Capítulo 49: Chapter 48: The Banquet
Now, in the central square, dozens of sea kings have formed a mountain of meat piled up there. Every resident can enjoy these delicious delicacies, which are rarely seen on normal days, for free.
The most prominent one among the meat mountains is the sea king with the body of a serpent and the head of a bull, which was brought back by the fat man and Kado. Although most of it was eaten by other sea kings, the remaining part is still several hundred meters long. It is placed in the central square and almost reaches the top of the turtle shell.
Around the mountain of meat, there were Naga residents scattered like little ants. The concerns of the fat man and the queen didn't disturb these ordinary residents, who were still immersed in the grand banquet.
Tomorrow is the day when Skull Island will drift out of the windless zone, and only one day remains until the deadline given by the strange voice. Kado and the others weren't too worried about the threat of an unknown enemy. When the soldiers come, they will be met with defense, and when the water comes, the soil will cover it. In the end, the truth will naturally be revealed.
At this moment, Sanchi, at the invitation of the guards, set up a stove near the mountain of meat and began to cook delicious dishes using the available food and ingredients.
The sea king that Sanchi had named "Potty" was now lying beside him, stretching its long neck, looking pitifully at the delicious meat broth in Sanchi's large wok.
It was hard to say whether it was because Potty was in a growth phase, but it could be said that whatever it saw, it tried to eat. It wanted to take a bite of everything. Earlier, when Sanchi was preparing the kitchenware, the little creature saw the red and green women's underwear in Sanchi's large pot and, without warning, took a bite, trying to see if the brightly colored item was edible. Unfortunately for poor Potty, it nearly choked on the cotton underwear. Sanchi, noticing it was ruining his precious things, was heartbroken and immediately grabbed Potty by the neck and pulled the underwear out. However, he pulled too hard, and the delicate underwear was torn in half. Sanchi, angry and upset, yelled like a child, declaring that he wouldn't cook for Potty for three days.
After the punishment, Potty became much more obedient. Lying pitifully next to Sanchi, with its dark green eyes occasionally glancing at the meat broth, it waited for an opportunity. When Sanchi wasn't paying attention, its long neck would suddenly shoot out, and with a slurping sound, it would drink a big mouthful.
At this moment, Fite was sitting with several elderly Naga, listening to them tell stories about the Naga. Some of these tales were legends, others were factual, though not entirely accurate. Still, they were very helpful for Fite in compiling information.
Kado, on the other hand, seemed a bit aimless. He wandered around the mountain of meat, occasionally sampling various strange and exotic ingredients. Along the way, he used some stolen money to buy unique Naga trinkets as souvenirs.
While strolling, Kado suddenly noticed a crowd gathered in the distance, making a noisy commotion. He couldn't tell what they were doing.
"I bet on number three! Number three is the biggest—it's bound to win!"
"Nonsense! Smaller ones run faster. Who runs faster, a fat guy or a skinny guy?"
"Hey, number three, run already! Don't just stand there!"
"Damn it, wrong direction! Wrong direction! Don't run backward!"
Curious, Kado went over to take a look, and couldn't help but chuckle. It turned out this group was gambling.
In the middle of the crowd, a rectangular green stone slab was surrounded by wooden boards, and inside were three slow-witted little turtles.
The turtles had the numbers "1," "2," and "3" written on their backs, and about a meter in front of them was a finish line marked with white chalk.
One of the turtles, number 2, was slowly crawling toward the finish line. Turtle number 3 had simply plopped down where it was and fallen sound asleep. The smallest one, number 1, was at the edge of the wooden board, spinning around in an effort to climb out of the enclosure.
"Ugh, what a disappointment! Why is this guy sleeping now? Didn't it get enough rest last night?"
"Mine's no better! Sure, it's small and nimble, but it keeps going the wrong way! Why does it keep circling the wall? Is there a female turtle up there or something?"
The losers sighed in frustration, while the winners grinned happily as they collected double their bets from the vendor and prepared to place new wagers.
"Place your bets, place your bets! Double your money, gold only—no beast hides!" shouted a burly, hunched man at the other end of the green stone slab. He was cloaked and wore dark sunglasses, loudly urging the crowd around him to place their bets.
Having nothing better to do, Kado saw the lively scene and, naturally, couldn't resist joining in. Spotting a young man who had just won a round, Kado casually swiped some gold from him and tossed it into the wooden box labeled with the number one.
Although turtle number 1 had been aimless in the previous round, it seemed the most energetic. Many others, like Kado, placed their bets on number 1.
The turtle race began anew. The vendor placed the three rested turtles back onto the green stone slab. This round, turtle number 2 seemed tired, lying motionless in place. Turtle number 3, likely well-rested, took the lead and charged ahead, while the heavily-backed turtle number 1 followed closely behind. However, it seemed to take an unusual interest in number 3's tail, refusing to overtake it.
"Ugh, what's wrong with this guy? Last round, it was obsessed with the wall; now it's obsessed with someone else's tail. So useless!"
"Turtle number 1 must be male, and number 3 is female. Number 1's in heat now."
The surrounding crowd angrily cursed at number 1 for being such a disappointment. Kado, however, didn't care. After all, the money he bet wasn't his to begin with. If he lost, so be it—he'd just find another sucker to "earn" it back.
Just as turtle number 3 was about to reach the finish line, Kado's eyes darted around, scanning for his next target.
"Huh, that guy's smile looks really familiar," he muttered, glancing casually at the vendor. The vendor's face was glowing with delight, grinning from ear to ear as he watched turtle number 3 take the lead. The more the bettors lost, the more the house won.
"That smile... it's so sly, so ugly, so familiar." Kado stared intently for a while, feeling like he had seen that grin somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.
When the race ended, the vendor leaned forward to scoop the gold out of the wooden box. As his body hunched slightly, a sudden flash of memory struck Kado, and he almost blurted out loud. That greedy expression was practically identical to the hyena Kado had encountered eleven years ago! Though the man was now wearing a cloak and sunglasses, the curve of his hunched back left no doubt—this guy was the hyena.
"How could this guy be in Naga? I heard he went to the Grand Line ten years ago. Could it be that he also ended up here because of a shipwreck?" Kado fell into his memories.
Ten years ago, the hyena had accidentally obtained a Devil Fruit, significantly increasing his strength and boosting his confidence. Leading his pirate crew, he set out to conquer the Grand Line. In the beginning, Kado had heard about the hyena's bounty skyrocketing from 40 million to 120 million. However, it was later reported that the Hyena Pirates were annihilated by a Navy ambush, and the hyena himself vanished without a trace. Kado never expected to encounter him here.
As fellow East Blue natives, both washed ashore on this island, Kado couldn't help but feel a sense of kinship with the hyena as he looked at him.
Still, despite their shared misfortune, Kado had no intention of revealing himself to the hyena. Back in the day, he and Fite had stolen every last bit of the hyena's treasure. Knowing how much of a miser the guy was, he might hold a grudge and try to cause trouble if he remembered.
"Heh heh, this guy's still such a greedy miser. What if I stole all his gold this time? Heh heh…" Kado couldn't help but grin mischievously as he watched the hyena clutch his gold with trembling hands, drooling at the mouth. He was tempted to play a little prank on his old acquaintance.
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