"That's right. You can reach me with this Den Den Mushi. No matter where you are, I can get to your side right away."
"If you run into anything you can't handle, give me a call. I'll definitely be there within a minute."
"Wow, that's amazing!"
Nami quickly took the Den Den Mushi. She knew that although Kazu had played a trick on the two of them earlier, he wasn't bad at heart and probably wouldn't lie to her.
Kazu worked out the timing. Arlong hadn't come to Cocoyasi Village yet; there should still be a year or two to go.
He would protect this innocent, carefree Nami. She was better off without those awful memories.
He would consider it repayment for all the doujinshi of her he'd read in his previous life. This favoritism was etched into his bones.
They continued chatting, with Kazu and Carlmand mostly telling stories to Nami and Nojiko.
Time passed quickly, and before long, Bellemere and Makino returned carrying alcohol, meat, and vegetables.
"I'll go show you what I can do in the kitchen."
"I'll help you."
Bellemere and Makino teamed up again. Sounds and rich aromas of cooking drifted from the kitchen, and Kazu and the others lost interest in telling stories, their thoughts entirely hijacked by their appetites.
"This is the last dish."
"Here comes the chicken soup!"
There were seven people in total, but at Makino's suggestion, they had made a full twenty dishes, all in outrageously large portions.
"Hahaha, thanks for all your hard work."
"Let's eat!"
Everyone was already impatient to begin. After working for half the day, they were all so hungry their bellies were practically stuck to their backbones.
After a bout of ravenous eating, nothing remained of the twenty dishes but the plates.
In fact, everyone else had finished long before and was waiting for Kazu and Carlmand to polish everything off.
"Those two certainly have healthy appetites."
Bellemere had only made a casual remark, but Makino felt a little embarrassed and laughed. "Ha, hahaha."
"They do eat quite a lot, but they're both very strong, too. At least the food isn't going to waste."
Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, Kazu and the others said goodbye. They planned to take a stroll around Kesha Town and see if there was anything else they needed.
"Bye, Kazu, Carlmand, Makino!"
"Come tell us more stories when you get the chance. I'll treat you to tangerines."
Nami and Nojiko waved goodbye while Bellemere and Genzo stood at the door, watching Kazu and the others leave.
"No problem! Next time we come here, we'll have another good feast. Hahaha!"
Accompanied by Kazu's laughter, the three gradually disappeared from Nami and the others' sight.
"What a free-spirited man."
Genzo and Bellemere both knew who the three of them were, but despite their formidable strength, they hadn't done anything evil. Instead, they were so easygoing that it truly inspired admiration.
"Yes. Thanks to them, I'll have a more comfortable second half of the year."
Bellemere stretched and lit another cigarette. "Back inside, Nami, Nojiko. We still have to clean up."
"Okay!" ×2.
Kesha Town wasn't far away, and they arrived after strolling along and enjoying the scenery.
"Hahaha, now this is more like it."
"Kazu, Makino, I'll leave the shopping to you two. See you tomorrow!"
With that, Carlmand waved and ran straight off, so excited that it seemed as though some magical force were calling to him.
Kazu knew perfectly well what that magical force was, while Makino was a little puzzled.
"Where is Carlmand going?"
"Kazu, does he know someone here?"
Kazu chuckled. "Know someone?"
"You could say that. Old acquaintances who know each other's lengths and depths."
"Never mind him. Let's look around. Didn't you say you wanted some decorations for your room?"
The two browsed all sorts of shops along the way. Makino had started working for money as a child, and once she grew up, she had opened a tavern of her own. She had spent her days working and rarely had time to go shopping in town.
Now that she had plenty of time to shop, her womanly nature came out all at once.
Kazu was covered in bags of every size. They weren't heavy for him; the main problem was that he was bored to death.
"Tch. If I'd known, I would've kept that brat Carlmand here to do the heavy lifting. No matter what, I'm not letting him go off and enjoy himself alone next time."
Kazu silently swore to himself that it was better someone else suffered than him. Next time, wouldn't it be nice to leave Carlmand doing the heavy lifting while he went off for a few drinks and some fun?
"We bought so much. I think we've got everything we need. Anything I can't remember can wait until next time."
Makino and Kazu had shopped for over two hours straight before finally stopping.
They had browsed the entire shopping street from one end to the other, and beyond it lay the food street.
"Perfect timing, Makino. Let's get something to eat. Trying the local specialties is an important part of an adventure, too."
"All right. Whatever the captain says."
Kazu pursed his lips. Now she was listening to the captain. When she'd been hanging bag after bag on him earlier, she hadn't treated him like a captain at all. He had been nothing but a walking storage rack.
"There's a restaurant up ahead. I could see its sign from way off. Come on, let's give it a try."
Kazu and Makino asked around on the way, and sure enough, that restaurant was the largest in Kesha Town.
"Welcome."
"What would you like to eat?"
Kazu and Makino took a table by the window in the dining hall, and a waiter hurried over with a very pleasant manner.
Kazu took the menu, casually ordered a dozen or so dishes, and asked for ten bottles of beer.
It wasn't a regular mealtime yet, only a little past four. There weren't very many customers, and the food arrived quite quickly.
"Mmm, the food here really is good. It lives up to being the biggest restaurant in town."
"Makino, eat some more, too. Didn't you tell me while we were shopping that you wanted to train harder? You won't have the strength to train if you don't eat enough."
Seeing Kazu dig in, Makino quickly joined the fray.
Although she was a cook, she was now a pirate, too. Even if she wasn't needed in battle, she hoped that when danger struck, she would have enough stamina to get away from the battlefield and hide quickly, avoiding becoming a burden to Kazu and the others.
Yes, in her view, not becoming a burden was already the greatest help she could offer.
Bang!
Kazu and Makino were only halfway through their meal when a group suddenly forced the restaurant doors open. The tremendous noise drew the attention of everyone in the dining hall.
"Hey, where's your boss? Get him out here!"
A dozen or so people filed in. At their head was a brown-haired man with two knife scars on his face, wearing a vicious grin and making no attempt to hide his arrogance.