Eight thousand and eight.

Edward Newgate remembered that a few years ago, when he passed through this sea area, this island didn’t seem to exist. But perhaps it was just the passage of time playing tricks on his memory.

Now that night had fallen, Newgate intended to find an uninhabited islet to rest on. If he could find food supplies there, all the better. More importantly, his small boat wouldn’t hold out much longer—it might not even make it to the next island and would drag him down to the depths.

From afar, Newgate sensed that there were others on this island. Yet he felt no fear. If their intentions were honorable, he would respond politely; if not, the naginata in his hand was not merely ornamental.

Stepping onto the island, he came upon an unexpected pair.

The little girl, no more than ten years old, appeared quite ordinary. Though striking in appearance, Newgate detected nothing extraordinary about her strength. The New World was indeed a den of dragons and hidden talents, with many strange Devil Fruit users, but it was also home to ordinary people born on peaceful islands.

Newgate did not underestimate her for this… but no matter how he looked at it, the girl was simply too weak.

Opposite her stood a face he had seen before on wanted posters.

Newgate rarely followed current news, but he had overheard pirates aboard Rocks’ ship talking about him:

“That Kaido, debuting with 70 million berries, looks like a promising rookie.”

“I heard he’s heading toward Honeycomb Island. Could it be to challenge Rocks?”

“Who in the world would be so reckless? Ha ha ha!”

And so on.

Now, Newgate never imagined he would meet Kaido here—Kaido, who was supposedly on his way to Honeycomb Island.

A man like Kaido was a wolf among sheep when facing ordinary civilians. Newgate had no doubt that Kaido was an immense threat to an unarmed little girl.

Yet strangely…

Kaido seemed to be the one feeling threatened. He cautiously and surreptitiously distanced himself from the girl.

The girl, named Koi Yaku, was tending to a cooking pot, while Kaido moved away from it. Koi Yaku turned to Newgate with a broad smile and answered his unspoken question: “Yes, this is my island.”

“You’ve come at just the right time,” the warm-hearted Koi Yaku said. “Are you hungry? I’m just about to cook.”

At that moment, Newgate’s stomach gave a faint rumble. Koi Yaku’s smile grew even brighter.

“Why don’t you join us for a meal?”

Faced with the girl’s smile, Newgate’s expression softened without him realizing it.

Kaido, on the other hand, although he had put distance between himself and Koi Yaku, fixed his gaze on Newgate like a wolf ready to pounce.

“Who are you?” Kaido asked warily.

Koi Yaku had claimed the island as her own and welcomed the newcomer warmly. But Kaido looked as if his territory had been invaded—barely restraining himself from baring his teeth.

Could it be that Kaido, seeing the girl’s kindness as weakness, had simply appropriated her island as his own?

Though Newgate was a pirate himself, he despised associating with the common riffraff. He loathed pirates who bullied civilians, invaded others’ lands, and marked their territory like wild dogs.

“…Fine. Whoever you are, you look strong,” Kaido said, tightening his grip on his spiked club. “Let’s fight.”

Newgate looked down at Kaido without a trace of fear. A deadly aura spread between them; the tension was palpable.

At that moment, Koi Yaku’s voice interrupted them:

“I’m done cooking! Hey, stop arguing and come eat!”

For some reason, Kaido’s fierce demeanor suddenly softened. As if hearing nothing, he turned his head away, looking like he wanted to leave immediately.

Newgate wasn’t sure what had happened, but hearing Koi Yaku’s kind invitation, he too relaxed his stance, not wanting to scare the girl.

Then, Newgate approached the pot where Koi Yaku was cooking.

He glanced inside.

His friendly expression froze instantly.

Kaido seemed to have anticipated this and from a distance glanced at Newgate before showing an unexpected hospitality:

“…Go ahead and eat. Don’t hold back because of her.”

Koi Yaku nodded eagerly, looking very pleased: “Don’t worry! I made 31 servings at once—there’s definitely enough!”

She then turned to Kaido: “You don’t have to be shy either. Eat plenty!”

Kaido responded stiffly, “No, I just ate.”

“It’s okay! This food doesn’t fill you up anyway; you can eat more,” Koi Yaku said enthusiastically.

Kaido’s face looked like he had just eaten something awful—as if this food had already made him sick.

