naruto decided to take his leave.
Mainly because he couldn't quite handle the old man's nagging.
"Don't drink so much."
"Do you want to be riddled with illness when you're old too?"
Back in the day, Crocus had likely nagged Roger the same way. Now, Naruto was the target of those scoldings.
To be honest, Naruto didn't actually mind this kind of 'elderly concern'… he even somewhat enjoyed it.
It would've been perfect if the old doctor didn't smack him a few times while lecturing him.
Before leaving, Naruto took one last look at the island whale Crocus called Laboon.
It was a large whale with intricate scars all over the front of its head.
From the old doctor, Naruto also learned about the Rumbar Pirates and Laboon's story, leaving him moved by the genuine bond between humans and animals.
He thought that if he had the chance, he'd look into the whereabouts of this pirate crew.
But Naruto didn't hold out much hope.
There was no helping it.
After all, the Rumbar Pirates had set sail fifty years ago. By now, they were most likely no longer alive.
With that in mind, Naruto prepared to continue riding the giant bird along the Grand Line toward the next island.
He had even started coming up with names for the bird in his head.
Yakitori, Chicken Meat, Grilled Wings...
After being beaten a few times, the bird had finally behaved… or perhaps it was because Naruto had knocked some sense into its troublesome head.
Either way, the flight had been very smooth.
Just when Naruto thought the journey would go without a hitch, an accident happened.
This time, it was truly an accident.
As the giant bird descended through the clouds toward the island, a thunderstorm raged below.
At the critical moment, a bolt of lightning shot out from the clouds… striking the bird directly.
If not for Naruto's Observation Haki allowing him to jump off in time, he would've been electrocuted into an afro too.
The bird's fate was obvious.
Naruto watched sorrowfully as it plummeted straight into the ocean, vanishing without a trace.
"Sigh… Madam, where's the best restaurant around here?"
The new clothes would still take some time to finish.
Feeling down, Naruto decided to lift his spirits with some good food and asked the locals for recommendations.
After getting the answer, he headed toward the town's largest restaurant… which also doubled as the biggest tavern.
"Boss, bring out all the specialty dishes you've got."
Slapping a stack of Berries on the table, Naruto called out loudly.
The other patrons, seeing Naruto's imposing stature and black attire, immediately fell silent.
A few even looked ready to bolt and fetch the town's only law enforcement officer.
Fortunately, Naruto didn't seem like the type to start trouble. After ordering his food, he just sat quietly in place.
This put the others at ease, and they gradually returned to their own business.
The food arrived quickly, and as for the taste… it was unexpectedly good.
It might not have been much worse than the restaurants on larger islands.
Soon, Naruto lost himself in eating. The looks from the people around him shifted from nervousness to amazement, and before long, some even started cheering and egging him on.
They seemed to be betting on how much more he could eat.
After all, it wasn't every day that a bottomless-pit-level eater visited their small island.
Just as the atmosphere in the restaurant was heating up, another figure pushed open the door.
It was a bare-chested guy wearing a cowboy hat.
The moment he entered, he tossed his backpack onto a chair and yelled: "Boss! Bring out all the good stuff you've got!"
He plopped himself down right next to Naruto, who was busy devouring his meal.
The lively mood in the room froze for a second… and for good reason.
Because this newcomer had a massive skull-and-crossbones tattooed on his back, with the skull sporting a strange crescent-shaped mustache.
No matter how one looks at it, the other party is definitely a pirate.
"You're as energetic as ever, Ace."
Setting down his plate, Naruto wiped his mouth with a napkin before turning to look at the young man seated beside him.
"Seems like you're in good health. That old man Whitebeard's been taking decent care of you, huh?"
It was only then that Portgas D. Ace, the 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates and known as the [Fire Fist], took a proper look at the giant sitting next to him.
And what he saw made him jump.
Since Naruto wasn't wearing his usual haori this time, Ace hadn't recognized him at first glance.
"Y-You…!"
"Honestly, Ace. You won't even call me Uncle?"
Bang!
The Fist of Love came crashing down on Ace's head.