Chapter Text
Later that evening, the crew eat dinner together inside the dining hall. As Shocker scarfes down his food, Angel notices that Yato isn’t around. Adam sighs and tells her to give him time, as what had happened earlier with his parents isn’t easy to get over. In the boys’ room, Yato sits on his bed, twirling the vivre card in his hands. As he thinks to himself, he wonders whether his parents are his business. He then wonders who the mysterious pirate who destroyed their homeland is…
The next morning, Shocker and Zane burst into the kitchen, asking Yato for breakfast. However, to their confusion, the kitchen is empty, with no food even being made. As Taco groggily asks what’s going on, Zane says Yato hasn’t started making breakfast yet, which was weird for him because the chef always wakes up at 6 am to start preparations. As Jordan and Adam join the party, they search the whole ship, but Yato is nowhere to be found. Suddenly, Angel runs out to the deck, with a note in hand, Cruella following her. She worriedly shows it to the boys, stating that Yato left them a message stating that he is sorry, but he must leave the crew for some time. The note continues to say he isn’t sure when he can come back, but tells them to not wait for him.
As the crew stands shocked, Cruella states there must be a good reason for him leaving, but Shocker states he doesn’t care and that he can’t just leave like that. Adam sighs and says that this isn’t what they need right now, and Zane tears up, asking why their friend has to leave. Jordan deduces that if he left, it was probably to the island they see on the horizon. Shocker tells the shipwright to take them there, as they are going to get their chef back.
As the Stormy White pulls into the harbor, the dockmaster greets them, telling them they’re on Yaseinishi Island, a small-ish, dusty island with a wild-west aesthetic. As the crew gets off and walk around, they see old, one-story houses with shutters and wooden doors. The main road is quite sandy and dust-filled, with tumbleweeds rolling through it. Towards the back, they see giant water towers that Angel guesses provide the town with its water. Jordan notes that they may see cowboys or something here, with Shocker and Zane excited at the idea of meeting a real-life cowboy. As they look around the area, a thuggish man calls over to them and asks them if they’re here for the job posting. As Shocker is about to say no, Cruella cuts him off and says indeed they are. The man tells them to head over to the plaza, as their new boss would speak soon.
The crew oblige and walk over to the plaza, seeing a gathering of about 60 pirates and bandits socializing. They eavesdrop on some conversations, with some talking about how they can’t believe that the organization is being started up again, and that no one has seen their boss since the Cross Guild was disbanded.
Suddenly, a voice is heard throughout the crowd. The voice says that he knows they’ve been waiting for him, and that he himself had to lay low and rest for a long time, but that he has a plan for coming back into the spotlight, and that this will be his rebirth. Large amounts of sand flies through the crowd, all coalescing on the stage and forming a humanoid shape. As the crowd shouts and cheers, it is revealed to be none other than “Desert King” Sir Crocodile, the former president of Baroque Works and former financial executive of the Cross Guild, a man worth 1,965,000,000 beli. Daz Bonez “the Killer”, who has a bounty of 275,000,000, sits in a chair next to him, folding his arms and crossing his legs, murmuring about how large the crowd is to see him. Cruella recognizes him with shock, noting him to be a former Warlord of the Sea.
Former Warlord of the Sea
Former President of Baroque Works
Former Financial Executive of the Cross Guild
"Desert King" Sir Crocodile
