“Ate it all??”
“Ah, sorry, uncle. I don’t know how it happened either, but I somehow ate it all. I clearly remember only eating one.”
“Well, you did only eat one, but your ‘one’ was an entire basket!”
A Machamp’s average carrying capacity was eight baskets per Pokémon. Luffy had only eaten the single basket that had been damaged when it fell, achieving a different kind of “one.”
“Actually, I’m still not full.”
“You’re still not full?!”
Fugetsu Masato was utterly shocked. He merely happened to bear the surname Fugetsu; like Kurozumi Tama, whatever blood connection he had to the old daimyo family was separated by who knew how many generations.
Delivering food was his regular job. It was simple work, and he had never had any complaints. For two years, rain or shine, nothing had ever gone wrong. Yet today, after a Machamp was accidentally injured, he had run into something this bizarre.
“Yeah. That’s why I ended up eating it all without realizing it. If I’d been full, I would’ve stopped eating.”
“You… forget it. It’s not a big deal. It’s just prisoners’ rations anyway. A little less won’t matter. Just pay for it out of your own pocket, and you won’t be punished.”
Strictly speaking, Luffy was also just an “enthusiastic person” who had come to help. Fugetsu Masato didn’t take the matter too seriously. He wasn’t delivering food for Udon’s officers, only enough for the prisoners to fill their stomachs.
If Luffy had eaten four baskets, it might have been troublesome, but one basket wasn’t a major issue.
“Money? I don’t have any.”
“You… If only a few were missing, that’d be one thing, but this much… You’ll have to explain it to the higher-ups yourself.”
That plain and honest answer struck straight at the heart. Fugetsu Masato decided to let Luffy explain things to the people at Udon himself rather than cover the loss for him.
The financial loss was small, but damaging the work reputation he had built up over this period would be far worse.
Luffy didn’t seem to think it was a big deal at all. He even patted his chest and declared that he would take responsibility for his own mistake. To prevent any further accidents, however, Fugetsu Masato made him walk ahead.
Before long, they arrived at Udon. Fugetsu Masato objectively relayed the entire incident to the guards there.
“So… this kind-hearted passerby was helping you with your work, and accidentally ate enough food for dozens of people?”
“That’s right, but I don’t think he did it on purpose… Look at him. He doesn’t seem like a bad person.”
“You know, that actually makes some sense.”
The Udon guard glanced at Luffy. At the moment, Luffy still hadn’t realized what he’d actually done. Instead, he was fascinated by the talking rocks inside Udon and was currently bothering a Geodude.
Geodude didn’t show him any courtesy. The moment Luffy pointed at it, it bit down hard on his finger. Now Luffy was holding up his swollen finger and yelling in pain.
“I’ve never dealt with something like this before. Wait here while I go ask Lord Babanuki.”
The guard couldn’t make the decision himself. Normally, a trivial matter like receiving food deliveries would never reach Babanuki. In the past, at worst, the food would get lost or damaged in transit, and paying a fine would settle it.
This unusual situation was something he had no intention of handling on his own. But when he found Babanuki, the man seemed unusually irritated.
“Deal with it later. I still haven’t figured out how to handle this matter.”
“Lord Babanuki, is this… really that complicated?”
“Of course it’s complicated. Once you’re in a higher position someday, you’ll understand what’s troubling me.”
Babanuki didn’t explain further. He simply waved the guard away. Beside him sat a Rotom Phone, a Den Den Mushi, a communication Smart Tanishi, and various other communication devices.
In fact, he had learned about the matter even earlier than the guard at the gate. He had been watching the entire live broadcast and had even seen Luffy sneak food. The moment Luffy approached Udon, the communications in his office had already started ringing.
Not long ago, Babanuki had been leisurely sunbathing when the Rotom’s ringtone interrupted his peace.
“Boss Delia? What’s the matter?”
Delia was the first to contact him. At first, Babanuki was confused. According to Delia Economics, it wasn’t yet the time of day when she normally contacted him. Besides, Delia preferred face-to-face transactions, so making a call like this was rather unusual.
But from the moment he answered, what Delia said gave Babanuki the feeling that he had seen a ghost.
“Babanuki, Straw Hat has already arrived at the entrance to your quarry. You’ve seen him, right?”
“I’ve seen him. What are you getting at?”
“He definitely doesn’t have any money in his pocket. By the usual rules, situations like this mean working in the mines to pay off the debt. Have him accidentally spot Garp, then either stop him when he loses it or contact us. You can manage that, right?”
“Boss Delia, the one you bet on is… Straw Hat?”
“Cough, cough. What are you talking about? I’m just telling you to follow the rules. There’s nothing complicated about that, is there?”
“I guess not… Hold on, I’ve got another call coming in.”
Before that conversation could finish, the quarry’s Smart Tanishi started ringing again. Babanuki already had a good idea of what was happening, but he answered anyway.
“Hello.”
“Babanuki, it’s me.”
“Boss Queen?! You’re not also… You want to—”
“What are you babbling about, kid? That Straw Hat brat is about to enter Udon, right? Sure, a few dango are missing, but I don’t think it’s a big deal. Just turn a blind eye and let it slide. What do you think?”
“Well… Boss Queen, hold on a second. I’ve got another call coming in.”
The Rotom Phone and Smart Tanishi were both occupied, and this time it was the Den Den Mushi that started ringing.
“Hello… Oh, it’s about this too? How about… you all discuss it together?”
Babanuki placed all the communication devices together. The last caller was Who’s-Who, whose thoughts were more or less the same as Delia’s.
Kaido had set a bad precedent. Since he had implicitly approved of influencing the outcome of the wager through non-violent means, some of the officers naturally started having ideas of their own.
Things hadn’t changed much elsewhere for the moment, but Luffy, who had “practically walked into the trap” on his own, had become the key factor affecting the bet.
With all the communication devices placed together, the people on the other end were plunged into awkward silence. Eventually, they all hung up, leaving behind Babanuki who had no idea how to handle the situation.
Fortunately, a private message arrived a few minutes later and solved his dilemma.
【The mining area is huge. Put that kid to work in the pirates’ section and let him stay quiet for a few more days. —The Person Who’s Going to Beat Up Kaido Sooner or Later (Progress 50%)】
The familiar profile picture and ID left no doubt about Yamato’s identity. Since so many people had their own opinions… Babanuki decided to follow the wishes of the person with the greatest authority.
Conservatively speaking, he figured he could stay in his position for another twenty years and should be able to see Yamato, the second-generation successor, take over. Besides, if he followed Yamato’s suggestion and something went wrong, he could always let her take responsibility.
Not long afterward, Babanuki personally came before Luffy.
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