Kong Tai glanced at Lucci. Bosses seemed to be all the same. He then withdrew his gaze and turned towards the entrance.
Gu Yina and the others were already waiting for him outside.
They had explored Fish-Man Island quite thoroughly. Next, they would head to the Sea Forest, see the Poneglyph there, and then set sail for the New World.
"Huh?"
Outside the room, Kong Tai's feet stopped on the steps. He tilted his head and looked in the direction they had come from, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Gu Yina walked over, took Kong Tai's arm, and hugged it. She tilted her head, looking at him.
"Nothing."
Kong Tai withdrew his gaze, turned, and said gently to Gu Yina, "A group of fools who don't know their place have dragged our ship away."
"The ship?" Gu Yina frowned, her eyes flashing with red light and blue arcs. Her Observation Haki, amplified by the lightning, instantly spread across the entire island.
Within her perception, she could not only sense the presence of Hody Jones and the others but also hear their conversation.
She withdrew her Haki, the arcs of lightning and red light in her eyes disappearing. Gu Yina spoke, "These guys want us to clash with Fish-Man Island."
Kong Tai stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and nodded, "Mm!"
"A bunch of guys with ambition but no strength. They probably want to use us to throw Fish-Man Island into chaos so they can seize control."
He shook his head dismissively as he spoke, "A nice thought, but they'll never know how vast the sea is, nor how powerful the strong individuals in this world are. Their plan is doomed to fail if they provoke us."
He hadn't expected that person to make a move now.
Did he truly not understand the weight of someone with a bounty of 2.5 billion Berries, or was he a frog in a well, believing fish-men were stronger than humans?
Impossible!
Given that person's patience and ambition, they should have been to the New World and would know how powerful the pirates there were.
"Hmm..." Kong Tai stroked his chin, pondering.
Perhaps that person had only ventured near the Red Line, and for ordinary pirates on the sea...
No, even powerful pirates, if they encountered a large group of fish-men at sea, would only face the fate of drowning.
Not everyone was like them. On the sea, unable to fly, and not particularly strong, a group of fish-men was the nightmare of all pirates.
It was no wonder these guys had gotten so arrogant.
Even if they knew Haki, Haki wasn't omnipotent. Once in the water, they would be at the mercy of the fish-men.
And with their strength, they wouldn't have witnessed the fighting prowess of top-tier powerhouses.
In fact, as long as they weren't peak powerhouses, even someone like Jinbe or Hua, facing an endless swarm of fish-men whose physical abilities were nearly ten times stronger than humans, would be exhausted to death.
Even if Hua and the others had robots, it would be useless.
But at this point in time, these guys shouldn't have the stimulant "E.S." yet, right?
What gave them the courage to launch their plan now?
"Hmm... no."
"Stimulant, E.S...."
He seemed to recall that this was something that person stole from Ryugu Palace when they left.
It was said to be sealed within a jade box.
So, this meant that person had possessed the drug that could double the user's strength long ago.
No wonder they dared to provoke them.
After taking the drug crazily, they could fight with Luffy after two years of training. It was no wonder that person had become so arrogant.
Perhaps that person still saw him as just a human brat, not a truly powerful pirate.
Upon realizing this, the mockery on Kong Tai's face became even more pronounced.
He wasn't Monkey D. Luffy; they were not on the same level at all.
Shaking his head, Kong Tai decided not to bother with that person for now. He would go to the Sea Forest to see the Poneglyph and deal with them later; there was no rush.
As long as he was here, he could reach the Thousand Sunny in an instant. Those guys couldn't possibly damage the Thousand Sunny under his watch.
Thinking this, Kong Tai looked up at Robin, whose face was filled with anticipation, and smiled. He then looked at Hua and the others, "Are you guys going with us to the Sea Forest to see the Poneglyph there, or will you continue exploring?"
Hua adjusted his glasses, pondered for a moment, then glanced at the others. He spoke, "We'll continue shopping. We're not interested in history."
"Alright then!"
Kong Tai then turned his gaze to Brook and Indigo, "What about you two?"
"Kekekekeke!!" Indigo smiled, "I want to check out the pharmacies here and buy some medicine."
"Then I'll go shopping with Hua and the others, Yohohoho!!"
Clearly, none of them were interested in history, even the Poneglyph.
Unless it was a Road Poneglyph.
If it were a red Road Poneglyph, they might have had some interest. During dinner, they had learned that the Poneglyph in the Sea Forest was just an ordinary one, so they weren't very interested.
If they wanted to know what was on it, they could always listen to Robin explain it.
There was no need to go there in person.
They would be leaving soon, so it was more important to explore this fantastical island while they had the chance.
"Okay!" Kong Tai nodded, "Then let's meet at the dock later. You can buy some local specialties."
"Oh, right!" As if remembering something, Kong Tai looked at Jinbe, who had been standing beside him, "Jinbe, do you have any good wine here?"
"When we were eating earlier, the wine we drank, I saw the label on the bottle. It looked like wine from the Sabaody Archipelago."
"Wine..." Jinbe thought for a moment and replied, "Fish-Man Island does have its own wine, but due to low production, it's a tribute wine for the Dragon Palace. Ordinary people can't buy or drink it."
"Oh..." Kong Tai was slightly disappointed.
He had been wondering why such a populous island wouldn't have its own winemaking facilities.
So, it was due to low production.
However, the lower the production, the more it proved that this wine might be a delicacy.
Thus, Kong Tai licked his lips, looked up at Jinbe with anticipation, "Can we buy some?"
Jinbe met Kong Tai's expectant gaze, his eyes flickering. After a moment of thought, he nodded and said, "For ordinary pirates, even the Marines couldn't, but for you guys..."
"You can."
"Phew~"
Kong Tai exhaled, a smile spreading across his face. He said to Jinbe with a radiant smile, "That's great. Then please, Jinbe, take Hua and the others to buy some wine. We'll be leaving soon and won't be staying long."
"Mm!" Jinbe nodded, "These are minor matters. Ace knows where the winery is."
Saying this, he glanced at Ace, who had just emerged from the restaurant, "Ace, you still accompany Mr. Hua and the others and take them to buy wine later. I'll continue to follow Mr. Kong Tai and the others."
He then turned his head to look at Robin, a mysterious glint in his eyes, "Coincidentally, I also want to know what is recorded on that Poneglyph that has stood in the Sea Forest for so long."
"No problem, you guys go ahead."
Ace spat out the toothpick from his mouth and waved dismissively at Jinbe.
And so, the group split up. Ace continued to guide Hua and the others on their shopping trip, while Jinbe led Kong Tai and the other two to the Sea Forest.