Beep beep! You have gained the recognition of the Dark King, Rayleigh. Sign-in progress +20%. Current total progress: 50%. Reward: Observation Haki level +1. Current Observation Haki level: Lv4.
The sudden system notification nearly made Lin Mo choke on his drink.
In an instant, the upgrade to his Observation Haki allowed him to hear the heartbeat of nearly half the people in Loguetown.
The overwhelming sound made Lin Mo's head throb painfully.
Thankfully, the noise only lasted a few seconds before fading.
Lin Mo rubbed his temples in frustration.
This Rayleigh guy sure was something.
Even though he wasn't in the tavern hall, he still managed to contribute to Lin Mo's sign-in progress.
Smoker had been watching Lin Mo closely. Seeing the boy's strange expression just now, he asked curiously, "What's wrong with you?"
Lin Mo replied calmly, "Nothing."
"Is that so?" Smoker didn't believe him.
When Lin Mo didn't respond, Smoker continued, "Don't tell me you're drunk?"
Lin Mo shot him a speechless glance.
Drunk? That's impossible.
Despite still appearing as a child, his alcohol tolerance was absurd—almost like he could drink a thousand cups without falling.
Before crossing into the world of One Piece, he had been the kind of person who didn't go a day without drinking.
To him, drinking was like drinking water.
That said, Lin Mo always knew his limits.
The moment he felt even slightly tipsy, he would stop drinking immediately.
"Heh, such a tight-lipped kid," Smoker muttered, taking another large gulp of his drink.
By now, the marines had finished clearing all the corpses from the tavern.
"Reporting to Captain Smoker—what should we do with the bodies?" one marine asked respectfully.
"Send them to the corpse disposal site," Smoker replied casually.
"What about the one who's still alive?" the marine followed up.
"Lock him up for now."
"Yes, sir!"
The marines quickly left the tavern with their orders.
Now, only the tavern owner, Lin Mo, Smoker, and Rayleigh—still hiding in the storage room—remained inside.
"There'll be a lot of pirates coming to Loguetown soon," Smoker said while sipping his drink. "Aside from the execution platform, this tavern named after Roger will become a major gathering point. I'll be dropping by often, boss."
"Damn it, you're just trying to wreck my place," the tavern owner grumbled. "If you're so eager to catch pirates, go stake out the port. They all have to come through there anyway! Stop hanging around my bar!"
"Some pirates are far craftier than you think," Smoker said seriously, chewing on his cigar. "The ones who get caught at the port are the small fry. I have a feeling something big is going to happen soon. Roger's death anniversary in a few days… it might not go as planned."
"Hmph! Even if something does happen, what of it?" the tavern owner snorted. "I'm just a simple tavern keeper. Besides, my place is already reserved for the next few days. I won't be serving any other guests. Go catch your pirates in the port or the alleys or wherever. Just don't bother me."
"Reserved?" Smoker raised an eyebrow. "Who reserved it? Lin Mo?"
"Yeah, him," the tavern owner answered bluntly.
There was no way he was going to rat out Rayleigh.
Smoker paused for a moment, then nodded. "Makes sense. The kid just got a big bounty—he can afford it."
After finishing the last sip from his bottle, Smoker dropped a stack of Berries on the table and stood up.
Before leaving, he gave Lin Mo another long look. "Kid, you planning to stick around until after Roger's death anniversary?"
Lin Mo replied flatly, "Maybe. Depends on my mood."
"Heh, depends on your mood, huh?" Smoker chuckled, then turned and left the tavern.
Not long after Smoker departed, Rayleigh emerged from the storage room.
"Ha ha ha, looks like that young Marine's got his eyes on this place," Rayleigh laughed heartily.
The tavern owner grumbled, "Rayleigh, I've got a splitting headache and you're laughing? Ever since that guy Smoker got assigned to Loguetown, he's been coming here every other day. He's caught so many pirates in my place that my bar nearly got trashed several times."
"Well, that's the price you pay," Rayleigh replied, taking a bottle of wine, popping the cork, and taking a sip. "But you know, for all the trouble he causes, he probably saves you a fair bit of trouble too. Not all pirates are polite customers."
"True," the tavern owner sighed. "If only all pirates were like Roger."
"Haha, no use whining. Come on, let's drink," Rayleigh said with a hearty grin, inviting the tavern owner for a drinking session.
The tavern owner chuckled wryly and walked toward the entrance. "You two drink. I'm gonna shut the door before more troublemakers show up."
Rayleigh took a big swig and turned to Lin Mo, who seemed to have had enough. "You're done already?"
"I've had plenty..." Lin Mo replied wearily.
"Ha ha ha," Rayleigh laughed. "Still just a kid, huh? Say, want to hear some stories about Roger? I know ones no one else does."
"Not interested."
"Don't be so cold," Rayleigh grinned. "Ah, I haven't had this much fun drinking in ages. I think I'll head out and find some excitement. Want to come?"
"No." Lin Mo shut him down immediately.
Rayleigh's idea of "excitement" was easy to guess—even with toes. It was definitely gambling...
Ever since the Roger Pirates disbanded and Rayleigh settled in the Sabaody Archipelago, the old man had become a full-blown gambling addict.
When he wasn't coating ships, he was either drinking or gambling.
Despite having top-tier Observation Haki, he still lost all his money regularly—even his booze funds.
He'd even go so far as to sell himself to human traffickers for cash...
Yeah. Lin Mo had zero interest in that lifestyle.
With a shrug, Rayleigh gave up. "Fine, I'll go alone. Got a good feeling today—maybe I'll actually win for once! Ha ha!"
Carrying his wine bottle, Rayleigh strutted toward the door.
Just then, he bumped into the returning tavern owner.
"Rayleigh, where are you going?"
Rayleigh smiled. "There's a little underground casino nearby, right? It hasn't gone under yet, has it?"
"Uh?" The tavern owner looked confused. "It's still open, but barely hanging on. There aren't many gamblers these days, and the place is running out of money."
"Ha ha, still open is good enough. I'll check it out."
"I thought you didn't gamble in the past. When did you become addicted?"
"A little gamble now and then is good for the soul. Just a small flutter." Rayleigh waved it off. "Don't wait up for dinner."
Rayleigh laughed his way out of the tavern.
The tavern owner scratched his head awkwardly.
Lin Mo gave a silent chuckle.
Lose all your money and call that a small flutter?