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That night…
Led by Lika and her mother, the people of Shells Town—who had been suffering under Monka's rule for years—decided to throw a huge party for Byakuya and the others.
When Luffy heard about it, he immediately offered to cover all the expenses.
Byakuya didn't object. After all, he'd looted over seven million Berries from Alvida's crew—not a bad stash to fund one night of celebration.
"Yo-ho-ho-ho~ Yo-ho-ho-ho~"
Compared to the impromptu party on their little boat, this one was way bigger and way rowdier.
Luffy even busted out his infamous "chopsticks-up-the-nose" trick again, and got the whole town singing pirate songs along with him.
"Bring Binks' Sake, deliver it to you—Sailing free like the wind, riding the waves!""Yo-ho-ho-ho~"
Meanwhile, Bai Ye walked over to Zoro and said, "Don't take Luffy too seriously like that. He might look like a clown most of the time, but trust me, when it counts, he's actually reliable."
Zoro looked at him, noting the helpless tone but also the genuine smile on Bai Ye's face. He couldn't help but say, "You seem to have a lot of confidence in that guy."
He really didn't get it. Someone like Bai Ye—cool-headed, capable, and clearly strong—why would he choose to follow someone as unreliable as Luffy?
Even if they were close friends, let's be real, Bai Ye seemed way more suited to be captain.
Besides, Zoro had heard from Koby about how the two met.Two strangers on a pirate ship. One loudly declares he's gonna be Pirate King and invites the other to join him. And the other guy just... says yes, like it's no big deal.
Zoro thought it was total nonsense. Not even the stories in the paper were that ridiculous.
"Yeah, I've got plenty of confidence in him," Bai Ye said without hesitation.
He looked over at Luffy in the middle of the party and added, "I believe Luffy is someone destined to change the world. He's definitely gonna become the Pirate King."
Zoro noticed the soft, almost gentle way Bai Ye looked at Luffy and paused for a second.
It was like this guy could already see the future, like he could actually see the day Luffy becomes Pirate King.
Well... he wasn't that far off. Bai Ye couldn't really see the future—But hey, he had watched the original anime, after all.
"Oh, right. Try this."Bai Ye suddenly remembered something. With a twist of his wrist, a large sake jug appeared in his hand.
He popped the lid, and a rich, unfamiliar aroma burst out of it, hitting Zoro right in the nose.
Gulp.Zoro couldn't help swallowing as he stared hungrily at the jug. His fingers twitched.
"This... this smells amazing."
Bai Ye chuckled. Yep, other than being totally directionally challenged, Zoro's biggest trait was probably his love for booze.
In the original story, when Zoro got separated from the crew in Wano, the first thing he did was make a beeline for a bar.
So it wasn't surprising he couldn't resist this smell now.
"Here, try a sip. You'll see."
Bai Ye started pouring.
Glug, glug, glug...As the drink hit his stomach, Zoro felt like he'd just found an oasis in a desert. The warm, rich liquid made him feel completely refreshed.
"Damn it! This isn't like the garbage booze you usually drink! Sip it slowly, you idiot!!"
Bai Ye couldn't help laughing and scolding him when he saw Zoro downing it like water.
"Ahhh~"Zoro wiped his mouth and let out a satisfied sigh.
"This sake kinda feels like that elixir you gave me before, huh?"
He could already feel a warm energy spreading through his body.
"You've got a sharp sense," Bai Ye replied, not surprised. He put the empty jug away and pulled out another one, handing it over.
"It's definitely sake, yeah, but we also call it 'Water Elixir' in the Daoist world. It's kind of a medicinal brew."
[Dragon-Tiger Sealed Jar, infused with Daoist energy]
This brewing technique came from the Zhengyi sect on Mount Longhu, passed down in the Daoist traditions.
Each jug weighs exactly 3 jin 3 liang, symbolizing: from one comes two, from two comes three, and from three comes everything—an eternal cycle of life.
It's brewed using spirit rice from sacred fields. The method isn't that complicated, and thanks to the time-warping space Bai Ye has and the strong spiritual energy in it, he's brewed quite a bit.
It's not as powerful as a top-grade elixir, but it's got solid benefits: reduces fatigue, boosts energy, and helps the body recover.
If a normal person drank just a little each day, they'd get healthier over time.
For Zoro, this stuff was basically a supercharged energy drink.
"Ahhh~"Zoro groaned in delight again. He was clearly loving this brew.
"Your goal is Mihawk, right, Zoro?"
Bai Ye figured it was the perfect time to bring it up.
"Yeah, he's been my goal from the start," Zoro said without hesitation. "I'm gonna be the world's greatest swordsman. No matter what!"
With a few drinks in him, Zoro didn't mind opening up a little.
"If I'm being honest—"Bai Ye looked him over dramatically and teased, "If Mihawk goes all out, he could probably have you on your knees with one slash, begging not to die."
Zoro's forehead twitched.
"You bastard…"
A few veins popped on his head as he gritted his teeth.
"Relax, man. I'm not trying to insult you."Bai Ye laughed and waved it off. "I'm just saying—You've been stuck in the East Blue your whole life. You don't really know how scary the strong ones out there can be."
Zoro had tons of talent, no doubt about it. But the East Blue was just too small for someone like him.
In the original, Zoro was a pirate hunter here for years and barely got stronger compared to just a few months on the Grand Line.
Think about it. The East Blue is the weakest sea—most heavily controlled by the Navy.No real powerhouses ever show up here.
When a frog stares at the sky from the bottom of a well, of course it thinks the sky is only that big.It never even considers jumping out.
"I've been meaning to ask,"Zoro turned to Bai Ye and asked, "You seem to know a lot about the Grand Line… or the outside world in general."
Whether it was his knowledge of Devil Fruits or that wild Daoist magic, it all pointed to Bai Ye having serious roots in the Grand Line.
"No need to look at me like that,"Bai Ye met his gaze and shrugged. "I'm just a normal Daoist priest with a few sources of information. That's not too crazy, right?"
Zoro: ...(What does that even mean?! Those things have nothing to do with each other!!)
"Is Mihawk really that strong?"Zoro gave up trying to dig into Bai Ye's secrets and got back to the point.
"Insanely strong."Bai Ye handed over another jug of sake, his tone serious.
"Strong enough that he could block your best move with a tiny knife."
"And he wouldn't even need to go all out."
He wasn't lying. And he wasn't worried about crushing Zoro's confidence either.
On the contrary, Bai Ye was sure that even if he told Zoro all this now—Once the Baratie arc kicks off, Zoro would still charge straight at Mihawk.
After all, it was a promise he made to Kuina.
Glug, glug, glug—Zoro downed another jug in one go after a long silence.
"That's more like it!"Bai Ye could feel Zoro's spirit change—sharper, stronger, like he was ready to pierce the heavens.
"If it were easy to get, it'd be boring anyway."
"World's greatest? I'll get there. One day, I will."
At that moment, the frog made its decision—It was time to jump out of the well.
"I believe in you, Zoro. You're gonna make it," Bai Ye said with full confidence.
Right then— "Bai Ye! Zoro!!" With a loud laugh, a straw hat-wearing figure sprinted toward them at full speed, clearly oblivious to anything but the next round of fun. Before either of them could react, Luffy barrelled straight into Zoro, nearly sending him sprawling.
BAM!!
Zoro: "Is this guy an idiot...?!" Bai Ye: "Damn it!! You just smeared food crumbs all over my clothes!!"
[Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!!!] [Golden Light Spell: Face-Crusher Kick!!!]
"....."