Sabaody Archipelago, Area 24.
Inside a restaurant.
"Nom!"
The sound of chewing was followed by another massive gulp.
A woman with long, straight pink hair sat stuffing food into her mouth. She wore denim overall shorts, a white short-sleeved shirt, brown knee-high boots, and heart-shaped lipstick.
Her red eyes glared at the huge figure sitting across from her as she kept eating.
"Captain Bonney…"
Unlike her, the pirates gathered behind her looked terrified.
The atmosphere inside the restaurant was just too strange.
Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, sat silently near the front.
Capone Bege, another Supernova, sat in a corner.
"That arrogant guy over there is Eustass Kid, right? He's a Supernova, too."
"And then there's that Marine who just walked in…"
The pirates were trembling.
They had never seen anything like this before.
In one small restaurant, pirates, a Marine, and a Warlord had somehow all gathered in the same place.
Even stranger, everyone had fallen completely silent.
No one dared to say a word.
The waiter, seemingly oblivious to the tension, kept smiling as he brought drinks to the tables.
"Shut up!" Jewelry Bonney snapped. "Whatever happens can wait until I'm done eating!"
As one of the Eleven Supernovas, Bonney kept shoveling food into her mouth while glaring at the enormous man seated across from her.
Even sitting down, Kuma was taller than most ordinary people.
In the corner, Capone Bege was unusually quiet.
His eyes stayed fixed on the Marine seated several tables away, directly across from Eustass Kid.
"To think I'd actually see the Leader again in my lifetime…" Bege murmured, so softly that almost no one heard him. "Looks like my days as a pirate are over."
He understood the situation perfectly.
While that man was gone, Bege had been free to do as he pleased.
But now that Kojin was back, the old chain around his neck had returned with him.
Against that man, Bege had neither the strength nor the courage to resist.
At another table, Eustass Kid glared fiercely at the Marine sitting across from him.
Kojin, meanwhile, calmly spooned fried rice into his mouth, one bite at a time.
"What the hell is your problem?" Kid finally roared. "If you want to fight, then just do it already!"
Kojin took another spoonful, chewed slowly, and swallowed before smiling.
"Are you really that eager to die, pirate? And I'm not deaf. You don't need to shout."
Kid's face twisted with rage as he started to stand.
Before he could, Capone Bege suddenly stood up in the corner, drew the pistol at his waist, and aimed it straight at Kid.
"Hey, asshole!" Kid spun around in disbelief. "Are you pointing that gun at the wrong guy?!"
They were both pirates, yet Bege was aiming at him while completely ignoring the Marine.
"My gun is never pointed at the wrong target, Eustass Kid." Bege's voice was cold.
Kojin continued eating his fried rice as if nothing else in the world mattered.
"You bastard…" Kid clenched his fists, veins bulging across his forehead.
Bonney watched the scene in utter confusion. "What the hell? Has the whole world gone insane?"
Bege's expression remained icy as his finger began tightening around the trigger.
Then Kojin tapped his spoon against his plate.
'Clink.'
Bege's hand immediately froze.
Kojin sighed. "I'm trying to eat. Do you really have to turn this place into a battlefield?"
"I'm sorry!" Bege instantly lowered his gun and bowed deeply.
He didn't care how many people were watching. He kept his head lowered in complete respect.
Everyone in the restaurant froze.
'He's treating a Marine like that?'
Kid gritted his teeth, his expression shifting. For the first time, he felt that something was seriously wrong.
"I agree with you, Marine!" Bonney said through a mouthful of food, giving him a thumbs-up. "Getting interrupted while eating is unforgivable!"
Kojin looked up, giving her a polite smile and a nod.
'Who the hell is this guy?'
Kid forced himself to swallow his anger and sat back down, fists still clenched.
Killer and the rest of his crew behind him were just as tense.
No one in that room was stupid.
There were pirates here. A Warlord. And a Marine.
Yet somehow, everyone seemed to be waiting for that Marine to finish his meal.
"Capone Bege," Kojin spoke up, still eating.
Bege immediately snapped to attention.
"Why aren't you in the West Blue?" Kojin asked casually. "What are you doing here?"
It sounded like an ordinary question between acquaintances, but Bege's entire body trembled.
He fell silent for a long moment before answering with complete honesty.
"I wanted to see what the world outside was like."
Kojin gave a brief laugh and nodded. "Fair enough. Have you seen enough?"
Bege visibly relaxed, then answered with total seriousness, "Yes."
Kojin chuckled and went back to eating.
Kid turned toward Bege, staring at the obvious relief written all over his face. Kid's own expression turned baffled.
"Has the world seriously gone crazy? He asks you one simple question and you're shaking like you're about to die?!"
Bege ignored the mockery. He knew better.
If he had said he hadn't seen enough of the world yet… he might have really seen the last of it today.
So he stood respectfully off to the side like a statue, not daring to make the slightest sound.
"Hey, Kuma!"
