At Grove 13 of the Sabaody Archipelago, Bardock smoothly landed the Monkey King right in front of Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
"Shakky, we're back!" Hancock called out loudly, pushing open the tavern doors.
"Oh my, Hancock. Speak of the devil, I was just thinking about you," Shakky smiled, casually wiping a glass. "And little Bardock, it looks like your trip went smoothly."
She observed Mansherry and Leo sitting on Bardock's shoulders and gave them a playful wink.
"Shakky, these two are Mansherry and Leo. They're my crewmates," Bardock introduced, setting his bags down. "And yeah, everything went perfectly."
"Hello there, Leo, Mansherry. I'm Shakky. Come on in, let's sit down and chat."
"Hello, Shakky!" the two dwarves chimed.
Shakky walked over to the front door, flipping the 'Open' sign to 'Closed' before serving the group some fresh juice.
"Shakky, where are Sandersonia and Marigold?" Hancock asked anxiously, scanning the empty bar. "I don't see them."
"Relax, Hancock. They've recovered beautifully," Shakky reassured her. "Old Man Ray is out training them right now. They'll be back before dark."
"Really? Thank goodness."
As evening approached, the tavern doors swung open again. Sandersonia and Marigold stepped inside.
Close behind them followed an older man. He had slicked-back white hair, a distinctively styled beard, and round glasses. Despite his advanced age, he exuded a rugged, undeniable charisma. It was none other than the "Dark King," Silvers Rayleigh.
"Big sister!" Seeing Hancock, the two younger girls immediately sprinted over and threw themselves into her arms. They happily babbled about how much they had missed her, quickly following up with eager questions about whether her trip was a success.
"Yes, everything went flawlessly. I got exactly what I went for," Hancock smiled warmly. "This is Princess Mansherry of the Tontatta Kingdom. She's the one who helped me. Come here, let me introduce you."
She gestured for the tiny princess to come closer.
"Hello, I'm Mansherry! It's so nice to meet you!"
"It's wonderful to meet you too, Mansherry!"
"Shakky, I'm going to take them into the back rooms for a little while," Hancock excused herself, leading the girls away. She knew her sisters felt exactly the same way she had—they didn't want to bear that mark of absolute shame for a single second longer.
Rayleigh walked over to the bar, taking a seat next to Bardock. "So, you're Bardock. I'm Rayleigh. Shanks has been raving about you for a while now. They say heroes emerge from the youth, and you certainly fit the bill."
"Hahaha! And you're still as vigorous as ever, Mr. Rayleigh! The years haven't dulled your edge at all."
"Oh? You've heard of me?" Rayleigh chuckled. "The youth these days are incredibly well-informed if you can recognize a retired old man like me."
"Come on, you're an absolute legend on these seas."
"Legend, my eye," Shakky scoffed from behind the counter, pouring herself a drink. "Right now, he's just 'Old Man Ray,' the local coating mechanic. And he loses way more money at the casino than he actually makes working."
"Now, don't be like that, Shakky! I've barely set foot in a casino lately," Rayleigh pleaded, throwing his hands up defensively. "Besides, haven't I been helping you train the girls?"
"Hmph. If you were actually 'helping,' I shouldn't have to ask you to do it in the first place."
"So, Mr. Rayleigh, you're just hiding out in plain sight on Sabaody?" Bardock asked, smoothly changing the subject to save the old pirate. "Have the Marines not noticed? I heard the World Government's guard dogs have an incredibly sharp sense of smell."
"Ah, their noses are sharp, indeed," Rayleigh smiled softly, taking a sip of his drink. "But Roger is gone, and I'm officially retired. Starting a war with me would completely destroy the archipelago. The Marines know it's just not worth the collateral damage. Fufufu... They'd rather just let me fade away in obscurity."
"Spoken like the true Dark King. Absolute badass," Bardock praised. "Only a monster like you would have the sheer nerve to retire right under the World Government's nose. Hey, Leo! Listen up. You're 'Little Leo' and he's 'Old Man Ray'. You better grow up to be a massive big shot on the seas, just like him!"
