Makino jumped in place, startled by the unexpected voice of Luffy right behind her. The pirates sitting around were also slightly confused. Although Observation Haki was working properly, the 'voice' of Luffy was muffled, and combined with the story of his life, he managed to remain unnoticed.
"Just so you know," the boy's head appeared over the bar counter, "some people, even at forty, manage to stay complete idiots. You look at them and think they were born just yesterday. They seem to be able to talk, but in reality, it's nothing but childish babbling and crying. And the earth still carries such idiots!" climbing onto the counter and sitting on his rear with his arms and legs crossed.
"Makino was just telling us how you ended up like this," except for Benn, Shanks was the most composed.
"Heard that," Luffy gave the girl an unhappy look, "you could have kept it to yourself."
"You should rather thank the captain and his crew for not holding a grudge against us," Makino shot back with the same displeased look. "If they were ordinary pirates, the whole village would have suffered because of all your antics."
"If they were ordinary pirates, they'd be dead long ago," Luffy didn't even think of admitting his fault.
"And how often do you kill pirates?" Shanks asked. "Makino has only told us about one so far."
"You mean 'Pitiful Rookie' Lokh?" the boy inquired matter-of-factly.
"…Who?"
The girl standing next to him rolled her eyes and explained:
"That pirate was called 'Terrifying Saber' Kroh… I'm afraid Luffy has never heard of the need to respect your opponents."
"I can respect a living opponent, but not a finished victim and a suicide. I already killed him, why should I show him respect? And since he targeted my money, agree that he was clearly a suicide! Moreover, a suicide who didn't have the guts to shoot himself in the head, so he subtly asked for my help. And you want me to respect him after that? No way!"
All of this was said with such a grim expression that none of the pirates were sure whether Luffy was serious or joking… he seemed to be joking, but it didn't quite look like it. It didn't seem like a game. But Makino had no doubts whatsoever.
"Enough with the nonsense!" the girl gave the boy a solid smack on the back of the head. "We both know you killed him just for the money!"
"…How did he even know that such a small kid had money?" Benn, being the smartest in the team, found one confusing point.
Who would even think of demanding money from a child?
"He didn't demand money specifically from him," Makino answered. "Kroh set the bounty on the entire village, and Luffy just contributed his share."
"In other words, you didn't have to contribute, right?" Shanks looked at the boy.
"…It was a great opportunity to give Loh a sturdy chest so that the collected money wouldn't be damaged by the explosion."
"So you planned to kill him from the start," Shanks rendered an accusatory verdict.
"Of course! They offered two million Berries for him! Not to mention all the money he had amassed! I scooped up almost five million from their ship, then got a reward for his head, though it was cut by thirty percent, then sold all their stuff, weapons, and provisions, and at the end, I even managed to get rid of the ship itself. That's when I realized - I was born to kill pirates!"
With shining eyes, a tightly clenched fist raised, and a determined face, it was clear to all present 'Red-Haired' pirates that Luffy truly believed everything he said! At least, it was clear until another smack on the head from Makino set things straight. The little rascal was simply, once again, unsuccessfully trying to justify his insatiable greed for money.
"Where does such an unhealthy obsession with money come from in a kid?" Shanks asked, looking at the disgruntled boy now rubbing his head.
"Kid?" Luffy's face became even more annoyed. "Let's be clear, you can keep calling me a kid, but don't be surprised if your ship blows up, okay?"
"…Your name is Luffy, got it," the man nodded in understanding.
If any other child had been in the boy's place, Shanks would have had a good laugh at his adorably disgruntled face and cute threats. However, now he was absolutely certain that if he started to make fun, his ship might really blow up.
"And still, why do you need money?" Yasopp continued his captain's question.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to get interesting things in our backwater?" the boy replied. "You order a regular book, which would cost pennies anywhere else, and you end up paying as if you're buying a fifty-kilogram gold bar."
The effect of the adult speech, rough voice, and bloodthirsty attitude coming from a child was utterly mind-boggling. For the next few hours, people didn't so much drink as listen to or converse with little Luffy. The boy had his own opinion on absolutely everything, which he wasn't at all shy about sharing. Often, his opinions not only didn't align with others' - which is not surprising, given that there are as many opinions as there are people - but were also quite… peculiarly unique. Little Luffy managed to fit everything into a money and need-to-kill-or-explode-something framework. In this regard, pirates with bounties were perfect for him - they had to be blown up to be killed and then he'd get a lot of money for their heads. It had been about a year since he killed his first pirate, but he had already amassed more than fifteen bounties, and all in such a backwater! Though, to be fair, he didn't just blow up pirates around his village. Luffy had long established agreements with nearby settlements, so whenever a pirate with a known bounty appeared nearby, his numerous informants quickly notified him. Not out of kindness, of course, but for quite a decent reward. For someone as money-hungry as he was, the boy surprisingly parted with his money quite easily when the situation called for it.
A few more rather interesting details emerged during the conversation:
"I don't understand," Benn asked at one point, "How do you manage to sell the ships of the pirates you've killed when the surrounding waters are filled with your underwater mines? Shouldn't they sink right away?"
