That night, none of the residents of Angel Island could sleep. The day's terrifying events haunted them, leaving them anxious and filled with restless fear.
Meanwhile, on the neighboring Shandora Island, it was a night of celebration. Bonfires illuminated the island as the Shandians sang, danced, and rejoiced. Having finally returned to their ancestral land, countless Shandians shed tears of joy, overwhelmed with emotion.
As the ones who made this homecoming possible, El and his crew from the Fallen Angel Pirates were honored by the Shandians with a grand bonfire banquet. El, their leader, graciously accepted the hospitality of the Shandian chieftain. Ever since the Fallen Angel Pirates had revealed themselves openly to the world, they had been embroiled in endless skirmishes with the World Government, with no time for celebrations—even when new crew members joined, no proper welcome was held. This banquet was a rare opportunity for his crew to relax, enjoy themselves, and strengthen their bonds.
Before the festivities began, he had his crew bring fresh provisions, fruits, and special supplies from the ship. With the voracious appetites of people like him, Linlin, Gerd, and Lily, the Shandians' food stores wouldn't have lasted long.
"Yo-ho-ho-ho~~~ Yo-ho-ho-ho~~~"
"Yo-ho-ho-ho~~~ Yo-ho-ho-ho~~~"
"Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo."
"Umikaze kimakase namimakase~."
"Shio no mukou de, yuuhi mo sawagu."
"Sora nya wa o kaku, tori no uta~."
Around the enormous bonfire, Shandians and Fallen Angel Pirates joined hands, dancing joyfully in a circle as they sang "Binks no Sake," a popular pirate tune with a catchy melody that even those without a sense of pitch could sing along with ease.
"El, let's dance together!" The beautiful Gerd, her face glowing with happiness, ran over, grabbing his hand and pulling him up. She had shrunk to nearly match his height, clearly prepared for this moment.
"What?" Sitting beside El and munching on food, Linlin's eyes widened with surprise and mild annoyance. "Gerd, that's not fair…"
"Hey, you were too slow to react!" Gerd replied cheerfully, unfazed, and offered with a grin, "Why don't you join us?"
"Fine, hehe…" Linlin's smile returned as she took El's other hand. She wouldn't normally share this chance with anyone, but Gerd was an exception.
"Alright, alright, I'll dance with you," El laughed. He didn't like putting on airs, and in relaxed moments like these, he was always open and lighthearted. Holding both women's hands, he joined the lively crowd around the blazing fire, keeping pace with the Shandians' rhythm.
"Stussy, quit staring already…"
Nef, holding a bottle of wine, waved a hand in front of Stussy's face, who was fixated on El's towering figure with wide-eyed admiration. Nef taunted her with a smirk, "Dream all you want, but you've got no shot."
"Hmph, as if you do?" Stussy's expression darkened, her gaze turning defiant as she straightened and glared back.
"Oh, showing off just because you're well-endowed, huh?" Nef muttered, eyes twitching in annoyance. "I could easily match you, but I wouldn't stoop to something so… shameless."
As someone skilled in pharmacology, Nef knew that with the right mixtures, she could amplify her appearance. But she preferred her natural self and saw no need for such theatrics.
"Alright, bickering here won't get us anywhere… You're hoping for a chance with him too, aren't you?" Stussy rolled her eyes, glancing around before leaning in to whisper conspiratorially, "After all, a man like that would never be tied down to just one or two women. So let's work together, shall we?"
"What do you mean?" Nef raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"We can't drug someone as resistant as El…" Stussy lowered her voice. "But do you have anything that could knock out Linlin and Gerd? Just enough to make them feel like they've had too much to drink and drift off peacefully. If they're sleeping soundly, we'd have our moment, don't you think?"
Nef's eyes widened in shock, looking at Stussy cautiously. "Are you serious?"
"Hey, don't look at me like that," Stussy sighed at Nef's suspicious gaze. "I don't mean anything drastic. Just enough for them to feel sleepy and doze off. Then we'd have our moment, don't you think?"
After all, Stussy was aware that El's ambitions extended far beyond a single relationship. He was committed to the larger legacy of reviving the Lunarian line, which would likely involve more than a few people by his side.
