Eden Hell

"That's right. Alto was quite genuine—innocent, even. But perhaps because of that innocence, he felt other people's emotions very deeply. Most people wouldn't just get close to others so casually..." Asher said to Li Ziming with a smile.

"Are you giving me a nice-guy card?" Li Ziming asked with a laugh.

"A nice-guy card? A card exclusively for good people? Then I suppose so..." Asher smiled. "But have you thought about what you're going to do next? Even if you're someone who washed up here in distress, we don't keep idle hands around." Asher was being practical, and Li Ziming did indeed need a job to support himself.

"Could I open a bar here?" Li Ziming knew that his Devil Fruit ability allowed him to turn anything he touched into a bomb. The strength of the Explosion depended on how much energy he put into it, whether physical strength or mental energy. He himself was immune to explosions and could control when they detonated. It was quite a useful ability, but Li Ziming did not want to become a pirate. He would rather find a stable job like in his previous life, or open a bar of his own and enjoy a quiet life.

"A bar?" Asher paused. "This place may be small, but ships often stop here for supplies. Still, if pirates come, your bar could easily become a regular gathering place for them..." Asher said worriedly.

"It's fine. When the time comes, we'll just give the pirates whatever they want..." Li Ziming smiled. At the moment, though, he did not understand what pirates were really like. Perhaps in his mind, they were still like the street punks from his old world. But one day, reality might teach him what cruelty truly meant.

"Sigh, if only things were really as wonderful as you imagine..." Asher sighed, but quickly recovered. "But do you have a source for alcohol?"

"Huh?" Li Ziming froze. Right, this was not his old world, where a market economy made every kind of commodity readily available. Here, he did not even know where to purchase supplies.

"I can tell just by looking at you that you don't know a thing, kid. This old man can solve the alcohol problem for you. Our island may not be famous for anything else, but the alcohol here is the most famous! As for the money, you can pay me after you start earning. For now, just consider it a bar jointly run by you and this old man." Asher's words were a tremendous help to Li Ziming.

"Thank you so much." Li Ziming's face was full of gratitude. The other man had not only saved him, but was even helping him open a bar. Li Ziming thanked him from the bottom of his heart.

"Kid, there are plenty of strong young men in the village. They can help you renovate your bar when the time comes. Come on, this old man will go take a look with you and find you a place for it..." Asher said as he stood up.

Li Ziming quickly stepped forward to support Asher. "I'm truly troubling you."

"Enough. From now on, we're all from the same village. We're family, so don't bother with all that nonsense..." Asher patted Li Ziming on the shoulder, growing more and more satisfied with him.

Soon, Asher led Li Ziming to an empty house. It was not large and was even somewhat dilapidated, like a ruin. Li Ziming estimated that it had only a little over a hundred square meters of usable space. After setting aside a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, and knocking through the less important rooms, there would only be seventy or eighty square meters left for the bar. That was still a little small for Li Ziming, so he planned to make the bedroom smaller and expand the bar area.

Li Ziming did not plan to serve much food in his bar either. He would only prepare simple dishes, such as fried noodles and fried rice. The main focus would be the alcohol.

Li Ziming ran his fingers over the familiar bar tools, and it felt as though he had returned to those days long ago.

"Kid, what are these things?" Asher curiously examined the bar tools Li Ziming had asked to be made.

"These are for mixing drinks..." Li Ziming looked toward the alcohol collected from the entire village. "Honestly, I never expected the village to have so much alcohol..." He casually poured himself a glass of whiskey. The deep amber liquor gave off a captivating aroma. He took two light sips, held it in his mouth, then spat it out. The sweet taste still lingered on his tongue. There was a lot of alcohol in the village, though most of it was beer. However, whenever the villagers brewed beer, they also made small amounts of other kinds of liquor. There was not much of it, but both the age and flavor were superb. Like the bottle of whiskey Li Ziming was tasting, it would have been a priceless treasure in his old world.

"What a wonderful taste..." Li Ziming said with a sigh.

"Is it really that good?" Asher looked at Li Ziming in disbelief. "And even if it tastes good, there's so little of it. No matter how many varieties there are, it won't be enough, will it? Besides, do you really need so many tools just to pour a drink?"

"Forget it. I'll just show you." Li Ziming thought for a moment, then took out whiskey and vermouth, along with some bitter liqueur. He poured all the liquor into a glass filled with ice, stirred it evenly, then poured it into a cocktail glass.

Li Ziming placed his finger against the base of the cocktail glass and gently pushed it toward Asher.

"What is this?" Asher looked at Li Ziming curiously. He had never seen anyone mix different liquors together before drinking them. "Can you even drink this?" The liquor Li Ziming had mixed looked beautiful, but people had done similar things before. Most of their drinks had not looked this appealing, and they generally had an overwhelming kick and tasted terrible. Eventually, no one bothered researching it anymore. Asher was now deeply suspicious of Li Ziming's drink.

"Why not give it a try?" Li Ziming said with a smile, using a cloth to wipe the already washed shaker and glass.

With the mindset that he might as well die if it killed him, Asher poured the drink into his mouth. To his surprise, it was not as awful as he had imagined. Instead, a powerful, stimulating sensation shot straight into his brain.

"Refreshing!" After finishing the drink, Asher slammed the glass down on the bar counter and spat out that single word.

Asher stared at Li Ziming with shining eyes. "Kid, this stuff really packs a punch. What's it called?"

"Manhattan. Because of its intense, stimulating flavor, it's known as a man's cocktail." Li Ziming smiled and returned the cleaned bar tools to their places. "Thank you for your patronage. Five hundred Beli per glass."

"Five hundred Beli?! Are you robbing me?!" Asher stared at Li Ziming in shock.

"Isn't it worth it? Besides, this isn't the only drink I can make." Li Ziming said proudly.

"It is!" Thinking of how delicious the drink had been, Asher nodded fiercely. "But I'm your business partner. You're actually asking me for money?"

"Just joking..." Li Ziming shrugged.

"Good thing you know better, kid." Asher snorted. "But are you planning to call your bar Cocktail Bar? Cocktail... what a strange name."

"Cocktail?" Li Ziming shook his head with a wry smile. "Not cocktail. I call the drinks made with this method cocktails, not my bar Cocktail."

"Cocktail? Does that name have any meaning?" Asher asked doubtfully, unable to understand what liquor had to do with a chicken's tail.

"Just think of it as a way for me to remember my hometown." Li Ziming shrugged. "Oh, and I'll have to trouble the village chief and everyone with something else. The next time you brew alcohol, try experimenting with other brewing methods."

"No problem. Once everyone tastes the drinks you make, even if you don't say anything, they'll probably start trying other brewing recipes." The village chief chuckled. If this kind of drink became famous, it would be good for the village too. "By the way, kid, have you decided on a name for your bar?"

"Edenhell." Li Ziming said with a smile.

"Edenhell?" Asher did not understand. "Does it have some special meaning?"

"No." Li Ziming shook his head, but silently thought, Edenhell, paradise and hell...

Manhattan

Recipe: Canadian whiskey 4 ml, vermouth ml, a dash of Angostura Bitters.

Method: Pour all ingredients into a glass filled with ice, stir evenly, then pour into a cocktail glass. Finally, garnish with a cherry.