Whiskey Peak

"Lord Rody, an island has appeared ahead."

"Oh." Rody looked ahead. Through the faint mist before the ship, the outline of an island emerged. As they continued forward, they could make out enormous cacti on the island.

"Captain, look! There's a river on the front side of the island. It looks like we can sail straight inland without docking at the shore and walking to the town!" Leo and Jose said excitedly as they looked at the island ahead.

"You two are way too lazy. It's just a little less walking—do you really need to be this excited?" Windfire Wheel mocked the two of them.

"Hmph, Windfire Wheel, quit gloating. You're a Machine Racer, so you don't get tired like humans do. Every time we enter a town, we follow Master Carmen to buy ingredients, and we're usually the ones carrying them back to the ship. It wears us out every time," Leo complained.

"Yeah, yeah!" Jose echoed.

"Alright, alright, stop complaining. I'll help you carry more next time," Windfire Wheel said.

The ship reached the mouth of the river and was about to enter the island's boundaries. At first, they could vaguely hear people talking, followed by enthusiastic cheers, though the thick fog made it hard to see clearly.

"Someone's talking. Did you hear human voices?"

"Yes, I heard them too. But I think I heard cheering?" Windfire Wheel said in surprise.

"Great! Looks like this isn't an uninhabited deserted island," Leo said happily.

The ship continued onward. The fog dispersed, revealing the island's scenery before them. It was a small town that was not particularly prosperous.

"A warm welcome to Whiskey Peak, the Town of Welcome!"

"Welcome to the Grand Line!"

Many townspeople had gathered along both banks of the river, waving little flags and setting off fireworks to welcome Rody and his group.

"Rody, what's with this town? They're welcoming us so enthusiastically. Could there be something wrong?" Nami heard the cheers from the island as well. She came out of the library and asked in surprise.

"Maybe that's just this island's custom. Isn't their town called the Town of Welcome?" Windfire Wheel guessed.

"Let's go. Whether they have some ulterior motive or not, it doesn't matter," Rody said.

"That's right. Whatever they're up to, it's no problem with the captain here," Leo said carelessly.

"Let's go. This is the first island we've encountered on the Grand Line. I can't wait to compete with the chefs on this island," Carmen said excitedly.

The ship docked, and Rody's group disembarked. Quite a few townspeople had gathered ahead, staring at them in amazement, with most of their attention focused on Windfire Wheel. At that moment, a tall middle-aged man stepped out from the crowd.

"Welcome... cough cough..."

"Ma~ ma~ ma~~~"

"Welcome. My name is Ikaboi, the mayor of Whiskey Peak."

Mayor Ikaboi first glanced at the sea otter and bald eagle in surprise before smiling at Rody's group. "You must be quite surprised. This is Whiskey Peak, a town famous for brewing and music. Hospitality is what our town takes greatest pride in. We aren't skilled at much else, but we excel at entertaining guests with fine wine and music." Wearing a flamboyant wool wig, musician-style clothing, one hand at his throat and the other holding a saxophone, Mayor Ikaboi introduced the town.

"Our wine is as plentiful as the sea. May it serve as a drink to accompany the adventures you have had thus far?"

"Let us hold a banquet... cough cough... ma~ ma~ ma~~ and entertain you all!"

"Hey, Mayor, if your throat hurts, don't talk so much. Also, isn't your hair a little too strange?" Windfire Wheel said, staring curiously at Ikaboi's hair.

"Thank you for your concern, um... strange gentleman. But my throat is only slightly uncomfortable. It will not interfere with my duties as mayor," Ikaboi said, looking at Windfire Wheel in surprise.

"Hello, Mayor. May I ask how long it will take for the Log Pose to set on this island?" Nami asked.

"Haha... such a serious matter as the Log Pose can wait. Please enjoy the banquet first and soothe the exhaustion of your journey!" Ikaboi laughed.

Ikaboi turned around and swept his arm toward the townspeople. "Then, everyone, prepare a banquet for these brave adventurers of the sea!"

"Let us sing the Song of Hospitality for Adventurers!"

"Let the banquet begin!"

Late at night, a full moon hung high in the sky.

Rody held Nami as he drank the wine Mike poured for him, watching a blue-haired beauty dance on the stage. Not far away, the sea otter Shuke and bald eagle Beta were drinking as well. Carmen laughed heartily as she discussed cooking with Whiskey Peak's chefs, spinning around in delight at their praise. Leo and Jose were thrilled by the chefs' flattery.

Windfire Wheel was gesturing wildly as he bragged to a group of people about how he and Thunderbolt had fought Tyrannosaurus. "At the time, Thunderbolt and Quickstrike had exhausted their energy and could no longer fight, so I had no choice but to battle Tyrannosaurus alone. But even by myself, I was not the least bit afraid of Tyrannosaurus. I possess a powerful ultimate move, known as the Nine Heavens Thunder..."

A nun took off her habit, revealing her true appearance: a pink-haired, dark-skinned, powerfully built woman. She spoke to Mayor Ikaboi. "Mr. 8, was all this really necessary? Aside from that red-haired man, who looks somewhat capable, the rest of those people look weak. We could have sunk their ship at the harbor."

"But why were Mr. 8 and Miss Friday following those people? From the looks of it, you seem to know something?"

"Yes, yes, we'd also very much like to know why. Ohohoho..." said a man wearing clothes patterned with the number seven.

"Yeah," added the woman beside him, dressed in a frog costume.

"Miss Monday and Mr. 7, along with your partner Miss Father's Day. A vicious fellow has arrived this time," Ikaboi remarked with a sigh.

"Miss Friday and Mr. 13 have already left. As for why, take a look." As he spoke, Ikaboi pulled a bounty poster of Rody from his clothes.

Everyone present looked toward the bounty poster in Ikaboi's hand. Then their eyes widened, and they cried out in disbelief, "Slayer Rody, bounty: 50 million Beli! He's the man with a 50 million Beli bounty!"

"Don't be fooled by the fact that he doesn't fly a pirate flag and isn't a pirate. This man is far more vicious than ordinary pirates. In less than three months at sea, thousands have died at his hands, and all of them died horribly," Ikaboi said gravely.

"To run into someone like that... we were really lucky this time. We got our lives back," several of them said, swallowing hard with the expressions of people who had narrowly escaped death.

"Hey, have any of you seen my two animal subordinates?"