Rossi glanced at the female officer beside him, reached out, and grabbed the owner's arm, lifting him up. "I only came here to eat."
He let go and pointed to a seat by the window. "Food for two... no, twenty.
"Remember, don't add that stuff."
"Understood! Absolutely none!"
The owner nodded repeatedly and backed into the kitchen. The curtain was still trembling as it fell.
Gion sat down at the table, tracing the grain of the wooden surface with a finger. "You can tell me now."
Outside the window, several indistinct figures hugged the foot of the building opposite.
Sanji raised one finger, signaling for silence.
Her dark-haired colleague took a small listening device from inside her clothes and pressed it gently against the wall.
Inside the restaurant, Rossi leaned back in his chair, his gaze settling on a crack in the ceiling. "It was raining hard when that happened."
The restaurant owner bowed and backed away. Only after Rossi and Gion had seated themselves casually in the empty dining room did he wipe his brow and turn toward the kitchen.
Fingertips brushed across the tabletop, where a thin layer of dust had collected in the wood grain.
Every eatery along the street had closed-ever since the Marines landed on the island and confiscated the seasoning called "Secret Flavor Powder,"
the chefs and waiters had been leaving one after another.
The sails in the harbor were disappearing beyond the horizon in succession.
Merchants, sailors, and those concealing their identities alike had hurriedly set sail upon hearing the Marines' announcement.
The announcement was simple: the island's specialty seasoning had been confirmed to contain hallucinogenic substances.
The streets had emptied as a result.
For the next few months, probably no one would stop here for the name "Food Island"
anymore.
"Last time...