Chapter 83: BIG MOM's Flag
Bibicock Island didn't seem too large, but it had a natural bay. When Ian stood on the ship and looked out, he could see many different kinds of vessels docked in the harbor.
There were merchant ships and fishing boats, as well as pirate ships and Marine warships. Strangely enough, all these vessels were moored together peacefully without any conflict.
Bill noticed Ian's confusion and explained, "This island's main source of income is food and drink, mostly supported by pirates traveling through the Grand Line. So here, even the Marines have to turn a blind eye. As long as the pirates don't cause trouble, the Marines won't actively arrest them. Of course, high-bounty criminals are an exception."
"So this is a kind of tacit understanding and compromise between the Marines and the local residents?" Ian asked.
"Yes!" Bill shrugged. "If they arrested all the pirates, this island would probably have no visitors. The Marines have their own difficulties too. If they sacrificed this island's economy for the sake of justice, the people who couldn't make a living would eventually become pirates themselves. It's a completely unsolvable problem."
Ian sighed inwardly. The situation in this world really couldn't be explained in just a few words. Pirates were clearly a menace, yet some people had to rely on them to survive.
To this, Ian could only understand it as "what exists is reasonable."
"Moreover, it's not just the Marines who don't dare act recklessly here. Pirates don't dare cause trouble either!" Bill said mysteriously. "As for the reason, you'll understand once you go ashore."
As the merchant fleet began to dock, the pier was already crowded with people. These were the merchants of Bibicock Island, coming to welcome the trading convoy.
As mentioned before, the flagship Ian was on carried spices, which were the most popular goods on Bibicock Island. Besides that, the other ships in the convoy transported alcohol, which was also a high-consumption commodity on the island. The convoy's goal was clear—their cargo was specifically prepared for Bibicock Island's needs.
Since the convoy's destination had been set from the start, and Ian was traveling with them, he couldn't take the same route as Luffy's crew through Whiskey Peak. In fact, Ian had no intention of repeating someone else's adventure.
Roland Gale finally regained his authority, directing the sailors to unload the cargo while negotiating with the merchants who came to buy. As one of the heads of the merchant guilds in the fleet and a noble, he naturally handled the business dealings.
None of this concerned Ian. Having safely escorted the convoy here meant his mission was complete. So he picked up his bag and followed Bill off the ship.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, he felt a warm, pleasant sensation beneath him. The island's air, besides being fragrant, carried a scorching heat. The whole place felt like a tropical island with high temperatures.
"Come on, I'll take you to a famous restaurant. You won't regret it!" Bill said, pulling Ian along. Having been saved by Ian several times on the ship, Bill had a good impression of him and decided to treat him.
Since someone was paying, Ian didn't hold back. He followed Bill into the city.
Once inside the city, Ian finally understood why this place was called the Barbecue City. Nine out of ten shops here sold barbecue! There were very few other types of dining—it was all barbecue!
Ian finally realized why Bill said the entire island was dedicated to barbecue.
Moreover, the barbecue here wasn't cooked over charcoal. Instead, they used a special kind of stone. These stones were about twenty to thirty centimeters in size, oval-shaped, and smooth, but they came in various colors—black, green, orange, and many more.
Whenever customers came to eat barbecue, the first thing the shop owners asked them to choose wasn't the food, but the stones! After selecting the stone color, the shop would bring out the corresponding stone and place it on the customer's table. Then the ingredients were served. Customers simply held the sliced ingredients above the stone, turning and flipping them. The stones seemed to have a very high temperature, so as soon as the food was placed above them, it sizzled and cooked quickly.
Ian was amazed by this method. It reminded him of volcanic stone barbecue.
Sure enough, Bill soon explained, "This island is actually a volcanic island. It produces a unique type of volcanic stone. The collected stones retain a high temperature, and people use them to cook food. Depending on the stone's color, the flavor and taste of the cooked food vary, and it's all delicious."
Surrounded by the fragrant aroma in the air and stimulated by the various barbecues on the street, Ian felt even hungrier. He eagerly followed Bill straight to the restaurant he mentioned.
It was indeed a famous place. The packed dining hall was proof enough. There were all kinds of people—fashionably dressed tourists, boisterous pirates eating and drinking heartily, and even a few Marine soldiers in the corner, devouring their food with gusto.
Pirates and Marines eating in the same restaurant—Ian had never seen such a thing before. But here, it was perfectly normal.
