"Miss, those people are gone. You can get off me now," Shirakawa said stiffly. He'd never been embraced like this before.
"Hmm," the woman mumbled, lifting her head from his chest and taking a deep breath. "Finally. Thank you, handsome boy."
Shirakawa was taken aback as he got a good look at her face. He hadn't seen her clearly before, but now he realized he might have gotten the better end of this encounter.
"You're welcome," he said.
"My name is Catherine. What's yours, handsome?"
"Adolf K. Shirakawa. You can just call me Shirakawa."
"Shirakawa. That suits you. You can call me Catherine."
"So, Catherine, why were those guards chasing you? Did you commit a crime?"
"No, they're after me because I'm not from this country."
'She's lying,' Shirakawa thought. They weren't from this country either, but they hadn't been chased.
"Hey, lovebirds, we're still here," Rayleigh's voice interrupted their conversation.
"Sorry, I forgot," Shirakawa said with an awkward smile. He hadn't actually forgotten; he was just teasing Catherine.
"Gurgle..." A strange noise came from Catherine's stomach.
"Sorry, I haven't eaten in a while," she said, blushing.
"Let's go eat then. We just finished drinking," Shirakawa suggested.
"Okay."
They disguised Catherine's face to avoid being recognized and headed out.
"This is so ugly," Catherine complained, even though she couldn't see her own reflection.
"It's better than being chased," Shirakawa said.
"True."
At the restaurant, Catherine's hunger didn't match her appetite. She was full after a few bites, then watched in amazement as the four men devoured plate after plate of food.
"Are you... even human?" she asked, wide-eyed.
"What's that supposed to mean? Is that how you talk to your savior?" Shirakawa mumbled through a mouthful of food.
While the ship had a cook, the food wasn't exceptional. Compared to this delicious meal, he couldn't resist indulging.
"Sorry, it's just... I've never seen anyone eat like this before," Catherine explained.
"We need to be strong, and strong people need to eat a lot," Shirakawa said.
"Is that so?"
"Yep."
"Burp~" The four men burped in unison, Shanks and Buggy wearing satisfied smiles.
"This place is great. We should come back here more often," Shanks said.
"You're not from here either?" Catherine asked, surprised.
"You're just realizing that now?" Shirakawa said, picking his teeth with a toothpick.
"Well, you didn't exactly tell me!" Catherine exclaimed, startling the other customers.
"Sorry," she apologized, embarrassed.
"You need to be careful. You're probably a wanted criminal now," Shirakawa warned.
"That's not my fault!"
"You can eat without thinking, but you can't talk without thinking. Your lack of common sense is what got us in trouble."
Catherine took a few deep breaths to calm down. "Okay, okay. I won't get angry."
"If you're not from this country, where are you from?" she asked.
"We're not from any country on this island. We're from beyond the sea."
"You came from outside the island?" Catherine's eyes widened.
"Really?" Buggy asked.
"Of course it's true. Why would we lie?" Shirakawa said.
"Wow! You're real!" Catherine exclaimed, poking Shirakawa's cheek.
"Of course I'm real. Otherwise, I'd be dead," Shirakawa swatted her hand away.
"Is that kid's nose real? You people from outside the island are strange," Catherine said, pointing at Buggy's red nose.
"I don't know if it's real. You can ask him yourself. But we don't see people like him very often either."
"Have you never met anyone from beyond this island?" Shirakawa asked.
"No one alive. But we've seen plenty of dead bodies, shipwrecked sailors who drifted here."
"So you've never left the island by ship?"
"My father said the seas are too dangerous, with unpredictable weather. It's not safe to sail. We've sent many people to explore, but none of them ever returned."
"That's true. The weak can easily perish at sea," Shirakawa agreed.
"Then how did you get here?" Catherine asked.
"By ship, of course. Did you think we swam?" Shirakawa said, giving her a look.
"I know you came by ship. I'm asking how you survived the journey."
"Because we're strong enough to overcome any challenges," Shirakawa replied confidently.
"Can you tell me about the outside world?" Catherine asked eagerly.
"Sure."
Shirakawa shared his experiences from the past three months, with Shanks and Buggy occasionally adding their own comments.
"Wow, I want to go out there too!" Catherine exclaimed.
"Don't you have any way to communicate with the outside world?"
"No. News Coo can't fly in areas with bad weather," Rayleigh explained. "Like around this island. The weather's too unpredictable."
Shirakawa remembered the rough seas they had encountered on their way to the island. Even a trained News Coo wouldn't be able to handle that.
"Well, if I get the chance, I'll take you out there someday," Shirakawa offered.
"Really?"
"Really."