Whiskey Peak
The banquet was in full swing, loud and lively.
"Another round!"
At one of the sofa booths, Sugisawa Yuuto downed his twentieth glass of strong liquor in one gulp.
"Wow, President Yuuto is incredible!" Vivi clapped her hands in admiration, her eyes wide.
"Hahaha, it's still early yet!" Yuuto laughed, his demeanor wild and unrestrained, as though nothing could touch him.
At that same moment, at the next table—
"Wooo… wooo…" Juvia sobbed uncontrollably.
"We both have blue hair, so why did the president pick that girl? Has he already grown tired of me? Uuugh—glug, glug—" She drowned her misery with cup after cup of alcohol.
"Don't cry, Juvia. Forget about that terrible man, we'll just look after ourselves." Nami wrapped her arms around Juvia and tried to soothe her gently.
Off to the side, Erza and Mirajane exchanged a glance, shaking their heads helplessly.
After spending several months with Yuuto, they knew his temperament very well. If something appeared off, there was always a reason. Whatever he was doing now, they were certain he had his own intentions. His carefree, drunken act was nothing but a disguise.
The drinking went on and on, glass after glass. By the time they reached their thirtieth round, dawn was already creeping in.
At last—
"One more…" Yuuto slurred before collapsing face-first onto the wine table, completely drunk.
Across from him, Erza, Mirajane, Nami, and Juvia also slumped over, apparently passed out.
Of course, only Juvia was truly drunk. The others were pretending.
"Hrm… ahem, ahem."
A curly-haired man named Igaramu cleared his throat out of habit.
"It really took a lot of work, but we finally brought him down. He's worth every bit of that eighty million bounty!" He glanced around nervously, as if afraid Yuuto might still spring back up.
Nearly the entire town of bounty hunters had been needed just to get Yuuto to collapse at the table. It was unheard of for one man to drink against a hundred others and still keep going.
"But at last, we've secured the eighty million!" Princess Vivi let out a sigh of relief.
Had things gone on much longer, she wasn't sure she could have endured it.
Because as Yuuto drank more and more, his hands had grown increasingly audacious. At first, he'd only draped an arm across her shoulders. But soon his hand wandered—to her face, her neck, her waist, even her thighs. Everywhere but the most private place. It was utterly humiliating for a princess!
"Well, well… Miss Wednesday, you truly suffered for the mission." Igaramu spoke with guilt in his tone.
"No, it's fine. Everything is for the cause." Vivi's voice was firm, though her cheeks were flushed.
"Mr. 8, the only real criminal here is this man. Those other girls must have been kidnapped by him. Make sure they're looked after properly in the future."
"Understood!" Igaramu waved his hand.
Several bounty hunters waiting outside entered with ropes in hand, ready to bind Yuuto.
But—
The instant their hands touched him, their bodies jolted violently. A moment later, they collapsed on the ground, black smoke curling from their mouths.
"Nani!?" Igaramu's pupils shrank, and he quickly pulled Vivi back, watching Yuuto's motionless body with suspicion.
Yuuto remained still, lying as though fast asleep.
Igaramu gestured again, sending in more hunters. Yet the result was the same—each dropped instantly, lifeless.
"What kind of monster is this man…?"
Mr. 9, gripping his twin metal bats, swallowed hard.
"Even if we're supposed to take him alive, a few injuries won't matter!"
Beside him, Miss Monday flexed her knuckles, discarding her nun's disguise to reveal a tall, muscular frame. With a roar, she swung down at Yuuto, shattering the table beneath him.
By sheer coincidence, Yuuto shifted in his sleep, rolling onto the sofa, unharmed.
"Next time he won't be so lucky!" Miss Monday snarled and raised her fists again.
But before she could land another blow—
Boom!
She was sent flying across the hall, knocked back by Yuuto's unconscious counterpunch.
"I don't believe this! We're official agents of Baroque Works—how can we fail against a sleeping man!?"
Mr. 9 launched into a series of acrobatics, springing high into the air before smashing down with his bats.
Boom!
"Aaagh—!"
The result was the same—Yuuto's foot lashed out in his sleep, sending Mr. 9 crashing hundreds of meters away.
"Damn it—eighty million! You're not asleep at all!" Igaramu shouted, finally realizing the truth.
"Princess Vivi, hurry! I'll hold him off!"
Now it was clear: Yuuto had been awake all along, toying with them. As an infamous pirate worth eighty million, facing him head-on was suicide. All Igaramu could do now was buy time for Vivi to escape.
Clack, clack, clack!
He tugged at his tie, and several cannons unfolded from his curly hair, ready to fire.
"Old man, I'd advise you not to move."
A cold voice cut through the tension.
Erza now stood at the door, her blade leveled at Vivi.
"Erza, don't hurt her. That girl isn't a bad person!" Mirajane said firmly.
"I know." Erza gave a short nod.
While feigning sleep earlier, she'd overheard Vivi telling Igaramu to ensure their safety. Those words hadn't been lies.
"I knew it," Nami added with a smirk. "There's no such thing as a town that warmly welcomes pirates. You bounty hunters must have planned this all along!"
"You dare raise arms against Fairy Tail? Then you've already chosen your fate."
Igaramu lowered his weapons, his expression grim. "We've lost. I have nothing left to say. Do with me what you will—but please, at least spare Miss Wednesday!"
"Your fate isn't for me to decide," Erza said coldly.
"Wait—President! Why are you still pretending to sleep? Wake up already!" Nami leaned down to Yuuto's ear, shouting.
"Yeah, yeah… you're making it impossible to enjoy a good nap."
On the sofa, Sugisawa Yuuto stretched lazily, finally opening his eyes.