Chapter 86: After-Dinner Fruit
Roland Gale died, his dream of rising to greatness in Alabasta cut short as he perished in the very first stop of the Grand Line, a stranger in a foreign land.
Countless others like him, carrying dreams only to die along the Grand Line, and he was merely one insignificant figure among them.
Pixis, leading his men, laughed heartily as he walked toward the alley’s exit. So he didn’t notice the Eternal Pointer that rolled from Roland Gale’s hand after his death.
How ironic—one man’s dream ended, giving birth to another’s. Having unexpectedly obtained a Devil Fruit, Pixis was already fantasizing about becoming a billionaire overnight, living a life of luxury with women on both arms and money to burn.
As the captain, the other pirate lackeys naturally walked behind him, all grinning from ear to ear. If the boss got the meat, they’d surely get the soup. This was just the beginning, and they’d already split a decent amount of money—it felt like a dream.
Lost in their fantasies, the Pix Pirates crew reached the alley’s entrance.
But just as Pixis stepped out of the alley, he was caught off guard and slammed into by a tremendous force.
He was already a big, burly man, heavy and stout, but the impact was so fierce that it sent him tumbling to the ground.
Pixis had no idea what happened. All he knew was that as he was knocked over, someone seemed to land on top of him, their foot pressing against his face, making it hard to breathe.
This sudden accident left the Pix Pirates lackeys behind him dumbfounded. They hadn’t seen clearly either, only sensing that their captain had just stepped out when a figure collided with him. It happened so fast they couldn’t even shout a warning. By the time they snapped out of it, they rushed over to help their boss, Pixis, to his feet.
“Captain, are you okay?” the pirate lackeys asked with concern.
Pixis was furious and cursed at the person who had knocked him over: “You bastard! Are you blind?!”
Only then did Pixis get a good look at the one who had bumped into him—a kid with an orange-red cowboy hat and a face full of freckles.
The kid’s cheeks were puffed out, as if his mouth was full of food. Even after they’d collided, he was still chewing as he got up.
Standing up, the kid bent over and bowed apologetically, saying, “Sowwy! Sowwy for bumpin’ into you!”
Though his words were garbled, Pixis understood and couldn’t help but freeze. As a pirate himself, he dealt with rough, crude types every day. When had he ever met someone so polite? Hearing the apology, Pixis instinctively replied, “Ah, it’s fine…”
Just then, shouts came from down the street: “Captain Ace, wait for us!”
Pixis and his men turned to look. In the distance, two groups were chasing toward them—one in front, one behind. The front group had five or six people, all dressed like pirates. The rear group was stranger—all wearing white chef hats, brandishing kitchen knives as they ran.
These chefs had shed their usual customer-friendly demeanor, charging forward with vicious expressions, waving their knives and shouting, “Stop right there! You dine-and-dash scoundrels!”
Yes, the chefs were chasing none other than the notorious dine-and-dash menace who had recently stirred up public outrage on Bibbico Island: Ace! And his crew.
“Oh no, not good!”
Ace, who had just apologized to Pixis, swallowed the food in his mouth and turned to run again.
Pixis and his pirate lackeys stood there, mouths agape, watching these three groups thunder past them. Only then did Pixis realize why he’d been knocked over—that dine-and-dasher was being chased by a bunch of chefs! They must have been running this way when he suddenly stepped out of the alley, causing the collision.
Cursing his bad luck, Pixis had just gotten to his feet when his lackeys suddenly cried out in alarm: “Captain!? Where’s the Devil Fruit you were holding?!”
Startled, Pixis looked down and saw that the Devil Fruit he’d been holding was indeed gone.
Panic set in as everyone searched the area frantically, but found nothing.
“Captain, could that kid have picked it up?” one lackey said, his voice trembling. “When you were knocked over, the fruit might have rolled to his feet…”
Pixis froze, then erupted in rage. Waving his hand, he shouted, “After him!! Catch that kid, kill him, and get my fruit back!”
The Pix Pirates didn’t hesitate. Drawing their weapons, they joined the chefs in pursuit.
Meanwhile, Ace, running at the front, slowed his pace a bit, letting his crew—the five or six members of the Spade Pirates—catch up.
These Spade Pirates members were all people Ace had met and recruited on Bibbico Island over the past month. Unlike Ian, who had many schemes, Ace’s method of finding companions was simple: if he liked the look of someone, regardless of their strength, he’d directly invite them to join his crew. At first, this led to a motley assortment of members, but after a month together, Ace’s personal charisma had won them over, making them willingly call him captain.
Catching up to Ace, they ran alongside him, panting, and asked, “Captain Ace, we’ve got money, so why do we always dine and dash?”
Ace was taken aback by the question, then grinned and said, “I dunno, haha! Every time I finish eating, I just run off without thinking. Guess it’s a habit!”
This shameless explanation left the Spade Pirates members in tears.
Just then, one of them noticed something in Ace’s hand and asked curiously, “Captain, what’s that you’re holding? Where’d it come from?”
Running along, Ace raised his right hand. In it was the Devil Fruit that had fallen from Pixis.
“This? I dunno!” Ace said, looking confused. “I think it belonged to the guy I bumped into. I just picked it up. I apologized to him, so I guess he gave it to me.”
After saying this, Ace looked at the fruit in his hand and added, “Weird-looking fruit! But it’ll make a good after-dinner snack! Wonder what it tastes like?”
If Pixis could hear Ace’s words, he’d probably spit blood: What do you mean, “apologized, so he gave it to me”?! And after-dinner snack?! Who the hell uses a Devil Fruit as an after-dinner snack?!
The Spade Pirates members thought it was ridiculous too and were about to ask more when they heard a commotion behind them. Turning around, they were shocked to see that, besides the chefs, another group had joined the chase—and this one looked fierce, all armed with weapons.
“Oh no, Captain Ace! The guys you knocked over are coming for revenge!” the Spade Pirates members realized.
“Why? Didn’t I apologize?” Ace asked, puzzled.
The Spade Pirates nearly tripped: “You think an apology fixes everything?! Just run!”
Normally, Ace wouldn’t back down from a fight, but this wasn’t about fighting. They first had to evade the chefs since they were fleeing from a dine-and-dash. So they kept running without stopping.
By now, they were on the main street of Bibbico Island. This chaotic chase naturally drew a lot of attention.
Seeing the Pix Pirates and the knife-wielding chefs, the island’s ordinary residents were terrified, scrambling to hide in their homes. Meanwhile, other pirates laughed and watched the spectacle.
Though this was a territory under the protection of the Four Emperors Big Mom, where pirates generally didn’t dare cause trouble, it depended on the situation. Private fights between pirates were allowed and ignored, but if they harmed ordinary islanders, that was another matter.
This scene, however, left onlookers baffled. At the front ran a group of pirates, in the middle chased a bunch of chefs, and at the back came another group of pirates. What the hell was going on?