One Piece: Starting with Sharingan, First Mate Uchiha

As evening fell, Kin'emon and Denjiro arrived at the makeshift clinic to convey the invitation from the Kozuki siblings.

"It wasn't the two generals who summoned the Straw Hat Pirates."

Kin'emon deliberately repeated Momonosuke's original words.

"It is Lord Momonosuke and Lord Hiyori who would like to invite all of you to their home for a meal."

Luffy, who was eating meat in his hospital bed, suddenly brightened up.

"banquet?!"

He suddenly threw off the covers and jumped out of bed.

"My injuries are fully healed, let's go now!"

Before Chopper could even stop him, Luffy had already rushed to the door.

After taking only two steps, his legs suddenly gave way, and he fell face down onto the floor.

boom!

The clinic fell silent briefly.

Luffy lay on the ground, stubbornly raising one hand.

"It was just that the floor suddenly attacked me..."

"Get back to bed!"

Chopper roared and pounced on him, using his antlers to push him back onto the hospital bed.

Viktor, who was standing next to him, had just put on his coat and stood up nonchalantly.

"I can move normally."

Nami and Robin both looked at him.

Viktor paused for a moment, then added:

"Without using abilities."

Chopper stared at his two most difficult patients and finally had no choice but to make a condition.

Luffy, Victor, Zoro, and Sanji are all prohibited from drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, and they are also prohibited from engaging in any strenuous activities.

Luffy must travel by car, and Viktor needs someone to watch over him.

As for Zoro, who had just woken up, he simply turned over after hearing that he couldn't drink alcohol.

"Then I won't go."

Don't give me that!

Usopp and Franky lifted the stretcher on either side and carried him out of the ward, knife and all.

Zoro tried to resist, but Chopper had already tied him to a stretcher, so he could only watch helplessly as his sake bottle was confiscated.

After arriving at the General's Castle, the group was not taken to the main hall where the enthronement ceremony was held during the day. Instead, they walked through several quiet corridors to the private courtyard behind the Kozuki family.

There was no lavish red carpet, nor were there crowds of officials and warriors in attendance.

There were only a few long tables in the center of the courtyard.

Aside from the Straw Hat Pirates, the only other people attending the banquet were Law and a few members of the Heart Pirates.

In addition to Kin'emon, Denjiro, Kawamatsu, and a few other Akazaya members who are still able to move.

Momonosuke had changed out of his heavy general's uniform and was now wearing only a regular kimono.

Hiyori also removed her formal attire and simply tied her long hair back.

At this moment, they didn't seem like two newly enthroned generals, but rather like a brother and sister finally able to entertain friends at home.

Momonosuke had clearly prepared a formal thank-you speech in advance.

He stood before the crowd, straightening his back as he did so, and solemnly began to speak:

"The Kozuki family owes you all a great debt of gratitude for saving Wano Country—"

Before he could finish speaking, Luffy's arm suddenly stretched out from the other end of the table and dragged the largest plate of grilled meat directly in front of him.

"This looks the most delicious!"

boom!

Nami punched him into the floor.

Don't steal the meat when others are speaking!

The solemn atmosphere vanished instantly.

Momonosuke was stunned for a moment, looking at Luffy with his head stuck in the floor, and finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Hiyori also covered her mouth and chuckled, then signaled to the servants to remove the originally strictly arranged seating arrangement.

"Since this is a banquet among friends, there's no need to distinguish between generals, samurai, and pirates."

Everyone sat down casually.

Before the banquet officially began, Momonosuke and Hiyori still insisted on raising their wine glasses and coming to the Straw Hat crew.

Momonosuke took a deep breath.

"Luffy, thank you for keeping your promise and defeating Kaido."

"Thank you to Viktor, Nami, Robin, and everyone else for bringing me all the way back to Wano Country from overseas."

"Without you, I might never have had the courage to stand here again."

Hiyori took over the conversation, but did not describe the war as "the Kozuki family successfully avenged themselves."

"What you all brought to Wano Country was not just Kaido's defeat."

"You have given the people here the right to eat their fill and laugh freely again, and you have also allowed me to reunite with my brother after twenty years."

With his mouth full of grilled meat, Luffy simply replied matter-of-factly after hearing this:

"We didn't come here because you owe us anything."

He swallowed his food and grinned.

"Peaches are our friends."

Momonosuke's eyes instantly reddened.

Having just been enthroned in front of tens of thousands of people, he was unwilling to burst into tears again so soon, so he could only lower his head and desperately stuff food into his mouth to hide his emotions.

Viktor raised his glass and gestured slightly to the Kozuki siblings.

"The enemies of Wano Country have disappeared."

"What you do with this place next is up to you."

Momonosuke and Hiyori nodded solemnly.

They all understood that the Straw Hat Pirates brought dawn, but they would not stay in Wano Country forever to govern the country for the Kozuki family.

The truly long road ahead must be traversed by them and the people themselves.

Halfway through the banquet, Hiyori ordered someone to bring out the shamisen.

She sat down on the veranda in the courtyard and gently plucked the strings with her fingertips.