"And how do you kill pirates in other places?" added the rotund Lucky, finishing off yet another piece of fried meat.
"And what happens if a regular ship, a cruise ship, or some merchants appear on the horizon?" Yasopp chimed in.
"In other places," turning his head towards Benn, Luffy began to answer, "I mostly use explosives, poisonous gas, and plain old poison mixed into beer or wine. The main thing is for the pirates to drop anchor, and then it's just a matter of technique and having a head that does more than just eat."
Benn nodded in understanding; as the first mate, he was keen on having Shanks use his head for more than just eating and drinking.
"I have all my mines divided into sectors," shifting his gaze to Yasopp, the boy continued, "and each sector is activated separately from the others. I was lucky that the bottom here is flat, so thanks to the anchors, all my mines are always in precise locations. There are deviations, but they are minimal."
"So if you activate them yourself, why did you try to sink our ship right away?" Shanks asked, puzzled.
"I don't know what Makino has already blabbed about my grandfather to you..."
The boy's voice carried a hint of questioning, so Shanks immediately clarified:
"We know he wants to make you a marine and that when you turned five, he took you to the forest and left you there with the task to survive. We also know about the tiger and everything that followed."
"Took me to the forest and left me there to survive?" Luffy shook his head in frustration. "That old psycho broke into my house at night, knocked me out with his 'Fist of Love,' and when I woke up, I found myself lying in an unfamiliar forest. The note stuck to my forehead said not to go far from where I woke up and that he would come back for me in a week or two, maybe a month. Actually, I think he was hanging around somewhere nearby, but when I proved that I could take care of myself, he either just took off or personally sent a tiger after me. And I think the second option is more likely."
"Calm down, Luffy, your grandfather wouldn't send a tiger after you," Makino, having heard the boy, rolled her eyes. "You don't need to be so paranoid."
"You're not paranoid if someone is really watching you."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say."
After sharing her honest opinion, she went off to refill the pirates' mugs, which had emptied again. By this time, most people had more or less quenched their 'thirst' for Luffy - and had quite a bit to drink - so the bar was now full of noise and commotion. Meanwhile, the boy looked at the girl's back with a skeptical gaze.
"Makino always sees only the good in people," he spoke quietly, so only Shanks, Benn, Yasopp, and Lucky at the bar could hear. "Because of that, she doesn't really understand the thought process of such insane idiots as my grandfather. Once, he brought a few hundred balloons, tied them to me, and launched me into the sky. The old goat even tied my hands and feet in such a way that I couldn't free myself until I was a couple of kilometers up. Usually, I can easily predict people's actions and understand their thoughts, but with my grandfather, I can't even imagine what's going on in that old psycho's head. If it weren't for his genuine desire to make me an outstanding marine, I'd be convinced he was just trying to get rid of me. I don't tell Makino about such things so I don't upset her unnecessarily, as she's too good and takes everything too much to heart."
Once again, the mature words, mature expression, mature voice, and appearance of the child created a mental workout - one had to constantly remember the monstrous difference between the appearance and inner content. It was a task similar to 'not thinking about the white rabbit.' However, just like with the rabbit, the pirates had a hard time ignoring the boy's appearance. Fortunately for them, he provided plenty of reasons not to forget his true nature - an extremely money-hungry demolitions expert who made a living by killing wanted people.
"So why did you try to sink our ship right away?" Shanks returned to the initial question.
"And what does your grandfather have to do with it?" Benn added.
"You could have figured it out on your own" he's a marine, so he wants to make a soldier out of me. Accordingly, although I haven't seen your wanted posters, I'm sure I can recognize the flag of 'Red-Haired' Shanks. You have a serious reputation, so I decided not to take any chances and sink you right away.
"You know about us and still decided to try to kill us?!" Yasopp could hardly believe what he was hearing. "And you call that 'not taking risks'?!"
"Everyone dies eventually," the boy answered simply. "Besides, if you believe my grandfather's words, the money I'd get for your heads would last me for the rest of my life." His gaze instantly transformed, shining with a mad thirst for money, and he looked at the pirates before him as if they were juicy pieces of meat, even swallowing his saliva.
"Next time you might not be so lucky and end up facing more ruthless pirates than us," Benn expressed the general thought.
"Everyone dies eventually," Luffy repeated, wiping the saliva from his mouth with his sleeve. "Besides, if you had killed me and the locals, the old psycho would have definitely taken revenge… And something seems off about my parents too… At least I know they're alive, but grandpa almost never talks about them and answers all my questions with a punch from his 'Fist of Love.' To me, it all looks extremely suspicious. They must be criminals too, which would explain why grandpa wants to train me as a lookout so badly."
When he talked about his parents, it seemed more like he was just thinking aloud rather than responding to Shanks' words.
"I don't know who your parents are, but I'm afraid you're greatly overestimating your grandfather… " Yasopp began, preparing to explain how amazing they all were.
But Luffy ruthlessly cut him off:
"My grandfather is Garp 'The Fist'..."
"GARP IS YOUR GRANDFATHER?!!" The chorus of Yasopp and Shanks instantly drowned out all other sounds in the bar.