Whisky Peak, the only town on Cactus Island, sat at the front door of the Grand Line. On the surface, it was a welcoming place, famous for its wine and its music. But that was just a cover. The town was crawling with bounty hunters, lying in wait at the very start of the paradise route to prey on rookie pirates.
With Mayor Igaram gone, operations at Whisky Peak had ground to a halt.
Truth be told, their business had always been slow. It was a waiting ga, they'd lie in ambush for pirates to drift into their territory, lure them in with a warm welco and plenty of booze, then strike when their guards were down.
The overhead was steep, though. Running into a crew with a low bounty could an taking a serious loss. And their brand of enthusiastic hospitality ant they were always running short on food, it was that constant shortage that had once led them to consider targeting Laboon.
Still, it had served as a key outpost for Baroque Works: a hub for transactions, mission assignnts, and agent training.
Dante mulled it over for a mont, his gaze landing on Robin. "Whisky Peak... I've seen how they hunt pirates. It's completely outdated," he said. "Relying on luck for a ship to even drift by? How long would it take to catch anyone that way? Never mind. We can talk about that later."
He paused, a thought striking him.
"Oh, right. Where's Mock? Did he already ship out?"
"Mock went to Cocoyashi Town last night," Robin replied. "He hasn't co back yet."
"Cocoyashi Town?" As she spoke, a realization seed to dawn on him, his eyes narrowing. At the sa ti, he felt a dull ache settle into his muscles, a wave of discomfort washing over him.
'Right,' he thought. 'A little soreness is to be expected after being on the move for so long.'
He stretched, stood, and was about to say he was going to find Mock to discuss a few things.
His secretary finished her notes, looked up, and gave him a smile. "Are you tired, Boss?"
"Ahem. A little," he admitted.
"Then..." Robin lightly twirled a lock of hair around her finger. She rested her chin in her hand, turning to him with that familiar, soft smile. "Do you need my help?"
Dante blinked.
A mont later.
'Damn,' he thought. 'She's good at this.'
--**--**
anwhile, in Cocoyashi Town.
Mock whistled as he strolled down the street, stepping out from the luxuriously decorated shop behind him. It was a rare chance to get a good night's rest before he had to ship out again.
Of course, Mock was more than satisfied with his life these days.
'My only regret,' he thought, 'is that it's been a while since I've been on a real adventure with the Boss.'
He missed the good old days. The kind where they'd eat and drink their fill, spot a pirate ship, and howl, "Get over here, you bastards!" before charging in.
'Ever since the Boss went straight, we hardly ever go out hunting pirates anymore.'
He still rembered how it all started. He was just a villager from an island near the 315th Branch. After the Boss ca to the East Blue, Mock was in the first group of misfits to follow him and Robin out to sea.
He rembered the day they heard a new commander was taking over the 315th Branch. No one had paid it much mind. The place was a barren rock, so poor that even pirates didn't bother with it. It was a Marine base without a single warship and barely any Marines. Why would they care about so new Captain? They figured he'd either find a way to get transferred or just beco a pirate himself by day two.
And sure enough, that's exactly what happened.
The Boss arrived on a small, dilapidated boat and gathered everyone on the island, Marines included.
Just as they'd expected, he took one look at the barren wasteland and clutched his head, muttering things like, "Is this a demotion? This is exile!" and, "What's the point of being a base commander for this dump? Even pirates would shake their heads at it!" and, "I might as well just beco a pirate."
It looked like he didn't have any connections, so a transfer was out. Piracy it was.
But it didn't happen quite like they'd imagined.
The Boss, still clutching his head, had walked right up to Mock, grabbed him by the collar, and asked his na. The next thing he knew, he was Mock, captain of the newly ford Mock Pirates.
They'd set sail on a single, dilapidated boat: the Boss, Robin, and a handful of villagers too hungry to stand straight.
That very night, they "acquired" a slightly bigger ship, and their adventure on the high seas began.
And now... look at them. He was strong, they had a massive ship, more crewmates, and a base that was bigger and more beautiful than he could have ever dread. They even had an Admiral and the Hero of the Marines in their corner, not to ntion a few more "Big Sisters."
As for the 315th Branch... after the Boss left to another base 16th Branch, no new commander ever ca. Marine HQ probably figured the godforsaken place didn't need one. Now, it was the Boss's territory. The villagers who once lived there were still there, watching over their old ho, though life had changed completely. It wasn't big and there was still nothing there, but it was where they ca from.
A cheerful smile spread across Mock's face. He looked around at the bustling streets of Cocoyashi Town, and a surge of pride welled up inside him. All of this, built from the ground up by the Boss, brick by brick.
Because of that, Mock would carry out any order from the Boss with everything he had.
As he walked, he spotted a familiar figure and grinned, waving. "Yo, Kuma! You're here, too?"
He ambled over to the burly giant in the bear-eared hat, who was carrying a large wooden box. Mock gave the box a friendly tap. "Hey, Bonney, you're in there, too!"
"Uncle Mock!" a voice chirped from inside.
"Mock." Kuma rumbled in greeting.
"Since you're both here, let
show you around," Mock declared, puffing out his chest. "You're gonna love this place."
His eyes landed on sothing, and without waiting for Kuma to reply, he strode toward a focaccia stand. "Boss, three focaccia! Captain Mock's treat!" he called out, waving Kuma over.
Kuma hesitated for a mont before walking forward and thanking him.
From inside the box, Bonney giggled. "Thank you, Uncle Mock!"
"Focaccia?" Kuma looked at the banner hanging in front of the stand, his brow furrowed slightly as he read it aloud. "Goa Kingdom Royal Family Secret Recipe? Even the Hero of the Marines said it was good?"
'This advertisent... seems a little strange,' he thought.
"Alright, so that recipe," Mock whispered, pulling Kuma closer. "It's actually the Boss's. Not from so Goa Kingdom. But that's a secret, you hear? I promised him I wouldn't tell a soul, so don't you go blabbing. I'm Mock, the most tight-lipped man on the seas!"
He finished with a proud grin.
Bonney was silent.
Kuma was silent.
The owner was silent.
Finally, the owner, who had just finished making the focaccia, looked at Mock with a pained expression. "Captain Mock, I heard that."
"It's fine! Kuma's one of us! He's a new talent the Boss recruited!" Mock waved off the owner's complaint. He was, after all, the most tight-lipped man on the seas, he never would have said anything if Kuma wasn't family.
He took the focaccia, handed two to Kuma, and took a huge bite of his own. "The sign might be a little embellished," he said, looking at the stunned Kuma, "but this is the really delicious!"
"Fake?" Kuma took the bread and stared at it for a mont before nodding. He glanced back at the banner. "...even the Hero of the Marines said it was good..."
Before he could finish, Mock cut in, his mouth full. "That part's true! And I heard an Admiral ate it and said it was good, too!"
Kuma just stared.
"Did the Hero of the Marines really say it was good?" the owner asked, blinking at Mock in confusion. "How co I don't know anything about that?"
Another wave of silence fell over the stand.
As the owner started grilling Mock about when, exactly, the Marine Hero had stopped by, Kuma let out a helpless smile. At this point, it didn't really matter.
He found a shaded spot out of the sun and passed one of the focaccias into the box, then looked down at his own. He took a gentle bite, and a small smile touched his lips.
A mont later, Bonney's voice ca from inside the box. "Dad, it's delicious!"
"Mm," Kuma rumbled, a warmth in his voice. "It really is."
===============
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