The largest banquet hall in the Alabasta Royal Palace was filled with the aroma of food and the sound of rain outside the windows.
On the long dining table, mountains of delicacies were disappearing at a visible rate, and the biggest contributor, naturally, was Luffy, whose stomach was as big as a balloon at the moment.
"Mmm mmm mmm! This is delicious! Ten more plates!"
He mumbled indistinctly, his two hands still constantly grabbing new food.
King Cobra had already given a brief speech and then left, leaving the space entirely to these young people. As soon as he left, the atmosphere of the banquet immediately became more unrestrained.
Tomioka sat quietly by the dining table, in front of him was also the exquisite cuisine Sanji had specially prepared for him.
Chopper, just praised for his medical skills, twisted his body honestly while saying, "Bastard, even if you praise me, I won't be happy."
Watching Chopper being praised, Sanji couldn't help but take the cigarette out of his mouth and sighed, "You're really amazing, Chopper."
Only Zoro responded to him, "Is anyone on this ship normal?"
"What are you saying, Mosshead! Miss Nami and I are definitely very normal!"
Bang!
The banquet hall doors were pushed open, and a familiar figure walked in, somewhat awkwardly.
"Igaram!" Vivi immediately stood up, her eyes sparkling with excitement and joy, and she quickly ran over in a few steps.
"Princess Vivi!"
Igaram was equally emotional when he saw Vivi safe and sound. He knelt on one knee, his voice choked, "It's truly wonderful to see you safe and that you saved Alabasta."
Vivi helped him up, and suddenly noticing Igaram's face, she couldn't help but laugh, "Igaram, it's so good to see you again! But why do you seem a little fatter?"
"Pfft!"
Usopp, who was drinking water, immediately spat it out, "Could it be that that woman used some strange torture on you! Like, if you don't speak, she'll force-feed you until you burst!"
Igaram's body instantly stiffened, and a blush appeared on the face that had faced life and death with Vivi. He subconsciously touched his indeed slightly rounder belly.
His mind flashed back to the comfortable treatment of three meals a day plus afternoon tea and supper when he was imprisoned, and he stammered an explanation: "I..."
"This is because I... had to... eat up Baroque Works' food reserves! By cutting off their food supply, we can starve them!"
The extremely cold remark caused the atmosphere to suddenly fall silent for a moment.
Immediately after, a burst of good-natured laughter erupted, washing away the sadness of reunion, and the banquet had now transformed into pure joy.
As the laughter subsided, Usopp immediately jumped onto the dining table and began his speech.
One hand on his hip, one hand pointing to the sky.
"Ahem! Everyone, quiet please! Now, Sniper King, one of the greatest contributors to this Alabasta defense battle, will tell you about that thrilling journey."
He cleared his throat and addressed Chaka, Pell, and some attendants and maids:
"You wouldn't believe it, but one hot afternoon, I infiltrated Baroque Works at Whiskey Peak. Facing countless powerful enemies, I didn't even bat an eye, and in the end, with just a slight move, I scared them all silly."
"I even made that Mr. 1 duo chase me to Small Garden, which is another story worth telling..."
"Heh."
Zoro, who was sitting nearby guzzling sake, unceremoniously interrupted him, glancing sideways, "Yeah, yeah, it seems you haven't even pulled out your slingshot since coming to Alabasta."
"That's strategy, strategy!"
Usopp, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, jumped off the table and shouted at Zoro, "Next time! Next time there will definitely be a stage for me, the great Sea Warrior Usopp, to display my true strength! Just you wait and see!"
But the others just smiled, and even Nami said, "Alright, alright, Sea Warrior, don't get so excited, hurry up and continue to perfect that thing for me."
And what no one, not even Usopp himself, expected was that in the days to come, during a conflict between a false god and an old king, he would indeed prove himself brave... Tomioka silently watched all this, it seemed he hadn't spent so much time on land in a long time. The life of drifting at sea made him miss the feeling of having his feet on solid ground even more.
The clamor of the crowd, this chattering noise, now somehow sounded pleasant.
Vivi quietly sat down in the empty seat next to him, "Thank you, Mr. Giyuu."
But Tomioka just shook his head. When a country had malicious entities disrupting its stability, it was all too familiar for him, as a Demon Slayer Corps member, to go and resolve it.
It was just that this time, his identity might have been taken as a pirate.
"No, it's what I should do."
"That's a very Mr. Giyuu-like answer indeed~"
...When the night sky was full of stars, everyone, with a satisfied sense of fatigue, arrived at the spacious guest rooms prepared for them in the palace.
Soft carpets, comfortable beds, the air was filled with a sense of tranquility.
Nami took out a Log Pose from her small bag and showed it to everyone.
"The Log Pose needs three more days to fill its record and point to the next island."
"Oh! A new adventure!"
Luffy was the first to respond, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
Usopp shrank his neck, but immediately puffed out his chest, "Has my time to shine finally arrived!"
There was no disagreement; everyone agreed to depart in three days.
Just as everyone was immersed in thoughts of the future, a white shadow whizzed and slammed into Luffy's face, who was lying on the bed picking his nose.
"Huh?" Luffy took the pillow off his face, looking bewildered.
The instigator, Usopp, pointed to the ceiling and shouted in an exaggerated tone, "Assassin! Everyone be careful!"
The next second, Luffy reacted. He grinned broadly, his arms instantly stretching out to grab several pillows around him:
"Gum-Gum! Pillow Barrage!"
Suddenly, several pillows shot out in all directions like a shotgun!
Chaos, just like that, was ignited.
"You idiot cook, you hit me!"
"Mosshead, you're looking for death! Take this!"
"Ah! Chopper Shield!"
Pillows flew like white meteors all over the room, and feathers drifted out from the torn seams of the pillows, dancing in the air.
Zoro wielded a pillow Three-Sword Style—oh no, Two-Sword Style, as biting a pillow was a bit strange. Sanji also couldn't use his best kicking techniques, since it was a pillow.
Even Vivi was pulled into the room by Nami and Chopper, laughing and joining the fray. The entire room was filled with laughter and shouts.
Tomioka still sat quietly on a cushion in the corner, watching this sudden, childish melee, somewhat perplexed. Are people like them really pirates?
A soft pillow flew towards his face. He instinctively raised his hand and caught it steadily.
The pillow was soft, carrying the scent of sunlight.
Holding the pillow, he looked at the chaotic yet incredibly happy scene before him, and he, too, moved.
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
The pillow in Tomioka's hand flowed like water, smoothly swinging wherever it went. Those who fell under this technique included: Vivi, Nami, Usopp, Chopper.
Chopper's head was a bit dazed, stars spinning. He shook his head and just shouted:
"Tomioka... idiot... weren't we throwing pillows...?"
"Hahahahahahahahaha!!!"
"Hehehehehehe!~"