Chapter 492: The Not-So-Sturdy Seastone Handcuffs
As Ren considered what to feed the newcomer, he observed Ace for a moment. The man didn't seem like the type to be so blunt with his requests. To state his needs so simply, he must be utterly famished.
Generally, when someone is that hungry, their body craves high-calorie, satisfying food. Though in this particular situation, anything edible would probably suffice.
After a moment of thought, Ren decided to make him the same dish he had prepared for Zoro. As an addition, he used the leftover winter melon from Hancock's meal to make a simple, clear soup. Even if one was starving, diving straight into overly greasy food was a recipe for disaster.
Meanwhile, at the table, both Ace and Nami were lost in their own complex thoughts. Nami found herself wondering why Zoro still hadn't shown up, a familiar knot of worry tightening in her stomach. Ace, on the other hand, was grappling with a much larger problem: how he was supposed to get back, and whether he should even consider linking their worlds.
After all, not everyone was as carefree as Tony Stark or Ash Ketchum. Tony was fiercely loyal to his friends, but held a dismissive arrogance toward almost everyone else; he couldn't care less what outsiders thought. In his mind, Ren was a friend, which automatically meant he was a good person, and linking the worlds was a no-brainer. The opinions of others were irrelevant.
Ash was much the same, with the key difference being that he had absolutely no grasp of what "linking worlds" even entailed. His simple, straightforward worldview saved him from such complicated worries. To him, Ren and the others were just new friends who wanted to catch a couple of Pokémon to play with. Since they had no intention of selling them or causing harm, he saw no issue.
Lucifer, lounging in her seat, cast a lazy, appraising glance at Ace. "Since you're one of these 'great pirates'," she drawled, "I assume you also have one of those Devil Fruits?"
Ace was momentarily taken aback by the direct question but nodded without hesitation. "Ah, yeah. I'm a Devil Fruit user, too."
"Oh? What kind is it?" Lucifer leaned forward slightly, her interest piqued. "We had a Logia type, that Borsalino fellow, visit before. I'm far more interested in seeing what a Paramecia or a Zoan can do. Which one are you?"
Yakumo Yukari and the others also leaned in, their curiosity evident. Having witnessed the sheer power of a Logia-type, they were eager to learn about the other two categories.
Ace rubbed the back of his neck, a slightly awkward expression on his face. "Then you might be disappointed... I'm a Logia type, too."
Though a flicker of disappointment crossed her features, Lucifer's curiosity remained. "And what's your ability?"
Lucifer mulled this over for a second, a confused frown creasing her brow. "So, if you get into a fight on your ship and use your powers... aren't you worried about setting the whole thing on fire?"
"Uh... well..."
Her question brought both Nami and Ace up short. Now that she mentioned it, the idea of a man made of fire fighting on a wooden ship did seem absurdly reckless. How had they never been constantly worried about burning to a crisp?
Pandemonica adjusted her glasses, hesitating for a moment before speaking in her usual soft, formal tone. "Boss, I personally believe that a world where a man can't remove a simple brand, yet can recover from grievous injuries in moments, is already far beyond normal. A little fire on a wooden ship hardly seems like the biggest concern."
Lucifer nodded, accepting the logic. Yakumo Yukari, however, pressed her fingers to her temple with a weary sigh. "So the humans in your world are simultaneously normal and completely abnormal. Some of you can actually grow to be over three meters tall."
Ace looked genuinely confused. "Is that not normal?"
"It's not normal!" came a resounding chorus of six voices.
He scratched his head, still not quite getting it. "I think over three meters is fine... Pops is about six meters tall, after all."
"Six meters..." The same six voices echoed, this time laced with utter disbelief.
Yuuka Kazami felt a headache blooming. Were these humans serious? Wasn't that pushing the definition of 'human' a bit too far?
Lucifer let out a slow breath. "Alright, what about the women? What's their average height?"
"I don't really know, but... how to put it? Most of the women I've met are around 1.7 meters, with quite a few taller than that."
