A Feast of Farewell

Stars dotted the night sky over Bacchus Island.

In the center of the once-devastated basin, a massive bonfire now roared. A grand banquet, shared by the indigenous people, their guardian beast, and the Eclipse Pirates, was in full swing within the ancient forest.

"Don't any of you come over and get in my way! If the heat is off by even a second, it's ruined!"

Beside the bonfire, Leona wore a heavy dark-brown leather apron and kicked away Buggy, who was trying to sneak a taste, without a hint of politeness.

She refused to let anyone help, taking it upon herself to prepare the meal for the hundreds of people present.

The ingredients tonight were nothing rare; they were the most common wild boars, giant birds, and the prehistoric mushrooms and wild vegetables found everywhere in the forest.

As the former guardian of the tribe, this was the final farewell meal she was preparing for her people with her own hands.

Leona's figure darted back and forth between several massive grills and stone pots. The boning knife in her hand moved like a silver butterfly, slicing ordinary wild boar meat into uniform, thick pieces. In the large pot, a rich soup bubbled, and the most mundane prehistoric vegetables, under her seasoning, released a thick, exotic aroma that struck straight at the soul.

When the first batch of roasted meat and soup was served onto the long tables, the entire basin erupted in cheers.

"Wooo, this is too delicious!"

Buggy grabbed a large chunk of roasted meat in his left hand and a bowl of hot soup in his right, his mouth covered in grease as tears of emotion welled in his eyes. "This kind of skill, turning ordinary ingredients into something magical—even back on the Oro Jackson, I never ate meat this satisfying!"

Sabo sat on a log, elegantly slicing a piece of meat to put in his mouth. Usually not picky about food, he couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly, praising sincerely, "The heat is perfect, the juices are completely locked inside. Truly remarkable culinary skill."

Ace, sitting in the seat of honor, was the undisputed powerhouse of this banquet.

The empty plates in front of him had already piled up into a small mountain.

Leona's craft made the otherwise rough forest beast meat extremely easy to digest. Ace tore into the roasted meat, feeling the food rapidly turn into pure heat in his stomach, replenishing the stamina lost during training until his muscles emitted a comfortable rumble.

"Fifty more pounds!" Ace swallowed the last bite and shouted with a laugh toward Leona by the fire.

"Eat, eat, eat! All you ever do is eat! Are you a bottomless pit?!"

Leona scolded him sharply, but her hands moved with incredible efficiency, tossing a large platter of freshly roasted beast leg meat steadily onto the table in front of Ace. Watching Ace and the tribespeople feast, a flash of deep satisfaction and tenderness crossed the eyes of this fiery-tempered cook.

The Ancient Kong sat not far away, holding a giant wooden barrel, happily drinking fruit wine and letting out an occasional honest, low roar. The indigenous people sang and danced around the bonfire, their laughter and joy echoing through the night sky.

This farewell feast, filled with the warmth of life and bonds of friendship, lasted until the early hours of the morning before finally subsiding.

The next morning.

The outer port of Bacchus Island welcomed a long-lost, tranquil dawn.

The Eclipse sat quietly anchored at the shore.

Ace stood at the bow, stretching his tall frame against the slightly chilly sea breeze.

Two figures walked up the gangplank. Sabo carried a heavy black leather suitcase, while Carina held her navigation chart and small abacus; both looked to be in excellent spirits.

"Morning, Captain."

Sabo stepped onto the deck and set the suitcase aside. "Seeing how lively your banquet was last night, Carina and I took the opportunity to head to the port district and cleared out the underground vault left behind by the Gluttony Baron."

"As expected of a local snake that's been entrenched here for years, the spoils are shockingly rich." Carina patted the suitcase with a smile. "Besides a large amount of cash, we also seized quite a bit of high-quality navigational supplies. The logistics for our Eclipse are now completely stocked."

"Well done." Ace nodded with a smile; with these two handling the logistics, he could certainly rest easy as captain.

Ace looked at the Log Pose on Carina's wrist. "Is the magnetic pull fully charged?"

"Mhm, it was full first thing this morning."

Carina opened her navigation chart, glanced at the direction of the needle, and her expression turned slightly more serious. "However, according to some intelligence we scavenged from the Baron's lair, the next island locked by the pointer seems to be in a bad situation."

"Oh?" Ace poured a glass of water and asked casually, "Is the climate harsh?"

"The climate is secondary." Carina pointed to a coordinate on the map. "That is an island famous for heavy industry and weapon manufacturing, called the Steel Country. But intelligence shows that the country is currently caught in an extremely chaotic, all-out civil war. There is fighting everywhere."

"A land of war, then?"

Ace's deep eyes looked toward the sparkling sea ahead. There was no trace of apprehension on his face; instead, he wore a calm, easy smile.

"Perfect. After our ship has weathered the storms, we'll need top-tier steel for repairs. Since they're at war there, I imagine they won't be short on high-quality metal and ready-made weapons." Ace waved his hand, setting the tone. "Whatever civil war they have, as long as it doesn't block our route, it doesn't matter."

Just as the three were talking, a heavy sound of footsteps came from the road leading to the pier.

A massive Ancient Kong walked with slow, deliberate steps, escorting a group of people to the front of the ship.

The tribal elders and the clanspeople stood on the shore, waving goodbye with tear-filled eyes to the tall, red-haired figure.

"Big monkey, go back now. Don't forget to patrol the territory every day, and don't let any random troublemakers sneak up on you again."

Leona carried an exaggeratedly large pack, bigger than her entire body. It was filled with the kitchen tools she treasured, oils for maintaining her blades, and some specialty spices the tribespeople had insisted she take.

The Ancient Kong let out a low, soft whimper, its giant palm gently patting the sand on the ground as if saying a final farewell.

Leona's eyes were slightly red. She took a deep breath, turned, and stepped onto the gangplank of the Eclipse.

"Put your luggage in the ship's dedicated kitchen."

Sabo stood on the deck, greeting Leona with a smile. "Welcome aboard, Leona. I'll leave the meals to you from now on."

"Leave it to me!"

Leona set down her heavy pack, heroically patted the Black Steel Bone-Cleaver at her waist, and looked around the spacious black fast-ship, her eyes filled with anticipation and excitement for the new journey.

She raised her head and looked at Ace, who was standing at the front.

"Since everyone is here, let's set sail."

Ace looked at his crew, a group of individuals with wildly different personalities yet equally burning ambitions, and a wild, unrestrained grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Buggy, weigh anchor."

"Destination: Steel Country!"

"Understood! Captain!" Buggy scrambled to turn the winch.

The massive, pitch-black sails unfurled with a thunderous snap in the morning breeze.

Like a black blade drawn from its scabbard, the Eclipse sliced steadily through the waves under the watchful eyes of the natives and the ancient mythical beasts, departing the harbor of Bacchus Island as a war-torn nation of steel and gunpowder awaited them ahead.