Around four in the afternoon, Zhang Da Ye saw Gulagas arrive at the tavern with several wagons in tow. It seemed he truly was here for deliveries nearby, and the few crates of wine for Zhang's tavern were merely incidental.
"Hahaha! Brother Da Ye, I'm here!" Gulagas, big beard and all, was as warm and boisterous as ever.
"Kept me waiting a while. Looks like you've landed yourself a big job," Zhang Da Ye said, nodding at the wagons loaded full.
"Not bad at all," Gulagas chuckled, waving his men forward. "Don't just stand there! Get the cargo unloaded!"
Zhang Da Ye casually asked, "What's the occasion? A new tavern opening nearby to need this much liquor at once?"
Gulagas laughed. "No, no. A passing ship placed the order. Their identities… let's just say it's better I don't say too much. But don't worry, Brother Da Ye, no one's here to snatch your customers."
Not saying it was as good as saying it—pirates, of course. Zhang lowered his voice. "You dare take this kind of business? Aren't you afraid of losing both your cargo and your life?"
"Heh, I wouldn't take it unless I was sure of myself." Gulagas patted his massive belly. "This body of mine isn't built just from drinking, you know."
Zhang eyed his thick limbs and towering frame and nodded. Clearly, this wasn't his first deal with pirates. "Still, take care out there."
Gulagas grinned. "Funny, Brother Da Ye, you don't seem too against this kind of trade either?"
Zhang thought it over. "I'm just a tavern keeper. It's not my place to manage such things. And who knows—maybe some of my customers are the same sort. If they don't cause trouble and don't announce themselves, how would I know?"
"Well said! No point in overthinking it. Come, see what I brought you." Gulagas retrieved two bottles from his cart, neatly packed in a gift box.
"This is a rum from the West Blue—Captain Morgan. Not expensive, but rare on the Grand Line. Perfect for a gift. Sailors and pirates from the West love it so much, they call it 'Binks' Sake.'"
"What? So that's what Binks' Sake is?" Zhang Da Ye asked in surprise. Most who'd seen One Piece remembered the famous song, but the actual drink it referred to had always been vague.
"You could say so. The song and the rum both come from the West Blue. The tune is a sailor's song, also a pirate's song—it carries adventure, hope, and the boldness of men at sea. But truth be told, in the song, 'Binks' Sake' doesn't mean one specific liquor. Out on the ocean, any drink that gathers sailors together to sing and dance can be called Binks' Sake."
"I see. That's enlightening." Zhang accepted the bottles. At fifty thousand Berries each, they were pricey, though likely most of the cost was shipping.
"No, I'm the one enlightened…" Gulagas muttered, distracted as he watched people hauling crates inside, forgetting even to count his cash.
He already knew Artoria, the tavern's guard—her carrying three crates at once was nothing strange.
The tall girl, the new waitress, also hefting three crates with ease—still reasonable.
But that cat? Before, it wobbled just carrying one crate. Now it was lugging three?
"Brother, are you sure your cat doesn't need a hand?" Gulagas asked. Even if he'd already sold the wine, seeing it smash before his eyes would be painful.
"Don't worry," Zhang replied. Tom was only carrying three because the others had. He couldn't stand to be left out.
His legs were shaking, the crates wobbled dangerously, glass clinked inside—but somehow Tom staggered through the door toward the cellar without disaster.
Zhang trusted him. Even if a crate fell, Tom would probably contort his body to catch it.
When money changed hands and Gulagas' wagons rolled away, Zhang muttered, "Headed straight into outlaw waters… I hope he makes it back safe."
He carried the last crate inside, shut the tavern doors, and thought about visiting Uncle Goodman in a couple days, gifts in hand.
"This one's red wine, eh? Tom, how about steak with red wine sauce tonight? We bought beef, didn't we?" Zhang pulled a bottle out.
Tom flashed an OK sign, then rubbed his fingers together in the universal gesture for money.
"You want money?"
Tom grinned and nodded.
"All right." At noon he'd been too distracted by that elephant tuna to sort through the cash properly. Zhang spread two newspapers across the table and dumped out the money—over 56 million Berries in all.
Most were bundled stacks of a million each, fifty or sixty piles haphazardly stacked. The sight was staggering.
Zhang stayed calm; he'd had the money long enough to build some immunity.
Artoria stayed calm too—mostly. Though she wasn't one blinded by wealth, she was starting to drool just a little. In her eyes, the stacks kept shifting into chicken legs, cakes, and chocolate.
Rui Mengmeng was excited—she'd never seen this much before. By now, she'd learned enough about Berries' buying power to know this was a fortune for ordinary people.
Tom was the most direct. He clutched his chest, his eyes bulged out, turned into Berry signs, then snapped back as he dove headfirst into the pile, rolling around blissfully.
Zhang said after some thought, "Most of this came from taking down that pirate crew today. Should we split it evenly?"
Tom lit up, hugged his quarter share, and zipped upstairs like a rocket.
Artoria shook her head. "Not for me. You always handle the expenses anyway."
Rui Mengmeng added shyly, "Me neither… I don't really need much. My salary's already more than enough."
"Well, even so… better you both carry a little in case of emergencies." Zhang pressed two bundles each into their hands.
The rest, he stuffed into the rice cooker and shoved back into his storage.
The rice cooker was too small—it barely fit. Next time he'd need something bigger.
Yes, decided. He'd buy a new fridge, then use Tom's giant old refrigerator to store the money.
Cash in the fridge—he wouldn't dare spend a single Berry!