When Meiser returned to the house, Garp had already left with his men.
"That old geezer didn't give you any trouble, did he?" Merry came forward and asked. Though he hadn't taken direct action, who knew if he'd made any threats—like using their lives to pressure Meiser!
The World Government and Marines had certainly used such tactics against them before.
"No, he just asked me one question," Meiser replied.
"A question?" Sanji asked curiously. "What was it?"
"He asked if I was from the Land of Wano."
"Kokoro mentioned the Land of Wano too—what kind of place is that?" Nami wondered. Why was everyone so curious about whether Meiser came from there? Were all the ninjas in that country as strong as him?
They blinked, then turned to their resident encyclopedia, Nico Robin—only to find the elegant woman's expression had darkened.
"The Land of Wano..." Robin said slowly. "I do know a little about it."
She knew—all too well.
Back in Alabasta, Crocodile had forced her to decipher the Poneglyph there, which contained information about Pluton. And that terrifying weapon, capable of destroying an entire island with a single shot... was hidden in the Land of Wano!!!
"Robin? Are you okay?" Merry asked, concerned. "You look pale—are you sick?"
"What? Sick?!" Chopper panicked. "Doctor! Doctor!"
"Uh... I am the doctor..."
As Chopper rushed over to examine her, Robin reassured him, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I just remembered something unpleasant."
Suppressing her turbulent thoughts, she explained, "Some books I've read did mention the Land of Wano, but that country has isolated itself from the world. Very little information has leaked out."
"That's it?"
"That's it." Robin shrugged. "That's all I know."
She deliberately avoided mentioning the ancient weapon, not wanting to burden her crewmates. Some things were simply beyond their current reach.
"Tch, so it's just some isolated country," Meiser scoffed. "No wonder they're so curious about me—probably trying to gather intel on the place."
"That's possible," Robin agreed after a moment's thought.
"Maybe... the Marines know something we don't," Sanji analyzed calmly. "But honestly... it doesn't really concern us."
All they needed to know was that Meiser was a comrade they could trust with their lives. The rest... did it matter?
They weren't like those CP9 agents who'd dig up every last detail about someone. They knew where to draw the line.
"True enough."
"Has Luffy come back yet?"
"No," Sanji shook his head, then grinned. "But Luffy said we'll throw a feast once he wakes up. Guess it's time to start preparing ingredients—that glutton can eat an unbelievable amount."
"Didn't he just eat not long ago...?"
"You're seriously underestimating that bottomless pit," Nami scoffed. "He can devour anything, no matter how much there is."
Honestly, the main reason the Straw Hat Pirates were always broke was precisely because of Luffy's monstrous appetite. If not for their decent luck along the way, they might've ended up starving nine times in three days.
"I'll help too," Meiser said, rolling up his sleeves. "I'm pretty skilled at cutting meat."
Sanji: "..."
Nami: "???"
"You mean preparing ingredients, right?"
"What else?" Meiser raised an eyebrow. "Did you think I meant chopping people up? That only takes one slash—nothing complicated."
He wasn't from the interrogation division, after all. No need for elaborate methods—just a clean cut.
"Good..." Nami sighed in relief.
"Let's go. Hand me anything that needs slicing."
As he spoke, Meiser picked up his Grass Sword, making Sanji's eye twitch as his earlier words echoed in his mind.
"You idiot, use a damn kitchen knife!"
"This blade cuts meat real fast."
"No! We don't have that many large chunks to hack. Use a proper knife!"
"Fine."
Meiser shrugged but didn't argue further, setting the Grass Sword aside.
Merry chimed in cheerfully, "I'll help too~"
Seeing little Merry's adorable face, Meiser couldn't resist teasing her.
"Little Merry, you won't sneak bites, will you?" he said, crouching down.
"Of course not!"
"Then why are you looking away?"
"Hmph! Meiser, you're mean!"
Merry puffed her cheeks and hid behind Sanji, peeking out at Meiser.
"Hahahaha!"
The scene had everyone laughing.
Ahem. "Sneaking bites is definitely not allowed," Sanji said, clearing his throat. "But... I do need a taste tester for freshly cooked dishes. Merry, would you like the job?"
"Wow! I'll do it, I'll do it!"
"Sanji, me too..." Chopper pleaded, eyes sparkling.
Faced with two adorable pairs of puppy-dog eyes, Sanji paused before breaking into a wide grin. "Alright, both of you!"
"Sanji, I—"
"Get back to work, you moron!"
"Hahahaha!"
Prepping the ingredients didn't take long. By the time Luffy and the others returned, Sanji's dishes were already sizzling on the grill.
And so, a grand feast began.
"Woo-hoo! Feast time!!" Luffy cheered, laughing heartily.
"Hahahaha!"
"So this is what a feast feels like," Meiser mused, sitting beside Zoro. No wonder everyone loved these—the atmosphere was pure joy.
"Hah, you'll get addicted to this feeling," Zoro started, only to choke on his drink when Luffy stuck chopsticks up his nose.
"Pfft!"
"This guy..."
Meiser's lips twitched, momentarily at a loss for words, yet this feeling was indeed quite pleasant. Thinking this, the corners of his mouth began to curl upward.
Just then, Meiser noticed Nico Robin's condition. The poised woman was leaning against a distant wall, her expression visibly unwell, which immediately alerted Meiser to something amiss.
Instinctively, he moved to approach her, but Nico Robin shook her head, signaling him to stay back.
Noticing the ice on her wine glass, Meiser narrowed his eyes.
Seeing that Meiser didn't come over, Nico Robin exhaled in relief.
"Nico Robin... I wonder if Saul was right to let you live," Aokiji said. "Can you give me an answer now?"
"Of course," Nico Robin replied firmly. "I've already found my reason to live."
"Then live well... Ohara isn't truly gone." With those words, Aokiji vanished.
By the time Nico Robin rushed to check, he had long since left.
As if remembering something, she immediately turned her gaze to Meiser, relieved to find him still sitting obediently in his spot.
"Robin, come join the party!"
"Coming!"
Meanwhile, Aokiji leisurely pedaled his bicycle down the street but paused when passing a large tree.
"Here to see me off, young man?"
"Couldn't hide it from you, huh?" Meiser, perched on the tree, looked down at Aokiji. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you're planning to threaten Robin again."
Meiser didn't descend, and Aokiji didn't look up—this arrangement suited them both.
"And if I am?"
"Then we'll just have to finish what we started last time."
"My, my, quite the bold one," Aokiji chuckled, unoffended. "But can you back that up?"
"Only one way to find out!"
The two stood in silent confrontation, an invisible tension crackling between them.
After a moment, Aokiji remarked, "Ah, the new generation these days is truly fearsome."
"You're just a clone, aren't you?"
Meiser didn't deny it, merely watching Aokiji.
"Fighting in the city would disturb the residents," Aokiji said. "I'd rather not deal with complaints."
Clearly, he was looking for an excuse to back down.
Meiser remained silent, his gaze unwavering.
"If I truly intended to act, threats wouldn't be necessary." Aokiji's smile faded, his expression turning solemn. "Tell me, boy—can you answer one question?"
"Go on."
"Are you really from the Land of Wano?"
"Luffy's grandfather asked me the same thing. I can say with certainty: no, I'm not."
"I see."
Aokiji fell silent briefly before smiling, as if releasing some long-held burden. "If there's something you want to protect, then protect it well."
Without waiting for a response, he pedaled away, humming a tune.
"What's his deal...?" Meiser muttered to himself.