Royal Palace Heights.
With the Red Hair Pirates at the banquet, there was never a dull moment. Laughter filled the air.
The Red Hair Pirates.
Strictly speaking, they were the first—and only—pirate crew Kuta had met since setting sail that could truly be called an Adventure Crew.
Although the Red Hair Pirates had territory in the New World and other pirate crews under their protection, they never stayed anywhere for long. They did not even have a permanent base.
The Four Blues, Paradise, the New World—they went wherever they pleased.
If any crew had truly gone to sea for freedom and lived by that conviction, it was them. They were the freest pirate crew in the world.
That was why the two groups got along so well, though most of the talking came from the Red Hair Pirates while Kuta and his companions listened.
After all, while the Red Hair Pirates were the youngest of the Four Emperors' crews, they had been sailing together for more than twenty years.
Even setting aside the places Shanks had visited with Roger as a child, his personality alone meant that, over those twenty years, he had traveled through just about every sea in the world.
He had plenty of fascinating stories, and Ahua and the others listened with longing.
Throughout the banquet, it remained just that: a banquet.
Kuta asked nothing beyond it, and neither did Shanks.
As Sabo and Koala saw how relaxed everyone was, they gradually relaxed too and joined in.
Neither of them was one to brood, especially Sabo. His personality might not have been as striking as Ace's or Luffy's, but he was cheerful at heart.
The banquet went on for a long time.
It lasted from noon until sunset.
During that time, the Marines left quietly. Their mission