Pirates and parties go together like rum and regret. Any excuse—new crewmates, a sunny day, or just surviving Tuesday—means it's banquet time. Three days, small bash. Five days, blowout. When your head's basically on a Navy chopping block, you gotta live it up.
Like modern-day wage slaves hitting the bar after a 9-to-5 grind, pirates feast hard. Gotta treat yo' self. With Queen and Stussy's official join, Kaido wasn't about to skip a blowout. No chef on the Beasts Pirates yet, and Lei Luo wasn't slaving over a stove, so they ordered a spread from Water 7's finest—food and booze delivered straight to the ship.
Kaido, left hand clutching wine, right hand tearing into meat, chomped like a dragon at an all-you-can-eat buffet. After a massive bite and a gallon of booze, he belched loud enough to scare seagulls. "Lei Luo, these cooks got nothing on you."
Lei Luo spun away, ignoring the dumb dragon. No shit, Sherlock. You think Huaxia cuisine—straight outta Guangdong—is a joke? If he wanted, he'd have Sanji begging for lessons. Ain't nobody got time for chef duty.
Stussy, all elegant smiles, sliced her meat like a duchess, but her eyes screamed Berries, Berries, Berries. Queen, the self-proclaimed "too-hot-if-I-slim-down" fatso, went full pirate—guzzling wine, inhaling food, no shame.
King, wrapped tighter than a mummy to hide his Lunarian vibes, leaned against the wall, arms crossed, glaring like a hawk. World Government's been hunting his kind for 800 years—trust wasn't his thing. Only Lei Luo and Kaido, his literal saviors, got a pass.
Lei Luo clocked King's paranoia and waved him over. "King, quit brooding! Grab some grub!"
Kaido, mouth stuffed, mumbled, "Yeah, c'mon, eat!" Bits of meat flew everywhere.
Lei Luo grinned. "They're crew now, King. Chill." Queen's a goofy mess, sure, but he and King vibe for decades in canon. Stussy? Greedy as hell, but not dumb enough to ditch a goldmine like the Beasts Pirates for a measly one-billion-Berry snitch reward.
King hesitated, then peeled off his mask and joined. Kaido slung an arm around him, shoving a bowl of booze in his face. "Drink, drink! Chug it, King!"
King downed it in one go. If I can't trust my crew, who can I trust?
Kaido cackled, refilling his bowl. "Another! We're not stopping till we're plastered!"
King let loose, eating, drinking, vibing. Queen jumped in, and the three big boys—Kaido, King, Queen—hooked arms, belting out Binks' Sake with dance moves that'd make a Sea King cringe. Ear-bleeding harmonies, y'all.
Lei Luo, not big on booze and too short to join the giant sing-along, stayed out, keeping an eye on Kaido to prevent a drunken dragon rampage. Stussy sashayed over, swirling her wine glass, flashing a flirty smile. "Vice Captain Lei Luo, how 'bout a drink?"
Lei Luo clinked her glass. "Just Lei Luo. Cheers."
"Cheers," Stussy purred, sitting close. She wasn't fishing for secrets or trying to get him sloshed—that's amateur hour. Smart gal, playing the long game: cozy up, charm on, reel him in slow. Big-sister energy's lethal.
Lei Luo, no fool, played along, chatting casually. His hand, though? Wandering. A sneaky slide onto her… thigh. Everything's got a price, sweetheart. Stussy's eyes flashed disgust for a split second before her smile returned. Horny pirate? Perfect. Easier to control. Unlike Kaido's clueless ass, Lei Luo was game.
The banquet raged until Kaido, King, and Queen were a drunken heap, sprawled on the deck like oversized throw rugs. Stussy, tipsy after Lei Luo's relentless "toasts" (and thigh-groping), bailed before she blacked out. Not getting eaten alive on day one. She stumbled to a cabin, locked the door, and crashed.
Lei Luo smirked, all devilish charm. Run any slower, Stussy, and I'd have hit the jackpot. Greed makes her predictable. He glanced at the snoring trio. Monsters don't catch colds. Guard duty again—Grand Line's first half lacked scary pirates, but the Navy? Always sniffing.
Next morning, Kaido woke clutching his head. Dragon or not, hangovers suck. Lei Luo knew he'd do it again. Party's over, time to work.
Kaido dragged Queen to the shipyard to geek out over the Treasure Tree Adam, poring over blueprints like nerdy shipwrights. On the way back, Queen bought a mountain of paper and pens, locked himself in a cabin, and scribbled like a mad scientist. Then he hit the black market, dropping nearly 20 billion Berries on research gear. Still not enough. Water 7's black market was small-time. Queen, ex-Vegapunk colleague, tapped his contacts, ordering more supplies for delivery.
Lei Luo gaped. Science is a money pit. No wonder Queen jumped ship so fast—cash was his catnip. Stussy watched the Berries vanish, wincing like someone stabbed her wallet. She wanted a cut but had no excuse to ask.
Two days later, the black market boss sent an invitation. Auction time, baby!