“Francis Delia! What are you doing?!”
“Huh? Why is there another bonfire? Did more people arrive? Don’t you understand the rule about not bringing uninvited guests? You pay for your own table!”
When someone starts addressing their subordinate by their full name in an informal setting, it usually indicates a shift in their attitude.
Looking at the wanted poster placed on the empty seat, King’s fists had already clenched.
With the progression of the times, wanted posters were no longer as effective as before. Instead of deterring illegal activities, they had become a source of pride for pirates to show off.
Enlarging wanted posters and hanging them up on the walls as if they were idols is also not uncommon, and there are even some people who make wax figures of famous great pirates for collection.
Staring at the photo on the wanted poster, King had to admire the photographer. His new bounty poster had a blue flame in the background.
That was the first time he had used his blue-flame mode in public. Looking at his movements, the photo must have been taken when he stabbed Blackbeard in the eye. He had to give some credit to the Marine’s onboard photographer—those photographers were probably on par with seasoned Cipher Pol agents in terms of skill.
But no matter how good the wanted poster looked, it didn’t mean he was comfortable with it being placed on the table like that. It made him feel way too conspicuous.
If he had to find some consolation, he could at least be glad that Delia hadn’t poured alcohol on the ground—otherwise, things would be even more ridiculous.
Faced with the sudden questioning, Delia didn’t quite grasp the main point. It was nighttime, and as usual, she was holding one of her banquets.
King’s habit of wearing all black allowed him to blend into the background well, while the flames always burning behind his head made it easy to mistake him for something else—especially when people were drunk.
Delia was more concerned about who had invited outsiders. She enjoyed treating people and spending freely as a personal preference and lifestyle choice, but that didn’t mean she liked being taken advantage of.
Her generosity was reserved for those she personally invited. The Emperor of the Sea’s pirate crew numbered in the tens of thousands, and even the main force stationed in Wano Country consisted of several thousand members. No one could get along with that many people; there would always be conflicts. Even as an officer, she wasn’t exempt from that.
“Miss Delia, that’s not a bonfire… that’s King… Mr. King….”
Kikunojo, who had been dragged over, stiffened for a moment before finally picking a somewhat appropriate term.
“King? No way! Boss won’t be back anytime soon! There’s no way he’s back this fast. What are you all standing around for? Keep drinking!”
The surroundings fell into silence. King’s sudden appearance left everyone nervous. They weren’t like Delia—they wouldn’t dare act so recklessly in front of him. Though, to be fair, Delia’s audacity was partly due to her being drunk.
But if it were them instead, even if they were completely drunk, the only greeting King would have given them was his fist.
“How much did she drink?”
“Uh… a whole day.”
A new unit of measurement had appeared. Since the banquet lasted too long—stretching from an ordinary daytime feast into a nighttime bonfire party—the only way to estimate how much she drank was by measuring it in time.
“Hu…”
King let out a sigh and flicked Delia on the forehead with his finger, using a special kind of physical sobering method.
The reason alcohol can intoxicate people is because it contains ethanol, which induces a state of excitement in the human body. But for someone at Delia’s level, her physique was already far from ordinary.
Like Kaido, if she didn’t want to get drunk, she could drink for an entire day and remain sober.
But they controlled their bodies to avoid resisting the alcohol precisely because they wanted to experience the feeling of being drunk.
If an unusual situation arose, their bodies would bypass conscious control and sober up immediately—external force was the best “unusual situation.”
However, not everyone could be treated the same way. Even though King had only used a flick of his finger, it still sent Delia flying.
“Are you sober now?”
“Oww, oww, oww! Boss, what are you doing?! I was celebrating for you! This is a two-billion bounty—how many pirates on the seas have ever reached a two-billion bounty?!”
“Why don’t you just set up an incense offering for me while you’re at it?”
“……”
Delia glanced around the now-dimly lit banquet grounds. Under the illumination of the flames, the photo in front of King did seem… a little ominous.
“Ahh, don’t mind it, Boss! If it really bothers you, next time, just put my photo up too—I wouldn’t care at all. Now, come have a drink!”
King wasn’t incapable of eating in front of others. His mask had an opening, and as long as he transformed his head into a pteranodon, he could use his elongated mouth to eat. But at this moment, he had no interest in doing so.
“This time, I ran into an unexpected situation, and that guy got away. But next time I meet him, I’ll bring back his head.”
“That guy escaped from Boss?!”
“The Marines had a lot of people, and that guy’s vitality is absurd to the point of being inhuman. But next time, he won’t get another chance.”
“I’ve at least collected some interest for you—his eye is definitely ruined. I refuse to believe that, in a condition like that, anyone else could possibly heal his eye.”
King wasn’t wrong. At this moment, Blackbeard, just like Delia earlier, was already wearing an eye patch.
Unlike Delia’s deception, the area beneath Blackbeard’s right eye was an empty void. To prevent further infection, Doc Q had already removed his right eye.
After returning with the Marines, their group temporarily stayed in Mariejois. The official reason given was that they were complying with the World Government’s arrangements, but in reality, Blackbeard was secretly plotting his next move.
“Captain Teach, your body truly is an anomaly—you’ve recovered so quickly.”
“Zehahaha! As long as I’m not dead, there are endless possibilities, and my dream can still continue. It’s a shame Van Augur is dead… now I’ll need to recruit another talent. Laffitte, you’re confident, aren’t you?”
“Of course. When it comes to this, I have no problem at all.”
Blackbeard didn’t fall into despair over losing an eye. Instead, he saw it as fate’s design. Even after losing a crew member, he made even more meticulous plans for the future.
Meanwhile, in the World Government’s meeting room, the staff officers were also discussing matters related to the Shichibukai.
“Blackbeard is currently in Mariejois. As a newly appointed Shichibukai, he has been very cooperative. Bartholomew Kuma has already brought Gecko Moria into position.
Hawk Eyes has agreed to participate in the war, but he has yet to move.
The Pirate Empress and Knight of the Sea Jinbe have both refused. Doflamingo remains ambiguous in his stance. Right now, less than half of the Shichibukai have taken their positions, and even within the Marines, there are those opposing this war…”
“We are the World Government. The Marines’ job is not to give opinions but to follow orders.”
“Sengoku seems to have forgotten his place. Perhaps after this war, it’ll be time for a new Fleet Admiral?”
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