Everyone's Tab Is on Me, Put It on Kaido's Account

Under the gazes of the two big sisters, Miss Buckin and Charlotte Linlin, Oak faced the potentially fatal question Miss Buckin had thrown at him and answered without a moment's hesitation,

"Of course..."

He deliberately drew out the last word, whetting the two women's appetites before continuing,

"Big Sister Linlin..."

The moment he called Linlin's name, a brilliant smile bloomed across her face. She flashed Miss Buckin a provocative grin, while Miss Buckin's expression instantly darkened. It really proved that saying—women's faces changed in an instant. Just as she bristled in anger and was about to lash out, Oak blurted out the rest of his answer in one breath,

"And Big Sister Miss Buckin too. You're both beautiful, each with your own strengths. In your little brother's eyes, you're both the most beautiful. There's no ranking between you.

Hehe!"

After saying that, Oak giggled, and Miss Buckin's dark expression immediately returned to normal.

"What a bad boy!"

The two women said it at the same time, both beaming with delight. Clearly, he had sweet-talked them into a wonderful mood, and they stepped forward to knead his handsome face.

Oak was indeed quite good-looking. His short blue hair, fair face, refined features, and toned muscles made him the very image of a pretty boy, if one ignored his monstrous physique. It was easy for him to attract women's affection.

His popularity with the team's only two women drew faint jealousy from the other members.

"Pretty boy!"

Captain John drunkenly muttered under his breath. Then a ring of purple light bloomed around him as he called out,

"Kid, since you don't want to challenge Buckin, how about challenging me?"

As John's words fell, every visible piece of metal in sight began to tremble slightly, as though it might converge on him at any moment.

"Magnet-Magnet Fruit!"

Looking at the purple halo surrounding Captain John, then sweeping his gaze over the trembling metal, Oak immediately recognized his ability. It was the Magnet-Magnet Fruit ability that, in the future, would belong to Eustass Kid, one of the Worst Generation's Supernovas. Coincidentally, both users of the Magnet-Magnet Fruit were known as Captain.

"Me too. Kid, you can choose me as your opponent."

After Captain John, Ganzui, clad in armor and built like a mountain, also spoke up. He rubbed his thick fingers against his body, rolling up a pellet of mud the size of a bullet before flicking it into the distance.

"Boom!"

The spot where the mud pellet landed immediately erupted in a violent explosion, sending up a massive mushroom cloud.

"Bomb-Bomb Fruit!"

Oak recognized another familiar ability. In the future, it would belong to Mr. 5, an agent of Crocodile's Baroque Works and one of the Shichibukai. Yet the power Ganzui wielded with this fruit was countless times greater than Mr. 5's.

"You can try challenging me too!!"

Gill Bastar, wearing brown sunglasses and a black top hat, spoke as well. With a wicked smile on his face, he looked like some suave assassin. A white, translucent spirit emerged from his body, resembling a ghost.

"Hollow-Hollow Fruit!"

Looking at Gill Bastar's ghost, Oak compared it in his mind to Perona, the Hollow-Hollow Fruit's next user.

Perona's ghosts had round heads and tiny bodies like little teru teru bozu dolls, while Gill Bastar's ghost was extremely bloated, giving off a chubby, guileless impression.

The ways these three used their abilities differed from their future successors. Sure enough, Devil Fruit abilities had no fixed method of use. A user's personality would manifest in their abilities to a certain extent, causing the same power to show clear differences in different hands.

Faced with the challenges from the three of them, Oak really wanted to give it a try.

Among the current members of the Rocks Pirates, there was no need to even think about Captain Rocks, who could kill an Admiral alone and required Roger and Garp at their peaks to join forces to defeat him. Oak definitely could not beat him.

He had already tried Golden Lion Shiki before and lost. Whitebeard, who was at least as strong as Golden Lion Shiki, would undoubtedly be the same.

There was also no way he could beat Charlotte Linlin at this point. As for Ochoku, that Traitor who would survive until after the future storyline began, Oak probably would not fare well against him either.

Miss Buckin and Streusen, known for their technology and culinary skill, were most likely the weakest among them all. Oak had no interest in them.

Among those remaining, Marlon had the most tragic ending. He did not even live to see the God Valley Incident, getting backstabbed by that Traitor Ochoku and taken out years early.

Barbel, the catfish Fish-Man, had never truly fought in the original story and left behind no reputation in the future. He was probably no more than lower-middle tier within the crew.

So the ones Oak was most interested in were still these three who had stepped forward.

Although Captain John, Ganzui, and Gill Bastar would all be turned into zombies aboard the future Thriller Bark, confirming their deaths, they had each left behind their own legends.

Captain John in particular was no less famous in the future than Whitebeard, Shiki, and the others. The treasure and treasure map he left behind drew countless people to seek them out.

That was why Oak especially wanted to test their strength. Even if he could not win, exchanging blows with them would let him learn where he currently stood within the Rocks Pirates.

But before he could put that idea into action, it was interrupted.

Rocks stepped forward into the field, and with nothing but the aura he released, he forced back the abilities John and the other two had unleashed.

"Don't make your decision so quickly. Think it over after we get back. You can challenge anyone here anytime."

He patted Oak on the shoulder with a smile, then slung an arm around Ochoku's neck, who was carrying a huge bag full of gold coins.

"As for today, let's make this guy, who made a fortune thanks to you, bleed a little. He can treat us to a good drink! Wahahaha!"

Amid his hearty laughter, Rocks dragged Ochoku toward the tavern on the island.

"Gurararara! Free booze today? That's not bad at all!"

Newgate immediately followed when he heard Ochoku would be buying the drinks.

"Jihahahaha! Kid, let me give you some advice: don't challenge me. Otherwise, I won't go easy on you. I'll beat the shit out of you."

Shiki tossed out that crude remark and drifted after them. Since the captain had spoken, the others exchanged looks and lost any desire to stay behind.

And so, a huge crowd poured into the island tavern, igniting the atmosphere inside within moments. Only Kaido, still unconscious, was left behind.

By the time the pitiful Kaido woke up, it was already night. After learning from the people around him that everyone was at the tavern, he slowly became the last to arrive.

When he pushed open the tavern doors, he saw the following scene.

Oak had been plied with drink after drink by everyone in the name of welcoming him and was dead drunk. With a flushed face, he stood on the tavern bar, waved a hand grandly, and made a bold declaration to the entire room,

"I'm in a good mood today. Everything here is on me, Oak..."

"Lord Oak is so generous!!"

"Thank you, Lord Oak!!"

The pirates in the tavern shouted excitedly when they heard someone was picking up the tab. Amid the waves of flattery, Oak's tongue-tied voice continued,

"Put the Beli for the bill on little brother Kaido's account..."

And so, a world where everyone was happy except Kaido, who alone got hurt, was achieved.