"Mr. Asada, you've arrived."
While Eiichiro Oda greeted his editor, he cast curious glances at the other two, finally locking his gaze on Akira.
Although he had never met Akira before, just judging by age alone, he was the only one who fit the description of "young."
However—
"Is this a joke? How is he so handsome in person?!"
"Are you sure some idol didn't walk into the wrong place?"
"This is Oda-sensei, the author of One Piece."
"And here is Mochizuki-sensei, the author of Fate/stay night, along with his editor, Mr. Sasaki."
On the other side, Asada Takanori briefly introduced both parties to each other.
After the introductions, Akira took the initiative, nodding politely to Eiichiro Oda with a smile: "Hello, Oda-sensei. I look forward to working with you."
"Also, here is a small gift I brought."
Regarding the question of a souvenir gift, he had consulted Hisashi.
The other's advice was that when you aren't sure of the other person's preferences, giving snacks or fruit is a safe bet.
So, after thinking about it, he ended up running to the supermarket to buy some premium apples from Nagano City.
Apples were one of Nagano City's specialties, and since the Original Owner was also from Nagano City—with parents who happened to be fruit farmers specializing in apples—choosing this as a gift could definitely be considered thoughtful.
But honestly, compared to apples, he personally preferred eating oranges.
"Ah, thank you!"
Eiichiro Oda accepted the gift, nodding with a smile as well: "Same here, I look forward to working with you."
"Anyway, please come in first."
Consequently, the three of them followed Eiichiro Oda inside. As soon as they entered, Akira was stunned by the sight before him—
Where did this otaku den come from?
Every available surface in the room, especially inside the cabinets, was packed with various figures, toys, manga, and more. It was dazzling; someone who didn't know better might think it was some kind of merchandise store.
However, perhaps because this house was rented, it didn't look quite as exaggerated as the interior style of the huge mansion the other guy had in his previous life.
In the corner of the living room, one could see an oversized workbench covered in various drawing tools and manuscript paper; this was likely where the manga assistants usually worked.
But perhaps because the latest chapter had been successfully completed, or perhaps because of the interview today, Oda's assistants were not there.
Oda led them to the guest sofa on the side, prepared tea and snacks for them, and then sat down next to Asada Takanori.
At this moment, Asada Takanori smiled and said: "Regarding the situation for this author interview, both Mr. Sasaki and I should have already explained it."
"Anyway, Mr. Sasaki and I still need to go pick up the photography staff, so for this time, you two senseis can chat and get to know each other."
"Ah, alright—"
Hearing this, Eiichiro Oda nodded, then exchanged a glance with Akira, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.
After Asada Takanori and Hisashi left, Akira found it somewhat amusing to see Oda in front of him looking like he didn't know where to start a conversation.
Where did this innocent college student come from?
However, considering that he debuted at 17, started college at 18 and dropped out after less than a year, then started as a manga assistant before serializing One Piece—
Given that experience, perhaps he really was similar to an innocent college student?
So, Akira chose to take the initiative and struck up a conversation, smiling: "Oda-sensei, actually, I've always been a fan of One Piece. It's great to finally meet you in person."
"After I found out about this interview, I had quite a few questions I wanted to ask you."
"For example, there's one question I've always been curious about: why does Luffy have almost zero internal monologues in the story so far?"
Hearing this question, Eiichiro Oda's eyes lit up instantly.
Because this was indeed a question only a fan who had read One Piece thoroughly would notice, and it was also a design he was quite proud of.
So he began to explain: "This is actually a principle I decided on when I first started creating Luffy."
"That is, not to do any psychological description for Luffy, or rather, to have him immediately say whatever is on his mind—"
In reality, this was a question Oda had already answered in the future, and he had raised it just to serve as an icebreaker for the conversation.
In fact, this icebreaker worked very well.
Mentioning this topic, Oda's tone quickly became enthusiastic, while he listened attentively on the side, nodding and agreeing from time to time.
Although the question he just asked was only an icebreaker, he had to admit that he really enjoyed hearing Oda tell the behind-the-scenes stories of creating One Piece himself.
A high-quality conversation not only makes the other person feel comfortable during the talk, but also shouldn't compromise oneself in the process.
Otherwise, wouldn't that just become one-sided pandering?
Besides, he wasn't a fake fan.
To put it bluntly, he might even understand One Piece better than Oda himself right now.
Does the current Oda know that Conqueror's Haki can also be coated?
Hm?
He knew it.
Perhaps the current Oda hasn't even fully figured out what Conqueror's Haki is yet.
Furthermore, now that he possessed Absolute Memory, he might even be clearer than Oda himself about what was drawn in every single chapter.
Under these circumstances, he was naturally an incredibly qualified conversational partner.
As long as it was content related to One Piece, no matter what the other person mentioned, he could quickly pick up the topic and provide feedback.
Consequently, the atmosphere on the scene quickly became lively.
However, gradually, Akira noticed a problem with Oda: this guy seemed a bit of a chatterbox.
Why was he unable to stop talking the more they chatted?
At the same time, Eiichiro Oda indeed felt like he couldn't stop talking.
Because the more he chatted with the other person, the more pleasant surprises he felt.
In fact, the reason Akira was chosen for this author interview was a small request he had personally brought up to Asada Takanori.
The reason he chose Akira was that he thought the manga the other person drew was very interesting, believed they might get along well, and wanted to take this opportunity to get to know him.
And now, after chatting, this wasn't just a question of whether they would get along—this was absolutely exhilarating!
The so-called "soulmate" that the ancients often talked about—this was probably exactly what it meant, right?
At this moment, hearing the other person call him "sensei" over and over, Eiichiro Oda even felt that such a form of address was a bit distant, so he scratched his head and smiled: "Um—"
"Since we are about the same age, it feels a bit strange to call each other'sensei'."
"If you don't mind, just calling me 'Oda-kun' will be fine."