บท 248: Pirate Festival

Thousand Sunny.

"Ahem... Dear pirates who have come from near and far. You are invited to the world's greatest banquet, where we will toast both allies and enemies. Come as you please, leave as you wish, but don't miss the one and only Pirate Festival. Warm regards, Buena Festa." Usopp said, reading the invitation.

"Time to party!" Luffy cheered joyfully.

"We're almost there!" Chopper said with high enthusiasm.

"I've heard about this event through rumors, but I've never attended. Invitations appear every few years, then the event moves on to rare ships, delicious food, deadly weapons, and secret information! Every wonder from around the world has gathered." Brook shared his vast experience.

"Like a pirate black market party? I'm down for that." Franky said, deeply interested and hoping to find spare parts to upgrade himself.

"They better have some good booze." Zoro said while sipping his drink.

"And it says here that something special is planned." Usopp showed the invitation to everyone.

"Really? A treasure hunt?!" Chopper asked, leaping onto Usopp's shoulder.

"Exactly! It's the lost relic of Gold Roger." Usopp's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"And it's going to be ours." Luffy said with determination.

"This is the most amazing party ever!"

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper had stars in their eyes.

"Huh... Oh Luffy, I think that's the reason for the Eternal Pose, but I have a feeling this festival could be a complicated trap."

Unlike the rest of the crew's excitement, Nami was more cautious about the Pirate Festival invitation.

"Especially when it involves Gold Roger."

"One Piece!"

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper cheered, completely ignoring Nami's concerns.

"Buena Festa is the King of Festivals. A famous pirate with dark secrets, his network of merchants and informants makes this festival possible. However, it could be someone pretending to be him. That man died a long time ago." Robin thought carefully and wisely.

"Alright, we'll find out soon enough. Everything's ready. So, we're setting off." Sanji said to calm the crew.

"Shishishishi! Who cares if it's a trap? It's party time! Let's head to the pirate festival!"

Despite differing opinions, no one opposed Luffy's decision as captain. Thus, the Thousand Sunny sailed toward Delta Island.

None of the Straw Hat Pirates realized there was an extra person on ship the Thousand Sunny.

Even Luffy's advanced Kenbunshoku Haki, which allowed him to glimpse the future, failed to detect the stowaway.

Sitting on the wooden railing of the orange grove, Eiji watched the cheerful and lively atmosphere of the Straw Hat Pirates.

'Their positive emotions are so rich, it's like a village drowning in joy during a harvest festival.' Thought Eiji, drawing an analogy to describe the emotions he sensed from the Straw Hat Pirates through his Kanjo Kanjo no Mi power.

'Nami has a great body. No wonder Lin Fan made Nami one of his favorite waifus.'

Eiji wasn't influenced by emotions from Lin Fan's memories. Honestly, he didn't like women who exposed their bodies like Nami.

For example, right now, Nami wasn't wearing a shirt, only a sexy bra covering her ample chest.

'I just don't understand. When Brook asks to see her panties, Nami refuses and hits him, but she's not shy about only wearing a bra. It's like women who are embarrassed when people see their underwear but don't mind being seen in swimwear. It's so strange...'

Looking at Brook lying on the floor with a bump on his head after being hit by Nami, Eiji felt he would never understand women.

'Pirate Festival, huh…'

In stealth mode, Eiji wasn't worried about being detected. Crossing his legs, he started examining Lin Fan's memories.

The Pirate Festival was held every few years, with no clear interval between them. But for some reason, there hadn't been a festival for 20 years.

Due to the proximity of so many pirates, the festival was said to be a lawless and dangerous event. Acts like fighting, stealing, and even kidnapping were allowed without issue. The one absolute rule of the event was that all participants must keep it secret, ensuring the Marines remained unaware. Anyone who broke this rule would become a disgrace and enemy to all pirates.

Pirates attended the festival by invitation, with most participants being the most famous pirates from the Grand Line, including Super Rookies and Shichibukai.

A small number of invitations were given to non-pirates, and bounty hunters were also invited, perhaps to spark conflict. Civilians could also be invited to sell food and goods. The invited guests received an Eternal Pose, allowing them to navigate to the island where the event was held.

'Douglas Bullet. He's quite a strong opponent.'

A name surfaced as Eiji searched Lin Fan's memories of the Pirate Festival.

'Bullet was once a crewmember of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. His harsh and bitter life experiences from a young age made him incredibly tough. As Roger's crewmember, he deeply respected and admired his captain.'

'Bullet worships strength above all else, and his only goal in life is to become the strongest man in the world. His large size and fighting abilities are beyond question.'

'Bullet's main strength is the Devil Fruit he ate. He consumed the Gasha Gasha no Mi, allowing him to form anything he wants from nearby objects, from weapons to a massive robotic cloak. Not only that, but this power also lets him dismantle any solid objects around him. In short, Bullet is an assimilation human.'

'Strongest… So many people want that title. Is it really that appealing? I don't know.'

To Eiji, Bullet wasn't strong enough to claim the title of the strongest, even after training for 20 years in Impel Down. The One Piece world had too many powerful individuals to determine who was truly the strongest.

'Even though the Pirate Festival is a trap set by Buena Festa and Douglas Bullet to lure strong people, there's no denying that many interesting things will happen there. Let's delay heading to Elbaf; I'm in no rush.'

'There probably won't be another Pirate Festival in the future, so I can't miss this fun event.'

After some thought, Eiji decided to postpone the trip to Elbaf. So, he joined the Straw Hat Pirates on their journey to Delta Island.