Hello friends! I was going through my notes and found this cut scene. This takes place right after Ace and Marco walk away from the crew after Ace and Addie fight in chapter 13/Resentment.
The name of the island is just "The Rock" and is loosely based on rural Japan where a type of sake called Doburoku is brewed. While the drink is one of the simplest forms of alcohol as well as being very ancient, it has been banned in Japan since the Meiji era. However, it is starting to become legal again in some very specific places in Japan.
Anyways, this is the explanation for why Shanks wanted to claim this island, the boi likes his rare booze. I did like this scene but I just felt it didn't fit with the rest of the chapter. So this is 100% canon in The Siren and takes place between when the Whitebeards leave and Addie and Shanks talking on the ship.
"Are they gone?" A voice called out over the square once the Whitebeards were out of sight.
"Yeah they're gone." Yasopp called back to the voice.
I turned around to see an old man walking towards us. He waved an arm in the air and said, "Well come on then. Everyone in the town got together to have a party down on the beach. It's the only part of the island not buried under rubble right now but oh well can deal with rebuilding later."
We all shared a look before shrugging and following the old man out of the square. He led us down a path that wrapped around the countless rice paddies that covered the island. Many of them were filled with nothing but ash as the invading pirates had done their best to destroy as much of the island as possible. But still it was easy to see the beauty that could come of this place once it's large terraced rice paddies were filled with a healthy crop once more.
As we walked the old man started to talk. "Well obviously we can't grow much here besides rice so we do the best we can with it. We used to make the best sake in the world until those idiots in the World Government decided to get involved."
"What does that mean?" Beckman asked.
"They came down here and outlawed our traditional brewing techniques. Said it wasn't 'good enough' to be sold to people. Said we couldn't even make it for ourselves. And we listened. Don't know why but we did. But they aren't here to tell us what to do anymore, now are they?"
"Guess not old man. Now you have to deal with me." Shanks said with mock seriousness.
"Yeah sure you little shit. You just try and keep us from our booze."
Shanks just laughed in response. Then after a bit more walking we finally saw the beach and the crowd of people already gathered there. They cheered loudly when they saw us arrive and we were immediately swept up by them and their words of gratitude.
I tried to stand to the side of the mob with Beckman and leaned over to him to say, "They do realize that we are pirates who just forcefully took control of their island right?"
He shrugged as he lit a cigarette and said, "I don't think they've thought that far. But besides, we aren't going to demand 90% of their income in taxes or outlaw their business practices. So maybe they do have a reason to be happy."
"I suppose. Just strange to see people so happy about pirates taking over."
"Not all pirates are evil Ads."
"Yes thank you Beckman I'm aware." I said with a weak side glare.
He chuckled and said, "Just making sure."
After the (strangely) warm welcome the old man who led us to the party called out and said, "Alright you bunch of would be heroes. I started brewing this the second those bastards in the government told us we were on our own. So here you are, the famous sake of The Rock."
He dropped a large glass jug on a table already filled with food and drinks and waved for one of the locals to bring him a stack of small glasses.
"Finally! I've been wanting to try this for years!" Shanks said with a massive smile on his face.
Yasopp quirked an eyebrow at the old man who was now pouring several glasses of the thick white drink and asked, "Yeah but what is it?"
The old man laughed and said, "Oh you'll see. But why don't we let the little lady have the first taste?"
At the crew's insisting I walked over to the old man and he handed me a glass. I looked at the small glass skeptically and said, "Why do I feel like this is a trick?"
"Oh just try it Ads. It's supposed to be really good." Max called out.
I sighed before taking a sip and had to force myself not to spit the chunky, burning liquid out of my mouth. I felt a tear come to my eye as I coughed and said, "I feel like I just drank oatmeal. Alcoholic oatmeal. What the fuck is this?"
Everyone around me burst out into laughter as I continued to cough. The old man patted me on the back and said, "It's our local delicacy! Unrefined, cloudy sake!"
Shanks stopped laughing just long enough to say, "Yeah Addie, it's the local delicacy."
"Great! Then more for you, you ass!" I said with one last cough.
Shanks smiled and picked up another glass. He took a sip and only slightly grimaced as he said, "Yeah that is a little chunky."
"Well we haven't been able to make it for decades so give us a little time to get back to the old way of doing things. But if this isn't good enough for you dainty little sailors then we do have some of the refined shit the government wanted." The old man said.
"That sounds much better thank you."
Later on as the party started to wind down the crew gathered around a bonfire with a handful of the villagers and shared good drinks with good stories. During one such story I had to take a drink from my tankard in an attempt to smother my laughter before I passed out from a lack of air.
"And he ate every last piece of that damn thing! I mean he ate the seeds, the rind, even the fucking stem!" Yasopp said as he finished his story about Boss and a pumpkin.
Then Alden reached out a hand to me. I raised an eyebrow and took his hand, only for him to then look back to Boss who was trying (failing) to defend his pumpkin related actions.
Why did he grab my hand?
I wiggled my arm dramatically and when Alden finally looked back at me questioningly I asked, "What do you want?"
"Nothing, I just wished to hold your hand." He said.
He just-
Doc, who had heard what he said, looked at me and we shared a look of shared confusion. Then we shrugged in unison before I decided that it was time for a song.
"Gather up all of the crew!" I belted out over the shouts and laughter of the party.
"It's time to ship out Bink's brew!" They all shouted in response as the rest of the song was quick to follow.
Someone picked up a guitar and that was that. I smiled as I listened to my crew-
No, not just my crew. My friends.
I listened as my friends sang loudly and offkey but with endless joy ringing in their voices. I threw my head back and joined them with more laughter in my voice than actual singing.
This, right now, this was worth living for.