At the large GoldenClaw Bank branch in Port Royal—a massive city and maritime trade hub of the Caribbean—Puss and Jack arrived, dragging a large toad with them.
Port Royal wasn't a small or simple town, so it was only natural for a branch of Puss's bank to have been opened there.
The branch was a large white-painted building, with big windows secured by thick iron bars, which didn't make it look ugly but rather gave it an appearance of dignity and security.
At the entrance, two large, beautiful dark wooden doors adorned with bronze engravings stood open, adding elegance and glamour to the bank's aesthetic.
As they entered carrying the toad, several people—both on the street and inside the bank—stared in bewilderment at the man-and-cat duo. But ignoring the curious crowd, Puss, with Jack following, moved straight to the teller's counter, which was part of a large, robust wooden wall, opened into a counter space.
The man behind the counter had his head down, but upon seeing someone approach, he looked up and stared at Jack in doubt and confusion. When he saw the enormous toad, his eye couldn't help but twitch.
"Err… Sir, how can I help you?" Struggling to maintain his manners in the face of the bizarre scene, he forced a smile and asked.
"You're not supposed to talk to me, talk to him." Jack pointed disinterestedly to the side with his thumb, and the teller's eyes followed the gesture.
"The toad?" The man looked back at Jack in confusion.
"No, the cat." Jack rolled his eyes helplessly.
"Cat?" With visible confusion, the man stood up behind the counter and looked down below it—there he saw a hat, which then revealed the face of a cat as he lifted his head.
"I want to speak to your manager. Tell him Puss in Boots is here," Puss said with authority, calmly staring at the man.
Despite being a cat wearing a hat and boots, the aura and intensity in the feline's gaze were no joke, and the man couldn't help but tremble and take him seriously.
"Right… well, I can't promise the manager will see you, but I'll let him know." Intimidated by the eccentric sight of a man who was clearly a pirate, a giant toad, and a fearsome cat, the man didn't hesitate long. He politely asked them to wait and quickly went upstairs to call his manager.
Puss looked at Jack and winked at him with camaraderie.
Jack merely gave a faint smile, rested his wrist on the hilt of his sword, and waited, amused.
Soon a chubby, mustached man dressed in fine clothes came running down the upper floor stairs. As he was about to descend, he tripped, fell down a few steps, then quickly stood up as if nothing had happened and resumed walking fast while adjusting his clothes and putting a friendly smile on his face.
At the top of the stairs, the employee looked stunned at the scene.
The manager had simply bolted down the hall the moment he heard the name Puss in Boots, leaving him confused in the dust.
He had heard that there was a fierce warrior named Puss in Boots who helped the city's soldiers during the pirate attack. But since the battle had been a total defeat for the city, the warrior's name wasn't widely sung, and little was known about him outside the soldiers' circle.
But even if he was an unbeatable warrior, that wasn't enough reason for his boss's panic and haste.
Reaching the counter quickly, the manager looked around, searching for his target, but didn't see even a shadow and couldn't help but frown.
"I'm here." But suddenly, he heard a voice coming from below the counter, making his eyes light up.
He quickly jumped and lay across the counter, sticking his head over and peering down—where he saw a cat watching him with an amused glint in its eyes, making his own eyes widen.
"Boss!" the man shouted, thrilled.
That wasn't a cat. That wasn't a warrior. No, no, no—that was his ticket to a promotion. His wonderful and gallant boss.
"Don't waste time. I need hands to help sort a massive tesoro. Help me with that, and we'll talk about other things later." Puss got straight to the point, wasting no time.
"Yes, of course, sir! I'll assemble the men immediately." The man didn't even blink—he followed the order without hesitation or question, a flattering smile on his face.
Though he had never met Boss Puss before, he had photos of him and had been required to memorize his face and know who he was.
There was another boss he dealt with directly, who was second in command. But he had been told that if he ever encountered the first boss, he was to be extremely respectful and obedient.
The manager climbed down from the counter and quickly looked up at the dazed employee still at the top of the stairs.
