Chapter 83: BIGMOM’s Flag

Cactus Island does not seem to be too big, but there was a natural mooring bay. When Ian stood on the boat and looked at it, he could see many kinds of ships moored in the harbor.

Not only were there merchant and fishing boats, but also pirate and marine ships. Strangely enough, they all dock together peacefully.

Bill saw Ian’s curiousness and explained to him, “The main source of income for the Island is food and beverage. It’s mainly supported by pirates who come and go on the Grand Line. So even the marines here can only keep one eye open and one eye closed. As long as the pirates don’t make trouble, the marines won’t take the initiative to arrest them, of course, with the exception of high-prize criminals.”

“This is a tacit understanding and compromise between the marines and the local residents?” Ian said.

“Yes!” Bill shrugged and said, “If all the pirates are captured, the Island will probably be empty, and the marines will have their difficulties. If the economy of the Island is sacrificed for justice, then people who won’t be able to live on it will become pirates. This is simply a proposition that has no solution.”

Ian also lamented that the situation in this world can not be explained clearly in a sentence or two. It is obvious that the pirates are a kind of harm, but some people have to rely on them to survive.

In this regard, Ian can only understand by being reasonable.

“Besides, not only the marines do not dare to mess around, but the pirates do not dare to mess around here either!” Bill said mysteriously, “As for a reason, you will understand when we get to the island.”

As the fleet of merchant ships began to dock, the wharf was crowded with people, all of whom came to greet the fleet from the Cactus Island.

As he has said before, Ian’s flagship was loaded with spices, which was the most popular thing on Cactus Island. In addition, the other ships of the caravan were transporting liquor, which was also a huge consumption of goods on the Island. The purpose of the caravan was very clear. The goods they transport were all prepared for the Cactus Island.

Since the purpose of the caravan had been decided from the beginning, and Ian had followed it, so he couldn’t take Luffy’s way by going to Whisky Peak. In fact, Ian had no intention of repeating the adventures of others.

At this time, Roland Gail finally regained his prestige, directing the sailors on board to unload the cargo and bargaining with the merchants who came to buy it. He was one of the leaders of several chambers of commerce in the fleet and was also a nobleman, so naturally, he was responsible for buying and selling these supplies.

It was none of Ian’s business. The fact that the caravan was escorted here smoothly meant that his mission had been completed, so he picked up his package and followed by Bill out of the boat.

As soon as he stepped on the ground, Ian felt that his feet were warm and comfortable. Apart from the fragrance, the air of this Island also showed a kind of heat. The whole Island gave people the feeling that it was a tropical island with a relatively high temperature.

“Let’s go, I’ll take you to a famous shop! Keeping you in the custody of this trip!” Bill pulled Ian and said. Bill was very interested in Ian’s rescue on board several times, so he decided to treat him.

When someone invites him, Ian won’t refuse that. He followed Bill all the way into the city.

After entering the city, Ian finally understood why it was called the barbecue island! In this city, nine out of ten shops sell barbecues!

Ian finally understood why Bill said that the whole Island was barbecuing.

And the barbecues sold on this Island were not baked by a charcoal fire, but by a very special kind of stone. The stones are basically about twenty or thirty centimeters in size and with a very smooth oval shape, but its colors were different. There were black, cyan, and even orange, a variety of colors.

Whenever there are guests to eat barbecue, the shop here first let the guests choose, not the meat, but from these stones! After specifying the color of the stone, the shop will take the corresponding stone out and put it on the guest’s table. Then the ingredients will be served. As long as the customer hangs the sliced meat, puts them on the top of the stones, and keep turning and turning, because the stones seem to have a high temperature, once the ingredients are put on, there will be a sizzling sound, and soon they will be roasted.

This method made Ian look amazing and feel like a volcanic rock barbecue.

Sure enough, Bill quickly explained to him, “This Island is actually a volcanic island. It produces a unique kind of volcanic rock. The collected volcanic rock has a very high temperature. People use these stones for baking food. And according to the color of the volcanic stone, the taste and flavor of the baked food are very different, very delicious.”

Smell the scent that permeates the air, and then stimulated by the barbecues on the street, Ian felt more hungry, eager to follow Bill straight to the shop he told him about.

This was indeed a very famous shop. He could see the guests filled in the hall. There were all kinds of people, including fashionable tourists, pirates who eat and drink freely, and even Ian could see some marine soldiers in the corner, who were chewing and burying their heads.

The pirates and the marines ate in the same shop, something Ian had never seen before, but here it was just a normal thing.