Bonney finally noticed something else was off.
The big guy was sitting there with a level of tension and caution she had never seen from him before.
"Don't talk," Kuma whispered, his voice barely audible.
Jewelry Bonney froze. For some reason, she caught a trace of nervousness, and even concern, in Kuma's voice.
How was that possible? He was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!
"Only if you stay quiet do you have any chance of getting out of this alive."
The quiet warning reached her ears again, making Bonney's pupils shrink.
'What does he mean by that?'
Suddenly, the restaurant door swung open.
A young woman stepped inside with two swords hanging at her waist and her hair tied in a ponytail.
"A Marine?!" Bonney immediately went on guard. Then she caught sight of the coat insignia on the woman's shoulders. "A Vice Admiral?!"
A Marine Vice Admiral was no ordinary officer. They were high-ranking Navy elites, usually possessing terrifying strength. To most pirates, they were opponents nearly impossible to overcome.
"Sensei?"
The moment Kuina stepped inside, she spotted a familiar figure and stopped in surprise.
Behind her, Enel looked at Kojin sitting at the table, his eyes widening as if he'd seen a ghost.
'My Observation Haki didn't detect him? How is that possible?!'
At that moment, Kojin finally scooped up the last bite of fried rice and ate it.
He swallowed, then let out a long, satisfied breath. "I had to leave so suddenly that I didn't even get to fill my stomach."
He turned toward Kuma. "You can pay for this meal. Consider it your way of thanking me."
Kuma paused for a moment before catching on. He nodded. "Thank you."
Clearly, Kojin knew about his relationship with Jewelry Bonney.
"What does that mean?" Bonney grew even more confused. She turned toward Kuma. "Who the hell is this guy?"
In the very next instant, her eyes widened.
The Marine who had just set his spoon down stood up.
His right hand shot forward, a movement so fast no one in the room could follow it.
In the blink of an eye, Eustass Kid, the Supernova with the highest bounty, was lifted straight off the ground by his head.
Kojin's fingers clamped around Kid's skull with enough force to send sickening cracks ringing through the bone.
"Kid!!"
Killer and the rest of the Kid Pirates lunged forward to attack, but Kuina, Enel, and the others reacted at the exact same instant.
Their speed was terrifying.
'Shing!'
A blade cleared its sheath.
Before Killer could even draw his scythes, Kuina's sword was already pressed against his throat, drawing a faint line of blood across his skin.
"In front of Sensei, I suggest all of you stay nice and quiet."
Kuina's voice was ice-cold. After countless days and nights fighting the Jailer Beasts in Impel Down, suffering injury after injury, her resolve was harder than steel.
'So fast! Is this female Vice Admiral really this strong?!'
Fear flashed through Killer's eyes.
Meanwhile, Kojin held Kid by the head, chuckling softly. "I've met a few loudmouths in my time. Hmm… the last really loud one was Golden Lion Shiki."
He turned and pointed toward one of the Pacifistas standing near the entrance. "See? He died, and now he works for me."
Kid's eyes went wide with sheer terror.
He had been completely overpowered in a single instant. Those five fingers felt like they contained endless force, capable of crushing his skull whenever Kojin felt like it.
"You should learn from your mistakes," Kojin said softly. "Next time, remember not to shout so loudly."
Still smiling, Kojin slammed Kid down.
'Bang!'
The entire restaurant shook, cracks spreading outward across the floor and walls. Kid's eyes rolled back into his head, and his body went limp on the ground as if every bone inside him had been shattered.
Kojin rolled his neck and turned toward Jewelry Bonney.
The moment his gaze landed on her, her entire body went rigid.
"Relax," Kojin smiled. "After all, we seem to share the same philosophy when it comes to eating."
Bonney blinked.
Then Kojin simply turned and walked away.
He was actually letting her go!
"Leave this island immediately."
A faint voice reached her ears, and Bonney snapped her head up. Kuma was already moving too, following right behind Kojin.
"Who exactly is that guy?" Bonney asked, her voice heavy.
"Marine Headquarters Admiral Kojin," Capone Bege answered calmly, stepping past her to follow them out.
Outside the restaurant, a fresh report came in.
"Straw Hat crew sighted in Area 12!"
"Repeat! The Straw Hat Pirates have been spotted in Area 12!"
The urgent voice echoed from Kuina's Den Den Mushi, pulling everyone's attention.
Kojin chuckled. "Kaido-sensei beat Luffy around a few times and managed to awaken him. I've always enjoyed teaching people, too."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Now I'm curious if I'll be lucky enough to see the legendary Nika today."
The last time they met, Kojin had only greeted Luffy briefly. But through his Observation Haki, he had faintly sensed a mysterious presence tucked deep within the boy.
At the time, Kojin had considered trying to draw it out, but ultimately decided against it.
Today, though, was another chance.
Whether it would actually work was a different story.
Perhaps the Drums of Liberation would finally thunder across the summer sky.
(End of Chapter)
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