“So Pops knocked ya into the water again today, huh?” sighed Thatch, who was head cook of the Moby Dick as well as leader of the Fourth Division.
With a crew the size of the Whitebeard Pirates, meals were a major concern in keeping operations going from day to day. And this was among the ruffians of the waves. Captains who couldn’t keep their subordinates fed while out at sea were not in a good position.
Since Thatch became commander of the Fourth Division, it had been put in charge of managing the crew’s kitchen. Its members were all cooks, hunters, or fishermen.
“Mmm, this is quality meat.”
“You bet. We got our hands on some marbled wild cattle.”
Thanks to the widespread use of saline water filters, the problem of procuring fresh water on long voyages had been solved. Showers could be had. And if you added nice hot soup (with meat) and bread, rice balls, and tea, most of your problems were solved.
“Cattle? Where do you find cows at sea?”
“You don’t, idiot. Kotatsu got off on land and hunted it for us.”
“Grrrr…meow!”
Whoa, such a cute sound for such a big creature.
As the pirates packed the long bench at the table to eat their meal, they fawned over the wildcat.
“This thing’s completely tame, huh?”
“I was the first one to feed him. He kills rats in the larder, hunts in exchange for everything he eats, and he’s just a damn fine cat all around. He was very popular on the winter island we stopped at recently. The nurses were squabbling over which of them got to snuggle with him to keep warm.”
“Wow, he’s all the rage with the crew. In fact…hang on, you smell like shampoo. Have you been getting baths too, fuzzball?”
“See, Kotatsu’s a real pirate. He understands the relationship between favors earned and returned. Not like some other moochers around here.”
Kotatsu meowed as he prowled over to Ace and curled up on the floor. Ace didn’t say a word as he devoured the meat that Kotatsu had brought.
“How long are you gonna keep going after Pops?”
“I dunno.”
“Listen…Whitebeard’s life isn’t just his own concern.”
“Yeah, I know,” said Ace, sticking his spoon into his mouth.
“Oh yeah? What do you know?”
“Whitebeard uses that flag to protect his territory. Fish-Man Island and the other places, and all the people living there. If something happened to him…”
Then opportunistic hordes would come from every direction, and stain the ocean red with blood.
“That’s right. But you still don’t get it.”
“Eh?”
“Listen, Ace…if you were a little bit tougher, then you and your friends wouldn’t be alive right now. We would’ve made certain of that.”
“Huh?!”
In other words, if Ace were an opponent that Whitebeard could not overlook, then his division leaders would have shown no mercy in defending his territory.
But they were spared because Ace was weak.
Kotatsu licked his face, almost as though to comfort him. A cat could be tamed with enough food. But a human being wasn’t so simple. Because…
Because why?
Because of pride? Pride in what? Because he was frustrated that he lost to Whitebeard?
To begin with, Ace’s ultimate goal was to garner more fame than the King of the Pirates.
He grew up hating his father, and it was the only thing Ace could think of that would release his heart from the grips of that hatred, so that he could live again. That’s why he went after Whitebeard, Roger’s former rival. And that rival turned out to be far beyond Ace’s reach. Which would mean that his hated father, too, must still be far out of reach…
Ace’s troubles hadn’t been solved. And that’s why he was stuck in such a disgraceful state.
“Does Whitebeard…”
“What?”
“Does he always do this? Tame pirates who try to take his life?”
It’s easy to speak about a man’s greatness, but perhaps this was evidence of it.
“Look, don’t think about it too hard, okay? You’re not really the contemplative type, are you? He’s the same way… He’s easy to understand.”
“Huh?”
“Pops is a pirate. A pirate in the good old style. He shows you who he is. He’s not two-faced. So he likes others who have that pirate’s way about them. In the fight, you helped your people escape, didn’t you? And you yourself swore not to escape. He likes dummies like you, I think.”
Ace had been a great captain at that moment. That one moment, at least.
“I…”
“If you want to leave, we’re not going to stop you. But if you’re going to eat our food, then honor the code. The way that Kotatsu and your friends are doing.”
Crash!
A dish shattered.
At the end of the long table where Ace was sitting was a man who was making a ruckus as he ate.
“Hey! This fish pie is especially delicious!”
“So don’t smash the plates, Teech.”
“Zeha ha ha ha! Oh? What was that, Thatch? Sorry, that smelt was still too lively!” teased the man who had broken his dish by jabbing a fork all the way through it.
“I’m going to serve you on a steel dish next time.”
“Zeha ha ha ha!” the man laughed again. His presence at the meal table changed the atmosphere entirely.
“What’s with that guy?” said Ace skeptically. He was a pirate raised by bandits, so if he was creeped out, that was saying something.
The man was large—nearly as big and barrel-chested as Jimbei, but hairy as well.
“That’s Teech. He’s been in this business a long time.” said Thatch. He looked to be in his thirties. He and Thatch treated each other like equals, though Thatch was the division leader.
“So did he know the King of the Pirates, then? But he doesn’t have a bounty on his head.”
“Actually, you know what? He’s just like you, Ace.”
“Like me? How so?”
“His name’s got—” Thatch started to say. Ace looked up with surprise.
The large man, Teech, was now standing directly over them, staring down with piercing eyes.
“You the hundred-million kid who turned down the Seven Warlords?”
The man’s attitude was abrasive, mocking. Ace’s expression stiffened.
“You ate a fruit, right? Which one?”
“It’s the Flame-Flame Fruit, he says. Stop getting into it with the youngsters, Teech,” Thatch warned.
“Aha! Zeha ha ha ha!” Teech laughed, and smacked Ace on the back with incredible force. It caused him to double up coughing.
“Koff, koff! What the…?”
“I’m Teech! The name’s Marshall D. Teech. So, you’ve got the Flame-Flame Fruit, eh? I hear that all the Devil Fruits taste like trash. Is that true?”
“Koff… No, I wouldn’t say that. It wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever eaten,” said Ace. Of course, when he ate it he was starving on an uninhabited island, so flavor was the last thing he was worried about.
“Well, well, that’s a lucky stroke! So a Devil Fruit tastes like trash, but it’s not inedible, huh? I wonder if Pops’s and Marco’s fruits tasted that bad… Zeha ha ha ha!”
Braaapp! Teech left the mess hall trailing the stench of a tremendous fart behind him. Ace wrinkled his nose at the stink of it.
“What kind of a stupid laugh is that?” he grumbled.
“I know. He’s a big cantankerous bastard…but he’s not a bad guy.”
“Hmph. If you say so. Hmm? What’s up, Kotatsu?” Ace said, looking down.
“Grrrrr…”
Kotatsu was curled up on the floor, his tail wound protectively around himself.
“Whoa, he’s all freaked out.”
“Did he eat some bad squid or something?”
The large cat continued to quiver, never taking his eyes off the door to the mess hall.