Inside Kureha's house in the Drum Kingdom.
After Loa finished speaking, the air turned heavy. No one spoke, and no one knew what to say. Everyone there understood that all they could do now was wait for the outcome.
Kureha took a quiet swig of liquor. As she soothed Chopper, who had been frightened into hiding behind her legs again, she said to Loa, "Vice Admiral Loa, do you really trust that island chief so much? If he slips up, never mind what happens to us. If something happens to your companions, there'll be no taking it back."
"No, of course I don't trust him." Loa glanced at Kureha. "You don't need to fish for answers. All you need to know is that the island chief you're talking about could destroy the Drum Kingdom with ease. That lizard Drake is no match for him."
Perhaps three years later, when Drake became one of the Supernovas, Loa would no longer see him as a mere lizard. After all, the Supernovas of that time would be known as the "Worst Generation," and their collective strength spoke for itself. Drake alone would be a match for most major pirates.
But it was only 1517. Without those three years of experience and growth, Drake, whose strength was still rising fast, was nothing special.
Loa's words left Kureha at a loss. She shook her head and let the matter drop.
She admitted that she had been testing him, but more than that, she was worried about Loa.
After living so long, Kureha knew all too well the pain of surviving one's companions.
But if that island chief really was so strong, Drake alone shouldn't pose a problem, should he?
That was what Kureha reckoned.
And she was right. Jones had earned the name "Hunter" for