Rain Dinners Impressions

Vidal got a result he was satisfied with in the end. Bullet might have had a terrible temper, but he was a decent sort when it came to keeping his promises.

Still, their clash could only be considered a game. Before entering the special training camp, Vidal had one last scheduled duel waiting for him.

His first fight with Fujitora!

Vidal took this fight very seriously. For one thing, Fujitora was on a different level of strength, and after these past few months, he had likely grown stronger than before.

Bullet's performance had shown him that, for people with monstrous talent, three months was enough to make considerable gains in strength.

For another, the outcome of this fight would influence, to some extent, how soon Fujitora joined the Marines.

If he lost, things would get really interesting.

That day, Vidal once again sailed out of the fortress alone. Although it was already December, the Grand Line's climate was unusual.

On top of that, Navarone Fortress had been built on a summer island, so there was always a scorching sun overhead. That was another major reason he liked the place.

He could bask in the warm sunshine practically every day!

Without Fujitora's ability to help, the small boat could only drift across the sea at its usual speed. It took several days to finally reach its destination.

It was the same uninhabited island where the three of them had eaten together that night.

"Is he not here yet?" After landing, Vidal waited a while. When Fujitora didn't come to meet him, he realized Fujitora wasn't on the island.

That was understandable, though. The Alabasta Kingdom was farther away, but with his fruit ability, Fujitora should be arriving soon.

Vidal went to the place where they had rested before and found the wooden cabin, along with the wooden table and chairs in front of it, still there and intact.

That saved him a bit of trouble.

"Looks like I can use this place as a little base from now on."

Vidal first made three Wood Clones to clean the dust out of the cabin. Then, with nothing else to do, he decided to explore deeper into the island.

It had been too late the last time he came here. Apart from Fujitora going in to catch something to eat, Vidal had never ventured inside before leaving.

In fact, whenever he arrived on a new island, he liked to poke around in the woods, because he knew this world was full of mysteries and surprises.

With the convenience his fruit ability gave him, he had an easier time finding those surprises than other people did.

For example, treasure a pirate crew had hidden on the island, or a Famous Sword left behind because of some mishap.

What he looked forward to most, of course, were Devil Fruits, known as the sea's secret treasures!

On a sparsely inhabited wild island like this, there was a good chance those strangely shaped fruits were growing somewhere. Ordinary people, however, would have a hard time finding one unless they were truly fated to.

Just like Bullet, Enel, the future Ace, and himself!

That was right. He had actually found his Woods-Woods Fruit in a patch of woods at Navarone Fortress. Right on his own doorstep.

Things like that were miraculous. If something was yours, it was yours. If it wasn't, no matter how hard you pursued it, it would never come to you.

Unfortunately, Vidal stayed in the forest until late at night without finding anything interesting, so he had no choice but to head back.

Before leaving, however, he made a point of clearing out a fruit orchard in the center of the island, because he knew Devil Fruits had the property of transferring to fruit.

That way, the next time he came here, he might just find an unexpected reward.

Finally, he planted a tall hardwood marker outside the orchard and used his finger to write the words "Forest Orchard" on it, claiming the place as his own.

All Devil Fruits that grew here in the future were his!

As for whether others recognized his claim, that would depend on whose fists were harder. If they disagreed, they could come and take them.

"Oh, Fujitora, you're already here."

Vidal had just returned to the cabin when he saw Fujitora sitting on a wooden chair, leisurely drinking green tea.

"I waited about four hours. What were you doing in there so long?"

"Impressive. Looks like the range of your Observation Haki has grown quite a bit again," Vidal said with a smile as he sat down in another chair.

"Yes. I've found that as my fruit ability improves, the range of the gravitational waves you mentioned continues to expand." Fujitora nodded, holding his cup of hot tea in both hands.

So this guy really has gotten stronger, Vidal thought, then answered his earlier question.

"I thought I might find something interesting in there. You know what my ability is."

"So you came back disappointed?"

"More or less. But I've decided to make this a secret base. If we need to meet in the future, let's do it here," Vidal said with a smile.

Fujitora looked up at the cabin behind him and the surrounding area. He thought it was a good idea and said, "When do we start our fight, then?"

Vidal glanced up at the stars and moon overhead. "There's no point doing it so late at night. How about tomorrow morning?"

"All right." Fujitora agreed at once, then added pointedly, "After all, you can't perform as well at night."

After their earlier battle against Byrnndi World, he had roughly guessed the nature of "Photosynthetic Energy."

"Hahaha!" Vidal rubbed the bridge of his prominent nose, a little embarrassed that his cautious ploy had been exposed.

Even so, he had no intention of changing the time of their fight. After all, his opponent was no ordinary figure, but the future Admiral Fujitora.

Since they could fight during the day, why insist on doing it at night?

"Tell me about your time in Alabasta. So, what kind of person is Nefertari Cobra?"

Vidal asked a question he already knew the answer to, changing the subject outright.

"An excellent person. He's a prince who cares about his people, is kind and merciful, and is willing to mingle with commoners!" At the mention of Cobra, Fujitora's expression turned serious, and he gave his assessment solemnly.

"I've traveled through more than twenty countries over the past few years. There were some good rulers and nobles among them, but not one could compare with him!"

"Best of all, he's the prince of the Alabasta Kingdom."

Vidal understood what he meant. Alabasta ranked among the top five countries in the entire world in size, and its population far exceeded that of most kingdoms.

Whether the future heir of such a large country was good or bad would have an enormous impact!

"The Rain Dinners there is excellent too. It has none of that seedy, unsavory business, and there are many benevolent rules."

Vidal raised an eyebrow. So he's talking about the casino after all. He asked, "Like what?"

"For example, there are different daily limits on the chips people can exchange for, depending on their membership level. Once they've lost them all, they aren't allowed to keep gambling."

"Also, if a low-level member loses all their chips for the day, a tenth of their Beli is returned to them when they leave."

"All in all, the atmosphere there is wonderful. Everyone enjoys themselves in moderation. I've decided to live there for a few years."

There it was. Once casinos came up, Fujitora could talk on and on, and Vidal could even clearly sense his passion.

"Sounds good. I'll go take a look myself when I have time."

I normally post two chapters a day, but when I saw the number of bookmarks stuck fast at 496, unable to break the 500 mark, I gritted my teeth and posted this third chapter!

I'd really appreciate some recommendation votes, comments, and chapter comments. Come chat with me!