Chapter 61: The Banquet of the Brave – A Night of Clashing Wills
The sun dipped below the horizon, but Uzushiogakure did not sink into darkness. For the second time since the Straw Hats' arrival, the central plaza was ablaze with firelight. However, this banquet felt different from the first. The air was charged with a heavy, electric tension.
At the center of the festivities sat the Konoha Envoy. Ensho Nara and his elite ANBU guard looked like shadows dropped into a carnival. They sat stiffly, their eyes scanning the "Iron Guard" who stood at the perimeter, and the legendary pirates who moved through the crowd with an ease that bordered on insulting.
The Table of Kings and Strategists
Rimon sat at the high table, the flickering firelight casting long shadows across his face. To his left, Luffy was already three plates deep into a mountain of roasted sea-king meat, laughing as he competed with Nawaki to see who could eat faster.
"I'm the... gulp... future Hokage! I can't lose an eating contest!" Nawaki shouted, his cheeks bulging.
"Shishishi! I'm going to be King of the Pirates! I have a rubber stomach!" Luffy countered, stretching his jaw to an impossible size to swallow a whole leg of meat.
Ensho Nara watched the display, his hands resting on his lap. Beside him, the Senju medic, Koharu, looked horrified at Nawaki's lack of decorum.
"Rimon-dono," Ensho said quietly, leaning toward the Patriarch. "You've turned the grandson of the First Hokage into... this. He's forgotten his dignity."
Rimon took a slow sip of sake, his Kagura-Haki feeling the subtle movements of the ANBU hidden in the shadows of the nearby rooftops. "He hasn't forgotten his dignity, Ensho. He's rediscovered his joy. A boy who is afraid of his own shadow cannot lead a village. A boy who can laugh with a pirate, however... that's a boy who can face a war."
The Culinary Invasion
The tension was momentarily broken when Sanji emerged from the kitchen, followed by Takeru and a group of Uzumaki kitchen-hands. They carried platters of "Vortex Seafood Paella"—a dish infused with chakra-enriched herbs that Sanji had "borrowed" from the village gardens.
The aroma hit the Konoha shinobi like a physical force. Even the stoic ANBU felt their mouths water.
"Eat," Sanji said, flicking his cigarette as he placed a plate in front of Ensho. "In my kitchen, there are no enemies, only hungry people. But if you drop a single grain of rice, I'll kick you back to the Land of Fire."
Ensho took a bite. His eyes widened. The food didn't just taste incredible; it felt like a warm surge of vitality. It was the Resonance effect manifesting in the meal itself. He could feel his travel-weary chakra-coils relaxing, his mind clearing.
This isn't just a meal, Ensho thought, his strategic mind racing. If Uzushio can produce food that restores chakra and morale like this... they don't need Konoha's supply lines. They are becoming entirely self-sufficient.
A Conversation in the Shadows
While the feast roared, Nami and Robin were busy at the edge of the plaza, "entertaining" the younger Uzumaki and the newly arrived refugees.
Robin was telling stories of the "Void Century" disguised as fairy tales, while Ami sat at her feet, taking notes with three pens at once. Nearby, Nami was showing Arashi how to read a Log Pose, explaining that the sea was a living thing.
"You see, Arashi-kun," Nami said, pointing to the stars. "The wind tells you where the storm is, but the sea tells you where the gold is."
Arashi nodded furiously. "And the radio-seals! If I tune them to the frequency of the waves, I can hear ships before they even see our mist, right?"
"Exactly," Nami winked. "Now you're thinking like a navigator."
The Sovereign's Warning
As the night grew deep, the boisterousness reached a peak. Brook stood atop a fountain, his violin wailing a haunting, high-energy tune that had the Uzumaki youth dancing in circles.
Rimon stood up, and the plaza gradually fell silent. The weight of his Intermediate Armament aura flared for a brief second—not as an attack, but as a signature.
"To our guests from the Leaf," Rimon began, his voice echoing. "You see a village being rebuilt. You see our allies from the Great Line. You see our children laughing."
He looked directly at Ensho Nara.
"Tomorrow is Day Five. The 'Resonance' will deepen. My people will continue to grow. I know your mission is to bring Nawaki back. I know your mission is to report on our strength."
Rimon's hand turned obsidian-black, catching the firelight.
"Tell Hiruzen this: The Whirlpool is no longer a shield for the Leaf. We are the storm itself. If you come as brothers, there is meat and wine. If you come as masters..."
He tapped the stone table. A spiderweb of cracks spread across the thick wood, caused by the internal shockwave of his Haki.
"...the sea will be your only grave."
The Will of Fire Flickers
Nawaki stood up, his face serious for the first time that night. He looked at Ensho, then at Rimon.
"Ensho-jisan," Nawaki said, his voice steady. "I still love the Leaf. I still have the Will of Fire. But Rimon-niisan is right. I was a 'prince' in Konoha, but I was a weakling. Here... I'm a Shinobi. I'm staying until the seventh day. I want to see the 'Vortex Engine' turn on with my own eyes."
Ensho Nara sighed, looking at the empty plate of world-class food. He realized he had lost. He couldn't force Nawaki to leave without starting a war he wasn't prepared to fight—not with a rubber man, a three-sword stylist, and a Haki-wielding Patriarch standing in his way.
"I'll send the report," Ensho muttered. "But don't blame me when the Elders send more than just a tired Nara next time."
The banquet continued into the small hours, but the lines were drawn. Uzushio was no longer a village in hiding. It was a power in its own right.