Chapter 32: Loguetown
This battle had provided immense benefits for Robin. She had realized many of her own shortcomings, and her progress was accelerating rapidly. She felt deeply grateful toward Hashirama for his patient guidance.
Hashirama, for his part, greatly admired Robin's fighting style. The advantage of having multiple arms was massive. If Robin continued down this path, she might eventually be able to stand on the same level as himself or Madara.
This was exactly why he was willing to guide her. She was a talent worth nurturing.
"Have you two eaten breakfast yet?" Yumesaki stepped forward to ask once they finished.
Nico Robin shook her head. "Not yet."
Yumesaki handed over the buns. "Eat these for now to tide you over. This afternoon, we'll find a good restaurant and eat our fill."
"Are we departing now?" Robin asked.
Yumesaki knew what she was getting at. He nodded and said, "Let's go. There's no point in staying here any longer."
Robin had no objections. She accepted the meat buns and began to eat while sprouting several clones to man the ship. The sails unfurled, and the vessel slowly pulled away from Cocoyasi Village, heading back into the vast, open sea.
"Where are we heading next?"
"First, we're going to Baratie, the Floating Restaurant, for a grand feast," Yumesaki declared. "After that, we'll head to Loguetown to see the execution platform of the Pirate King."
The food at Baratie was truly excellent, and Yumesaki was itching to taste it a second time.
As for the execution platform of Pirate King Roger, it was really just a wooden frame—nothing particularly exciting to look at.
But as the saying goes... since we're already here, might as well take a look.
Robin gave a soft "hmm" of agreement and steered the ship back toward Baratie.
"Lady Tsunade, we meet again! It must be destiny!"
As soon as their group entered the restaurant, the ever-shameless Sanji scurried over. He held out a single rose to Robin, his eyes vibrating as they transformed into literal heart shapes.
Yumesaki had enough. He couldn't help but groan, "You really are the type of guy who never learns his lesson, aren't you?"
"Shut it! Mind your own business!" Sanji snapped. He didn't have a single shred of goodwill toward Yumesaki; he hadn't forgotten the absolute thrashing he'd received last time. Even if Yumesaki wasn't the one who physically did it, he was definitely the cause of it.
"And what if I told you that the beautiful 'Lady Tsunade' in your eyes is actually a grandmother over fifty years old? What would you think then?"
"Huh?"
Sanji stared at Robin, his face frozen in shock.
Robin offered a small, mysterious smile. While she was actually a woman in her late twenties, the identity she was using—Tsunade—was indeed a woman in her fifties.
Seeing that Robin didn't deny it, Sanji felt his entire world collapse.
A grandmother over fifty... a grandmother over fifty... a grandmother over fifty...
"NOOOOOO!!!"
Sanji fell to his knees, screaming toward the ceiling. The news had come far too abruptly for him to accept.
"Shut up, you brat!"
In the next second, a heavy boot connected with Sanji's head, sending the screaming cook flying into the distance. It was Zeff.
"Welcome to Baratie. We meet again, guests."
Yumesaki nodded. "Good to see you again, Boss Zeff. This time, give us your best signature dishes. Also, could you cook them yourself? I'd love to taste the skills of the owner himself."
Last time he'd had the Seafood Risotto; this time, Yumesaki wanted to try something different.
Zeff nodded, signaling it wasn't a problem. He handed Yumesaki's group over to another chef to be seated before turning back toward the kitchen.
Before long, several of Baratie's signature dishes were served.
The first course was fresh fish sashimi. Paired with a special sauce, it was fresh, tangy, and perfectly sweet—an excellent appetizer.
The second course was a large charcoal-grilled crab. The flavor was extraordinary, especially since the ingredients used at Baratie were several times larger than a standard king crab. The crab legs were thicker than Yumesaki's arm; compared to this, a normal king crab looked like an undernourished child.
The third dish was fried ribbonfish. The taste was beyond doubt, with the bones fried until they were perfectly crispy.
The fourth dish was caviar. This was actually the first time Yumesaki had ever eaten the stuff. In his own world, he had only heard of it but never seen it. But here in the One Piece world, he was getting a real taste of it. It was a flavor one could never forget.
The subsequent dishes were just as incredible. Especially the final seafood bisque; Yumesaki drank several bowls until he was physically incapable of eating another bite.
Tasting the food today, it was noticeably better than Sanji's cooking. Yumesaki had to admit that experience didn't lie. Before Sanji joined the Straw Hat Pirates and traveled the world to hone his craft, his skills still had quite a gap to bridge to reach Zeff's level.
Once they were full, the group paid the bill, said their goodbyes to Zeff, and left Baratie to set sail for Loguetown.
As for Sanji, ever since he found out Tsunade was over fifty, he had fallen into a deep depression. Even as Yumesaki's group departed, he was still hiding in a corner, drawing circles on the floor with his finger. It didn't look like he'd be bouncing back anytime soon.
What a useless guy. So what if she's over fifty? What's the big deal?
In Yumesaki's view, as long as a woman was young and beautiful, there wasn't much difference between fifty or five hundred years old.
Xu Xian didn't let a thousand-year-old snake spirit stop him; when Liu Yanchang wooed San Sheng Mu, her age was enough to make her his ancestor. Did either of those guys complain?
Getting depressed over a few decades... he really was hopeless.
Deep down, he felt a sense of smug superiority over Sanji. Throughout the following day, Yumesaki felt incredibly refreshed and cheerful, smiling at everyone he saw.
One day later, they arrived at Loguetown.
In the lore of this world, this place sat at the junction between the East Blue and the Grand Line. It was named as such because the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was born and publicly executed here... The Town of the Beginning and the End.
At the harbor stood a triangular gate, with various shops lining both sides. The storefronts weren't just crowded; it was a literal sea of people, packed so tightly that shoulders were constantly brushing.
The flow of people was staggering.
When he'd read the manga, Yumesaki knew there were a lot of people here, but after seeing it in person, he finally understood how prosperous this place was. It truly lived up to its reputation.
The last time Yumesaki had seen a crowd this large was during a holiday or a major sale at a shopping mall. But if one thought about it, Loguetown—as the site of the Pirate King's execution—was famous worldwide and a massive tourist destination. Such a turnout was only natural.
The three of them followed the flow of the crowd, pushing forward until they quickly reached the main plaza of Loguetown.
In the center of the square stood a tall execution platform. That was the exact spot where Pirate King Roger had met his end.
The platform wasn't built luxuriously; in fact, it was quite simple. If it were placed anywhere else, no one would give it a second glance. But because it had claimed the life of the Pirate King, it had become a legendary landmark.
Every day, people from all corners of the world traveled here just to see what the platform where the Pirate King died looked like.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
50 Power Stone = 1 Bonus Chapter (Up to 5 bonus chapters per week).
Read ahead and support the story on Patreon: patreon.com/FaaanzKun
✅ 60+ chapters ahead of WebNovel
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —