"Francis Drake! What are you doing?!"
"Eh? Why is there another bonfire? Are there more people coming? Don't you understand the rule that guests shouldn't bring guests? You pay for that table yourselves!"
When someone starts addressing their subordinate by their full name in an informal setting, it indicates a shift in their attitude.
Looking at the Wanted Poster placed on the empty seat, King's fist was already clenched.
With the evolution of the times, the effectiveness of Wanted Posters has significantly decreased. The posters, intended to curtail unlawful acts, have instead become symbols of pride for pirates.
It's common to enlarge Wanted Posters, hang idol posters on walls, and some even make wax figures of well-known Great Pirates for collection.
Looking at the photo on the Wanted Poster, King had to admire the photographer, as in his new Wanted Poster, the background flames were blue.
That was his first public use of Blue Flame Mode; judging by the pose, it was captured when he stabbed Blackbeard's eye. He had to give credit to the Navy's on-board photographers, whose skills probably rivaled those of experienced CP Agents.
But just because the Wanted Poster looked good didn't mean he was comfortable with others placing him on the table, making King feel conspicuous.
To console himself, he could only be thankful that Drake didn't pour wine on the floor; otherwise, it would be even more absurd.
Facing the sudden questioning, Drake didn't grasp the main point. It was nighttime, and like usual, she was holding her banquet.
King's habit of wearing black allowed him to blend into the background easily, but with flames always burning behind his head, when drunk, misunderstandings could easily arise.
Drake was more concerned about who called people here. She liked treating guests and spending lavishly as a personal hobby and life habit, but that didn't mean she liked being the fool.
Her generosity was only for those she invited herself. The Sea Emperor's pirate crew numbers ten thousand; even those stationed in Wano Kuni count thousands. It's impossible to get along with all thousands; there's always someone she doesn't like, even as a leader.
"Miss Drake, that's not a bonfire; it's King.. Mr. King...."
Kikunojo, dragged over, stiffened before finally choosing an appropriate term.
"King? Impossible. King must have returned sometime; he couldn't possibly be back so soon. What are you all standing around for? Keep drinking!"
The surroundings fell silent; King's appearance made everyone uneasy, unlike Drake, who dared to act recklessly before King, though this was partly due to Drake's intoxication.
If they were in the same situation, even drunk, what King would likely offer was his fist.
"How much has she drunk?"
"Um... a day."
A new quantifier appeared here; due to the long-lasting banquet, it gradually turned from a regular daytime party into a nighttime bonfire party, making estimating how much she drank only possible by time.
"Phew....."
Sighing, King snapped his fingers against Drake's head as a unique physical sobering technique.
Alcohol induces drunkenness because ethanol causes the body to enter an excited state, yet bodies like Drake's have long differed from ordinary people.
Like Kaidou, if they don't want to get drunk, drinking for a day wouldn't intoxicate them.
But to experience drunkenness, they would control their bodies from resisting.
Once special circumstances arise, their body's functions would bypass cognitive control to wake up, with external attacks being the best special circumstance.
However, one cannot generalize for everyone. Even with just a snap, King sent Drake flipping over.
"Awake now?"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, Big Brother King, what are you doing? I was celebrating for you; that's twenty billion. How many pirates on the Sea have bounties over twenty billion?"
"Why not offer me incense?"
"..."
Drake glanced at the now dimly lit banquet site; under the firelight, the photo in front of King seemed... slightly ominous.
"Oh, don't worry about it, Big Brother King. Next time you can put my photo up too; I won't mind at all. Still, have a drink."
King wasn't unable to eat in front of others; his mask had an opening, and as long as he transformed his head into a pteranodon state, he could eat using his elongated mouth, but King currently wasn't interested.
"Encountered some unexpected trouble this time; that guy got away. When I meet him again, I'll bring his head back."
"That guy escaped from Big Brother King's grasp?!"
"There were more Navy personnel than expected, and that guy's vitality was unusually resilient, resilient beyond being human. But he won't have this chance next time.
I collected some interest for you; his eye must be useless now. I refuse to believe anyone in that situation could heal his eye."
In a sense, King planted his flag, but for those with enough power, accidents wouldn't persist forever unless the opponent's name was Buggy.
King wasn't wrong; Blackbeard was now, like Drake earlier, wearing an eyepatch.
Unlike Drake's deception, Blackbeard's right eye was a hollow cavity. To prevent infection spreading, Doc Q had removed Blackbeard's right eye.
Following the Navy's return, this group temporarily stayed at Mary Geoise, officially responding to the World Government's arrangement, but in reality, Blackbeard was secretly planning his next move.
"Captain Teach, your body is truly an anomaly to recover so quickly."
"Heh heh, as long as I'm not dead, there's infinite possibility, and dreams can continue. Unfortunately, Van Augur is dead, so we'll need to recruit another talent... Laffitte, you're confident, right?"
"Of course, I'm fine with that."
Blackbeard didn't abandon himself despite losing an eye; instead, he saw it as heaven's favor. Even losing a crew member led to more meticulous future planning.
Meanwhile, in the World Government's conference room, the World Government's staff office also discussed matters concerning the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
"Blackbeard is at Mary Geoise. The newly joined Seven Warlords of the Sea member, cooperating very well. Bartholomew Kuma has already stationed Moonlight Moriah.
Hawkeye agreed to participate, but there's been no action.
Pirate Empress and Sea Hero Jinbe expressed refusal, Doflamingo's attitude is ambiguous. The currently positioned Seven Warlords aren't even half, and there are voices opposing this war within the Navy."
"We are the World Government; the Navy's job isn't to express opinions, but to execute commands.
Sengoku seemed unclear about his position. Perhaps post-war, it's time for a new Marshal?"