Newgate took a step back and cast a subtle glance at a nearby pile of apple cores. He felt he was beginning to understand.

This island had fire, pots, and ingredients.

Yet they still chose to subsist on wild fruits.

The reason seemed clear.

Newgate tried hard not to let his disdain show, not wanting to hurt the girl’s feelings.

After all, her intentions were good…

Her intentions were good…

The little girl cheerfully held out a serving of the dish, and Kaido, unable to escape (or so it seemed), had a heaping portion of this dark cuisine forced into his hands.

From a distance, Newgate could see a brightly colored, sticky mass containing a lobster—head and shell intact—desperately waving its claws.

Suddenly, Newgate’s opinion of Kaido changed.

At least, if Kaido truly wanted to avoid eating, if he really wished to flee, this little girl surely couldn’t keep up with his pace.

Yet Kaido only showed surface reluctance.

Probably wanting to honor her enthusiasm for cooking, unable to outright refuse…

While Newgate was mulling this over, unexpectedly, a giant portion of smoky, ominously fragrant dark cuisine was pressed into his own hands.

A close look revealed a legendary dish with problems in every aspect—color, aroma, and taste—that made Newgate’s vision darken.

At that moment, Newgate’s and Kaido’s eyes met.

Gone was the initial tension.

What remained was a deep, mutual sense of sympathy, a shared sorrow akin to the plight of a hunted rabbit and a fox.

Koi Yaku continued warmly: “Eat! Why won’t you eat? Besides, this is my secret recipe; it increases your HP by two points!”

…What HP?

What limit?

Newgate didn’t understand her meaning. Even if he did, he doubted he could summon the courage to swallow the dark stew.

But Kaido was different.

After all, once you’ve tried it once, there would be a second, a third…

For the sake of getting stronger.

Kaido had already learned to self-hypnotize.

Newgate’s eyes widened as he watched Kaido expertly close his eyes, tilt his head back, and swallow the mysterious dish whole, lobster head and all.

Not just Kaido.

Koi Yaku also raised a portion as if it were a sacred sacrament, eating it with an unchanging expression and even a look of bliss.

Newgate was deeply shaken by this scene, unable to calm his mind for a long time.

Not even the Shock Fruit could shake him so much.

After the meal, Kaido’s eyes glazed over like he had eaten a poisonous mushroom, mumbling:

“I feel like…”

Koi Yaku finished his sentence for him: “You really have gotten stronger! Amazing, NPCs actually get attribute boosts. You seem to specialize in HP, so the HP-boosting food works twice as well!”

“Awesome, you gained 10 HP at once! In that case, why don’t you eat all the HP-boosting dishes?”

Kaido looked dazed, holding his head, hesitantly saying, “I think I really do feel a little stronger…”

He was coaxed by Koi Yaku to take the next mysterious dish.

They truly were a bold pair—one daring to cook, the other daring to eat.

Newgate watched them in stunned silence, still at a loss for words.

He awkwardly held the dish in his hands, mouth opening slightly, watching Kaido already finishing his second portion, unsure whether he should intervene.

One meal could make someone stronger? There was no such convenient miracle in the world!

If such magical food existed, it would have become as famous as the Devil Fruits.

…So rather than making one stronger, it was probably food poisoning causing hallucinations. Newgate eyed the ingredients and had no doubt about the potent toxins the dish might contain.

Still just a child…

Newgate glanced between Kaido and Koi Yaku, his feelings conflicted.

He solemnly placed his portion of the dish before Kaido.

“Eat more if you like.jpg”

Ignoring Kaido, Newgate turned to Koi Yaku, hesitating: “…Why not eat something better?”

Koi Yaku blinked in confusion.

“I’m eating very well,” she replied cheerfully, “Nutritious and healthy, and it even boosts your stats!”

Newgate’s expression grew even more complex.

From behind him came Kaido’s sound of retching. Newgate looked at him with pity and then spoke to Koi Yaku:

“I can take you to a more prosperous and affluent place, or any town you like. You can live a happy and peaceful life, and no longer have to force yourself to eat food like this every day.”

Filled with compassion and sorrow, Newgate said to her:

“Child, will you come with me? At least then, you won’t have to stay on this lonely island anymore.”