A few months ago, when she took a break from her studies in the Future Country and returned to the Calm Belt, Stussy had noticed some distance between Sally and someone else. It seemed she'd already succeeded, which made Stussy more than a little envious.
"Oh, I see..." Nef relaxed visibly. Just moments before, she had been ready to take Stussy down, thinking she was plotting something outrageous.
"Hehe, I heard everything..." Lillian appeared beside them, smiling mischievously as she draped her arms around their shoulders. Her third eye, hidden beneath a headband, sparkled with a peculiar gleam as she seemed to pick up on their inner thoughts. "What sneaky little plans are you two whispering about?"
"Ahem... nothing much," Nef and Stussy replied, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads. They exchanged glances and quickly denied it in unison. Though El likely wouldn't mind, they dreaded what Linlin and Gerd might do if they found out.
"Oh, I clearly heard you saying something about knocking out… 'ahem'..." Before she could finish, Nef and Stussy quickly clamped their hands over Lillian's mouth, each taking one arm as they led her off into the forest.
"Lillian, cut the nonsense. Don't you like El-sama too?" Stussy whispered directly to her, still holding her mouth. "So... are you in?"
Over the past few days, Stussy had learned about the new recruits. She knew this young Three-Eyed Tribe girl was a huge admirer of El-sama, so she was confident Lillian would be interested.
"Mm-hmm!" Lillian's eyes widened as she nodded, unable to speak. Of course, she liked El-sama. Who wouldn't admire someone so perfect and powerful?
"Are we really going to do this?" As Nef and Stussy slowly released her mouth, her face flushed bright red as if caught in a guilty secret. Clenching her fists, she asked in a nervous, excited voice, "Won't we get caught?"
"If we miss this chance, who knows when we'll get another..." Stussy licked her lips, her voice low. "I've heard that El-sama plans to split the group. Linlin will lead some of us to a place called Birka to find a supposedly powerful Devil Fruit…"
"And he might be leaving Sky Island soon, taking Gerd, Uthan, and Ryan with him for something big!"
"Really?" Lillian asked, wide-eyed in surprise. Tilting her head, she asked curiously, "But how exactly are you two planning to knock out Linlin and Gerd? Linlin's... well, practically inhuman, and Gerd's Soul-Soul Fruit is crazy strong."
Just the thought of Linlin, with her incredible strength, and Gerd, whose Soul-Soul Fruit could render most poisons ineffective, made her skeptical. Gerd could simply inject her soul into anything she ingested, turning it into a Homie and expelling it.
"That's why I'm asking Nef..." Stussy said, casting an intense gaze at her.
"If you're set on doing this, it wouldn't require any actual drugs," Nef replied after a pause. Her eyes gleamed with a hint of mischief. "All we'd need is a bit of Elbaf's giant-distilled 'Absinthe'—that liquor is so strong even giants can't handle it. It'd knock them right out."
"Absinthe?" Lillian's eyes widened in amazement.
Stussy wasn't as surprised. "The Absinthe they call 'Green Fairy'? Isn't that only available at our New World base or in Elbaf itself? And it's so strong it causes hallucinations... It might be risky."
She knew that this legendary liquor, potent enough to intoxicate even giants, could have bizarre effects if consumed in excess. After witnessing Hajrudin and Witt drink themselves into a stupor on the stuff, she didn't want to risk Linlin or Gerd doing anything humiliating. If they found out someone was behind it, they'd be out for blood—and El-sama wouldn't take it lightly either.
"Fortunately, I've studied Absinthe's properties," Nef said with a sly grin. "I even created a modified powder that mimics its effects. Dissolve it in any ordinary drink, and in about ten minutes, it'll turn it into an Absinthe variant."
"It tastes slightly different, but it won't raise suspicions," she continued, clearly proud of her creation. "Unlike traditional Absinthe, it won't induce heavy hallucinations. Instead, it's designed to match the drinker's desires and induce a dream-like state. I call it 'Dreams Come True'!"
"I tested it on Hajrudin and the others—every time, they'd end up sleeping like logs, completely content. They'd wake up the next day with no side effects."