As soon as he reached Luffy and the others, the mayor greeted them enthusiastically, "Hello, esteemed guests from afar!"
"I am the mayor of Whiskey Peak, and my name is... ahem!!"
"Boom!"
"Call me Igaraboy!"
"Old man, your hair is so curly!" Luffy said with excitement, pointing at his hair.
"Haha... don't worry about those trivial details. Whiskey Peak is a town dedicated to hospitality!"
"We take pride in our hospitality, so how about we throw a party for you?" the mayor continued.
"Of course!" Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji agreed eagerly.
Nami couldn't help but feel exasperated. How could they plan a party without knowing anything about the situation?
She had a nagging feeling that something was off, but she wasn't too worried. With Kai around, she felt confident that whatever happened, it could be handled. She trusted him completely!
So, she thought...
Let's see what tricks these people are up to~
...
That night, in a tavern on Whiskey Peak.
"These dishes... are so... delicious! I... want more!" Luffy mumbled with his mouth full.
"I punched a whale and knocked it out with a single hit..."
"Hiss~" The crowd gasped at Usopp's boast.
"Beautiful ladies, hehe..." Sanji lounged among several lovely women, savoring the attention.
Meanwhile, Zoro, Nami, and Kai were seated, enjoying their drinks.
The mayor turned to Nami and said, "Madam, we're holding a drinking contest. Would you like to join? These drinks are quite exquisite!"
"Well... I'm not much of a drinker," Nami said, waving her hand.
"The winner gets a bonus of 100,000 Berries!" the mayor added.
"Count me in!" Nami exclaimed.
She then looked at Kai and Zoro. "Hey, you two should join in too!"
"Alright!" Kai nodded.
If he didn't participate, these people might not be satisfied later.
Plus, the drinks were so good that he felt it was worth it. It might even save him millions of points in the system space later.
Some time later~
After finishing his 8th drink, Kai pretended to be unable to continue and slumped onto the table.
Not because he was actually drunk, but simply because he was feeling a bit full!
At the 12th drink, Zoro also pretended to be unable to hold his liquor and collapsed.
Nami was left to finish off everyone. It seemed she was determined to win that 100,000 Berries, even if it meant faking it!
Eventually, after defeating the last opponent, a nun-like woman, Nami emerged victorious!
At the same time, she "couldn't hold on" and fell onto the table.
Seeing everyone collapsed, the atmosphere in the tavern grew quiet. One by one, the patrons began to leave.
The moment they exited, Kai and the others opened their eyes simultaneously.
Zoro glanced at the three of them, then at the unconscious figures on the ground, and sneered.
"Tch~ Three fools!"
Hearing this, Kai and Nami both nodded in agreement. Three fools indeed!
"What do you think their plan is?" Nami asked.
"You'll find out when you go outside!" Kai replied with a smile.
"Alright! Let's split up. You investigate what's happening outside, and I'll look for treasure here!"
With that, Nami headed towards the surrounding rooms.
Kai turned to Zoro and said, "Go check things out. I'll prepare a little surprise for them!"
"A surprise? What do you mean?" Zoro asked, puzzled.
"You'll see soon enough!"
Meanwhile, outside the tavern, two figures stood together.
The nun slowly removed her black robe, revealing her toned muscles. She asked the mayor, "We don't have enough food. Why are we throwing a banquet for them?"
The mayor pulled out a wanted poster from his sleeve, showing Luffy's face.
"This guy with the straw hat has a 25 million Berries bounty. Capturing him alive will earn us a 30% bonus, enough for us to live comfortably for a while!"
"Is he really worth twenty-five million?" Miss Monday asked in shock.
She hadn't expected the seemingly weak and harmless Luffy to have such a high bounty.
"But... I have a bad feeling about this," the mayor said anxiously.
"Firstly, one of them looks a lot like someone with a ridiculously high bounty!"
He pulled out another wanted poster. This time, it was Kai's.
"Look closely. Do you notice anything?"
Miss Monday studied the poster and said, "You mean the most handsome one among them?"
"Yes! Aside from their different outfits, their faces are identical! It makes me uneasy!"
Miss Monday nodded in agreement.
"It does seem odd that two people with such similar faces would have such bounties."
The mayor responded, "Your analysis is quite unique..."
"But the chance that he's that person is slim. A big pirate with a 300 million Berries bounty wouldn't just show up here casually."
"Another issue is we haven't heard from Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday. We don't know if they've run into trouble!"
Though the mayor spoke calmly, he was deeply worried, especially since he knew Miss Wednesday's true identity.
She was their hope for saving the Alabasta Kingdom!
"Forget it. Let's deal with the pirates inside first."
"Perhaps you won't have the chance!"
A faint voice from above caused their faces to darken. They looked up, startled.
Zoro sat on the roof, knife in hand, pointing it at the mayor and his crew.
"Aren't you... aren't you drunk?" the mayor stammered, horrified.
"Who would be so foolish as to come to a town that welcomes pirates without caution?"
"Unfortunately, there are indeed such fools, like the three still on our ship!"
Another voice came from behind them, capturing their attention.
Kai was sitting casually on a stool, sipping coffee. In front of him were Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday, tied up and gagged.
They were secured with ropes and gags, only able to express their frustration with their eyes, though Mr. 8 and the others couldn't understand their silent pleas.
Nearby, a circular scratch on the ground seemed to contain a subtle message...
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you like the story