Seeing his opponent deftly turn his own words against him, Will couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. As he slurped his noodles, he deliberately stirred the pot, saying, "Who says I can't find an opportunity?"
"Let me tell you, Issho," he continued, his tone teasing, "this soba is so good that if you don't let me eat my fill today, I might just have to find an opportunity to throw a fit!"
"Huh? That's…" Issho's heart skipped a beat at the words. The last thing he wanted was to get dragged into another pointless fight with this guy. Hearing the relentless slurp slurp of Will devouring his noodles nearby, a bead of cold sweat slid down Issho's forehead.
He knew full well that even he could easily polish off dozens of bowls of soba. But this guy? His physique was clearly even more formidable, which meant his appetite was likely just as monstrous.
At that thought, Issho's hand instinctively slipped to his waistband, brushing against his already pathetically thin coin pouch. "This is gonna be trouble…" he muttered to himself, his expression turning bitter as he shook his head in quiet resignation.
He lifted his bowl and kept eating his beloved soba, but somehow, the flavor didn't seem as satisfying as it had moments ago.
Meanwhile, Will showed no mercy, finishing one bowl after another. His stomach was like a bottomless black hole, ravenously devouring the soba. Issho, sitting beside him, grew increasingly uneasy with every slurp slurp ringing in his ears, feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles.
During the meal, Will didn't let the conversation die. With curiosity in his voice, he asked, "By the way, what brought you to the Alabasta Kingdom all of a sudden? Don't tell me you just heard about the gambling city of Rainbase and came running."
"Well…" Issho's eyes shifted slightly beneath his closed lids before he answered slowly, "To be honest, the gambling city of Rainbase did play a part in it. I won't lie to you, sir—my love for gambling is no less than my love for soba."
He paused for a few seconds before adding, "But the real reason I've stayed on this island has to do with one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile."
"With him?" Will's chopsticks paused mid-bite, his gaze flickering with intrigue.
"Exactly," Issho nodded, his voice growing serious. "After arriving here, I suddenly found myself wanting to understand something: what exactly are these pirates, hired by the World Government, up to? Have they truly changed their ways?"
Will took a few more bites of his noodles, then looked up curiously. "And? What'd you find out?"
"The results…" Issho fell silent for a moment, his tone tinged with helplessness. "After some discreet investigation, I found that Crocodile's reputation has indeed changed. Many of the locals even call him a 'national hero.' But something about the plight of this country's people… it always felt like there was some deeper issue at play."
He continued, "Not long after Crocodile arrived, droughts started, water shortages cropped up, and then there was all this talk about Dance Powder. Considering Crocodile's Devil Fruit abilities, I couldn't shake the feeling that things aren't as simple as they seem."
At that, Issho turned his head slightly toward Will, who was still eating, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "After observing the kingdom for a few days, I initially thought nothing major was happening—that maybe my suspicions were just my imagination running wild. But then I sensed someone making a move against Crocodile. And when I realized that someone was you, Mr. Will, I became certain that there's more to what's happening in this kingdom than meets the eye."
"Oh?" Will raised an eyebrow, surprised. "This has something to do with me? Why'd you change your mind the moment you knew it was me making a move?"
Issho's expression grew earnest. "Because, Mr. Will, you've done some good deeds back in the East Blue. You even dared to take on those so-called 'descendants of the gods,' the Celestial Dragons. Even I couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration when I heard about it."
He lowered his head slightly, his voice tinged with a hint of passion. "Those so-called Celestial Dragons, and the World Government itself—are they really gods? I don't believe that for a second. They're just people who happen to hold the world's highest power, nothing more than that. What you did to the Celestial Dragons, Mr. Will, only confirmed what I've always thought."
He went on, "So when I learned you were the one targeting Crocodile, I knew there had to be a reason behind it."
Hearing this, Will set his bowl down and gave an approving smile. "You're right, Issho. There's no such thing as 'gods' in this world. The so-called 'gods' are just humans who are good at putting on a disguise. If you could destroy an entire island with a single blow, in the eyes of weaker, ordinary people, you'd probably seem like a 'god' too. At the end of the day, the difference between 'gods' and 'humans' is just a matter of power."
Issho's brow tightened slightly, clearly moved by the words. He nodded in agreement. "Indeed, as you say, there are no such things as 'gods' in this world…"
Seeing Issho lost in thought, Will didn't press him further. Instead, he continued matter-of-factly, "As for what's going on in this kingdom, it's pretty much as you suspected—most of it ties back to Crocodile. To put it simply, that guy's got his sights set on this kingdom and a piece of the Poneglyph kept by the royal family. He's been scheming to build his reputation, trigger droughts, frame others, and stir up war—all to create an opportunity to seize control of the kingdom and get his hands on that Poneglyph."
Though his thoughts were interrupted, Issho didn't seem the least bit bothered. After hearing Will's explanation, realization dawned on his face. "I see. No wonder my investigations kept pointing to the current king whenever Dance Powder came up. It must all be rumors spread by Crocodile's men."
As for why Issho didn't doubt Will's words and chose to believe him outright, it came down to his Observation Haki. The emotions Will exuded while speaking were honest and sincere—there was no way he was spinning a lie to deceive him.
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