"Makino, a Bloody Mary, please!"
A youth in black robes appeared before the bar, his eyes holding a depth that did not match his age.
Makino, who had been wiping a glass, gave him a helpless look and said,
"Bai Yu, haven't I told you that you can only drink once you're an adult? You're only sixteen this year."
"Besides, isn't Ace setting sail today? Why aren't you seeing him off?"
Even as she spoke, Makino deftly mixed a glass of scarlet liquor and handed it to Bai Yu.
Bai Yu took the glass, tipped his head back, and drained it in one gulp, savoring the sharp, fiery sensation as the strong liquor coursed through him.
This was life!
As a reincarnator, Bai Yu had been adopted by Garp as a child, turning the original story's three brats into four.
Aside from constantly undergoing Garp's hellish training.
Bai Yu also visited Makino's tavern every day.
He had started out drinking only milk, but gradually developed a taste for strong liquor.
Although Makino had resisted with all her might, she had eventually yielded before Bai Yu's eyes, which held a depth beyond his years.
"Ding! System unlocking in progress. Current unlock progress has reached ninety-nine percent. Host, please remain where you are."
An ethereal notification sounded in Bai Yu's mind.
That's right!
This was standard equipment for a reincarnator.
A cheat called a system.
Ever since he could remember, Bai Yu had hurried to the tavern every single day, all to unlock the system.
As time passed, three years became another three years.
Bai Yu had checked in for fourteen years.
At last, the final moment of unlocking had arrived.
Compared to welcoming the arrival of his cheat, seeing Ace off to sea.
Was not worth mentioning at all.
Right now, there was only one thing Bai Yu wanted to know.
Just what was this system that had taken fourteen years to unlock?!
"Bai Yu, you're zoning out again. You're clearly only sixteen, but every time I see you, you seem sixty."
Makino shook her head, refilled Bai Yu's glass, and said,
"I don't know what's on your mind, but look at Luffy. He's so happy to see Ace setting sail. You should learn from him."
Makino was no stranger to the four brothers.
Ace's stubbornness, Sabo's gentle refinement, and Luffy's one-track mind.
Yet she had never been able to see through the youth before her.
As a tavern owner who had met countless people, she actually couldn't read a single youth.
Makino could hardly believe such a thing, yet it was a fact.
"Makino, I don't want to be like that big idiot, shouting about becoming the Pirate King every day. Luffy's definitely getting a beating when the old man comes back."
"Judging by the time, that damned old man should be back soon. Ace is probably setting sail now to avoid him, too."
"But I'm sure Ace will come looking for me before he leaves."
Bai Yu took another swig, a hint of haziness entering his eyes.
He was not drunk. All those years of freeloading drinks had long since given him an astonishing tolerance.
As Bai Yu put it, he was savoring the taste of the liquor.
"You're as confident as ever, you little brat. But next time you come freeloading drinks, remember to call me Auntie, or I'll charge you."
Makino shot him a glare, then soon heard hurried footsteps outside.
Bang!
The door was shoved open with a bang.
Luffy, wearing his straw hat, charged in first.
That was right!
Just like in the original story, Luffy had indeed been brainwashed by Red-Haired.
As for why Bai Yu hadn't stopped Red-Haired, it was entirely because doing so would have been too much trouble.
"Bai Yu, Ace is here to challenge you again! Same rules as always: whoever wins gets to be the big brother!"
Luffy crashed headfirst into the bar with such force that the tavern shook several times.
Watching this, Bai Yu shook his head helplessly, glad he hadn't stopped Red-Haired from brainwashing him.
Otherwise, with someone as single-minded as Luffy.
Without the Gum-Gum Fruit and his protagonist halo, he probably would have smashed himself to death on the road long ago.
"Bai Yu, I thought you'd come see me off. I didn't expect you to be hiding here again."
Ace appeared in the doorway, his face covered in freckles and a red cowboy hat on his head.
"Are you afraid you'll lose to me?"
"Lose to you?"
Bai Yu smiled and shook his head.
"Stop making such big boasts."
"From now on, add 'big brother' after my name when you call me. All these years, you couldn't even beat me at fighting over milk when we were little, and now you want to beat me? Is this some kind of joke?"
"You'll only ever be my little brother in this lifetime."
"Bai Yu, I'm the little brother! What's wrong with being the little brother?" Luffy, who had already straightened his hat, cut in from the side.
Bai Yu and Ace ignored him outright.
They had long since grown used to their little brother's missing screw.
Bai Yu even wondered whether Luffy had choked on amniotic fluid when he was born.
Otherwise, surely a few more breaths of fresh air would have kept him from turning out like this?
Still, for over a decade, Bai Yu had indeed kept Ace and the other two firmly beneath him, holding his seat as the eldest brother.
What a joke!
If Bai Yu, with his memories of a past life, couldn't be stronger than others his age.
Then he might as well have lived this life as a dog.
"Bai Yu, the old man's coming back soon, and I don't want to waste words with you. Today, I'm definitely going to beat you."
Ace spoke hurriedly, pulling a length of pipe from behind his back.
That was Sabo's signature weapon.
It seemed that over the years, after believing Sabo had been blown to death, Ace really hadn't just copied his personality to become a good big brother to Luffy.
He had even secretly learned Sabo's fighting techniques.
"Sabo once said his lifelong wish was to defeat you. He can't do that now, but I'll fulfill his wish."
Ace tightened his grip on the pipe, a trace of reminiscence appearing on his face.
The atmosphere in the tavern grew somewhat heavy.
Even Makino had heard about what had unfortunately happened to Sabo.
Only Bai Yu's expression remained unchanged as he shook his head and once again drained the strong liquor in his glass.
It wasn't that Bai Yu was too coldhearted. Sabo was simply still alive and well.
To hell with all this mourning and gloom!
Seeing Ace lay his cards on the table and bring out the pipe-fighting techniques he had kept hidden, Bai Yu was just about to rise and meet his challenge.
"Ding! System successfully unlocked. Congratulations, host, on obtaining the Strongest Template System."
"Ding! In recognition of the host's voluntary check-ins over fourteen years, you have received the Strongest Template Gift Pack. Would you like to open it immediately?"
A string of system notifications rang out.
Bai Yu's eyes involuntarily lit up.
After such a long wait, the system had finally activated.
A vast stream of information about the system rapidly poured into Bai Yu's mind.
Soon, a gleam flashed through Bai Yu's eyes. He finally understood just what this Strongest Template System was.