Chapter 31: The Banquet, The Battle of Instructions
Hearing Nojiko's sincere invitation, Kazuma Yumesaki turned toward Robin and Hashirama to ask for their thoughts.
"I don't mind," Robin said calmly. From her perspective, whether they participated in this celebration or not didn't really matter; at most, it would only delay their departure by a single night.
Since she didn't object, Hashirama certainly wouldn't either.
"In that case, we'll join you," Yumesaki made the decision almost without a second thought.
If one were to ask what makes the world of One Piece so special, the answers would usually be Haki, Devil Fruits, Sea Kings, or the marauding pirates...
Well, all of those were true.
However, there was another distinct characteristic: the people of this world absolutely loved parties and banquets.
Especially the pirates. They were constantly shouting at the top of their lungs, "Boys, we have guests! Throw a banquet!"
"I'm feeling great today! Throw a banquet!"
"That battle really drained us! Throw a banquet!"
In short, no matter what happened, everyone seemed to want to celebrate with a massive feast.
Whitebeard was like that, Shanks was like that, and Luffy was like that. He hadn't expected the residents of Cocoyasi Village to be exactly the same.
Yumesaki was genuinely curious about what kind of magic these banquets held to make people want to hold them over and over again. Thus, he accepted Nojiko's invitation, intending to get a real taste of the authentic banquet culture of the One Piece world.
That night, the villagers of Cocoyasi lit a massive bonfire, brought out the delicious food they had been saving for a long time, and held a grand feast.
During the festivities, the villagers—who had initially kept their distance from Yumesaki—now approached him one by one with unbridled enthusiasm.
Expressions of gratitude poured from their lips, praising Yumesaki's group with such exaggerated flattery that it made his skin crawl.
How could these villagers be so eloquent? Their words were so rhythmic and well-structured it felt like they were taking a university entrance exam. Their silver tongues were truly something else.
Yumesaki stole a glance at Robin, only to find her smiling the whole time, seemingly unbothered by the constant praise.
Or rather, she wasn't taking the compliments to heart at all. While she appeared to be smiling, she maintained a subtle distance from the villagers; she was right there in front of them, yet she felt worlds away.
The villagers seemed to notice this as well, so the crowd surrounding Robin thinned out drastically. Instead, everyone swarmed toward Yumesaki, offering toasts and endless thanks.
Yumesaki himself couldn't actually handle alcohol, so he stuck to fruit juice the entire time.
As a side note, the juice was freshly squeezed by Nojiko using tangerines from her own orchard. When the first sip hit his tongue, Yumesaki's eyes instantly lit up. It was sweet and refreshing—truly delicious.
He hadn't expected the fruit in this village to be so high-quality.
However, after drinking too much of it, the sweetness became a bit overwhelming. He ended up eating large portions of meat and vegetables just to neutralize the sugary aftertaste in his mouth.
As for Hashirama, being an Edo Tensei summon, he didn't actually need to eat. But since he didn't want to reject the villagers' enthusiasm, he picked up a piece of meat and took a few bites.
As expected, it tasted like chewing on a candle—completely flavorless.
Because of that, after finishing that single piece, he didn't open his mouth again. He simply stood beside Yumesaki like a silent sentinel, guarding his safety.
"Thank you, Yumesaki."
Toward the end of the banquet, Nojiko walked over carrying a fresh glass of juice. Yumesaki's expression shifted immediately as he waved his hands frantically. "I can't drink any more. Seriously, I'm done."
Nojiko covered her mouth and let out a soft giggle. "This glass is for me."
Only then did Yumesaki feel a sense of relief.
A moment later, Nojiko spoke again, her voice full of emotion. "If it weren't for your help, we wouldn't have known when we'd ever get our freedom back from the Arlong Pirates. I am truly, deeply grateful to you, Yumesaki."
Yumesaki replied nonchalantly, "Even if I hadn't come, someone else would have eventually shown up to help you."
For instance, a certain protagonist named Luffy.
"Is that so?"
Nojiko smiled, though she clearly didn't believe him. If there was someone else willing to help, why hadn't they appeared until now? Why was it Yumesaki's group that finally showed up?
She assumed he was just being modest to comfort her, so she didn't take the comment seriously.
Yumesaki saw her dismissive expression and knew exactly what she was thinking. He didn't bother explaining further; some things simply aren't believed until they actually happen. Nojiko was clearly that type of person.
"Once the party is over, if you don't have a place to stay, would you like to rest at my house?"
"No need."
Seeing Nojiko's expression—as if she were looking for any way to repay the favor—Yumesaki waved her off. "I'm the type of person who finds it hard to sleep in unfamiliar places, so I'll pass."
Compared to sleeping at Nojiko's house, he much preferred going back to his own home for a good night's rest.
Left with no other choice and seeing the lack of interest on Yumesaki's face, Nojiko could only drop the subject.
Not long after, the banquet came to an end.
Yumesaki, Robin, and Hashirama stood up to say their goodbyes and returned to the ship. Yumesaki then passed through the wooden cabin door, returning to his own world to lie down and sleep soundly.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning.
Yumesaki woke up, went to the bathroom to clean himself up, and headed downstairs to buy over thirty large meat buns. He then opened his bedroom door, crossed back onto the ship in the One Piece world, and sought out Hashirama and Robin.
He found the two of them mid-spar on the deck.
Of course, rather than calling it a fight, it was more like Hashirama was giving Robin a masterclass on how to utilize Ninjutsu in combat.
It was truly a battle of instructions.
Yumesaki stepped out of the cabin, leaning against the side to enjoy the show.
With the help of her Hana Hana no Mi, Robin could sprout extra pairs of arms anywhere on her body, making the execution of Ninjutsu incredibly easy.
Itachi Uchiha's speed of weaving six hand signs in a single second had shocked many.
But Robin? Forget six signs a second—if she wanted to, she could weave sixty signs a second without breaking a sweat. Such was the advantage of having multiple limbs.
This resulted in Robin's Ninjutsu being essentially instantaneous.
She could even control multiple techniques simultaneously to challenge Hashirama. Fireballs, water dragons, and earthen walls manifested one after another from Robin's hands, creating a magnificent and colorful display that would leave anyone stunned.
If this were the world of Naruto, such a sight would be enough to shatter everyone's common sense. Who would have thought Ninjutsu could be played like this?
However, even with all that, Robin remained at a severe disadvantage against Hashirama.
The power of the God of Shinobi wasn't something that could be challenged simply by mastering a few techniques. Even though Hashirama wasn't at his full strength, he was still able to suppress Robin to the point where she felt nothing but awe and complete surrender.
By the time the session ended, the deck was riddled with holes, and even the railings and masts had been splintered into pieces. The entire ship looked like a wreck, as if it might sink to the bottom of the sea at any moment.
But in the next heartbeat, Hashirama unleashed his Wood Release, refreshing the ship entirely and restoring it to its original condition.
"Thank you for your guidance, Master Hashirama."
Once the instruction battle concluded, Robin gave a respectful bow to Hashirama as a sign of gratitude.
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