Fish-Man Island.
Coral Hill.
"This is Fish-Man Island's liveliest and most prosperous port town."
"Let me tell you!"
"..."
At this moment, Ace acted like a true tour guide, talking endlessly to Kōta and the others about everything here.
Guina and the others followed behind Ace, looking around with curiosity.
"It's Ace!"
"Long time no see."
As they passed by, many shopkeepers greeted Ace. It was clear that Ace, unlike other humans, was not only familiar with this place but had also earned the genuine friendship of its inhabitants.
"Oh! Uncle Krall! Long time no see, how have you been lately?"
"Haha!! I'm just showing my friends around, you go ahead and work, work."
Whenever a shopkeeper greeted him, Ace would respond familiarly.
Of course, there were also some unwelcome voices.
"Ace, what are you doing here again?"
A plump, red-skinned fish-man wearing a chef's uniform stood at the entrance of a restaurant, his obese body blocking the doorway, holding two cleavers, his bell-like eyes fixed on Ace.
"Uh..."
Ace looked up at the plump, red-skinned fish-man, his mouth twitched. He stiffly raised his hand and greeted him, "Haha!! Uncle Ruki, long time no see."
"Hahaha!!"
After saying that, he gave an awkward smile.
It was obvious that he had left an unpleasant impression on the plump, red-skinned fish-man before.
"Heh heh!" The plump, red-skinned fish-man sneered, leaned forward, and the two large cleavers in his hands glinted coldly in the sunlight.
"It has been a long time, I truly miss you!"
"Tell me! When are you going to pay back the Beli from that dine-and-dash last time?"
Ace took a step back. If it weren't for Guina and the others behind him, watching the show with amused expressions, he would have run away.
But then he thought of the wealthy individuals behind him, and his stooped posture straightened instantly.
He raised his head, looked at the plump, red-skinned fish-man proudly, and waved his hand, shouting, "What's a few tens of thousands of Beli? I..."
He stopped at that point, moved aside, tilted his head to look behind him, and then said, "These are all big spenders behind me. Hurry up and move aside, I'm bringing friends to patronize your business."
"Business!" The plump, red-skinned fish-man straightened up, raised his head, and looked at Guina and the others. He didn't pay much attention when he first saw Guina and Robin.
They were just kids, after all, how much money could they have?
But when his gaze swept over Ah Hua and the other two, he paused.
Because although Ah Hua and the other two were also children, they wore sparkling gold rings on their hands, and at the top of those rings were gemstones that emitted a dreamy halo.
"Rich people, big customers, fat sheep."
His serious face instantly changed, and even the straightness of his back began to bend.
He reluctantly took his gaze away from Ah Hua and the other two's hands, his mouth curved upwards, and a sincere smile appeared on his face.
Then, he moved aside, sheathed the cleavers in his hands, rubbed his hands together, and smiled, "Esteemed guests, please come in. Our Red Fatty Restaurant is the most famous restaurant on Fish-Man Island, and I..."
He said, raising his head slightly with pride, "I am the most outstanding chef on Fish-Man Island. You have come to the right place. I have the most delicious cuisine on the entire Fish-Man Island. Whatever you want to eat, I can make it for you, and the ingredients will surely satisfy you."
Guina and the others looked at the plump, red-skinned Ruki, then at Ace, with suspicion in their eyes.
They strongly suspected that Ace and the plump, red-skinned Ruki had conspired to trick them, to empty their Beli.
"Haha!!" Ace scratched his head and laughed, "Although Uncle Ruki might not welcome me, this is indeed the most famous restaurant on Fish-Man Island."
As if recalling something, he swallowed, "And the food here is indeed delicious."
Guina gave Ace a deep look, then withdrew her gaze and walked into the restaurant.
Behind her, Ah Hua and the others followed with smiles.
"The most famous restaurant on Fish-Man Island?"
"Looking forward to it!"
Just then, Kōta and Jinbe walked over from the street behind them.
Kōta was holding a damaged shell in his hand, looking at it with curiosity.
He had bought it from a general store just now.
The owner didn't know what was on it.
He said he got it from a group of pirates, and according to the owner, those pirates had returned from the New World.
"It looks like a map."
Half a step behind Kōta, but taller than him, Jinbe lowered his head slightly and saw what was drawn on the shell in Kōta's hand.
"It does look like a map," Kōta continued as he walked, "Do you recognize the coordinates on it?"
Jinbe withdrew his gaze, his eyes thoughtful. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I don't recognize it. The New World is vast. If it were in the sea around the Red Line Continent, I might know, but obviously, I don't know the coordinates recorded here."
"Never mind."
Kōta lowered his hand, tucked the shell into his spatial bag, and said, "If you don't know, then you don't know!"
"It's just a small trinket I bought on a whim. I'll go on an adventure if I encounter it again in the future."
As he spoke, he raised his head, stopped, and looked at the tall, magnificent gateway before him. Then he tilted his head and glanced deeply at Ace, who was standing beside the plump, red-skinned fish-man.
He knew why this guy was so eager to be their tour guide; it was to use their wallets to have a grand meal.
Seeing Kōta's gaze, Ace immediately looked up and grinned, showing a sincere smile.
After all, one is indebted to those who feed them.
As a glutton, for the sake of his stomach and the delicious meal to come, being sincere was not shameful.
The moment he saw Kōta and the others, he thought of the delicious food here.
Don't look at him as the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates; he didn't have much money.
His pirate crew was different from other pirate crews. They didn't rob merchant ships or attack civilians. The daily expenses of the pirate crew were mainly protection fees from the islands they protected.
Although these protection fees were a lot, they were basically for the maintenance of the pirate crew and daily expenses.
Even his father, Whitebeard, didn't have much private savings, let alone him.
The money he brought out this time had been spent long ago on Sabaody Archipelago.
If it weren't for meeting Kōta, he would have returned to the New World after meeting Jinbe.
But since he met Kōta and his companions, who clearly weren't short on money, and these guys were unfamiliar with Fish-Man Island, wasn't it normal for him to be a tour guide and follow them around for food and drinks openly!
Shaking his head, Kōta withdrew his gaze and stepped into the restaurant.
After all, this guy had conscientiously been their tour guide for half a day. If he wanted to eat, let him eat.
Even if this guy had a terrifying appetite, for them, who were not short on money, it would be a drop in the ocean if he ate all the ingredients in this restaurant.