Bill pulled Ian to a table and sat down. A waiter quickly came over to take their order. Bill ordered a huge pile of food: grilled vegetables, grilled beef, grilled lamb, grilled fish, grilled seafood, and even grilled sea beasts and Sea Kings. The last two were more expensive, so he ordered fewer of those.
The grilling stones were brought out as well, in several colors. They were placed on a special tray with a surrounding grill rack.
Ian eagerly picked up a skewer of beef and a skewer of fish, placing them on the grill rack above an orange stone. After a short while, when they were cooked, he stuffed them into his mouth.
The next second, Ian's eyes widened. He never expected food cooked this way to taste so incredible!
Normally, food cooked without charcoal would lack a smoky flavor. Ian had assumed the same would be true for stone-grilled food. But as soon as it entered his mouth, he realized it was full of smoky barbecue flavor, and the meat was incredibly tender. On top of that, there was a unique taste he couldn't quite identify—probably from the orange volcanic stone.
As he bit down, the meat juices burst in his mouth, filling him with satisfaction.
Ian let out a long breath. Compared to this grilled meat, everything he'd eaten on the ship for the past two days was pig slop!
He stopped being polite with Bill and quickly grabbed skewer after skewer, placing them on stones of different colors to grill. Sure enough, when he tasted them carefully, each stone color gave the food a slightly different flavor, adding a special touch.
Bill watched him with a smile, then called the waiter to bring over a few large mugs of beer.
Beer with barbecue—the perfect combination. Ian ate heartily, juices flying everywhere.
By the time he stopped, his stomach was stuffed. He leaned back in his chair, too lazy to move. Since coming to this world, this was the first time he'd enjoyed barbecue so thoroughly.
Bill was an old man and ate slowly, so when Ian stopped, he was still chewing leisurely, occasionally taking big sips of beer, looking very relaxed.
Since Ian couldn't eat anymore, he had to wait for Bill. So he took the opportunity to look around the restaurant.
But when he did, he was so startled he almost jumped up.
Because in the restaurant, he saw a black pirate flag—and not an ordinary one!
It was a pirate flag hanging on the wall of the hall. The design on the flag was a skull with bright red, thick lips. At first, Ian didn't recognize it, but the more he looked, the more familiar it seemed. Suddenly, a name popped into his head, and he was shocked.
He lowered his voice and asked, "Hey, Bill, that pirate flag... is it really...?"
"You noticed?" Bill smiled slightly. "Seems like you have some knowledge. Yes, that pirate flag is said to belong to one of the Four Emperors of the New World—the BIG MOM Pirates' flag!"
Holy crap! Ian was genuinely startled. He never expected to see a Four Emperors' pirate flag on the very first island at the start of the Grand Line.
"This island is famous for its barbecue cuisine, so it caught the attention of one of the Four Emperors, Big Mom!" Bill whispered. "This is what I meant when I said pirates don't dare cause trouble easily. Bibicock Island pays tribute of barbecue food to Big Mom, and she allows them to use her pirate flag to provide protection for the island. I've never seen what a Four Emperor looks like, but I've been here a few times, and that's what the pirates say. It should be correct. Now, almost every shop on the island hangs Big Mom's pirate flag to prevent pirates from causing trouble."
No wonder Bill had been so mysterious when they landed.
Normally, one of the Four Emperors, Big Mom's territory was in the New World. But if this island produced delicious food, the situation was different. Even though this island was still in the first half of the Grand Line, Ian still heard her name here.
Ian felt the power of a super-great pirate for the first time. This was the prestige of a Four Emperor. Even though she wasn't here, just a single flag was enough to intimidate both Marines and pirates into behaving.
So, this island should be pretty peaceful, right?
Just as Ian was thinking this, he overheard a conversation from a nearby table.
"Have you heard? That dine-and-dash maniac has appeared on the island again!"
"Again? How many times is that? Or is it the dozens?"
"Hah, who knows? But I have to say, that guy is impressive. He dares to eat and run on Bibicock Island, and he's done it so many times!"
"Exactly! This is an island under Big Mom's protection! If he gets caught, he'll be skinned alive!"
"But the problem is, they can't catch him! I heard that guy runs really fast, and with so many shops on the island, not every shop recognizes him. So he keeps succeeding at eating and dashing..."
Ian didn't listen to the rest. He only felt a herd of alpacas stampeding through his heart.
Holy crap! This familiar, strong sense of déjà vu—what the hell is going on!?