Luffy had never seen so much meat in his life.
Not the wild boar legs he only occasionally got to eat at Dadan's place in Foosha Village, not the fish Ace speared from the sea and roasted, not even the Sea Kings barbecue at Bellemere's Orange Grove-
It was an entire street, an entire city, with endless meat filling every shop window and stall.
Fat from roasting meat dripped onto the coals with a sizzle. Thick stew bubbled in earthenware pots. Fried cutlets in crisp golden crusts were piled into little mountains.
Even the air smelled of meat-mixed with spices and caramel, a smell that stopped people in their tracks.
Luffy stood at the intersection on Central Street, his straw hat tilted back at a hundred-and-twenty-degree angle, his mouth forming a perfect circle, three glistening strands of drool spilling from its corners.
"I'm gonna-"
His eyes turned into two blazing stars.
"Eat it all!!!"
Carina reacted instantly and grabbed the back of his shirt.
"Wait, wait!!"
Luffy was yanked off his feet, his legs still flailing in the air like a rubber puppy being held by the scruff.
"Let me finish before you charge off!!"
Carina set him back on the ground, planted her hands on her hips, and looked down at the boy, who was only half a head shorter than her.
Today she wore a knee-length blue-and-white striped dress with a matching bow at the neckline, her long blue hair tied into a high ponytail.
The outfit made her look two or three years older than she really was, like a noble young lady taking her cousin from the countryside into the city.
"First," she said, raising one finger, "you're not allowed to eat too much at once. You'll eat yourself to death."
Luffy blinked.
"Second," she said,