Although Shanks had fought Kazu and held a banquet with him, gaining a preliminary understanding of his character,
Luffy was the future he had bet on, and he still felt uneasy about leaving Kazu's group in Foosha Village.
Granted, the left arm he had wagered had to go. Even without Luffy, he would have had to cut it off himself.
That was the price he had paid for gathering intelligence. To escape Imu's surveillance, he could not keep his left arm.
He had originally wanted to postpone setting sail, waiting until Kazu and the others left before leaving himself.
Now that he knew Kazu was Whitebeard's biological son, coupled with his own judgment of character, he had no more doubts.
This was an old pirate tradition, too, just like how Roger had entrusted his son to Garp rather than his own crew.
When you firmly believed the other person would never do such a thing, you really could rest easy.
Besides, if Kazu truly intended to do something, he could pretend to leave and then return to kill once Shanks and the others were gone. There was nothing Shanks could do about that. He could hardly stay in Foosha Village forever.
"Luffy, we really are setting off this time. We still have our own adventures to complete."
On the morning of the third day after the banquet, Luffy sobbed his heart out, clinging to Shanks's leg.
All Shanks could do was stroke Luffy's head and comfort him.
Seeing Luffy's small frame with that signature straw hat hanging on his back, Shanks's eyes filled with resolve.
"Shanks, wait for me! Once I set sail, I'll definitely come find you!"
"I..."
"I'm definitely going to become the Pirate King!!"
Luffy shouted his dream aloud, and not a single person present laughed at the seven-year-old boy.
Having a dream was better than having none. Besides, Shanks and his crew knew the importance of the Devil Fruit Luffy had eaten. Otherwise, they would never have attacked a World Government ship to seize it.
Kazu, meanwhile, knew some of the original story and knew just how absurdly powerful Luffy would become.
All those repeated comebacks and HP-lock cheats, with his combat power inexplicably jumping after every fight.
The standard protagonist template: impossible to kill no matter how hard he was beaten, enemies who never finished him off, and inexplicable boosts to his combat power.
The Red Hair Pirates embarked on their journey once more, heading straight for the Grand Line this time as they advanced toward their goal.
"Kazu, Shanks and the others are gone. Where are we going?"
Not knowing where to go, Carlmand naturally asked his captain. After all, Kazu had come here for Shanks and his crew in the first place.
Now they were gone, and Kazu and Carlmand were not particularly short on supplies. All their food and drink were in Kazu's separate space.
"Hahaha, since we're already here, let's look around. At the very least, we haven't tried the local specialty drinks yet. We ought to stock up."
That was right. Carlmand wanted to draw nautical charts, while Kazu wanted to taste fine local wines everywhere.
"Would you like some drinks?"
"What we had at the banquet was only part of the selection. I have other drinks at my tavern."
Hearing Kazu's words, Makino politely invited them to her tavern.
After all, they were powerful and very courteous toward the villagers. Unlike other pirates who committed every imaginable evil, they were quite easy to get along with.
"Oh?"
"Sorry for the trouble, then. Please lead the way, Miss Makino."
Kazu and Carlmand followed Makino to the tavern. Sure enough, there were several drinks Kazu had never tried, reportedly fine specialty brews from the Goa Kingdom.
Kazu tasted them and found them quite good. He promptly ordered five hundred bottles of each, giving Makino quite a fright.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kazu, but the tavern doesn't have that much in stock right now."
"For such a large order, you could try looking in town."
And so, carrying a few empty bottles, Kazu took Carlmand into town and found the largest tavern there.
"Boss, five hundred bottles of each of these."
Kazu set the empty bottles on the table, and the owner's eyes lit up.
This was a big customer. That quantity was enough for an ordinary mid-sized tavern to restock its inventory.
"Certainly, sir. Please wait a moment."
A dozen or so young men carried the crates out one after another. It took twenty minutes to bring out all the drinks Kazu had ordered.
Kazu paid without fuss and waved his hand. All the drinks vanished into thin air.
"Ah, this..."
The owner and tavern workers froze on the spot. This ability to make objects disappear into thin air had truly startled them.
Several hundred crates of drinks were no small amount, yet they had vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Let's go, Carlmand. I'll take you somewhere you can really relax."
"Somewhere we can really relax?"
"Aren't we relaxing already?"
Carlmand was utterly baffled, but he still followed behind Kazu.
They passed through the bustling commercial streets, beyond which were numerous entertainment and service establishments.
Every town had places like these. After all, wherever there were poor people, there were rich people. Without places to eat, drink, and have fun, how could anyone make money off the rich?
Most importantly, how else were those poor young ladies supposed to survive?
"Welcome!"
"This way to the second floor, honored guests."
Kazu followed the beautiful woman leading the way with practiced ease.
Carlmand, on the other hand, moved stiffly. He had never imagined Kazu would bring him to a place like this.
Did he like it?
In his heart, he certainly did.
But he had never had any experience with girls. This obviously was not a respectable establishment, and he felt rather intimidated.
"Hm?"
"Keep up, Carlmand! Look alive. Don't embarrass yourself!"
Kazu looked back and saw that Carlmand had practically frozen solid, and he chuckled.
He had not expected Carlmand to be such an innocent young man.
After some encouragement from Kazu, Carlmand gritted his teeth and hurried to catch up.
"Gentlemen, which package would you like?"
Kazu took the price list and looked it over. "This one, the most expensive. I want two girls. One will be enough for my brother here. Find him a patient girl who can guide her."
The waitress covered her mouth and chuckled. "Of course, honored guest."
With that, the waitress left.
"Kazu, is this really okay?"
Carlmand still could not quite get past his mental hurdle, but that nervous, ticklish feeling inside made him reluctant to give up.
By now, Carlmand's teeth were almost chattering as he spoke, and his mouth was dry.
Kazu patted Carlmand on the shoulder and laughed. "Hahaha, trust me, brother."
"After a few times, you'll come to love this feeling."
"A man can't grow without weathering a few storms."
"These beauties are the trials on your road to growth. Only by cutting your way through every obstacle can you become a true warrior."
Carlmand opened his mouth but said nothing, merely nodding in silence.
"Mm, you can be taught."
Kazu nodded in satisfaction. Before long, Kazu's two beauties and Carlmand's understanding older woman arrived on the second floor.
Sure enough, since Kazu and Carlmand had ordered the most expensive packages, the staff the owner sent up had the best figures and prettiest faces in the establishment.
Carlmand was led into another room, beginning his transformation as he grew.