The Landlady's Magic

"Luffy, Ace, you're doing this again..."

Makino frowned slightly, propping her cheek with her left hand. She then walked out from behind the counter and bowed as well, her face full of apology. "Sir, I'm terribly sorry. Whatever Ace and Luffy owe you, I'll pay it back for them."

Duen was only briefly stunned. He simply puffed out his chest and sat down on a stool beside the bar. "The bill those two ran up has already reached one million Beli."

"One million!" Makino cried out in shock.

Ace immediately grabbed Luffy by the collar and snapped furiously, "Luffy! What the hell did you eat to spend one million Beli? Spit it out right now!"

Luffy anxiously covered his mouth halfway. "You were the one who ordered the food, Ace! How would I know what cost one million? Besides, I've already digested it all!"

"So you can't spit it out..." Ace gritted his teeth slightly.

"Then..."

He suddenly released Luffy's collar. The two exchanged a glance, then turned in perfect sync to stare at Duen. Chilling light gleamed in their eyes as their bodies seemed to darken and grow like demons, even the background seeming to twist into a patch of darkness. "Let's just silence him. Then we won't have to shoulder this enormous debt of one million Beli..."

Negative Emotion Points from Portgas D. Ace +455...

Negative Emotion Points from Monkey D. Luffy +600...

"Wait!"

Makino, who was standing nearby, spoke clearly. "If Ace and Luffy already ate one meal for free, then they wouldn't have been allowed in a second time, right? In that case, there's no way they could've run up a one-million-Beli tab in one visit."

"Huh?" Ace and Luffy looked at each other, finally realizing it. Right... how could one free meal possibly cost one million Beli? This guy was definitely trying to scam us!

Negative Emotion Points from Portgas D. Ace +455...

Negative Emotion Points from Monkey D. Luffy +600...

"Unforgivable! You actually dared to trick me!" Luffy swung up his fist again, angrily preparing to smash Duen. "Take this, Gum-Gum Rocket..."

"No, Luffy! How can you attack someone with your fists?!"

Ace hurriedly held Luffy down, bending his knee toward Duen. "At a time like this, you should use a deadly flying kick and stomp him hard!"

"Enough, you two. Stop messing around." Makino hurriedly stepped in front of Ace and Luffy to prevent a fight. Then she turned to Duen with a soft, gentle voice. "Sir, Ace and Luffy were in the wrong, so... please name a reasonable amount. I'll pay it off with my savings."

Having absorbed so many Negative Emotion Points from the two of them, Duen was in a good mood and relented. "Actually, I'm not here to collect a debt. My sister and I are just here sightseeing."

As he spoke, Nami, who had been following behind, walked in as well.

"Not here to collect a debt?"

Ace and Luffy, who were still playing finger guessing to decide who would strike first, immediately crowded their heads together. "What's this? So you weren't here to demand payment." "You scared me! I thought you were a bad guy!"

"Oh, I see..."

Makino understood. Seeing the boy before her smiling without any apparent ill intent, she let go of her worries and didn't mention the matter again. Returning behind the counter, she said, "Guests, please wait a moment. I'll prepare some food and drinks."

"If you weren't after us for money, why did you chase us?" Luffy looked at Duen while picking his nose. The incident had left a deep impression on him. After all, he and Ace had been chased through several streets before they finally managed to escape Duen.

Duen said seriously, "Because I sensed the aura of strong people from the two of you."

"What... you figured that out? That's so embarrassing!" Luffy scratched his head sheepishly, though the delight on his face was impossible to hide.

Ace tugged at Luffy's clothes. "Don't let him fool you. I still think something's off."

"But Ace... you seem pretty happy too?" Luffy turned his head to look at Ace, who was beaming. Ace quickly wiped the smile from his face, coughed lightly, and once again asked Duen with suspicion, "You're really not here to cause trouble for us?"

"Why would I cause trouble for you?" Duen said lazily.

"Mm... true... other than being drawn by the aura of strength around you, there's nothing else that can explain what you did earlier." Ace nodded, naturally accepting the explanation. All his suspicions vanished.

"Not you, us!" Luffy immediately added.

"Guests, please enjoy." Makino came out and gently placed two meals on the counter.

Duen had been about to change the subject when Luffy suddenly shouted, "Oh, right! We have to go, Ace!"

"Time's up!" Ace waved at Makino, called out a farewell to Duen, then quickly ran out of the bar with Luffy.

"They ran off again..."

Duen was a little speechless. The food had just been served. If he suddenly chased after them now, he'd definitely be mistaken for some creep with bad intentions...

Nami ate her meal and couldn't help glancing back at the two departing figures. "They're really energetic."

Makino smiled at Nami's remark. "Yes, they've always been that full of energy."

"What did they go off to do?" Duen asked.

Makino smiled. "They probably went up the mountain to train. It's always taken up a big part of their lives." As she spoke, she asked in return, "Brother, you look like a swordsman, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"That sword on your back looks really exaggerated. It's hard to connect such a huge blade with your refined, handsome appearance. It feels rather incredible!"

Listening to Makino's gentle praise, Duen's face reddened slightly without him realizing it. "It's nothing..."

"Are you blushing?"

It was also Nami's first time seeing Duen, who was usually so composed, show the bashful expression of a boy next door.

"No!"

Feeling Nami's curious gaze sweeping back and forth across his face, Duen firmly denied it and took several more bites of rice.

Makino, however, smiled happily and warmly. "Are you two really siblings? You look more like a couple."

This time, Nami froze. Even she, who usually didn't care much about such things, hurriedly shook her head in embarrassment. "We're not a couple! Absolutely not!"

For some reason, when Makino asked in that friendly, gentle tone with that expression, it felt as though she possessed some strange magic that made people blush involuntarily.

"Landlady," Duen said after swallowing a mouthful of food, "is there anywhere to stay in this village?"

Makino asked in slight surprise, "Are you planning to stay here overnight?"

Although pirates from elsewhere occasionally passed through Foosha Village, it happened very rarely. Outsiders were even rarer.

Duen replied, "We're planning to stay here for a few days."

Makino thought about it seriously before saying, "You can ask the village chief about that. If he agrees, he'll arrange something for you."

As she spoke, an old man in a shirt decorated with heart patterns walked into the bar with a cane. "Makino, bring me a bottle of whiskey."