"George, what are you doing stunned up there? Go find employees and reliable manpower—hurry! The more in the shortest time possible, the better!" he barked with a serious look, snapping the man out of it.
"Uh, me, employees? What should I tell them? How many should I gather?" the man asked, confused by the sudden orders.
"Did I ask you to understand or to question me? No, I told you to do it—so why are you still there asking things? Go, go, go!" the manager snapped, waving him off without wasting time explaining.
Having done that—without giving a second glance to the man who ran off in a panic—he jumped back onto the counter and smiled down at Puss.
"Boss, I've already sent someone to call them. May I ask where the treasure is so I can make better preparations?" the man asked with a flattering smile.
Puss's eye twitched at the two-faced manager, but despite that, he appreciated how efficiently the man got things done. Still, working for him must be the real nightmare.
"The treasure is inside the toad," he said simply. But before the manager could raise any doubts, he elaborated to avoid confusion or logistical pushback. "Don't waste time doubting the amount—it's a magical toad that holds an incredible quantity of treasure in its stomach. Now, find a spacious, open, and secure place so I can empty its stomach," he spoke directly, his gaze serious.
Realization sparkled in the manager's eyes, and without doubting or wasting time, he quickly declared,
"If that's the case, follow me, boss." He jumped back behind the counter, rushed to the side, opened the side door, and came out, heading toward where Puss stood.
"Leave it to me, boss, I'll carry it!" With a confident smile, he patted his belly and then bent down under the amused eyes of Jack and Puss to embrace the toad.
He grabbed the cold toad firmly and, putting in some effort, tried to lift it.
"Huff!" But the more strength he used, the more immovable the toad seemed. "Hurrrrfff! Haah! Ha ha, looks like I grabbed it the wrong way." Putting in even more effort, but to no avail, he looked slightly embarrassed at the two of them, scratching the back of his neck.
"Yeah, maybe you just need a better grip," Jack commented from the side, jokingly.
"Hehe, maybe…" The chubby manager broke into a slight sweat and forced a confident smile before bending down again to tightly hug the one-meter-tall toad. "Hurgggghaaaaaaa!!!" He exerted all the strength he had, groaning and yelling with his face extremely red, but still with no success.
At last, exhausted, he collapsed sprawled out on top of the toad right there.
Shaking his head, amused, Puss stopped letting the man torture himself with the toad that was carrying 15 tons of materials in its stomach—reduced by a factor of 100, it still weighed 303 pounds (150 kg).
"Where to?" he asked simply.
With no strength, exhausted, and pale, the manager could only weakly point his finger toward a nearby set of double doors.
Without hesitation, Puss grabbed one of the ropes tied around the amphibian's body and easily dragged the toad—with the manager still on top of it—in that direction.
Once there, he opened the doors to reveal a large walled courtyard on the other side, with a few tables and chairs elegantly positioned on the open grass. Likely a place meant for open-air meetings with important clients.
At that moment, the manager recovered a bit. Climbing down from the toad with an embarrassed face, he spoke politely, clearly impressed by Puss's strength.
"Boss, you may release the treasure here. The employees should be arriving shortly. I'll stand at the door to call them over when they get here," the man said, scratching his head. At Puss's nod, he didn't hesitate and ran off.
Looking at the toad, Puss drew his sword and nonchalantly cut the ropes binding it.
It took less than a second for the toad's mouth, now freed from restraint, to start opening—and to begin spewing out treasure wildly.
…
About ten minutes later, the manager returned, along with George, the teller, and around thirty other people.
Opening the door, all of them wore curious expressions—but upon seeing the scene outside, they couldn't help but gape, mouths open and eyes wide.
In the middle of a mountain of treasure was Jack, trying to swim through the riches, and Puss, sitting atop the Aztec gold chest in a corner of the pile, watching Jack's attempts with amusement.
The manager looked at the few bags in his hand, then at the mountain of treasure.
With a dull look in his eyes, he turned to the equally stunned George.
"Close the bank and go get more bags and people. We're going to have a long day…"