"Thank you so much," Erl said, wiping away tears. "I never expected to meet such kind people—not only did you not rob us, but you treated our wounds and are even going to feed us... How incredibly generous!"
This didn't seem like pirates at all—more like a group of kind-hearted adventurers.
"It's nothing, don't mention it," Chopper replied with a smile.
"Chopper, should I put this here?" Merry asked, holding a roll of gauze.
"Yes."
"Alright, I'll leave it here then."
After casually placing the gauze in a box, Merry sat down on a nearby stool, swinging her legs as she watched Chopper tend to the patients' wounds.
Meanwhile, Meiser leaned against the wall, silently observing them.
"Hey, buddy... could you stop staring at us like that?" Dobby gulped, beads of sweat forming on the chubby, sunglasses-wearing man's face. The pressure from Meiser was clearly getting to him.
For some reason, he felt as though Meiser's gaze was like a knife hanging over his head, ready to drop at any moment.
"I'm not deliberately trying to pressure you, pal," Meiser said with amusement. "Why do you feel uncomfortable? Or... do you have something to hide?"
His words sent a jolt through everyone present, as if their secrets had been laid bare.
Could this man's insight really be that terrifying?
But admitting anything was out of the question—doing so would mean certain death.
"Hahaha, of course not! We're already in such a sorry state—how could we be hiding anything?"
"Yeah, buddy, you must be overthinking it."
"Is that so? Maybe I am overthinking it then."
Meiser nodded and said nothing more, allowing the group to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Huh? Why are you sweating so much?"
Merry stood up from her stool, grabbed a towel from the table, and handed it to Dobby. "Here, wipe your face."
Looking into the girl's innocent eyes, Dobby felt as though his heart had been struck. They were being so kind, while he and his companions...
"Th-thank you," Dobby muttered, lowering his head.
But after taking the towel, he simply clenched it in his hand without using it.
"Why aren't you wiping your face?" Merry asked, puzzled.
"Ahaha, I will, I will."
"It's better to wipe off the sweat," Chopper added without looking up. "Otherwise, it might cause an infection."
Chopper wasn't concerned about their reactions. With Meiser here, even if they tried anything, he would stop them. The entire Straw Hat Pirates crew knew just how formidable this man was.
"Alright, next."
"Thank you," Erl said before moving to stand by the wall, careful not to do anything unnecessary.
Soon, under Dr. Chopper's care, everyone except a boy named Gino had their wounds stitched up.
Knock knock knock.
The sound of knocking came from the door, followed by Sanji's voice. "Are you done with the treatment? Dinner's ready."
"Ah, Sanji."
Chopper glanced at the door and said, "I still have one patient left to treat..."
"Then let the others come out first."
"Okay."
"You guys shouldn't just stand there dumbly either. Follow me." Meiser, who was carrying Merry, swept his gaze over the people standing obediently by the wall and said, "Let's eat first."
Without waiting for their response, he pushed the door open and walked out.
The others exchanged glances before silently following Meiser out, arriving at the Thousand Sunny's dining room.
Upon seeing the interior, Erl's face showed disbelief. "You guys... actually have such a huge aquarium?!"
Watching the fish swimming inside, he couldn't help feeling envious. How wonderful it would be if this ship were theirs.
"Hahaha, not bad, right kid?" Franky said proudly. "The ships I build are the best!"
Being able to enjoy underwater scenery while dining added an extra layer of enjoyment to meals.
And this was exactly the atmosphere he wanted to create.
"Then you must be an amazing shipwright."
"Kid, you've got good taste." Franky gave a thumbs up. "Though I'm not number one in the world, I'm definitely not far off."
Clearly, in Franky's heart, Tom would always hold the top position.
"Merry, is this seat okay?" Meiser placed Merry beside Robin as he spoke.
"Mhm!"
Merry stared at the food on the table, unconsciously swallowing hard.
Ever since she could eat, meals had become one of her favorite things.
"Alright, don't stand on ceremony. Everyone sit down." Sanji, cigarette in mouth, placed dishes on the table. "Let's eat."
"Alright!"
"Merry-chan, here's your juice."
"Thank you, Sanji!"
Merry happily accepted the juice Sanji handed her, taking a delighted sip. The tart drink before meals helped stimulate her appetite.
"Let's eat!"
"It's delicious, so delicious! I've never eaten anything this good before."
"Thank you for the meal, mister."
Erl and the others ate while crying—this was the first proper meal they'd had in days.
