Rojen was the first to stand, followed by Jason, Crocodile, Trens, and Lordling.
One after another, they got up and walked out. Not a single person responded to Kabuki, nor did anyone make an aggressive move toward him. From beginning to end, the entire crew acted as if Kabuki wasn't even worth their attention.
Only after they left the bar did the remaining pirates finally snap out of it.
"What the hell just happened?"
"Kabuki, get up! What's wrong with you?"
"Those guys are weird. Never seen 'em before, but they give off a creepy vibe. Better not mess with them."
The crowd buzzed with chatter. A few pirates stepped forward to help Kabuki up and figure out what was wrong. But the first pirate to approach took one look at Kabuki's face, stumbled backward in terror, and crashed straight into a table behind him.
Crash!
Bottles and glasses shattered all over the floor.
"K-Kabuki!"
Kabuki's face had turned a pale blue, twisted in absolute horror. The sheer terror in his expression was so intense it instantly infected anyone who looked at him, sending a chill down the pirate's spine.
More people rushed over to try to haul Kabuki up. But Kabuki didn't budge. His knees seemed glued to the ground. No matter how hard they pulled, they couldn't move him an inch. Dozens of pirates took turns trying, yet none of them could get Kabuki off his knees.
Only then did real fear set in.
Quietly swallowing their spit, the pirates recalled the newcomers from earlier.
"Kneel down."
Just two words. Yet they had become reality like a divine decree, forcing Kabuki to kneel. What kind of power was that?
Kabuki remained stuck on his knees for a full day and night before he finally regained control of his body. By then, his knees were swollen and numb. The pain was so agonizing that he passed out on the spot, without even the strength left to curse.
Meanwhile, Rojen and the others were already heading to the other side of Jaya.
They sailed aboard the Logan, circling around the island until they reached the opposite shore. As soon as they entered those waters, they noticed something strange.
"There are bubbles everywhere. What's the deal with that?"
Everyone was puzzled. Mysterious bubbles occasionally floated up from the sea, only to pop and vanish moments later.
Standing on the deck, they spotted a burly young man in a diving suit climbing out of the water onto the shore.
"There's someone over there. That must be Mont Blanc Cricket!" Chaporos shouted.
Cricket seemed to hear his name being called. He turned around and noticed Rojen's group, but only gave them a brief glance before looking away, dismissing them as just another passing pirate crew.
But when he walked back toward his house, he noticed the Logan was slowly steering toward the shore.
Are these guys looking for me? Cricket wondered.
He stubbed out his freshly lit cigarette and watched Rojen and the others approach.
"You Mont Blanc Cricket?"
Cricket nodded. "That's right, I am. Need something?"
Rojen smiled. "Then we've got the right guy. We have a little business to talk about."
On the other side of Jaya, in Mock Town...
A group of men dressed in black approached the harbor. Their expressions were cold and indifferent as they quickly made their way to the Slender Shad Casino. Looking at the tightly closed doors, a flash of confusion crossed their faces.
The leader raised his hand and knocked.
Thud. Thud.
A moment later, the door cracked open and an attendant cautiously poked his head out.
"Where's Slender Shad?" the leader asked bluntly.
"Our boss is injured. And you guys are...?" the attendant asked carefully.
"Injured?" The men in black exchanged glances, their confusion deepening. "Take us to him."
The order left no room for argument. The attendant didn't dare refuse anyway; out of the corner of his eye, he had already spotted the gun barrels peeking out from under their coats, aimed right at him.
"H-He's in here."
After leading them to the owner's lounge, the attendant swallowed nervously and quickly scrambled away.
The men in black didn't bother with pleasantries. They pushed the door open and walked right in.
"Slender Shad, we're here to collect the goods."
As soon as they entered, they saw Slender Shad half-reclined in a chair. His head was wrapped in thick layers of bandages, and his face was pale and drained from his severe injuries. Blood-stained bandages that had just been replaced lay discarded on the floor beside him.
"Have a seat first," Slender Shad said weakly, waving a hand.
"You're hurt? Who did this? Who would dare lay a hand on you?" The man in black was genuinely surprised. In the first half of the Grand Line, he couldn't think of many people brave enough to attack Slender Shad.
"The goods are gone. They were stolen," Slender Shad said.
His next words made the men who had just sat down bolt right back to their feet.
"Are you sure about that, Slender Shad?! Do you realize what you're saying? Those goods belong to the Boss!" the leader shouted.
"Of course I know that! You think I wanted this? But you didn't see those people, I couldn't beat them at all!" Slender Shad snapped back, growing agitated. After shouting, he let out a few heavy breaths and slumped back into his chair, looking even more exhausted.
"Did you mention the Boss?" Seeing Slender Shad's state, the man in black realized he had probably done everything he could. Frowning, he quickly pressed for details.
"Of course I did! But they weren't afraid in the slightest!" Slender Shad snapped.
"Who exactly were they?" The man in black frowned. He could already smell trouble. In this world, there weren't many people who didn't fear the power of their Boss.
"See for yourself." Slender Shad pulled out a stack of wanted posters he had prepared and tossed them over.
The men in black didn't waste time asking more questions. They immediately unfolded the posters. But the very first one made their expressions drop. Cold sweat began to bead on their foreheads.
"'Nether Soul' Rojen. Bounty: 880 million Beli!"
The figure on the poster wore a white ox-skull mask with two curved horns stretching toward the sky. He stood holding a sword in his right hand, his blood-red eyes staring coldly out of the paper. Those eyes looked as though they were locking onto prey, enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
"Him?!" The man in black swallowed hard. "He's back at sea?"
"Not just him." Slender Shad let out a bitter laugh.
His acting was flawless; the men in black couldn't detect a single hint of a lie. By the time they finished flipping through the entire stack, every single one of them was drenched in sweat.
Slender Shad was right. This crew was far beyond anything they could handle. Only the Boss himself could possibly force people like that to back down.
The man in black took a deep breath, hesitating. But after three tense minutes, he made up his mind.
"Slender Shad, you know as well as I do that we absolutely cannot lose the Boss's goods. The consequences are something none of us can afford."
Slender Shad looked at him in surprise. "So what are you planning to do?"
"I'm going to meet them."
Slender Shad sneered. "Got a death wish?"
(End Of This Chapter)
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