Yakumo Yukari paused, her mind clearly working. She swallowed, then turned to her shikigami. "Hey, Ran..."
"Hmm? Is something the matter, Lady Yukari?"
"Do you think... if we went to live there, we might grow a little taller?"
Yakumo Ran's mouth twitched, a muscle spasming near her eye. 'Lady Yukari, setting aside the biological impossibility of a youkai growing taller like that, you passed the age for growth spurts several centuries ago! Is she being serious?!'
"Looking at it this way, it doesn't seem like Father and the others could ever visit," Ace mused, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "If Pops came, he probably wouldn't even fit through the door. It's a real shame."
Hearing this, Nami's own mouth twitched. "Never mind whether Whitebeard can even get in. Even if he could, there aren't any chairs or tableware big enough for him here, right? And the amount of food it would take to fill him up... Ren doesn't have cooking utensils that massive!"
Lucifer nodded sagely. "As expected of Nami, a sharp and practical answer. But that's not all. The more crucial issue is... with someone that large in the restaurant, any guest from this world who walked in might literally be scared to death."
"So it really is a shame," Ace said with a sigh. "Pops won't get a chance to come here. But on the bright side, at least I know I won't cause any trouble for everyone just by existing! If I implicated my whole family, I'd never be able to rest in peace."
Nami's eye twitched again. "Don't talk like you're about to die! Anyway, what's your plan? Are you going to wait here for Zoro with me, or are you going to link your world?"
"Whatever I do," Ace declared with a sudden grin, "we can talk about it after I've eaten my fill!"
"He really is Luffy's brother, isn't he?" Nami muttered under her breath.
Ace laughed heartily. "Hahaha! That kid eats even more than I do! After all, he's the one who ate that fruit!"
"Paramecia?" Yakumo Yukari guessed, her interest renewed.
"What's his ability?"
"His whole body is like rubber," Ace explained with a wide, fond smile. "It's a lot of fun!"
Yakumo Yukari's expression twitched as she tried to picture it. She truly couldn't imagine how these people fought. To think of using rubber as a weapon... it was certainly creative.
Just as Ace and Nami continued their chat, with Lucifer and the others occasionally chiming in, Ren emerged from the kitchen. The rich, savory aroma that wafted ahead of him instantly captivated Ace. This was no joke. After being chained up in that hellhole, his arms bound to a wall, he was starving. If that admiral hadn't mysteriously vanished, he'd probably still be hanging there.
He had been ravenous for what felt like an eternity. As Ren set the meal down in front of him, Ace swallowed hard, his eyes wide. "This looks even more appetizing than my favorite ghost pepper pasta!"
Ren tilted his head. "So you actually enjoy eating ghost peppers?"
"Of course!" Ace declared proudly, puffing out his chest. "I'm Fire Fist Ace! It's only natural I'd like food that makes me feel like I'm on fire!"
Ren nodded in understanding, then his gaze fell to Ace's wrists. "Are those handcuffs a personal hobby, or did you just forget to take them off?"
At Ren's innocent question, a wave of awkwardness washed over the table. A hobby?
Ace himself was stunned for a moment before shaking his head vehemently. "Of course not! These are Seastone handcuffs! They seal my abilities. I can't get them off!"
Ren glanced at the thick, gray cuffs, his expression unreadable. "Let me see."
Ace, seeing no harm, extended his bound wrists. Ren leaned in, took a brief look, and then casually tapped one of the cuffs with his finger.
Crack.
The next moment, to Ace's absolute disbelief, the solid Seastone shattered into pieces, clattering onto the floor.
Ren straightened up, dusting off his hands. "These handcuffs aren't very sturdy."
Ace stared at his freed hands, then at the rubble on the floor, then back at the calm shopkeeper. His mind struggled to process what had just happened.
"...Who exactly are you?"
Ren offered a small, placid smile. "Me? I'm just the restaurant's shopkeeper."
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