The noise of the tavern slowly became muffled. The light reflected off the rum, casting a warm amber glow.
The older Rhett held his cup. His gaze behind the mask swept over every familiar face. Rayleigh was competing with Jabba to see who could drink more. Young Rhett was boasting to the crew about how he would one day dominate the entire sea. And Roger...
Rayleigh and Jabba were at their drinking contest. A row of empty bottles already stood in front of them. Rayleigh had taken off his glasses for once. His blond hair fell across his forehead.
Rhett thought to himself, "Tch. Show-off Rayleigh." x3
Jabba. Young Rhett curled his lip. The young man stood on the table.
"Another round! I bet Jabba falls first. One thousand berries!"
Jabba laughed and wiped the wine from his beard. "Nonsense! I can drink a thousand cups without falling. I bet on myself! One thousand berries! Future great pirate, you're not scared, are you?"
Rhett's Black Tide Greatsword was stuck in the wooden floor. He waved his arms and gestured wildly. "Who's scared? Just wait and see! When I become a great pirate, my name will echo across the entire Grand Line!"
His blood mist above his head condensed into an exaggerated crown shape. Then on the table, he condensed a very thin stool. "Everyone will have to call me 'Lord Rhett'!"
Rhett knew that was the prototype of his blood mist throne.
"Pfft! That stool looks so cheap!" Sunbell jeered.
"Damn you, Sunbell! What are you doing?!"
"In a real fight, I might not be able to beat you. But in pure physical technique, hehe, Fish-Man Karate! I'll throw you into the sea. Could you handle that?" Sunbell made an exaggerated Fish-Man Karate starting pose. But he was too drunk. He stumbled and nearly fell. Everyone burst out laughing.
"Sunbell is so weak! Hehehehe!"
Elio elegantly swirled his glass. His blue hair shimmered in the light. "Little Rhett, do you want to learn how to mix drinks?" He flicked his finger and added all kinds of strange things. The rum turned colorful. It looked amazing.
"Amazing!!!" Young Rhett's eyes lit up. "Brother Elio, teach me!"
The older Rhett watched this scene. The corners of his mouth beneath his mask curled up without him realizing it. He remembered this moment. Elio had taught him that trick later. And three months later, at some banquet, he had used it to turn Rayleigh's favorite rum into a strange pink color. Rayleigh had chased him all day. He had to stop thinking about it. His eyes were getting wet.
In the corner, Bulmarin was secretly pouring his drink into a potted plant. Rayleigh caught him. "Brat, wasting alcohol means you swim back to the ship." Rayleigh said with a straight face.
Ganryu added, "Get out of here. Go sit with the kids."
Bulmarin stuck out his tongue. "I just thought this plant looked thirsty... Drinking with Rhett is no fun!"
"Bastard, Bulmarin! Are you any better at drinking than me? You're the one who sneaks away from drinking. Who are you to talk?"
"You want to fight, Rhett?"
"Bring it on! Who's scared?"
"Taking bets! Taking bets!"
Roger had somehow sat down next to him. His straw hat was pulled low, only his smiling mouth visible.
"This is good alcohol, isn't it?" Roger suddenly spoke. His voice was low enough that only the two of them could hear.
The older Rhett's fingers gently traced the rim of his cup. "Yes. It's very strong."
Roger grinned and took a big gulp from his barrel. "Kuhahaha! I told you!"
The older Rhett turned his head slightly to look at Roger. Roger was watching Rhett and Bulmarin wrestling.
"Rhett, hit him in the kidneys!"
"Bulmarin, bite him! Hahaha!"
After the commotion, the Roger Pirates went back to eating and drinking.
"Hey! Masked uncle!" Young Rhett suddenly came over. His cheeks were flushed with drink. "Do you really think I can become such a great pirate in the future?"
The older Rhett looked at the brash, confident young man in front of him. He suddenly wanted to tell him: You will experience more pain than you can imagine. You will lose people who matter. You will spend countless nights asking yourself if any of it was worth it. But in the end, you will understand what it all meant.
"Of course you can." He gently clinked his cup against the young man's. "No matter what happens, they will always be your crewmates."
"Another person who loves giving lectures. So annoying. You really think I'm a kid? Hmph!"
Young Rhett shook his head, pretending to be world-weary. He clearly didn't fully understand the depth of those words. But the next moment, Jabba pulled him away for another drinking contest. He was soon lost in the fun of the banquet again.
---
After several rounds of drinks, the banquet grew even livelier.
Young Rhett's cheeks were bright red, but he was still standing on the table, swaying with his cup. "Hey! Masked uncle! You seem really familiar with our crew! We get along really well!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Jabba drunkenly slapped the table. "We're short on... uh... short on what again?"
"You drunks..." Rayleigh sighed helplessly. His fingers tapped lightly on the rim of his cup, as if waiting for something.
Bulmarin was hanging drunkenly on Sunbell's shoulder. "I vote yes! This guy's alcohol tolerance is really good. I approve."
"Kuhahaha!" Roger suddenly laughed. His eyes beneath his straw hat were bright. "It's like this guy was born to be our crewmate!"
The entire tavern went silent for a second. Then it erupted into even louder cheers. Young Rhett jumped down from the table excitedly. His blood mist trailed behind him. "Captain, what are you waiting for? Wahahaha! Come on, come on! Let's be pirates together with the captain! Let the whole world remember our names!"
He saw Rayleigh raise an eyebrow slightly. He saw Jabba's beard shake with laughter. He saw the pure anticipation in the young man's eyes. All of it was so familiar. And all of it felt so far away.
Amid the crowd's urging, Roger suddenly grew quiet. His gaze cut through the noise and stared directly at the older Rhett.
But Roger just blinked. And then —
"Burp—" He let out a loud belch. A large bubble came out of his nose.
Then he fell face-first onto the table and started snoring loudly.
"Boo—" Everyone let out disappointed groans.
"Zzz... zzz..."
Young Rhett curled his lip. "Stupid captain. Always messing up at the worst time. I don't know if you inherited it from Garp or Garp inherited it from you. If there isn't something going on between you two, I don't believe it. It's getting harder and harder to explain."
He turned to the older Rhett. "But it's fine. We'll officially invite you when the captain wakes up. He does this all the time. There's no poison in the food. Don't worry. He's just asleep."
The older Rhett's lips curled up beneath his mask.
"Hey, kid." Rayleigh suddenly spoke. His voice was uncharacteristically gentle. "Don't be too disappointed. Some things..."
"Hey, hey, hey, kid. I'm much older than you." The older Rhett said with a grin.
Rayleigh was taken aback for a moment. "Hahaha. I couldn't tell. I thought you were in your twenties or thirties. Sorry, sorry. I'll drink three cups to make up for it."
Jabba laughed and opened another barrel of alcohol. "Who cares! Let's just drink! We'll worry about tomorrow when it comes."
---
The banquet finally ended. Roger, Rayleigh, Jabba, and the others who had drunk too much were put to bed early. The crew laid them out on the same table.
Rhett knew it was time for him to leave this banquet. As he passed by the entrance of the tavern, he glanced at the three men sleeping on the table. He whispered softly, "Sweet dreams, Second Brother Rayleigh. Third Brother Jabba."