Tsugikuni Yoriichi saw it clearly. The straw-hatted boy who swiftly vanished from the apple stall was Shanks, an apprentice pirate aboard the Roger Pirates.
The instant he saw Shanks, Tsugikuni Yoriichi suddenly recalled something.
When the Roger Pirates had set out for Final Island, Buggy, one of Roger's apprentice crewmen, had suddenly come down with a fever and missed that voyage to the summit.
And in order to care for the feverish Buggy, Shanks had also voluntarily given up his chance to reach Final Island, remaining on some island to look after the sick Buggy.
Seeing Shanks shopping alone in a town on Water Seven now—did that mean the Roger Pirates had already set off for Final Island?!
"Just in time!"
"The Marines' intelligence is frighteningly accurate."
"Is it because someone within the World Government knows how to reach Final Island?!"
Tsugikuni Yoriichi pondered inwardly, staring in the direction Shanks had gone for a long while. Kuzan, who was walking ahead, noticed that Tsugikuni Yoriichi seemed distracted and asked, "Hey, Yoriichi, what are you looking at?!"
"Is something wrong over there?"
Kuzan turned his head and gave Tsugikuni Yoriichi a puzzled look. Then he followed Yoriichi's gaze and saw the entrance to a dark alley. Beyond that, he found nothing else.
Scratching his head in confusion, Kuzan turned back, patted Tsugikuni Yoriichi on the shoulder, and called again, "Yoriichi?"
Coming back to himself, Tsugikuni Yoriichi smiled and shook his head, casually brushing it off. "Kuzan, I'm going to find a corner to use the bathroom. Get a feel for this town's layout first."
"I'll find you afterward."
As he spoke, Tsugikuni Yoriichi strolled away from the group, reached the mouth of the alley Shanks had entered earlier, and quickly headed inside.
Watching Tsugikuni Yoriichi disappear from sight, Kuzan merely muttered