Chapter 182: Devil Fruit
Ochazuke is simple. It is rice soaked in tea.
Roy had heard of people doing it back in his previous life, usually when money was tight or when someone was being extremely thrifty. Either way, it was never meant to be fancy.
To be honest, Roy had never made it before.
But after asking around and picking up a few tips, he managed to put it together.
And after checking with even more people, he learned something else. Besides tea, you could add things like sencha and even salmon slices, depending on what you had.
"Try it."
Roy nodded toward the bowl and motioned for Gion to sit.
Gion glanced at the ochazuke, then gave a small nod. She sat across from him and picked up a bowl.
Roy did not really understand why she liked ochazuke so much, but sometimes, you could guess a person's history through what they treasured.
Sanji was the easiest example. In the original story, he became obsessed with food because he once starved so badly he nearly died alongside Zeff. That kind of hunger carved itself into his bones. It was also why he could hand a hot plate of fried rice to a starving stranger without asking for anything in return.
Even with a few slices of salmon added, ochazuke was still the kind of meal born from hard days.
Roy could not imagine what kind of past Gion had that made her love two specific foods so deeply.
As for yatsuhashi sweets, most families terrorized by pirates and squeezed by nobles would never waste money on something like that.
"Is it good?"
Roy watched her eat quietly, then smiled.
In his previous life, when he was a kid, his family sometimes made strange meals to stretch what little they had. It was frustrating back then, but it also became part of his childhood.
"Hm. Not bad."
Gion nodded, actually praising him.
For him to make something this basic taste this decent, he must have put real effort into it.
"It's a shame we couldn't find the ingredients for yatsuhashi," Roy said, grinning like a villain. "Those bootlickers really weren't up to standard."
"You're thoughtful," Gion said with a quiet sigh. "It's a pity you're not in the Navy."
"If I don't become a pirate, I can go home and take care of my kids in the future."
"Pfft. Get out!"
Gion nearly choked on the rice, glaring at him like she wanted to carve him into sashimi.
She had only just given him a chance to pursue her, and this bastard was already pushing his luck like his life depended on it.
Roy looked delighted.
Right. This type.
Cold, aloof, and impossible to read, until you poked the right spot and watched her lose her composure.
It worked absurdly well.
Of course, he was not rushing anything. He was just teasing her.
Gion realized that, glared even harder, then lowered her head and kept eating.
Somewhere far away, Tokikake was probably suffering for reasons he still did not understand.
In some ways, Roy and Tokikake were similar.
Both of them had a talent for getting beaten for their own words.
But there was still a clear difference.
Some people thought you could win someone's heart by charging in with a dramatic confession, as if the world owed you a miracle.
That was a great way to get punched.
If you were serious, you tested the waters first. You spent time together. You watched their reactions. You took small steps, then took responsibility for whatever you stirred up.
Bold was fine.
Reckless was just asking to die.
And no matter what you did, it still came down to one thing.
Did the other person actually feel something back?
If not, then getting beaten was not a tragedy. It was an education.
...
The Grand Line.
A warship sliced through the sea at high speed.
Vice Admiral Tokikake stood on the deck. Sakazuki's warship was ahead of them, and surrounding them were the warships of other vice admirals.
This time, they were heading to the East Blue to confirm whether Shiki the Golden Lion was truly dead.
If Shiki survived, then they would be the ones to clean up the remnants of the old era.
"The mission should be fine," Tokikake murmured, staring out at the sea. "Even if the Golden Lion isn't dead, he should be badly injured."
He wondered if he should take advantage of Gion's recent battle, the kind that pushed her to the edge, to try again.
Maybe in the East Blue, he could confess again.
Poor Tokikake had no idea that, in the future, Gion would reject him a hundred times over.
And now, someone else had already been given a chance to start.
...
Several days later.
East Blue.
The ruined islands, the former site of the Goa Kingdom, had become part of a new landmass.
And people finally found the Golden Lion.
"Looks like even if you're a monster, a hole in your head is still a hole in your head," Roy said softly, standing in the crowd.
Shiki's body lay on the shore, washed up by the sea, while the Navy handled the scene.
The great pirate who once cornered Roger was truly dead.
Cause of death.
Roy's headbutt.
After finally forcing his body back to its peak, dying like this must have been suffocating.
If Roger were here, he would probably laugh until his sides hurt.
"The Headquarters fleet will arrive in two hours."
Gion stood beside Roy and handed him a bag.
"What?" Roy turned to her.
"I picked it up at a fruit stand when I went to the other islands."
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