Chapter 161: The Young Man in the Restaurant

"Are you jealous of me, Colonel Smoker?"
Roland smiled, shaking his head as he spoke.
"Hmph, I wouldn't dare. You're a rising star in the Marines now, and the Commander-in-Chief of the G-10 Branch to boot. How could a humble Marine colonel like me ever be jealous of you?"
Smoker wore a don't-approach-me expression, even taking two steps back when Roland drew near.
Seeing Smoker act like this, Roland couldn't help but shake his head once more.
Realizing that continuing to banter was pointless, Roland simply ended the topic and asked, "Weren't you stationed in Loguetown? What brings you all the way to the Alabasta Kingdom?"
"It's all because of that Straw Hat Luffy."
Mentioning this, Smoker let out a deep sigh, taking a heavy drag from his cigar.
As it turned out, ever since Luffy rampaged through Loguetown, Smoker had reported the incident to Marine Headquarters. However, upon reflection, he felt it was quite disgraceful that a mysterious person had blocked him and allowed Luffy to escape, especially once the news got out.
In particular, upon hearing that Roland was receiving increasingly heavy responsibilities within the Marines, he felt he couldn't afford to remain so decadent.
Stuck in such a backwater place as Loguetown, he would never have the opportunity for promotion.
Therefore, after submitting his report, Smoker took his direct subordinates, boarded a warship, and headed straight for the Grand Line.
And so, tracking Luffy the entire way, Smoker had arrived directly in the Alabasta Kingdom.
Convinced that Luffy had made landfall, Smoker had scattered his marines across Yuba—or rather, the port town of Nanohana—to hunt down the Straw Hat Pirates and wash away his disgrace.
"So, that clueless Straw Hat kid is in the Alabasta Kingdom right now?"
Hearing this, Roland suddenly realized what was happening: had he stepped right into the main plot?
Yet, without Nami, how on earth had Luffy managed it?
Successfully crossing Reverse Mountain to enter the Grand Line, and now actually making it to the Alabasta Kingdom—it was truly astonishing.
"That's right."
Smoker nodded.
Meanwhile, inside a restaurant somewhere in Nanohana:
"Hey, is that guy dead?"
"He's definitely dead. He stopped moving right in the middle of eating."
"Hey, owner, there's a serious food safety issue with your establishment."
"Yeah, boss, look, someone actually died from eating your food."
...
Inside the restaurant, a crowd had gathered in front of the counter, looking at the bare-chested young man who had pitched face-first into a pile of plates, discussing back and forth.
"Really dead?"
Having someone die from eating in one's own restaurant was a grave matter for the owner. After all, nothing like this had ever happened before; why on earth did it happen today?
Cautiously, the owner approached the young man, slowly leaning his head forward to get a closer look.
However, the next instant, the owner shrieked and flew backward as if he had seen a ghost.
"A… a corpse is rising…"
With his back pressed against the wall, the owner pointed tremblingly at the youth, stammering.
"A rising corpse?"
Hearing this, everyone stepped back in horror, staring at the young man.
Yet the scene that followed left them utterly at a loss for words.
"Ah, I took a nap, that felt great! Boss, bring me another portion just like the last one, please."
The young man sat straight up, stretched his arms in a massive yawn, and then pointed at the food before him as he spoke.
"Y-you're not dead?"
The owner pointed at the youth, bewildered and terrified.
"Huh? What are you talking about, boss? I just took a nap, it was very comfortable."
The youth adjusted his hat and asked with a puzzled expression.
"Hold on, your food will be ready right away."
Hearing this, the owner finally heaved a sigh of relief. As long as nobody had died in his restaurant, everything was fine.
If word of that got out, how would he ever do business again?
"That guy?"
In a corner of the restaurant, someone looked toward the youth, his gaze instantly drawn to the tattoo on the young man's back.
It was a teal-colored skull insignia; generally, anyone bearing such a symbol was a pirate.
This mark differed somewhat from ordinary skulls; right atop the cranium of the skull was a large, sweeping mustache that pointed high into the air.
Anyone involved with pirates or the Marines knew the significance of this emblem.
This symbol represented the Whitebeard Pirates, one of the Four Emperors who ruled the second half of the Grand Line and held sway over the laws of the New World.
Yet, why would a crewmate of Whitebeard appear in a place like this?
"I need to go report this to the boss."
The fellow in the corner sneaked out of the restaurant, scurried this way and that through the city streets, and finally knocked on a door.
On the street, a marine ran up to Smoker, panting heavily.
Intending to report the situation, he was visibly startled upon seeing Roland.
As a marine, how could he possibly not recognize Roland?
"Reporting to Colonel Smoker, Major General Roland, we've spotted someone unusual."
Not forgetting his duty, the marine quickly composed himself upon seeing Roland and made his report.
"What kind of person?"
Smoker was somewhat surprised. Could they really bump into some big shot in a place like this?
Judging by the marine's nervous demeanor, he had clearly encountered someone extraordinary.
If it were ordinary pirates, he would have simply reported it directly without playing guessing games.
"Suspected crew member of Whitebeard, right inside that restaurant over there. It seems to have caused quite a stir."
The marine reported.
"A crew member of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Smoker instantly turned serious.
A crew member of one of the Four Emperors appearing in such a place was no trivial matter. Once confirmed, it had to be reported to Headquarters.
"Are you certain you didn't mistake him for someone else?"
Roland's interest was also piqued, for he already knew who this crew member of the Four Emperors was.
"Reporting to Major General Roland, I am certain I didn't misidentify him. He's right in that restaurant. Quite a few civilians have already seen the pirate, though no conflict has broken out yet."
The marine stated.
"Take us to have a look."
Smoker glanced at Roland beside him, thought for a moment, and said directly.
What did he have to fear with a monster like Roland right here?
So what if it was a crew member of the Four Emperors? Not everyone possessed combat power comparable to a Marine Vice Admiral like the top commanders did.
Though admitting it felt a bit shameful, having Roland around certainly guaranteed that things wouldn't spiral out of control.
"Yes, sir!"
The marine was clearly excited as well, for he knew the legends surrounding Major General Roland.
As long as Major General Roland took action, what did even a Whitebeard crewmate matter?
After giving Zoro instructions to wait, Roland joined Smoker, and the three of them walked toward the restaurant.
However, just as they reached the entrance of the restaurant, a straw-hatted figure suddenly burst out from the crowd, shoving past Roland and Smoker, and bolted headlong toward the establishment.
The sight resembled a starving beast spotting its prey, unable to contain its frantic hunger.
"Food! Food! Food—!"
The straw-hatted figure smashed the front doors open, rushed into the restaurant, arrived at the counter, and yelled with manic excitement.
"Ah, Luffy, it's been a lo—"