The next day, aboard the One-Eyed Pirates' ship, several crew members waited anxiously—the ship's officers: the vice-captain, the combat division commander, and the plunder division commander.
"Where's the captain? If he doesn't show up soon, we'll miss the auction at Pant."
"You think something happened to him? It's been like this before—gone all night, then never comes back.""Nonsense, how could something happen to our captain? He's so strong!"
"Then tell me, why hasn't the captain come yet? He wouldn't just abandon Punte, would he? Without a navigator, we can't reach the New World."
"How should I know? Who am I supposed to ask?"
As the group continued to argue, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from a distance.
"Bad news, everyone! The captain—he's in the newspaper!"
A lackey held up a newspaper and shouted to the group.
"What?"
They snatched the paper and saw a small section in one corner.
"...After relentless efforts by the Marines, the captain of the One-Eyed Pirates, Worley, was surrounded on Sabaody Archipelago. After a fierce battle with the Marines, he refused to surrender and ultimately fell in combat."
Everyone exchanged glances. Just like that, their captain was gone.
"Since Worley is dead, I'll take over as captain. Who agrees? Who objects?" one of them spoke up first.
"Why should you be captain?"
"Yeah, why you?"
"..."
And so, a battle for the captaincy began.
...
Time passed quietly, and the New Year was approaching. Badak decided to go on a big shopping spree to celebrate his first New Year in this other world.
His goal of secretly learning the Six Styles on Sabaody Archipelago had been achieved. Though he hadn't mastered all of them, he understood the principles. He had already made up his mind—after the New Year, he would leave and embark on a journey where he could fly whenever he pleased.
The shopping center on Grove 30 was packed with people. It was always bustling, much like the Sabaody amusement park, a must-visit spot for tourists. Badak pushed a bubble shopping cart along with the crowd, occasionally picking up items from the stores.
New Year's outfits—buy. Limited-edition sunglasses—buy. Ham from Wano Country—real or fake, buy. Fine wine from the Flower Country in the West Blue—this looks good, buy...
After a satisfying shopping spree, Badak realized how enjoyable shopping could be. No wonder women loved it so much.
By the time he left the shopping center, it was already late. He had come right after breakfast, had lunch inside, and now it was almost time for dinner.
Turns out shopping doesn't just bring joy—it also speeds up time.
Badak leisurely walked forward, pulling several bubbles filled with his purchases.
Suddenly, chaos erupted ahead as the crowd automatically split to either side of the road and knelt down. Badak focused his gaze and cursed under his breath—it was a Celestial Dragon.
Badak had been on Sabaody Archipelago for a month, but this was his first encounter with one. Celestial Dragons often visited, but Badak usually trained during the day and moved around mostly at night, so he'd never crossed paths with them before.
This time, there was only one Celestial Dragon, and Badak recognized him—it was Rosward, the one God Usopp had once sat on. He wore a bubble helmet and was carried on the back of a slave. The entourage was sizable: beneath him was a tall slave crawling on all fours, moving slowly; to his left and slightly behind were several scantily clad women with collars around their necks—their status obvious; to his right and slightly behind was a man in a suit and sunglasses, likely a member of CP (Cipher Pol), though it was unclear which division, followed by a few CP subordinates; behind them were other guards and attendants."What's this? Rozward's taste isn't that abnormal after all. How did his son Charlos end up looking like that?"
Shifting his gaze away from the scantily clad women, Badak didn't linger. Taking advantage of the Celestial Dragons still being far away, he made his escape. After all, he currently lacked the ability to help these women regain their freedom—it was better to stay far from the Celestial Dragons.
The Celestial Dragons were somewhat akin to the imperial relatives of ancient dynasties, but even those nobles were at least nominally bound by the principle that "the emperor's crimes are no different from a commoner's." The Celestial Dragons, however, did as they pleased: they openly engaged in the slave trade, banned by the World Government; if they fancied a woman on the street, they'd take her as a wife; shooting innocent civilians in broad daylight was commonplace—they even dared to enslave princesses from nations affiliated with the World Government...
If the Celestial Dragons didn't exist in this world, even with all the outrageous things the World Government had done—like issuing the Buster Call on Ohara, the Island of Knowledge, or abandoning the people of the White Town, Flevance—Badak could have convinced himself to join the Marines. At least the Marines actively fought pirates and protected the people.
What a shame...
After this brief episode, Badak quickly adjusted his mood. He couldn't let such absurdities ruin his New Year's celebration.
...
The night was cool and lively.
As usual, Badak completed his training and set up a table outside, laden with all kinds of delicacies. He quietly watched the distant fireworks as he uncorked a bottle of fine wine from the West Blue's Flower Country, pouring it into a glass. He swirled it gently and took a sniff.
"Ah, forget it. I'm not the refined type."
Downing the wine in one gulp, he then sampled some of Wano Country's specialty ham. It was excellent—rich and flavorful, perfectly complemented by Badak's own cooking skills, leaving him thoroughly satisfied.
"Has Kaido already taken over Wano? Momonosuke traveled 20 years into the future, and there's still about thirteen and a half years until Luffy sets sail. After Luffy's journey begins, he sails for a while, trains for two years, and shortly after setting out again, he meets Momonosuke. No wonder Wano's goods are making their way out now."
Badak picked up more dishes from the table—all prepared by his own hands. Some were dishes he'd loved before crossing over, while others were delicacies he'd encountered in this world and secretly learned to make. Especially those giant meat bones—back when he'd read the manga, he'd imagined how satisfying they must be to eat. Only after trying to cook them himself did he realize how tricky they were, often ending up charred on the outside while still raw inside. But it was all worth it—who could resist such a massive, delicious bone-in feast?
Fireworks bloomed one after another, illuminating the mangrove forest and casting a kaleidoscope of colors across Badak's face.
The revelry belonged to everyone else. Badak savored his solitude, occasionally reminiscing about the ordinary life he'd left behind.
"This is what they mean by, 'Alone, a stranger in a foreign land, I miss my kin twice as much on festive days.'"
Badak's original self had only two relatives—his parents. When the shipwreck first happened, they had tried to rescue him, only for a massive wave to capsize the vessel, sending all three into the sea.
"May fortune favor you too."
With a sigh, Badak headed back inside. It was time to rest.