The satisfaction of their taste buds was simply wonderful.
"Glad you like it," Sanji said with a cheerful smile.
As a cook, seeing people enjoy his food brought him great joy.
"Hey, do you know about Fish-Man Island?"
"Fish-Man Island?"
Hearing these words, their bodies visibly stiffened.
"Are you trying to reach the New World?"
"Yeah."
"This..."
Erl and the others exchanged glances, their expressions darkening.
"What? Did something happen to you in the New World?" Franky asked curiously.
"Ahahaha, of course not. How could people like us ever reach the New World?"
"Yeah, we've only heard some rumors about it..."
Keku looked at the food in his hands, then at the stitched wound on his arm.
"Everyone, I've heard the New World is truly terrifying. I'd advise you not to go there."
Franky frowned. Something about these people felt off to him.
"You haven't even been there, so your words carry no weight," Zoro said calmly.
"Anyway, I've decided to go to the New World," Luffy grinned, baring his teeth.
"Even if it might cost you your life?"
"Even if I die pursuing my dream, I won't regret it."
Keku fell silent. The other's words reminded him of his own captain—how that man had been brimming with confidence too, leading them all the way to the New World.
And what was the result?
Not long after arriving, they encountered an unimaginably terrifying enemy and were utterly crushed.
The meteor that fell from the sky was something they stood no chance against.
The captain was left gravely injured, on the brink of death, while the vice-captain chose to stay behind to cover their retreat—only to die in the New World as well.
That was the harsh reality their pirate crew faced after reaching the New World.
If not for sheer luck, they would have died on the way back.
Having witnessed this firsthand, Keku genuinely didn't want these kind-hearted people to go to such a dreadful place—especially with such an adorable little girl among them.
Keku glanced at Merry and noticed the sweet little girl blinking her big eyes at him, as if intrigued by what he'd said.
The sight brought back memories of when she'd treated his wounds earlier—her gaze just as innocent then, twisting his heart with guilt.
"You... good luck to you all."
In the end, that was all Keku could say.
Seated beside Merry, Nico Robin cast a sidelong glance at the group before turning to Meiser after placing a large shrimp on Merry's plate.
Her eyes seemed to ask: What's the deal with these guys?
"You'll find out soon enough," Meiser replied.
Seeing that Meiser offered no explanation, Robin didn't press further, though she had begun piecing things together.
Soon, with everyone's efforts, all the food was devoured—except for Chopper and the children's portions—though most of it ended up in Luffy's bottomless stomach.
What puzzled Franky and the others, however, was how Keku and his crew grew visibly restless after the meal—clearly something was amiss.
"Now you can explain," Robin said.
Meiser nodded and called out, "Come in."
Creak
The restaurant door opened, and a man with a cone-shaped hairstyle entered.
"Stanson?!"
Keku stared at Stanson in confusion, wondering why he'd only arrived now.
Meanwhile, Dobby and Erl exchanged glances before discreetly pulling out a small vial and clutching it in their hands.
"Explain what's really going on," Meiser said coolly.
"What do you mean?"
Luffy looked at Meiser blankly, not understanding, while the sharper members of the crew immediately caught on, their expressions shifting in surprise.
"You've got him under control?" Sanji asked.
"Right."
"These guys aren't at all what they claimed to be," Meiser stated flatly.
He then glanced at the group and added, "You should thank Sanji and Chopper. Otherwise, you wouldn't have even had the chance to finish this meal."
"What do you mean?" Usopp asked, puzzled.
"You'll understand once he's done talking."
"Everyone, as this gentleman has said, what we've shown are indeed illusions," Stanson stated.
The moment these words were spoken, Erl and the others immediately changed expressions.
Kair, in particular, sprang up agitatedly, a fierce glint flashing in the eyes of this tall, lean man.
"Stanson, you bastard..."
"Sit down!"
Meiser glared at him coldly, his gaze sharp enough to kill.
A chill ran down Kair's spine, his anger instantly dissipating as he sat back down, sweating profusely.
He had a premonition—if he dared to entertain any malicious thoughts at this moment, he would undoubtedly be eliminated instantly!
"What exactly does this mean?"
Luffy looked at them blankly, not immediately grasping Stanson's implication.
Illusions?
What illusions?
"It means these guys have been deceiving us, you idiot!"
"What?!"
Luffy was instantly displeased. He had kindly treated these guys to a meal, and they had the audacity to lie to him?
"Why would you deceive me?"
"Apologies."
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