"Yeah! A massive big shot!" Leo cheered. He leaped onto the tabletop, slammed his left fist against his chest, and punched his right fist straight up toward the ceiling—the classic Ultraman entrance pose Bardock had recently taught him.
"Hahaha!" The group burst into laughter at the dwarf's adorable display.
"What are you all laughing about?" Hancock asked as she walked back into the main tavern area, flanked by her sisters and Mansherry.
"Nothing, just chatting," Bardock smiled. "Did Sandersonia and Marigold's... problem get resolved?"
"Yes. It's all thanks to Mansherry," Hancock said softly, her eyes shining with relief. "Thank you so much, Mansherry."
"Thank you, Mansherry... sniff..." Marigold sobbed happily, wiping away tears.
"It was no trouble at all, Hancock, Sandersonia, Marigold! It was the right thing to do!" Mansherry beamed.
Bardock, Leo, and Mansherry ended up staying late at Shakky's bar, even managing to score a free dinner out of it. Given Shakky's notorious reputation for ripping people off, getting a free meal from her was an achievement very few on the seas could boast of.
"Alright, Leo, Mansherry! Tomorrow we go on a massive shopping spree, and the day after that, we set sail for the West Blue!" Bardock grinned as they arrived back at his rental house. "Our real adventure is finally beginning! Are you happy?"
"Super happy!" "Are you excited?" "Super excited!"
"Perfect. Let's get some sleep early tonight. Tomorrow, we hit the shops!"
"Yeah!"
The next morning, Bardock walked through the shopping district with a fluffy, cloud-like pouch strapped to his chest—another clever application of the Flying Nimbus. The pouch had a few small breathing holes that allowed Leo and Mansherry to peek out and safely observe the bustling world of big humans.
Bardock bought a ton of beautiful, high-quality fabrics for the two dwarves. Since Leo's Sew-Sew Fruit made him an absolute master tailor, he was actually responsible for making a lot of the Tontatta tribe's clothing. He was surprisingly domestic for a combatant.
A long-range Den Den Mushi, highly detailed nautical charts of the West Blue, massive amounts of food and supplies—Bardock bought it all, nearly emptying his entire savings in the process.
As soon as they got back to the house, Leo and Mansherry immediately set up the new Den Den Mushi and called Gancho.
Puru puru puru! Gacha!
The snail connected almost instantly.
"This is the Tontatta Kingdom! Gancho speaking!" "Father, it's me! Can you hear me?" "Tonta Chief! It's Leo!" "Waaah! Mansherry...!"
Listening to their emotional reunion on the line, Bardock decided to head out tonight and actively hunt for some "unlucky" targets. He figured there had to be some pirates out there who, seeing a poor, young kid trying to raise two children, would generously volunteer their bounties to fund Bardock's travel expenses.
That night, "Tony Tony Chopper" swept through the lawless zones of Sabaody. In a single evening, he captured over a dozen pirates with bounties ranging from a few million up to ten million Berries. Without exception, every single one of them was knocked unconscious via a devastating sneak attack from behind before being dragged into the Marine Base.
The infamous moniker of "Blackjack Chopper" began bleeding out from Marine gossip circles directly into the bounty hunter community. It wouldn't be long before the terrified whispers of the "Blackjack" menace spread throughout the lower-tier pirate crews.
Interestingly enough, the ruthless bounty hunter "Kakarot" also made an appearance that night. Not only did he cleanly decapitate a pirate captain with a forty million Berry bounty, but he completely wiped out the captain's entire crew in the process. The name "Kakarot" quickly began making waves within the Sabaody Marine Base.
Just like Chopper, Kakarot was a relentless workaholic who thought nothing of cashing in multiple bounties in a single night.
While the night streets of Sabaody remained chaotic and abuzz with rumors of these terrifying new bounty hunters, the mastermind behind all the commotion was already safely tucked into his bed, snoring peacefully.