Bill sat down with Ian at a table, and soon a waiter came to greet them. Bill ordered a lot of things in one breath, roast vegetables, roast beef, roast mutton, roast fish, roast seafood, and even roast sea animals and roast sea kings. Only the latter two were more expensive and ordered less. (LOL! Can I order the tail of the sea king who ate Shanks’ hand!!??)

The stone used for baking was also brought in several colors. The stones were placed on a special tray surrounded by an enclosed grill.

Ian couldn’t wait to pick up a bunch of beef and a bunch of grilled fish and put them on an orange stone grill to cook. Soon after they were cooked, Ian stuffed them into his mouth.

The next second, Ian’s eyes were wide open. He had no idea that the baked food was that delicious!

It is said that food without charcoal fire will lack a smoky flavor. Ian thought it would be the same when it was baked with stone. When it came to his mouth, it not only tasted smoky, but the meat was very delicate, which does not say, there was a unique taste, Ian could not say what, it is estimated that this was brought by the orange volcanic stone.

With one bite, the gravy bursts out in his mouth, feeling only that his mouth was fully satisfied.

Ian exhaled a long breath, feeling that what he had eaten on the boat these two days was all pork food compared to this barbecue.

So he did not care to be polite in front of Bill. He quickly picked up a bunch of barbecues and put some on each color of stones for baking. Sure enough, a fine taste, there would be a slight difference in the taste of each color of stones, and each one had a unique taste.

Bill looked at him with a smile on his face, then called the waiter and asked him to bring several mugs of beer.

Beer with barbecue, this is the perfect match, this meal made him drink and eat so fast, that he didn’t have time to breathe.

At the end, when Ian stopped, his stomach was full, and about to explode, he was lying on the chair, lazy and motionless, and for the first time since he came to this world, he had eaten so comfortably at a barbecue.

Bill was an old man, eating slowly, so when Ian stopped, he was still chewing slowly and took a big sip of beer from time to time, eating very leisurely.

Ian couldn’t eat anymore. Naturally, he had to wait for him. So at this time, he was in the mood to look around the store.

However, while looking around, at first glance, Ian was so frightened that he almost jumped up in place.

Because he saw a black pirate flag in this shop! And it was not an ordinary pirate flag!

It was a pirate flag hanging on the wall of the hall. The pattern on the pirate flag was a skeleton with scarlet lips. Ian didn’t recognize it at first, but the more he looked, the more familiar it becomes, suddenly his brain thought of someone, so he was frightened for a moment.

He asked in a low voice, “Hey, Bill, this pirate flag… It’s really…”

“Did you see that?” Bill smiled and said, “Looks like you’re still a little knowledgeable. Yes, that pirate flag, I heard that this is one of the four emperors of the New World, the flag of the Big Mom Pirate Regiment!”

What the heck! Ian was really shocked. He didn’t expect to see one of the Yonko’s pirate flag on the first Island while had he just entered the Grand Line.

“Because there is a lot of barbecue food here, this island was under the protection of the Big Mom, one of the four emperors!” Bill whispered, “That’s why I told you that the pirates don’t dare to make trouble easily. Cactus Island gives her tribute and supplies, and she allows them to use her pirate flag to provide shelter for the Island. Although I have never seen the four emperors, I have been here several times, listening to the pirates, this can’t be wrong! Now the shops on the Island are basically equipped with the pirate flag of the Big Mom to prevent pirates from making trouble.”

No wonder Bill would act so mysteriously when he went to the Island…

It is said that one of the four emperors, the scope of influence is in the new world, but if the Island was rich in food, then the situation would be different, so even if the Island was still in the first half of the Grand Line, Ian heard her name here as well.

For the first time, Ian felt the true power of the big pirates. This is the prestige of the four emperors. Even if they were not here, just their flags could frighten the marines and the pirates.

So this Island should be quite peaceful, right?

Just as Ian was thinking about it, he suddenly heard a burst of comments from the guests next to him.

“Have you heard that? The Dine and Dash maniac appeared on the Island again!”

“Again? How many times is this? The tenth times?”

“Hah, who knows! But let me say, that fellow is really awesome. He came to Cactus Island to dine and dish for so many times! “

“Yes, it’s an island sheltered by the Big Mom! If he gets caught, they will peel off his skin!”

“But the problem is that they can’t catch him! I’ve heard that this fellow runs fast and that not every shop on the Island recognizes him, so that he has done and dished repeatedly and successfully…”

After that, Ian did not listen anymore. He just felt a rush of grass-mud horses running through his heart.

‘What the heck! This is so familiar!?’