From then on.
The Endgame finally had two new official crew members, which was long overdue.
There were still plenty of vacant rooms available. Bonney was assigned the cabin next to Nami's, while Kuma stayed in a suite adjacent to Jack's.
The bedrooms for these two hulks were custom-modified. Smoker specifically opened up this area to connect with the second floor earlier.
The 8.3-meter-tall Jack could live comfortably, so there was naturally no problem for the 6.9-meter-tall Kuma.
Speaking of which,
BIGMOM's tea party was getting closer and closer.
Katakuri had previously reached out in goodwill, contributing greatly during the Observation training, so Shano considered this a favor and didn't plan to default on the agreement.
Therefore, the Endgame didn't delay any further and set sail at full speed towards the Tutelan Sea Region where Cake Island was located.
There was no need to worry about the course since Katakuri left an Eternal Pose when he departed back then.
Just follow the direction pointed by the pose in a straight line.
...
In a blink of an eye, seven days had passed.
The journey had gone smoothly, and they had already covered more than half the distance. In five or six days at most, they would enter the Tutelan Sea Region.
And in the Endgame's view, there appeared a bustling town.
"Quite lucky, aren't we?"
Shano, who was resting on a rattan chair on the second floor, smiled at the sight and stretched lazily before standing up, "Perfect, since our supplies are running low. We can take a night off here and restock."
Though the supplies were running low, everything else was plentiful; it was only the food that was genuinely in shortage.
Before leaving Dressrosa, Zeff stored enough food based on past experience to last over half a month, but it was exhausted in less than a week.
Had it not been for Shano's master-level fishing skills yesterday, snagging a monstrous squid over ten meters long, the whole crew might have had to settle for northwest wind today.
The reason, well, is quite simple...
Besides Shano, there was another super big eater on board, possibly an even more voracious one than Shano.
"Bonney!"
Kuma, looking grim, hauled the little one out of the cabin:
"Aside from the regular three meals a day, Mr. Zeff has already given you two extra meals today, and you still snuck into the storage room to steal food when no one was looking. That's really rude!"
"Hahaha, just let her be, Kuma. For such a small age and such a good appetite, other parents would be envious."
Zeff, on the other hand, didn't mind, coming out with a broad smile to defuse the situation.
Bonney's sweet tongue always called him Grandpa Zeff, and she was never picky, eating everything happily. He was more than happy to cook a variety of dishes for the little one every day.
"But sneaking food from the storage room is too much."
Kuma still wanted to teach Bonney a lesson, seriously asking:
"Bonney, the storage room usually has a big lock on it. When did you learn to pick locks?"
"I can't do that!"
Bonney, cheeks puffed, chewed as she huffed,
"Don't wrong me, Kuma. I was just going to the bathroom at night when I saw Ah Yin sneaking out with milk from the tunnel, and that's how I found the way in."
Hmm?
A tunnel secretly dug under the storage room?
Zeff was taken aback, then immediately cast a stern look at Ah Yin.
This big dumb dog drank too much sweet stuff as a pup and ended up with diabetes, so Zeff had always strictly controlled its strawberry milk intake.
And now it was up to these sneaky tricks?
Ah Yin was pretending to sleep while sneakily eavesdropping with its ears stretched out, but sensing trouble, its heart sank.
It first lifted its head, tried to make a silly grin with its tongue out as it met Zeff's gaze, hoping to fool him.
But in the next second, it saw Shano glance over indifferently.
Ah Yin's body tensed up immediately, casting a resentful look at Bonney, then leaping down voluntarily by the railing with a loud splash.
...
Soon.
As they got closer, the entire town came into full view.
It looked like this place belonged to a haven for gambling.
At the center of the island stood the tallest building in town, designed like a giant roulette wheel, with its neon lights on the roulette's edge flickering steadily.
As soon as they docked, lively jazz music wafted out from the open casino doors.
The saxophone's melody mixed with the sounds of dice and chip clashing, gamblers' shouts, and dealers' laughter...
The decadent vibe hit them immediately.
"Is this place called Gambling City? It's lively, isn't it?"
Shano retracted his gaze from the neon sign reading "Welcome to Gambling City" and glanced around.
The docks were already crowded with boats of all sizes, and many tourists headed straight for the casino street upon arrival, making it seem like business was booming.
This sea area, roughly in the middle section of the New World, couldn't have possibly grown such a prosperous entertainment industry without the backing of a major power.
And sure enough.
After a search, they soon saw the flag of the BIGMOM Pirates fluttering atop the island, illuminated by the moonlight.
"It's a place paying protection fees to Ten Thousand Nations, huh."
Zeff shook his head, "The prices in such places wouldn't be cheap, but the good side is that the ingredients in the market would be fairly complete... Hey, Bonney, want to come with me for some shopping? If you see something you like, just point it out, and I'll buy more of it."
"Sure thing!"
Bonney's eyes lit up, happily leaping onto Zeff's shoulder, "Hehe, thank you, Grandpa Zeff!"
"I'll join you too."
Kuma chuckled, knowing that places like these were a mixed bag and that some troubles might be too much for Zeff to handle alone.