At Shakky's Rip-off Bar, it was already lunchtime.
"Why are there so few Sea Kings today?" Hancock looked at the dishes with a face full of displeasure. Having gotten used to eating rare and delicious Sea King meat, everything else now tasted bland and unsatisfying.
Smack!
Shakky, sitting nearby, smacked her on the head with a pair of chopsticks and scolded, "Be glad you have food at all, stop being so picky! Why don't you go catch a Sea King yourself?"
"It's not fair…" Hancock held her head, pouting pitifully.
"Not fair?!" Shakky remained unmoved and snorted coldly. "The Sea Kings are specially prepared for Junichi. They're to repay the debt of rescuing you. That debt is on your head, Hancock. So don't go nitpicking. After you eat, wash the dishes. Consider it paying a bit of interest."
"Ahh, why is it like this!" Hancock complained even more, frustrated that her nice meal had now turned into a chore.
Her appetite was gone.
Off to the side, Mihawk and Rayleigh calmly continued eating, not reacting at all to Shakky scolding Hancock.
"When will there be more Sea Kings to eat?" Hancock looked pitifully at Shakky. "If we don't get any soon, I'm going back to Amazon Lily."
They had been out for quite some time; it was about time to head home.
"No more. If you want Sea Kings, catch them yourself back at Amazon Lily," Shakky replied coldly.
"Eh? How can you say that?"
"Junichi won't be coming back anytime soon. If he's not here, there's no Sea Kings." Shakky said lightly, "By the time he returns, you'll already be back on Amazon Lily."
"Ugh…" Hancock's face was full of gloom when she heard that.
She was about to say something, when suddenly, both Mihawk and Rayleigh paused in their eating at the exact same time. A few seconds later, Shakky also froze slightly. The three of them exchanged surprised glances.
"What's going on?" Hancock was the only one who looked confused.
She hadn't awakened Observation Haki yet. She couldn't sense what they had just felt.
Ding-a-ling!
The next moment, the bar door opened, and a boy walked in.
"Junichi!" Hancock looked up and instantly cheered with joy, "Great! You are back! Now we can have Sea Kings again!"
Junichi was a little stunned. He glanced at the dishes on the table and immediately understood. He couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.
The food was already quite abundant. But to someone like Hancock, who'd grown used to Sea Kings, this didn't cut it anymore.
"I'm back." Junichi chuckled as he walked in and nodded to them. "Rayleigh, Shakky, Mihawk… and Hancock."
"Welcome back," Shakky responded casually, though her expression showed surprise as she looked at Junichi.
Mihawk and Rayleigh also wore astonished expressions.
"You've taken care of it?" Rayleigh asked in disbelief.
It had only been a day and a night. Normally, he should still be in the intelligence-gathering phase.
"Yeah, it was easier than expected," Junichi nodded and pulled out a chair to sit down. "I even delivered the heads to the nearby G-4 Branch to claim the bounty."
"That fast?" Mihawk looked at him, surprised.
"I got lucky," Junichi smiled, not going into the details.
The three of them instantly understood. Junichi… had been hiding his true strength all along. Otherwise, there was no way he could have taken down the Ten Rat Pirates so easily.
At that thought, the three of them were secretly amazed.
Junichi's visible strength was already overwhelming, but to think he was hiding even more power beneath that…
"Is that Oni-me?" Mihawk didn't pry into the details. His gaze fell to the blade at Junichi's waist.
Rayleigh and Shakky also tactfully refrained from asking more.
"Yeah." Junichi slowly drew the blade. Scarlet patterns, like blossoming flowers, ran along its surface as it came free from the sheath. It was strikingly beautiful, like blooming petals.
But Rayleigh and the others knew well, this was a dangerous cursed sword.
It only appeared gentle and harmless, like a beautiful and tame blade, because it was in Junichi's hands. If someone else were to wield it, the sword's true, dangerous nature would immediately surface, turning on its wielder with a vicious backlash.
"A remarkable sword," Mihawk observed carefully and gave his assessment seriously.
To a Great Swordsman, whether a blade was demonic or not didn't matter, because they could handle any weapon.
"Yeah," Junichi replied as he slowly sheathed the blade.
"What are your plans next?" Mihawk asked. "I heard there's a skilled Swordsman in the North Blue. I was thinking of going there to spar. Want to come with me?"
"I think I'll pass. I'm planning to join the Marines," Junichi shook his head.
At those words, the expressions of Rayleigh, Shakky, and Hancock all turned a little odd. There were five people here—three pirates: Rayleigh, Shakky, and Hancock. And one who walked the gray line: Mihawk.
Now Junichi said… he wanted to join the Marines?
"Oho~ the Marines, huh?" Hancock actually got excited, looking at Junichi curiously. "I'm part of the Kuja Pirates. Will you come arrest me one day?"
"I don't care enough to bother," Junichi waved dismissively, clearly uninterested. "I just want a peaceful place to train. I'm not interested in all the chaos at sea."
"Eh…" Hancock actually looked a little disappointed.
It seemed she viewed the cat-and-mouse of marines and pirates as some kind of game.
"The Marines aren't a bad choice," Rayleigh spoke up, a hint of nostalgia on his face. "Right now, their leadership includes Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru. With them around, it's still a solid organization. And with your talent, they'll definitely invest heavily in you. Maybe in a few decades, I wouldn't be surprised if you became a new Admiral."
Saying that, he lifted his cup, looked around at everyone, and smiled. "A toast, to our future Marine Admiral!"
Shakky and Mihawk laughed and raised their cups as well, clearly playing along.
"Whoooa!!" Hancock, half-understanding, excitedly lifted her juice and joined in.
Junichi couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth.
Mihawk might not be a pirate now, but he would eventually join the Shichibukai, still technically a pirate.
So… four pirates, toasting a future Marine Admiral? This scene was just too weird.
"Ahem, thank you all," he still raised his cup and clinked glasses with them.
Clink!
The five cups came together with a crisp sound, then they all downed their drinks in one go.
---
The next day, Mihawk was the first to leave. With no reason to stay any longer, he set off again on his journey of training.
Then it was Hancock's turn.
"Junichi!"
"Junichi!"
"Junichi!"
Before departure, she repeatedly called his name and shoved a Den Den Mushi into his hands.
"This is for contacting me! Make sure to call, okay?"
"Got it." Junichi smiled and accepted it.
Then, with Rayleigh and Shakky, he stood at the dock and watched the Kuja ship set sail.
---
An hour later, aboard the Kuja ship, Hancock stared unblinkingly at the Den Den Mushi, as if waiting for it to ring.
"..."
"Nobody calls right after saying goodbye," Sandersonia said helplessly.
"Eh?" Hancock blinked in confusion. "But in stories they say that lovers who miss each other, even after a moment apart, will desperately want to see each other again!"
Sandersonia was speechless. "You two aren't even lovers!"
"Yeah! Junichi didn't even react emotionally, he's clearly not interested in you at all!" Marigold, chimed in with a jab.