"Want something to drink?"
Shakky leaned back at the bar, pressing the tip of her cigarette into the ashtray beside her. She lazily gestured toward the bottles behind her as she asked.
"A bottle of tequila!"
Rayleigh, sitting behind the others, raised his hand.
"How much did you sell yourself for this time?"
Shakky had already spotted the bulging coin pouch Rayleigh was dragging around.
"Hahaha, what do you mean sell? This was a generous donation from some kind-hearted souls."
Rayleigh lied with the straightest face imaginable.
With a pouch full of money, he wasn't nervous at all.
Shakky just rolled her eyes and obediently went to grab his drink.
"You're hopeless," she muttered, twisting her waist to fetch the bottle.
"Auntie, Uncle—why is the place so empty?"
Yamato glanced around the vacant lounge, then turned toward the bar to ask.
"Because it's a scam joint, you idiot! It even says so on the sign outside," Monet screamed internally.
"Because this is a rip-off bar, sweetheart," Shakky replied with a smile. "You can call me Shakky-san."
"Ripping people off... that's amazing!" Yamato's single-track brain didn't even register what "rip-off bar" actually meant.
Monet nearly lost her mind. Huh!? You're just gonna say it out loud like that? Has Sabaody fallen this far into chaos?
"Shakky-san, I'll take a glass of Bubble Gold," said Senor Pink, cutting in before the brain cell drain could continue.
He pointed toward the three kids.
"And get them each a glass of milk."
The boss had money to burn. And no scam bar was going to be a real threat.
Besides, anyone who tried to cheat the boss's crew usually didn't end up well.
Once the boss showed up, this place wouldn't just be shut down—it'd be reduced to dust.
"Sure thing, just a moment!"
Shakky handed the tequila to Rayleigh and got to work again.
Rayleigh took a sip, smacked his lips, then asked casually,
"Where're you from, kid? Planning to head to the New World after the coating, or just passing through to Fish-Man Island?"
He had tailed them all the way from the port, after all.
He'd clearly seen the emblem on Senor Pink's ship and was plenty curious about why a group from Doflamingo's crew would be coming to find him.
"We're doing business on Fish-Man Island."
Ships that stopped at Sabaody for coating were almost always bound for either Fish-Man Island or the New World.
There was no reason to hide it, so Senor Pink said it outright.
Then he asked,
"How long will the coating take? And how much do you charge?"
"Fish-Man Island's not so peaceful these days. There's been a huge uptick in illegal poaching of mermaids. The fishmen and merfolk have become extremely hostile toward humans."
Rayleigh said it with a loaded tone, then added,
"As for the coating, it depends on the size of your ship. Small ships—around 30 meters—take about five to seven days. Medium ships… As for the price—10 million, materials included."
He owed a debt to someone on Fish-Man Island. Ordinary pirates, he wouldn't care about.
But Doflamingo's people? That was a different story. He needed to figure out what they were after.
Just as the mood between them started to shift—
Shakky flicked her wrist behind her without even turning around.
A glass of Bubble Gold slid perfectly to a stop in front of Senor Pink.
"Your drink, kid."
"We don't deal in cheap tricks," Senor Pink said, picking up the glass and wetting his dry lips. Then he added,
"We're on a tight schedule. We depart tomorrow."
If this kid isn't lying, then there's no reason for me to get involved, Rayleigh thought to himself, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together like some back-alley merchant. Gone was any trace of the former Pirate King's right-hand man.
"This one's tricky," Rayleigh muttered.
"Fifty million," Senor Pink said flatly, naming a sum that most people couldn't earn in a lifetime.
"Deal. You'll be ready to go by tomorrow."
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow at how fast Senor Pink agreed.
Damn... maybe I priced it too low.
"Pleasure doing business."
Senor Pink lifted his glass.
Clink!
"Pleasure's all mine."
"Here's your milk."
Shakky placed the drinks in front of the three kids.
"Thanks, Shakky-san!"
Yamato's eyes sparkled as she grabbed the bubbly glass of milk and turned to the side, mimicking the adults' gestures.
"Cheers! Buffalo, Monet!"
"You're such a child," Monet said, lifting her glass anyway.
Buffalo shuffled over lifelessly. "Cheers."
Clink!
Yamato took a big gulp, and her eyes lit up like stars.
"It's delicious! Tastes like fizzy milk—Ace and Zoffy would love this!"
"Young master likes it?" Monet shot to her feet. "Shakky-san, how do you make this?"
"Bubbles like that only exist on Sabaody, y'know..."
"Ace?"
Rayleigh blinked at the familiar name. He looked over at the laughing trio of kids.
A wistful look crossed his eyes.
"Roger... if you ever had a son, would you name him the same as your sword?"
...
Tenryu Island
"Hero-sama!" N voices called out.
The people who had witnessed Bullet fight the Forest Demon looked up with respect and admiration as he passed by.
Bullet merely nodded coolly and vanished.
...
Moments later—on the central island.
He gazed up at the celestial palace, then began walking up the cloud staircase.
Bang!
The heavy doors were pushed open.
Bullet stood before the throne, where Doflamingo was lounging with his eyes closed.
"Doflamingo—fight me!" Bullet roared.
Doflamingo opened his eyes, a bit annoyed, having been focused on studying his new power.
He stood up lazily and started walking toward the battle chamber.
"Let's go, Bullet."
Bullet was simple-minded and easy to use.
The downside? He was a complete battle junkie.
Any spare time, and he'd come knocking for a fight.
"I mean full power!"
Bullet yanked off the seastone shackles he'd been wearing. His gaze was sharp and burning.
"..."
Doflamingo raised an eyebrow.
Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
If they really went all out, this island—which wasn't even a year old yet—would be obliterated.
What if this brat realized he can't beat me... so now he's trying to cause financial damage?
The thought made Doflamingo's expression grow more and more disturbed.
But to Bullet, that look of hesitation meant one thing: rejection.
His brow furrowed. His mouth curved into a frown.
Legs tensed—he was about to launch his attack.
Doflamingo quickly activated Observation Haki and spoke up.
"Idiot! If we fight here, how many people will get caught in the crossfire? The royal hospital is the closest building—it'll be the first to get flattened. And this place is covered in cloud platforms. You think either of us can go all out here?"
Bullet froze mid-movement.
Images flashed through his mind—destroyed islands, lifeless corpses, the aftermath of his past rampages.
Suddenly...
A bloodied body appeared in his memory—Conis.
His breathing faltered.
"You're right. Where should we go?"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg