36: Chapter 36 Arrival at Venice Mountain, the Town that Welcomes the PiratesAfter several days of training and sailing, the Grand Line welcomed the adventurers.The sky, which had just been clear, suddenly turned into a blizzard.Soon, the deck of the Going Merry was piled high with snow.Just as the Straw Hat crew was having a fun snowball fight, a sudden gale arose, and another blizzard began.The Straw Hat crew was miserable under the unpredictable weather, but fortunately, their calm minds and extensive knowledge guided them through the downpour.Sanji even brought out rice balls to replenish their energy so they could face the strange weather again.However, only one person remained unmoved: he was sleeping.While the others were busy furling the sails and controlling the course, he was sleeping.While the others were being tossed about by the turbulent waves, he was still sleeping.Zoro: (__).゜zzZ
After an unknown amount of time, the sky finally cleared.The group, soaking wet, were too lazy to change and simply lay sprawled on the deck, unwilling to move.At that moment, Zoro, having had a good sleep, finally stretched and woke up.Looking at the others sprawled on the deck, he couldn't help but complain, "Even with such good weather, you guys can't be this lazy.And by the way, we didn't take the wrong route, did we?"
Hearing this, everyone looked up at Zoro with resentment.Their grudges were enough to feed several evil sword immortals.Good heavens, while we were struggling against the storm, you were sleeping like a baby!Nami, in particular, grew increasingly angry and unleashed extraordinary power, flashing behind Zoro and delivering a righteous blow to the green-haired guy.Zoro clutched his head, hissing in pain.The others snorted and went back to their cabins to shower and change, leaving Zoro alone on the deck, questioning his existence and wondering what he had done to incur everyone's displeasure.After this ordeal, everyone understood the terrifying nature of the Grand Line.They were all on high alert, prepared for any eventuality.After several more days of sailing, they were suddenly enveloped in mist.Through the dense fog, they discovered an island directly ahead, with several giant cacti faintly visible standing there.Having clearly seen the island's appearance, the usually docile Miss Wednesday and Miss 9 stood proudly on the ship's railing, saying, "Thank you all for bringing us back.Farewell, and we hope to meet again someday."
With that, the two jumped into the sea and swam towards the island ahead.Luffy smiled nonchalantly; he figured they'd see it again soon, so he decided to ignore them.The Going Merry continued its journey towards Whiskey Hill.Just as they were about to arrive, the fog suddenly lifted, and the group was astonished to see their surroundings.A large crowd had appeared on the shore, singing and dancing to welcome them.Usopp, who always loved such scenes, couldn't resist standing at the bow of the ship and raising his hands in response.The crowd on the shore then put on an even more enthusiastic performance, chanting, "Welcome, warriors of the sea, to our Whiskey Town!"
Amidst cheers, the Going Merry arrived at the port.As soon as everyone disembarked, a middle-aged man with a large, wavy hairstyle approached.He warmly shook Luffy's hand and said, "Welcome, brave warriors of the sea!My name is Icarus, and I am the mayor of this town.We are famous for our fine wine and music, and we especially welcome sea warriors like you.Come, we have prepared a feast, and we will compose beautiful music with your wonderful adventure stories."
Usopp and his crew were already smug, waving and greeting the surrounding crowd like celebrities.But the eyes of those welcoming them held a deep killing intent and greed.Zoro frowned and whispered in Luffy's ear, "Luffy, something's not right here.Normally, ordinary people react to pirates with fear and disgust, right?How could there be a place where people aren't afraid of pirates but welcome them?"
Luffy chuckled, and seeing the familiar smile, Zoro knew he was in the game.So he also put on a smug look and followed the crowd to the center of the town.Sure enough, a grand banquet had been prepared there, with a large stage in the center where countless girls were singing and dancing.Everyone put aside their fatigue and joined in the grand banquet.
As evening fell, the banquet continued.The Straw Hat crew members went their separate ways.Usopp was boasting to a group of people about his bravery and skill.When he heard something exciting, the people around him cheered.Usopp was so engrossed in his boasting that he didn't notice the mocking looks in their eyes.Nami, upon hearing that the champion would receive 100,000 Berries, joined Zoro in a drinking contest.The people around her looked at Nami with horror, never expecting that this woman could drink so much.Uta, instead of showing off her singing voice as usual, was unusually quiet eating with Kuina.She and Kuina sensed something was wrong, but seeing that Luffy didn't make a move, they decided to trust him.Besides, they weren't going to eat at a free feast.As for Sanji, he was already mesmerized by the calls of "handsome guy." Lost in their own world, completely immersed in the pleasures of life, Luffy, judging by the four exhausted cooks beside him, had clearly eaten his fill.Finally, in the dead of night, when everyone on Whiskey Mountain was on the verge of collapse, the Straw Hats finally brought an end to their madness, all heading to the rooms the townspeople had prepared for them to fall into a deep sleep.After confirming the Straw Hat crew was asleep, in an open area not far from them, the previously amiable townspeople's expressions changed drastically.Each of them drew their weapons, their eyes filled with murderous intent as they stared at the Straw Hat crew's room."Great, they're finally asleep.Sending their heads to the Navy to collect the bounty will bring in a considerable sum.But how can that straw-hatted guy eat so much?He's devoured half of our food supplies!" one of them said, a mixture of excitement and heartache.As she spoke, the others comforted her, saying that once they received the bounty, they could buy as much food as they wanted.The thought of a substantial bounty filled them with greed.Only Miss Wednesday, standing in the crowd, had a bad feeling; she sensed they were about to be tricked."You guys are so kind," she said, "not only treating us to a meal but also putting on a free face-changing performance.In return, how about I send you to see the Pirate King, Roger?"
A familiar voice echoed in the bounty hunters' ears.Following the sound, their expressions changed drastically.It was Luffy and Zoro, who should have been asleep.Zoro, however, had already drawn three swords, his expression cold as he looked at them.In the moonlight, the blades gleamed with a chilling light."Zoro, let's have a contest.Let's see who takes down more people.If you win, I'll cover your drinks for the next month.If you lose, you'll stand on the bow of the Going Merry and shout three times, 'I have no sense of direction,' how about that?" Luffy ignored the highly vigilant bounty hunters below.Zoro, who had initially been quite interested, became furious upon hearing the punishment for losing: "I'm not directionally challenged, you bastard!Hey, you bastard, you have no sportsmanship!You're a rat!"
Taking advantage of Zoro's moment of arguing, Luffy leaped from the rooftop into the crowd.Facing these henchmen, Luffy didn't bother with words, unleashing a barrage of lightning-infused rubber-gun attacks that took down a large group.Zoro, to avoid being called "I have no sense of direction," quickly jumped off the roof as well.Wherever his blade flashed, enemies screamed and collapsed unconscious.Moments later, Icarum and Miss Wednesday swallowed hard, staring at the mass of "corpses." Seeing Miss Wednesday's pale face, Icarum resolutely stepped in front of her, seemingly wanting to protect her.But Luffy ignored them, instead arguing with Zoro about who had taken down more people.Distracted, Icarum urged Miss Wednesday to escape.Despite her worry for Icarum, Miss Wednesday, desperate for hope, reluctantly ran towards the shore.Just then, a sudden change occurred.With a loud bang, Icarum, who had intended to sacrifice herself, was blasted to the ground by a small, seemingly random sphere.This commotion drew the attention of the two who were arguing.They looked in one direction and saw a woman carrying a parasol and a man wearing sunglasses slowly approaching.Upon seeing them, Miss Wednesday's face turned ashen, as if the newcomers were some terrifying being.