Chapter 105
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As Smoker walked through the restaurant door, the scene inside brought a bewildered smile to his face.
Aqua was watering a giant bird egg with a folding fan, her eyes brimming with anticipation as if expecting a flower to hatch from it any second.
The formidable King was toying with small weights, appearing to be performing some bizarre calisthenics.
The cat with a coin on its forehead sat seriously assembling a disassembled firearm on the floor. Zyhark, the restaurant owner, was leisurely reading the newspaper and sipping tea...
Seeing the main culprit behind the major trouble they had caused relaxing like this, Smoker's face twitched uncontrollably, and he suddenly felt an urge to order the arrest of this troublesome group who had attacked a member of a Shichibukai.
So all his frantic efforts to find a saving grace were for nothing!
And this talking cat, was it really a member of the Sea Restaurant Endless Dream?
"Yo, Smoker, you're here! Have a seat," Zyhark said, rising to greet Smoker and motioning him to a chair.
"...You're actually in the mood to drink tea here?" Smoker's face darkened, steam seemingly about to erupt from his head.
One might think he was about to awaken a Devil Fruit power.
"Ah? Sorry, what would you like to drink? I'll make it for you," Zyhark offered with a smile.
"That's not the point at all! Are you even listening to me? The Arlong Pirates have split from the Fish-Man Pirates; you don't have to worry about the World Government chasing you anymore!" Smoker's temper flared as he watched Zyhark turn to prepare the tea, then added, "Green tea, thanks."
Hearing this, Zyhark fetched some green tea leaves, put them in a pot, and whistled towards Aqua, who was guarding the birdcage.
The experienced Aqua instantly understood and waved her folding fan, producing a boiling geyser. This was a new skill she'd mastered after her powers had been restored, using the high temperatures generated by the Fist of God to boil holy water.
Since it couldn't be used for large, quick heating, it was almost useless in combat.
In short, it was a tea-making divine technique — in places where it was useless, the idiotic goddess always managed to be unexpectedly effective!
Smoker, seeing this, looked even more sour.
Realizing that Aqua might be a mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, he wasn't too surprised by such miraculous scenes.
But the main point was...
Was this boiling water really meant to be spilled on him?!
Fortunately, Zyhark, used to Aqua's antics, was prepared and quickly moved to catch the hot water in the pot using his Observation Haki.
"Sorry, she's still not very familiar with her own strength," Zyhark apologized, pouring a cup of steaming green tea and handing it to Smoker.
Smoker, suppressing his anger, took a sip of the tea, and his pupils lit up, "Delicate and smooth with a hint of freshness, great tea! Zyhark, where did you buy this?"
"It's just ordinary tea leaves. If it tastes good, it might be because of the water..." Zyhark sat down opposite Smoker.
Perhaps due to the Water Goddess's effect, the purified holy water Aqua produced had a minor effect of cleansing anxiety and other negative emotions.
This was also why Aqua's purified water had been so popular in the restaurant.
"I see, water made by a power user."
Smoker stretched his arms, leaning comfortably against the back of his chair, enjoying the gentle sea breeze brushing against his face.
A long-lost sense of relaxation...
But heck! "No, I'm here for serious business!" Smoker burst out.
Dealing with these somewhat unconventional folks, Smoker felt like his serious demeanor was about to change drastically.
Not exactly a good thing.
"I know, the bounty for killing the Arlong Pirates is ready."
Zyhark rubbed his hands together, his miserly grin shining brightly.
"Bounty? Isn't it, Zyhark, that you don't seem to fear offending the Shichibukai at all? Or did you already know that Arlong wasn't under the Fish-Man Pirates?"
Even Smoker, slow on the uptake, noticed this fundamental fact.
"If Arlong was still under the Shichibukai, then it has nothing to do with me, since he was killed by a volcanic eruption!" Zyhark stated matter-of-factly.
Casually shifting away from the topic of knowing too much about the Shichibukai.
"That kind of statement can only deceive three-year-olds and civilians who haven't seen the battle."
Remembering the lava pillar that had erupted from the ground and the violent explosion, Smoker looked at Zyhark with a bit more wariness.
With speed comparable to the Rokushiki Soru and the toughness of Tekkai, along with dual-colored Haki and the ability to cause explosions from the ground at any time...
Such a person, even placed at headquarters, would be at least of a colonel or commodore level!
Aqua, playing with the giant egg, couldn't help showing a relieved expression: thankfully, she wasn't a three-year-old.
As Meowth, who had just finished assembling the firearm, proudly dusted off his paws.
Though there were minor differences, the weapons of this world weren't beyond his understanding.
Robot weapons, he could probably build those!
Smoker glanced at the person-like Meowth, quite surprised, "Speaking of which, you guys even have such a pet, huh? A talking cat, is it because of a Devil Fruit?"
"I'm not anyone pet, meow!" Meowth immediately retorted.
Then, as the shadow of the idiotic goddess who had finished playing with the egg covered him, Aqua held him in her embrace, naturally saying, "That's right, this little one is also our companion!"
"Damn! Let me go, meow! I said I'm not some ornamental pet, meow!"
Meowth's two cat feet struggled in the air, trying to escape the goddess's broad chest.
From a distance, it looked quite comical.
"Even if it's a Devil Fruit ability, it wouldn't naturally know human language, right?" Smoker asked curiously.
This sparked Aqua's interest, and even King, who was in the corner lifting weights, stopped to listen.
Only Zyhark, who knew the bitter story behind Meowth learning human language, remained calm.
"Humph, that's a long story, meow."
Meowth escaped Aqua's hold with a shukuchi, standing on the ground with a mysterious expression.
"Never mind, I don't have that much time right now."
Smoker retracted his gaze, looking back at Zyhark, "After the bounty is delivered, I still have a lot of things to handle."
Seeing this, Meowth, who had just felt a bit of swagger, was furious.
"This smoking jerk, I really want to shred him into pieces and pack him into a fish can!"
(End of Chapter)