It was already known that Doflamingo was on the island, and the lawless districts had been restless these past two days. From that, one could easily conclude: if Doflamingo was up to something, then the tavern was definitely not the place to be stirring up trouble.
Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1510, July 6th. Clear skies. A day suited for visiting friends, not for making waves.
So Zhang Da Ye and his group behaved themselves—running the tavern, training, eating, and keeping away from unnecessary drama.
In the meantime, two useful items came into his possession: [Rui Mengmeng's Breastplate] and [Broken Sword of the Camlann Battlefield].
The breastplate he left aside, but the broken sword he handed over to Rui Mengmeng. "See if you can reforge it."
It was a wide greatsword, snapped clean in half. Even so, its craftsmanship was leagues above any ordinary blade—though carrying it around in its current state wasn't exactly impressive.
Rui Mengmeng studied it for a while, then asked dryly, "Boss… did I do something to make you angry?"
"No."
"Then why are you making things hard for me?" She remembered well: whenever the boss wanted to pick on someone, he'd hand them an impossible task and then make a whole show of it.
Zhang Da Ye was caught off guard. "Hey, don't overthink it. I just wanted to see if you've got some hidden talent for reforging swords. If not, that's fine too. The sword's yours."
"Oh." Rui Mengmeng swung it experimentally a couple times and was surprised to find it felt oddly comfortable in her hands.
"Get ready to head out," Zhang Da Ye called as he went to change clothes. "We're visiting Uncle Goodman today."
Tom was already fussing with a tiny comb, parting his fur in the middle before patting it back into place. Nobody knew why he bothered.
Artoria and Rui Mengmeng swapped into casual clothes, leaving their hair as usual. It wasn't a formal occasion, after all.
This time they went on foot. Goodman's house was in the same town, not far.
Zhang Da Ye carried a bottle of wine he'd bought the other day. Rui Mengmeng glanced at it and asked, "Uncle Goodman—that's the one we saw at the shipyard, right?"
Artoria nodded. "Yes. Da Ye said he and Tom were well looked after by his family."
She herself had only met them twice, and didn't know much.
"Goodman's a warm, generous man," Da Ye explained. "His wife, Molly, is gentle and excellent at running the household. Their son, Bayer, is an energetic boy with a weakness for anything 'cool.'"
"I see." Rui Mengmeng nodded.
"I stayed with them for a month with Tom. They not only cared for us, but they went out of their way to respect my pride—by offering me a job, instead of just charity. Truly kind people."
"Boss, your luck's not bad."
"Haha, true enough." He looked around. "Maybe we should pick up some fruit, too."
At the mention of food, Tom and Artoria sprang into action, carefully selecting a huge bag of fruits—mostly the ones they liked to eat.
Wait a second… wasn't this supposed to be for a gift?
…
Knock, knock.
Da Ye stood at the door with his hands full, while Tom perched on his shoulder to do the knocking.
"Oh my, if it isn't young Da Ye—and Tom!" Molly greeted them warmly at the door. "And these two are?"
"Sorry to intrude. This is Artoria, and this is Rui Mengmeng."
The two girls greeted politely, while Tom waved his paw like a beckoning cat.
Da Ye offered the gifts at the right moment.
"You're too kind," Molly said, beaming as she took them. Then she called inside, "Dear, Da Ye's here!"
Goodman appeared with Bayer in tow, clearly in the middle of recounting one of his old heroic exploits.
They exchanged pleasantries, and Molly soon brought out tea and fruit before pulling Artoria and Rui Mengmeng into friendly conversation.
Meanwhile, Bayer excitedly dragged Tom over to show off the wooden toys he'd made during his apprenticeship. Tom humored him with minimal effort, batting pieces around lazily. If he'd actually tried, the boy would've learned what "showing off in front of a master" really meant.
Goodman, however, went straight for the bottle Da Ye had brought. "This wine's not easy to come by."
Da Ye smiled. "I figured you'd like it. I had Uncle Gulagas set it aside for me."
"Gulagas, eh? You've been getting your stock from him all this time?"
"Yeah. He was introduced to me by Uncle Bob." Da Ye tilted his head. "Is there something wrong with him?"
"Not exactly," Goodman said thoughtfully. "But I've heard things. When he was younger, he was hotheaded—prone to drunken brawls. Rumor even says he fought a great pirate once. No idea who won, but not long after that he became a wine merchant. Over time, he mellowed out."
"A great pirate? Which one?"
Even Da Ye, despite his knowledge from the comics, couldn't keep track of every pirate in history.
Goodman shook his head. "That, I don't know. But my advice—he's fine to do business with, just don't provoke him."
"Got it." Da Ye chuckled. "I'm a tavern-keeper. Picking fights with suppliers isn't exactly smart."
"Haha, true enough."
They didn't linger long. After catching up a bit, they took their leave.
On the way back, Da Ye asked curiously, "Artoria, did you sense any strength from this Gulagas?"
"Nothing unusual. But some people are good at hiding their aura. If they don't fight, I might not notice."
"Think we should test him?"
Da Ye waved it off. "No need. We're not some secret agency. Whatever powers he's got, it's none of our business."
"Oh, right. Molly asked us quite a lot too," Artoria added.
Rui Mengmeng stayed quiet, but Artoria continued, honest as ever. "She asked about where we came from, what we liked. Spent most of the time praising you."
Da Ye: "…" Well, that was a strangely awkward form of small talk.
He didn't press further. The girls seemed more interested in deciding what to eat for lunch anyway.
They were chatting casually when Da Ye suddenly had to grab Tom, who was drifting toward the scent of food from a nearby shop.
Just then, a steady rhythm of footsteps echoed down the street.
Only Marines could march with such discipline. Was there an operation underway?
Da Ye turned—and froze.
Female Marines. The entire unit consisted of women, a rare sight in the Navy.
And at their head walked an elderly woman with gray hair and a kindly face. Yet her presence was unmistakable.
Navy Vice Admiral Tsuru, comrade of Garp and Sengoku, a veteran of the old era.