Walking down the streets of Loguetown, the number of pirates had indeed increased, but they weren't causing trouble in the town.
With more people around, Loguetown seemed even busier than before. The merchants lining the streets were all smiling happily.
This made Ryuen feel a little curious.
"Ryuen, hurry up!" Nami called out to the lagging Ryuen.
"Oh—"
"I'm coming~" Ryuen snapped out of his thoughts and hurried to catch up with everyone.
Everyone was in a good mood and soon got caught up in the lively atmosphere of the streets. They walked with cheerful steps and quickly arrived at Anya's restaurant.
"Ugh (°ー°〃)"
"What should we do? Ryuen, do we have to wait here?" Hog asked, looking at the crowded restaurant in confusion.
The seven of them were a little stunned—there were so many people!
"How about… we come back later? There are so many people now, we won't find a seat," Nojiko suggested after thinking for a moment.
"Alright, then who's going to tell Anya that we'll come later?" Ryuen looked toward the women.
"I'll go!" Daisy raised her hand, eager to volunteer.
She then squeezed into the restaurant, taking advantage of the busy waiters to slip into the kitchen.
In the restaurant's kitchen, Anya was efficiently directing the chefs while cooking various dishes herself.
"Wow… Anya, your kitchen is so busy…" Daisy walked into the kitchen, stunned by the activity.
"Huh?"
"Daisy! What are you doing here?"
"Ugh, I almost forgot! You're here in Loguetown today, right? Where are Ryuen and the others?" Anya said, excited to see Daisy.
"Well... we saw that the restaurant was too crowded, so we decided to come back later. I just came in to let you know," Daisy said, her eyes constantly glancing at the delicious dishes being prepared.
"I see. It's not usually this busy, but it's the peak mealtime now.
You all can come back later. I'll be busy for a while, but I'll make you something tasty when you come back!" Anya said happily.
"Okay~ By the way... Anya, what's that? Does it taste good?" Daisy stared at the dish Anya was preparing, practically drooling.
"Mm hehe!"
"What are you thinking? I don't know yet? Come on, try it!" Anya smiled as she served a portion of the dish to Daisy.
"Hehehe... Thanks, Anya! I'll just head out now!" With her goal accomplished, Daisy quickly grabbed the bowl and slipped away.
"Hehehe..." Anya watched Daisy with a smile, her curvy body shaking with laughter.
But in the next moment, her smooth forehead slightly furrowed. Ryuen and the others had already arrived at Loguetown, which meant it was time to set sail.
However, she still hadn't passed her father's test...
But in the next moment, Anya's gaze became firm, as if she had made up her mind!
---
Outside the restaurant, Ryuen noticed the trace of Kakuzu on Daisy's mouth and immediately guessed she'd gone in alone to sneak a bite.
*Cough cough!*
"I just went in to check if Anya's cooking had gotten worse... Um, let's go!" Daisy, seemingly embarrassed by being caught, quickly decided to leave.
"Stinky Daisy!"
"You ate it all by yourself!" Several people rushed over, beginning to 'tease' Daisy.
---
Loguetown, Marine Base.
The former Captain Hobart had been reassigned to Marine Headquarters as Rear Admiral, and now, the base commander in Loguetown was the assigned Smoker, the man who had kneeled three times in front of the Pirate King.
As a user of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, he held absolute authority in this town, which was known as both the starting and ending point of many journeys.
No one dared to provoke Smoker, and the pirates were unusually obedient because of his intimidation.
After all, Smoker, with his Smoke-Smoke Fruit, was an invincible presence in East Blue, especially since they didn't know Armament Haki yet.
"Report, Captain Smoker, just like usual, no bounty pirates have landed in Loguetown today!" Tashigi, who had just finished her patrol, reported in a serious tone.
"Mm... I know, thank you for your hard work, Tashigi. By the way, have the people Vice Admiral Garp told us about arrived yet?" Smoker encouraged Tashigi, then remembered Vice Admiral Garp's instructions and asked.
"Well... there's no news yet, but Vice Admiral Garp said they should've already reached adulthood last year. Do you think they haven't set sail?" Tashigi asked, sounding a bit puzzled.
After hearing this, Smoker fell silent. When he was assigned to guard Loguetown, Vice Admiral Garp had given him the task of keeping an eye on Ryuen and his group. He was told that these young people had immense potential, and Smoker should notify him immediately if they arrived in Loguetown.
To be honest, Smoker hadn't been happy with this assignment.
After all, he didn't think a young kid from East Blue could have much strength. In the year since he'd been stationed here, he had confirmed his doubts.
People from East Blue were really too weak. Without Armament Haki, his natural ability made him basically invincible!
"Report, Captain Smoker!" Suddenly, a voice from outside the office interrupted Smoker and Tashigi's thoughts.
"Come in!"
"Yes! Captain Smoker!" A marine soldier walked into the office with a straight posture.
"What's going on?" Smoker casually asked.
"Yes! Captain Smoker!"
"We just received a report from the port. The people you asked us to watch for have now arrived in Loguetown." The marine immediately reported.
"What?"
"They've arrived? Where are they now?" Smoker asked, his excitement clearly visible after hearing the news.
"Ugh (′-﹏-`;)"
"They're still out shopping, and our intelligence department is keeping an eye on them. Captain Smoker, should we take any action?" one of the soldiers asked.
"No!"
"I'll handle this personally. I want to see what kind of person could get Vice Admiral Garp to this point!"
"Tashigi, let's go!" Smoker said, grabbing his Sea Stone weapon and heading out of the office.
"Yes! Captain Smoker!" Tashigi was momentarily stunned but quickly followed.
On the street, Ryuen and the others had to settle for street food since Anna's restaurant was packed. They wandered from one food stall to another.
That's when they saw the man puffing on three cigars, and the girl who looked almost exactly like Kuina!
"Hey!!!"
At that moment, both Kuina and Tashigi stared at each other and simultaneously exclaimed.
----
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