Ivy and Cherry looked at Yoko running away. "Should we go after her?" Cherry asked.
"I think we should give her some space," Ivy responded.
Cherry looked in the distance. She could see a village. "Big Sis, I can see a village, we should go there," Cherry said as she started to run off.
"Wait for me," Ivy responded as she ran after her. She thought her sister was a bit of a trouble magnet.
They ran forward and arrived at the village. There they saw a number of different buildings. First they saw a grand globe statue inscribed with "Little East Blue." The globe rests on a rugged stone pedestal. To the left of it there was a windmill.
"Hello there, I have not seen you folks around here?" an older middle aged man said. He had gray hair and a big mustache. He had fair skin, with a fairly wrinkled face. He wore a beige and burnt siena hat. He also had a beige shirt, and he has a burnt siena vest over it.
Ivy and Cherry looked at him. "We are just passing by and thought of getting some supplies," Ivy responded. "I am Ivy and this is Cherry," she added.
"Hello," Cherry said with a big smile on her face. "We are pi," Cherry was about to say.
Ivy quickly put her hand over her mouth. "Travelers," Ivy said. Ivy let go and gave Cherry the look.
"Yes travellers," Cherry responded.
"You both are very young," the old man said. "However, you both look okay. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Fabre, the Mayor of this fine town," he added. He laughed.
"We are pleased to meet you," Ivy said as she bowed down.
"You both have good manners, feel free to stay here as long as you need," Fabre responded.
"Thank you, but we will have to go soon, our friends are waiting for us," Ivy responded.
"Okay," Fabre said. "You girls take care of yourself and if you need anything let me know," he added as he walked away.
"He was kind," Ivy remarked. She thought he was a kind old man. She felt he was like a elderly person who would look out for you.
"Ivy, why did we lie?" Cherry asked.
"If we said we are pirates, then they would have turned against us," Ivy responded. "Remember Princess Vivi said to avoid mentioning we are pirates," she added.
"She did," Cherry said.
In the background, Yoko from a distance observed the girls.
Ivy and Cherry started to walk around the village and saw an old-style dojo. It had a rectangular wooden structure with polished wooden floor. It had sliding shoji doors and wooden beams.
At the front of the dojo, there was an elevated sacred space. The walls had wooden swords. There was a wooden dummy outside.
There they saw a tall man with tan skin. He had a massive head with a big jaw that jutted out of his face. He has long black hair and has an "X" shaped scar on his chin. He was wearing a robe, with an insignia on the top right breast patch which was of two swords. He was followed by several children. "One two," the man said.
"Yes Fabre," the children responded.
"Looks like they are training," Cherry said.
"They must be strong," Ivy added. She thought how powerless she was. However now she had power as well thanks to her Captain or did she. She was not sure herself. She looked down.
Cherry looked at Ivy. "Are you okay sis?" Cherry asked.
Ivy looked at Cherry and smiled back. "I am," she replied as she flashed a smile.
Ivy and Cherry walked down the road when they saw a grand, elegant two storey building with a blue roof. There were multiple dormer windows. At the roof's center, there was a decorative golden emblem. There was a tall black gate in front of it.
"Wow, this was a big house," Cherry said.
"It is very big," Ivy agreed. She looked at how big it was. "I wonder who lives here?" she asked.
"Someone like a princess," Cherry responded.
She nodded. "Let's keep going," Ivy added.
From a distance, Yoko watched them. She gritted her teeth.
Ivy and Cherry walked forward. They saw a structure designed like a grand ship. The hull was a curved fish-head entrance with large, expressive eyes and decorative fins. The rooftop had towering masts, hung with sails. Around the floating restaurant, a circular wooden dock encircles the structure. There was a moat around it. The words "Baratie," were written on it.
"Is that a ship?" Cherry asked.
At that moment, a tall middle-aged skinny man with small eyes and a slightly elongated nose walked past. He was missing one of his teeth and has black, wavy hair upwards. He wore a chef's clothes, a hat and a long white apron. The neck has a blue scarf tied. "This is the famous Baratie," he said.
"Baratie?" Cherry asked.
"It makes the best food in the world," he responded.
"Does it?" Cherry said as her mouth opened. "Big sis I want to try it," she added.
"Cherry," Ivy said. She felt her own stomach rumble. "Okay, let's go and eat," she added. "I am Ivy and this is Cherry," she said.
"I am Mitsuboshi," Mitsuboshi replied. "And I will prepare food for you," he added. They all entered the place.
Mitsuboshi stood behind the counter, his hands skillfully moving as he prepared the meal. The aroma of sizzling ingredients filled the air.
Ivy and Cherry sat at a table.
"Whoa, it smells amazing," Cherry exclaimed, her mouth already watering.
"It sure does," Ivy agreed. She was feeling a bit nervous spending money for themselves like this. She thought if there were any consequences she would deal with it. She thought her Captain would not.
Mitsuboshi smirked, flipping a pan with practiced ease. "You two have good taste. Just wait, this is one of my best dishes," he remarked.
Within minutes, he plated the food, placing it before Ivy and Cherry. They wasted no time digging in.
Cherry's eyes widened after the first bite. "This is… incredible," Cherry remarked.
Ivy nodded, savoring the flavors. "This is really good," she added.
Mitsuboshi chuckled, crossing his arms. "A good chef never reveals all his secrets," he responded.
Cherry grinned. "Well, whatever it is, keep doing it. This is the best meal I've had in ages," she added.
They finished their meals. Ivy paid for their food and headed out.
Yoko watched from a distance and saw they paid. She gritted her teeth.
"Cherry, we should keep our expenses to a minimum," Ivy said.
"Captain Ben and Princess Vivi wont mind," Cherry responded as she walked ahead.
"Cherry," Ivy said. She thought that was true.
"Big sis, we only spent a small amount, we can tell them," Cherry said as she had a smile on her face.
Ivy thought this was the most normal it had been. Cherry was happy. She was happy. They continued to walk.
Meanwhile, Yoko sat in the forest next to the large beetle. "Boss, those pirates are roaming freely around but they don't seem evil," Yoko remarked. She raised her hand and gently patted the beetle. "I could tell everyone but they are not going to believe me," she added. "I would not believe it either if I did not see them leaving the ship," she said.
"I hate them," Yoko added.
Boss, the beetle opened his hands which had brushes. It started to stroke Yoko's hair. Yoko thought back to her father who died defending this village. She was powerless.
"That tickles," Yoko said as she laughed loudly. She laughed loudly. "I will expose them," she added. Yoko got up and once again headed to town.