Wine Doesn't Intoxicate; People Intoxicate Themselves

"I wonder how Nojiko is doing now."

Seeing the scene before her, Nami walked lightly as she thought to herself.

Nojiko had gone to the banquet before her. For all she knew, she might have already drunk herself silly and collapsed on the ground snoring like the nearby villagers.

Still, even though Nami had told her not to wait, given Nojiko's personality, she probably had not gone home yet.

After a busy day, Nami was getting a little hungry too.

"Let's see if there's anything left to eat."

And so, Nami happily decided on her next destination.

Faint bursts of loud singing still drifted through the surrounding streets. It was proof that the excitement at the center of the banquet had not fully died down. Some villagers with poor alcohol tolerance had passed out, but naturally, others could hold their liquor and were still sober. Those villagers were still reveling at the banquet, singing and dancing in high spirits.

If she went over there, she might see plenty of amusing drunken antics besides Nojiko.

It was about time she joined in the banquet atmosphere and enjoyed this freedom with everyone else.

Cocoyasi Village was not particularly large, so it did not take long to make her way through it.

Before long, Nami arrived at the banquet grounds in a relaxed mood.

Just as she had expected, Nojiko was still at the banquet. She had not drunk herself unconscious, but she clearly had quite a lot to drink. Her face was flushed bright red, and she was laughing loudly as she chatted with the people nearby, looking extremely happy.

But there was something that surprised Nami.

At the center of the banquet, she spotted someone she had not expected to see.

"Huh? He really came?"

Nami stared wide-eyed at the black-haired man sprawled drunkenly across a table. "That fast?"

Normally, even if the Marine base was nearby, how could he possibly have made the return trip in a single afternoon?

Unless he had truly sailed with the wind and raised every sail to rush back, there might have been a slim chance of arriving in time. But who would go to that much trouble just to attend a banquet? Especially someone who did not seem particularly fond of socializing. If he had slacked off even a little during the voyage, they probably would not have seen him until late at night.

That was what Nami had thought.

But now, it seemed she had been wrong.

"Nojiko, judging by how you all look, you've been drinking for a while already, right?"

Nami walked up beside Nojiko and asked curiously, "When exactly did he get here? He's drunk like this... Don't tell me he was here from the first half of the banquet?"

"Ah, Nami, you're here!"

Hearing Nami's voice, Nojiko's eyes lit up, and she whipped around to face her.

She hooked an arm around Nami and called out happily, "You really kept me waiting. Why are you only getting here now?"

"Huh? Wait a second."

Suddenly, Nojiko froze while holding her sister. She released her arm and looked Nami over carefully, feeling that something about her seemed different.

She rubbed her eyes, then repeatedly examined Nami from head to toe.

At last, her gaze settled on Nami's arm.

"Nami, did you change your tattoo?"

Once she was sure she was not seeing things, Nojiko looked at Nami in surprise.

"Yeah."

Nami smiled and said casually, "I'm not a member of the Arlong Pirates anymore, so I couldn't keep that tattoo forever."

"It hurt a little when I had it removed, but thankfully, the scars and blurred pattern were covered by the new tattoo. Look, Nojiko. It looks pretty good, right?"

Nami raised her arm and happily showed Nojiko her new tattoo: a blend of oranges and a windmill.

The skin on her arm was red from having the old tattoo removed and the new one inked over it, making it look a little unsightly.

But at that moment, the new design covering the mark of the Arlong Pirates looked perfectly natural on her arm, as though it had always belonged there, blending seamlessly with Nami herself.

Nojiko looked at Nami, her eyes stinging, and immediately pulled her into a tight embrace.

"That's wonderful. It's really wonderful."

Nojiko murmured into Nami's ear, "Welcome back, Nami."

"Yeah, I'm back, Nojiko."

A radiant smile bloomed across Nami's face as she replied, "Starting today, I'm a member of Cocoyasi Village again."

"Idiot! You've always been a member of this village—now, before, and forever."

Nojiko wiped at the corners of her eyes, then lightly knocked Nami on the head. "If Genzo heard you say that, he'd be furious."

"Genzo?"

At that, Nami suddenly remembered something and swept her gaze over the venue again.

Come to think of it, she had not seen Genzo at all. Aside from Nojiko, he was the second person she most wanted to show her new tattoo to—the "windmill" in the oranges and windmill.

Could Genzo have already gotten drunk and fallen asleep somewhere by the roadside?

Nami was still speculating to herself.

But then Li Mingyuan, who had been lying drunkenly on the table, cracked his eyes open and looked at the two sisters.

"When Carina and I first arrived at the banquet earlier, I saw him heading somewhere outside the village."

"If you're looking for him, think about whether there's anywhere nearby that comes to mind. He's probably over there."

Li Mingyuan's speech was slurred and muddled with drink, but Nami and Nojiko immediately thought of the same place. Yes, at a time like this, there was nowhere else Genzo could possibly be.

Before Bell-mère's grave.

"...In that case, let's let Genzo stay there by himself for a while."

"I think he probably has a lot he wants to say to Bell-mère right now."

Nojiko gently took Nami's hand and spoke softly.

"Yeah, I know."

Nami nodded and let out a quiet breath, not pursuing the topic further.

Instead, she turned around.

Nami looked at Li Mingyuan and blinked. "More importantly, you. Were you eavesdropping just now? You looked completely drunk, so I thought you were asleep."

"Seriously, how much did you drink? Your face is so red!"

After taking a closer look at Li Mingyuan, Nami said in astonishment, "Aren't you drinking a bit too hard? If you keep this up, you'll need to see a doctor."

"Hehe, I'm the star of this banquet, so naturally I get different treatment. Every time someone sees me finish a cup, it gets refilled all on its own."