Momonosuke quietly watched his younger sister.

The twenty years he missed are all hidden in this piece of music.

As the music continued, the somber rhythm gradually became more upbeat.

The sound of the zither traveled across the courtyard, like the morning light piercing through the dark clouds, gradually dispelling the remaining shadows.

Luffy was the first to tap his wine glass in time with the beat.

Usopp didn't know the lyrics, but he started singing along loudly and randomly.

Brooke also took out her violin and joined in the performance. The two very different instruments gradually intertwined, turning the originally sorrowful melody into a light and cheerful banquet tune.

After the music ended, applause rang out in the courtyard.

Hiyori looked up at the noisy crowd in front of her and finally revealed a genuine smile without any burden.

After the performance, she personally poured wine for everyone.

Juice was poured in front of Luffy to prevent him from getting drunk right after waking up.

Sake from Wano Country was poured into the bowls in front of Nami, Robin, and the others.

When Hiyori reached Viktor's side, her movements paused briefly.

She filled his glass, leaned slightly forward, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Please rest assured."

"This is normal wine."

Victor paused slightly in his grip on the wine glass.

Hiyori remained outwardly composed, but a barely perceptible blush appeared behind her ears.

"This kind of thing isn't worth reminding you about."

"Yes, Lord Victor."

Hiyori responded softly, then regained her composure and continued pouring drinks for the others, as if it had just been a very ordinary conversation.

Nami was sitting next to Viktor.

She didn't hear what the two said, but she noticed that the way Hiyori looked at Victor before leaving didn't seem like she was simply looking at her savior.

Nami didn't ask any questions on the spot, but quietly took the wine glass in front of Viktor and replaced it with a cup of hot tea.

Chopper said you can't drink alcohol.

Viktor glanced at his empty hand and did not object.

Robin, sitting on the other side, heard everything Hiyori said clearly.

"This time" versus "normal wine".

She quickly realized that there was clearly a hidden story behind that glass of wine.

Robin didn't expose him, but instead raised her glass and gave Victor a gentle yet dangerous smile.

Viktor's eye twitched almost imperceptibly.

He knew that Robin had probably already guessed what was going on.

The chaos at the banquet quickly overshadowed this minor incident.

After Luffy ate most of the roasted meat, he and Momonosuke got into a fierce argument over the last piece.

Momonosuke, relying on his adult body, lifted the plate above his head, but Luffy simply stretched his neck and swallowed the meat in one gulp.

Zoro, still lying on a stretcher, refused to admit defeat when it came to drinking.

He had just sneaked to the wine jar when Chopper knocked it over with his antlers.

Inside the sealed space, Kurama kept urging Viktor to fulfill his promise.

"Where are my offerings?"

"Where's the barbecue you promised?"

Viktor, having exhausted all his nagging, could only ask Sanji to bake an extra portion, which he then symbolically placed in the corner of the courtyard.

As soon as Sanji turned around, Luffy quietly stretched out his arm and stuffed the whole plate of meat into his mouth.

The sealed space fell silent instantly.

The next moment, the Nine-Tails' furious roar almost gave Victor a headache.

"That brat in the straw hat!"

"I challenge him to a duel!"

Viktor pressed his temple.

"Once I recover from my injury, I will tell him that you are the one who wants to challenge me."

As the banquet drew to a close, Momonosuke and Hiyori once again approached the Straw Hat crew.

Just as the siblings were about to formally bow, Luffy stretched out his arm and placed one hand on one of their shoulders.

"No need to thank me anymore."

"I don't like it when people constantly say thank you."

Luffy pointed to the Flower Capital outside the courtyard.

"Once food is grown here again and everyone has enough to eat, then invite us back for a real grand feast!"

Momonosuke nodded vigorously immediately.

"I'll definitely prepare ten times more meat than I did today!"

Nami earnestly reminded them from the side, "Next time we come, we'll have to charge for the banquet."

Momonosuke panicked immediately.

"How much? Wano Country's finances haven't recovered yet, could we owe it to them for now?"

The heartfelt gratitude ultimately turned into a noisy argument.

Looking at the people in front of her, Hiyori finally let go of the idea that she had to repay the debt of gratitude.

The Straw Hat Pirates do not need the Kozuki family to worship them as heroes.

All they need is for this friendship to be remembered.

The banquet lasted until late at night.

After eating his fill, Luffy lay down and fell asleep in the middle of the courtyard, while Usopp and Brook lay sprawled out in the corridor.

Since everyone's injuries had not fully healed, returning to the temporary clinic would be inconvenient.

Hiyori ordered her men to open the guest rooms in the courtyard, allowing the Straw Hat crew to stay overnight at the Shogun's Castle.

Nami and Robin watched Victor from either side, clearly not intending to give him any chance to act alone.

Viktor could only walk along the corridor to his guest room accompanied by the two men.

At the other end of the corridor, after arranging the last batch of rooms, Hiyori glanced back at the light on in Victor's room.

She paused for a moment, then looked away and disappeared into the night.

The courtyard gradually quieted down.

The night for the victors has only just begun.