The red glow in Kong Tai’s eyes vanished.
He looked up at the second floor of a house across the canal, a flash of killing intent disappearing from his gaze.
“What’s wrong?”
Guina felt Kong Tai’s murderous intent, squeezed his hand tighter, and tilted her head to look at him.
“Just two mice.”
“Mice?”
Kong Tai retracted his gaze, turned to Guina, and said, “Yes, just mice.”
He then pointed to the pits in the canal and continued, “These pits were caused by those mice.”
“Then hurry and catch them!”
“No rush.”
Kong Tai, holding Guina’s hand, turned and walked away. “It’s almost dark, let’s find an inn instead!”
“Those two mice won’t get away.”
“Mm!”
Guina glanced back at the direction Kong Tai had been looking. The red light in her eyes had disappeared.
She trusted every decision Kong Tai made without question.
After leaving the crowd and reuniting with their companions,
Kong Tai and his group led their camels into Alabasta and found an inn to stay in.
This was once a beautiful oasis city. The canal had only recently been damaged. Although not as prosperous as the port city of Nanohana, it still attracted many tourists and was bustling with activity.
Despite the people’s worries about the canal’s destruction, they still showed immense hospitality to every tourist visiting the city.
Inside the inn, Kong Tai and his party, led by a server, chose their rooms. After dropping off their luggage, they went to the tavern on the first floor.
The tavern was an open-plan establishment.
As sunset approached, it was crowded and lively.
After ordering their food, while waiting, Kong Tai saw the owner standing alone behind the bar, lost in thought. He walked over, intending to strike up a conversation.
“Boss!”
Kong Tai sat on a swivel stool in front of the bar, placed his hands on the counter, and greeted the owner.
“Boss!!”
Seeing that the owner was still in a daze and hadn't responded, he couldn't help but raise his voice and call out again.
“Ah!”
The owner jolted, snapping back to attention. He looked at Kong Tai, put down the wine glass he was wiping, and bowed apologetically.
“Ah! Sorry, guest, I was lost in thought just now.”
“It’s alright.”
Kong Tai waved his hand and said to the owner, “Boss, pour me a drink first!”
“Oh! Alright.”
The owner turned, his gaze sweeping over the wine bottles in the cabinet behind the bar. His eyes finally settled on a bottle that, by its appearance, was clearly expensive.
He hesitated for a moment before reaching for it.
Then, turning, he picked up a rag from the counter and gently wiped the bottle, which was already spotless.
“Boss, you seem very reluctant to part with this bottle of wine!”
Kong Tai looked curiously at the bottle in the owner's hand and asked, “Does this bottle have a story?”
“This bottle.”
The owner put down the rag, looked at the wine bottle, his eyes filled with reminiscence.
“This is the only bottle left from when this establishment first opened! It’s been with me like an old friend since I was a child!”
The owner then shook his head. “But just as people have their farewells, how can a bottle of wine be different? Even this city is at its farewell.”
The owner placed the bottle down and looked out the window, through the golden sunset, at the entire city of Alabasta. A sense of sadness emanated from him.
Just like Alabasta now, its veins were severed, and he too was drying up, close to death.
Kong Tai turned his head, following the owner’s gaze, and looked out the window.
The touch of green on the coconut trees outside was likely Alabasta’s last bloom.
He could feel the city weeping.
Truly sorrowful.
But as long as there was rain, rain, rain, and enough time, this place would…
No… it would definitely retain its last beauty, and become even more beautiful.
Therefore…
He had one more reason to kill Crocodile.
*Pop—*
The aroma of wine filled the air, drawing Kong Tai’s attention back to the owner.
The owner gently picked up the wine glass he had just polished, placed it in front of Kong Tai, and then retrieved another glass from beneath the counter, placing it in front of himself.
“Guest, this glass of wine is on me today! This century-old tavern has reached its time to close its doors.”
As he spoke, he raised the wine bottle, the opening hovering above the glass. With a tilt of his wrist, he slowly poured the wine into the glass.
The gurgling sound seemed to resonate with their hearts at that moment, and as the wine filled the glass, the sound, like a wind instrument, was incredibly beautiful.
The owner stopped pouring, the sound ceasing. The wine in Kong Tai’s glass was just the right amount, neither too much nor too little.
When someone dedicates their life to a craft, even pouring wine can be so moving. To perfect such an ordinary act of daily life to such a fine detail was a skill in itself.
Clearly, the owner was a master in this art.
The owner retracted his hand, then, following suit, poured a full glass of wine for himself. He gently placed the bottle on the counter to his right and lowered himself onto a stool behind the bar.
He looked up at Kong Tai, pointed to the glass in front of him, and said, “Please!”
Kong Tai withdrew his gaze, looked up, and met the owner’s eyes. He could see countless years of hardship in them. The owner had run this tavern for a lifetime, experiencing everything, but his greatest reluctance was to part with this tavern, this city.
He could see the aura of death deep within his calm eyes.
He would likely stay and perish with this place.
The world of the Pirate King wasn’t just grand landscapes, a vast ocean encompassing the entire world, and various dazzling and captivating sights, along with countless strange animals.
In this real world, there was far more to it: the world’s profound history, and the many heroic and moving stories within that history.
If not for his arrival this time,
Alabasta would surely have become history, and the people in this city, this tavern, would have vanished into the vast torrent of history, like a river flowing into the sea.
“Thank you!”
Kong Tai didn’t say much more to the owner. He picked up the glass in front of him, brought it to his lips, and took a gentle sip.
Now, he had yet another reason to kill Crocodile.
The owner watched Kong Tai, his lips curving into a smile.
Running a tavern, there was nothing more satisfying to him than a guest’s contentment.
Since he had made up his mind, he had also come to terms with it.
Whatever the future held, at least for now…
He would host this young man, whom he had met only once, but who, for some reason, had made him willing to serve the oldest wine in his establishment, with the utmost care.
Thinking this, the owner shook his head, picked up his wine bottle, looked up at Kong Tai, and said, “Kid, let’s have a toast.”
“Alright.”
Kong Tai put down his wine glass, looked at the owner, and a smile mirrored the owner’s.
*Clink…*
The glasses chimed, a pleasant sound.