The alcohol had left Li Mingyuan's thoughts somewhat muddled, and he replied with a cheerful laugh, his words barely making sense. "But don't worry. Drinking too much really is bad for your health, but I haven't drunk too much, so how could it hurt me? My head is a little dizzy right now, but if I drink a few more cups, it won't hurt anymore."

"..."

Nami stared blankly at Li Mingyuan, who was practically unconscious from drinking.

She turned her head and glanced at the awkward-looking Nojiko, then at Carina, who was pretending not to exist in the seat beside them.

"You two... Are you trying to kill him?"

Nami could not help rubbing her forehead as she said helplessly, "If the benefactor of this island drinks himself to death at a banquet, the news will probably spread throughout the East Blue the next day alongside reports of Arlong's arrest."

"Especially you, Carina!"

"Stop acting like this has nothing to do with you. You saw me a long time ago, didn't you? What were you doing?"

Nami glared at Carina, who was whistling to herself nearby. "With your alcohol tolerance, you used to get people drunk on ships before making your move. How could a normal person possibly outdrink you?"

"I don't know what exactly is going on between you two, but whatever your problem is, I've already... Cough! No matter what it is, you shouldn't use it as an excuse to deliberately get him drunk in revenge, right?"

Nami nearly let slip that she would pay Carina's compensation, but swallowed the words at the last moment and instead questioned her about making Li Mingyuan drink.

"I don't know~. He drank it all himself. It's not like I could stop him."

Carina spread her hands and said shamelessly, "Look at him. Doesn't he look happy? He said himself that he isn't drunk. Everyone's just happily enjoying the banquet and sharing delicious food together. Don't make things up."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Nami gave a cold laugh, looking at Carina with a smile that did not reach her eyes as she slowly raised her fist.

"It seems someone has forgotten that we still haven't settled this afternoon's score."

"Don't tell me you think it's all over just because I spared you some face in front of him and didn't catch you back then!"

Thump!

"Ah, that hurts!!"

Along with Carina's cry, Nami's fist landed heavily on her head.

Carina immediately clutched her head with tears in her eyes. Before long, a large bump gradually rose from the top of her head.

"What are you doing, Nami?!"

Carina sprang to her feet, glaring at Nami furiously.

"That's my line! What are you doing to this island's benefactor, you idiot?!"

Nami was equally fierce, her face filled with disbelief.

"That's because you don't know what happened between him and me!"

"Then tell me! Go on, tell me!"

In an instant, Nami and Carina faced off across the drinking table, looking ready to fight.

And at that very moment, the drunken villagers nearby, eager for more excitement, started cheering them on.

After the villagers had completely vented their emotions at today's banquet, anything could happen: brawls, drinking, fooling around, singing. All of it was happening at once, and even happening one after another was perfectly normal. To the people nearby, this scene was simply another part of the banquet's entertainment.

Nojiko watched the scene with a headache, unsure what to say. After all, she too had gotten carried away earlier and ended up drinking far too much while talking to Li Mingyuan. In a sense, she was Carina's accomplice as well.

Only Li Mingyuan himself.

Watching the two women fight over him, he was enjoying himself immensely.

"Don't fight, don't fight."

Li Mingyuan kept waving his hands with a cheerful smile, speaking in the slurred voice of a drunk nobody listened to. "More importantly, Nami, are you free later? There's something I want to tell you."

The entire banquet grounds had become a complete mess.

A short while later, after failing to stop the fight, Nojiko finally gave up and withdrew from the chaos, returning to sit beside Li Mingyuan.

She watched Nami and Carina first beat huge bumps onto each other's heads, then somehow began drinking in Li Mingyuan's place, looking utterly absorbed in their contest at the table.

"Forget it. As long as they don't get hurt, let them do whatever they want."

Nojiko smiled helplessly. "For those two, this counts as a way to vent too."

Carina and Nami were both enemies and friends. Beyond their friendship, there was also a sense of competition between them, as well as all the grudges and rivalry that had accumulated over the years between the Cat Burglar and the Fox Spirit.

Li Mingyuan's situation was only the fuse. What they were truly competing against was each other's own will.

Having sobered up a little, Nojiko turned back to Li Mingyuan.

"Sorry. I got carried away just now and ended up drinking a little too much."

"Are you all right? Do you want me to help you find somewhere to sleep?"

Nojiko asked with concern.

At the same time, Li Mingyuan did not seem particularly bothered by his condition.

"No, I'm not drunk yet. I just have a bit of a headache. If I drink a little more, it'll go away right away."

"Normally, what you're describing is called being drunk."

Li Mingyuan shook his head and leaned back in his chair. "You don't understand. It's precisely because I don't drink often that this happens. If I'm not completely drunk, I feel unwell instead."

"If I drink a little more and get even drunker, then I'll be able to sleep peacefully."

As he spoke, Li Mingyuan looked at the villagers gathered in a circle to watch Carina and Nami compete in drinking. After thinking about it, he ignored Nojiko's attempts to stop him and called for a villager to refill his cup.

Honestly, after round after round of villagers toasting him and Carina and Nojiko, those two booze hounds, continuously making him drink, Li Mingyuan could no longer lift even a finger. Earlier, he had finally collapsed onto the table because he simply could not hold his liquor.

He had only suddenly regained consciousness after hearing Nami's voice.

If he had not been worried about Carina running away, his thoughts would likely have gone blank long ago, and he would have obediently gone to sleep.

But that would not do.

Even if he was going to sleep, Carina had to sleep in the room next to his, so he could notice at the slightest disturbance. If he fell asleep amid the noisy banquet, Li Mingyuan would be unable to notice anything instead.