Takumi never thought the roof of the royal bathhouse would be so 'fragile.'
As he was falling, he quickly used Moonwalk, managing to land smoothly next to the hole.
There was no way he would fall through like Luffy did in the future.
Impossible.
[Surprised? Shocked?]
At the same time, down below in the bathhouse, Hancock, already wearing a thin layer of clothes, was glaring angrily at the hole that had appeared in the ceiling.
Although the person on the roof hadn't fallen through, she could easily guess who it was.
Everyone on the island knew that it was forbidden to approach her bath time. So, if someone was bold enough to try to sneak a peek, it wasn't one of her own people. That left only one person!
"Hmph! Men are all the same. Takumi, don't think I won't kill you!" Hancock immediately chased after him, heading for the roof.
However.
By the time she arrived on the roof...
Takumi was already long gone.
She stared at the bar of soap sitting by the hole and fell into deep thought.
Meanwhile, Takumi had already returned to the rooftop of the tavern he had visited when he first entered the town, drawn by the enticing scent of alcohol wafting up from inside.
He was craving a drink…
But as a man, and after promising Hancock that he wouldn't appear in front of her people, it didn't seem right to just walk into the bar and buy alcohol openly.
At that moment, he thought of a certain cross-dressing idiot, but decided against it. After all, there weren't that many people on the island, and everyone knew each other. If a stranger suddenly showed up, it would definitely raise suspicion.
That left only one option.
With that thought, Takumi sneaked into the tavern's storage room, pocketing all the alcohol into his system space, and left behind a small pile of treasure before quietly slipping away.
Just as he left, the bar's brawny, Amazon-like owner walked in to retrieve some alcohol. She froze.
Rubbing her eyes, she stared at the pile of treasure sitting in the middle of the storage room, her expression turning sour. "Damn it, someone dared to steal my alcohol! How bold! Don't think you can get away just by leaving treasure behind. If I catch you, I'll skin you alive!"
"Sister, the customers are still waiting for their drinks." At that moment, a 13-year-old girl, who was helping out at the tavern, passed by and gently reminded her.
The Amazon-like woman, referred to as 'Sister,' grumbled, "There's no more alcohol, so what's the point?"
"What? No more alcohol? That's impossible." The girl quickly ran over, and when she saw the empty storage room with only a pile of treasure left, she couldn't help but twitch. "What's with the pile of treasure?"
"Left by the thief," Sister said angrily.
The girl awkwardly laughed. "Well, at least this thief has some sense. But I was just here half an hour ago, and there was plenty of alcohol. How many people were involved in this? They managed to empty the entire room in just half an hour, without anyone noticing…"
"Plus, there's something strange about this treasure." Sister picked up one of the coins from the pile, examining it closely. "Every time Lady Hancock brings back spoils of war, she distributes most of it to us. But I've never seen anyone with coins like these. If someone wanted to drink, they could've just bought it from the bar. There was no need to go through the trouble of stealing it. So, the person who took the alcohol definitely isn't from Amazon Lily."
"What? Could it be an outsider?" The girl asked, her face puzzled. "But I've never seen an outsider before. No one can get past the Calm Belt surrounding the island…"
"That's not necessarily true," Sister replied. "There were three intruders earlier today. I heard Lady Hancock already dealt with them. But it's possible someone else snuck ashore without being noticed."
"That's terrifying," the girl said, though there was a hint of excitement in her eyes.
Sister immediately saw through the girl's thoughts and knocked her on the head. "Outsiders are forbidden on this island, especially men. It's Amazon Lily's ironclad rule. Don't even think about having any ideas about the intruders. If the warriors of the kingdom find out, you'll be punished."
The girl pouted. "But I'm really curious about outsiders. I know men aren't allowed on the island, but none of us have ever seen what one looks like, right? If a man did sneak in, how could we tell the difference? What makes them different from us?"
"Uh…" Sister hesitated. "I've never seen one either. Who do you expect me to ask? Alright, let's drop this topic. The alcohol being stolen is a big deal. We can't keep it quiet. I'll stay here and watch over the tavern. You, head to the palace or find someone from the Kuja Pirates to report the situation."
"Okay… I'll go now." The girl, named Lila, wasn't thrilled about it, but she quickly took off, running toward the palace.
As she ran along the path, the moonlight illuminated a shadow flashing across the rooftops above her.
Lila looked up and saw a figure darting over the roofs.
"Huh?" Lila rubbed her eyes, but when she looked again, the figure had vanished.
"Was that… an illusion?" Lila mumbled, scratching her head.
Just then, a crisp voice called out, "Why are you still out this late?"
A woman with her hair in a bun, carrying a rocket launcher on her shoulder and a twig in her mouth, appeared behind her.
Lila turned and, seeing who it was, gasped with excitement. "Marguerite! Wow, I'm so lucky to run into you!"
Marguerite walked over, smiling as she patted the girl's head. "It looks like you're heading toward the palace. Is something wrong?"
"Well, not really," Lila replied with a pout. "Sister's tavern got robbed. She asked me to report it."
"Robbed?" Marguerite was surprised. "Everyone knows each other here. Who would steal?"
"That's what I thought! I don't think it counts as stealing," Lila explained seriously. "The alcohol is gone, but the thief left a pile of treasure behind as payment. It's not like they didn't pay. I think Sister is just overreacting."
Marguerite fell silent for a moment before smiling again. "Alright, I'll take care of it. You can head home now."
"Really, there's no need to worry. They paid for the alcohol, so it's not stealing. I'll head back now. Bye, Marguerite!" Lila cheerfully waved before running off toward the tavern.
As Lila left, Marguerite's smile faded. Without wasting a second, she hurried toward the palace.
Meanwhile, instead of heading back to the tavern, Lila ran past it, grabbed an oil lamp from a street vendor, and darted out of the town.
She refused to believe she had seen an illusion.
She was convinced that the figure she saw was an outsider.
Now that she had seen one, she was determined to uncover the truth about this outsider!
Takumi returned to the ship alone.
It was eerily quiet.
After making his way to the cabin, Takumi pulled out a bottle of the wine he had 'bought,' opened it, and took a swig.
One bottle down, but he didn't feel anything. Something was missing.
He continued drinking a few more bottles, when suddenly, he heard faint footsteps outside, amplified by the eerie silence.
A small figure appeared in front of the ship.
Lila stared excitedly at the lit cabin, whispering, "Is anyone inside?"
Takumi ignored her.
He had promised Hancock not to show himself in front of the island's residents, but that was only if he wasn't sought out. Now that someone had come to him, there was no need for him to hide.
Seeing no response, Lila felt a bit disappointed, but that didn't stop her.
She quickly climbed aboard the ship's deck, tiptoeing to the cabin door. Seeing someone inside, her excitement grew, but feeling shy, she didn't dare enter. She peeked in from the door, staring at Takumi, and asked in a small voice, "Are you the one who traded treasure for Sister's entire stock of wine?"
Takumi glanced at her indifferently, remaining silent.
Lila wasn't fazed. She continued, "It's okay if you don't answer that, but please, answer my next question."
Takumi: "…"
Lila's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Are you… a man or a woman?"
Takumi: "?"
************
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