"Long time no see, Kaido."
"It's been eight years since the incident at God Valley."
"I've heard a lot about you during my travels on the sea."
Pale pink long hair, scruffy stubble, eyes weary yet filled with an air of carefreeness.
Two seemingly ordinary katana hung at his waist.
Standing before Captain John, Bazel had the illusion of seeing a wandering warrior who had traveled the world for decades.
But he knew this was all just John's outward disguise.
Kaido wouldn't lie to him.
If everything from the past was true, then John was definitely a clever man.
Even if he wasn't, he certainly wouldn't be the kind of unrestrained, heroic figure he appeared to be now.
"So, this is the partner you've taken a liking to, the Poison Calamity of the Beasts Pirates, Bazel, known as the Eight Headed Monarch."
Bazel raised an eyebrow and grinned, "Should I feel honored to be remembered by a great pirate from the Rocks era?"
John shrugged, "If you consider it an honor, that's fine. Anyway, I'm just an unknown, ordinary pirate now."
"Enough catching up, John."
Kaido cut their conversation short but was interrupted by John before he could get straight to the point.
"Talking here isn't my style. Let's go to the bar I booked."
Without waiting for Kaido's response, he turned and ducked into an alley.
Bazel looked at Kaido, "I have a feeling we're being led by the nose. We should be careful during the conversation later."
Kaido strode forward, a smirk curling his lips, his eyes mocking, "Don't worry about it, Bazel. At best, John's strength is on par with mine."
"Back on the Rocks' ship, he was just an ordinary Nitoryu Swordsman. At least on that monster-filled ship, his strength was indeed average."
"No, that's not what I meant."
Bazel followed behind Kaido, his voice growing softer.
"Kaido-san, why do you think John would choose you instead of someone with stronger strength and influence, like Shiki?"
Kaido's footsteps halted abruptly, and he frowned at Bazel, "How confident are you?"
"It's hard to say."
Leaning against the alley wall, Bazel began analyzing every detail since meeting John.
"He seemed too eager, and the attitude he gave me didn't feel like that of a pirate but more like a politician trying to survive by compromise."
"Was he like this back in the Rocks era?"
"Hey, hurry up! What are you dawdling for?!"
John, who was almost out of sight ahead, shouted impatiently.
"Coming."
Kaido continued forward, though his steps were noticeably slower than before.
"My Observation Haki didn't detect Shiki's presence."
"Isn't it normal not to detect him? He's a user of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi. With his speed, he could dive from a height beyond your perception and reach the ground in half a minute at most."
Bazel pointed to the sky with a thoughtful expression.
"Maybe I'm overthinking it. After all, he's a pirate from your era. It's probably normal for his temperament to be unpredictable."
"No, you're not overthinking it."
Kaido signaled Bazel to quicken his pace.
"If it really is Shiki, then we'll just have to fight. It'll be a good way to test your training progress during this time."
"You're right."
Sharing a smile with Kaido, Bazel decided not to dwell on the complexities anymore.
If they came, they'd fight. If they couldn't win, they'd run.
He was a pirate now, not a marine. There was no rule about justice not retreating in the face of evil.
"Hurry up!" John urged again, "I can't stay in one place for too long!"
"Coming!"
…
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13, Lawless Area, Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
Bazel stood outside the bar, looking up at the sign above with a strange expression.
'Of all places, why did it have to be here…'
Now he understood why, in the original work, John was rumored to have been killed by his subordinates after embezzling treasure, dying under mysterious circumstances.
The owner of this bar was a notorious black-hearted information broker.
Shakky is the Pirate Empress who was the predecessor of the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock.
And the empress before Shakky was none other than the combatant of the Rocks Pirates, the one the later Gorgon Sisters called 'Nyonba', Gloriosa.
As for this bar...
Bazel vaguely remembered it opened around the year 1480 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
At that time, Shakky seemed to be only 22 years old. Apparently tired of being chased and pummeled by Garp, she retired and opened this bar on Sabaody Archipelago. (T/N: This Chapter was made at 7 July 2025, at the time before Loki's flashback, so there's some difference from the latest Chapter.)
Ding-Dong~
"Ara~ What a rare guest. It's been a while since I've seen you, John-boy."
A woman's voice with a slight Kyoto accent rang out.
Bazel followed them inside, curiously eyeing the tall, smooth-skinned, beautiful older sister behind the counter.
"She's Shakky, the owner here. Also an information broker."
John sat down at the counter and snapped his fingers.
"Three drinks. Whatever you have, go easy on the ice. Don't start skimping right from the get-go."
"Of course, of course. I run an honest business."
Perhaps because the gaze fixed on her was a bit too intense, Shakky suddenly turned to look at Bazel, her eyes lighting up.
"Oh~~ A very handsome young man, aren't you?"
She batted her eyelashes coquettishly.
Putting down a glass, Shakky blew a kiss towards Bazel, "Hey there, little one. This nee-san is still single, you know. If you're feeling lonely tonight, you can always come find me."
"I'm not little, whether it's age or... other things. And my evenings are already fully booked."
'Whether it's age or... other things?'
Shakky didn't catch on at first. When she noticed the playful smirk on his face, she rolled her eyes.
"I thought you were an innocent little flower, but you're just a pickled old cucumber."
Three cups of watered-down ale were placed in front of them.
"Tsk, you are as willful as ever."
John frowned after taking a sip, "Even if mixing drinks isn't your main job, could you at least try a little harder?"
"This place sells information, not booze. If you want a drink, get lost and go somewhere else."
Shakky reverted to her straightforward, old-pirate self, smoking expressionlessly.
"My little white flower's gone. You're lucky I didn't just serve you water. Stop being so picky."
Kaido and Bazel drank in silence, neither brought up the matter of cooperation.
John made small talk with Shakky, mostly consisting of meaningless, raunchy banter.
"Look, you guys..." Shakky walked over to Kaido, squinting.
"If you have business to discuss, hurry up and do it. If not, pay up and get out. My place isn't the red-light district of Grove 1."
Bazel stopped Kaido before he could speak, handling the situation with ease, "We are just invited guests. The host hasn't started talking, so how can we speak out of turn? Right, Big Bro Kaido?"
Kaido didn't speak, merely nodding.
Shakky looked at John.
"Thanks for your patronage. Your total is 300,000 Berry."
John's eye twitched, but he obediently took out the Berry and paid.
Even after taking the money, Shakky's expression didn't improve, "From now on, it's charged by the minute. 100,000 Berries every ten minutes. Let's see how much money you've got."
"Hey, that's way too much! I've been a customer here for years!"
Seeing John was about to go off on another tangent, a flash of impatience crossed Kaido's eyes.
"Get to the point. I've got things to do. If you're not here to talk, then get lost."
John immediately stopped his rambling, a gleam of triumph flashing deep in his eyes.
Noticing this, Bazel sighed inwardly.
Patience is the key to negotiation.
"If you want to cooperate, state your price. Although we, the Beasts Pirates, fought the Flying Pirates not long ago, it was only a draw."
Left with no choice, Bazel spoke up, trying to regain the initiative.
"If you're hoping to rely on us to defeat Shiki, I'll be blunt… that's not very realistic."
Bazel wasn't exaggerating when he said this.
The current Shiki was in his prime. His legendary sword 'Oto' and 'Kogarashi' were still with him, both his legs were intact, and he was in the prime of his life.
If the title for 'World's Greatest Swordsman' existed in this era, Shiki would undoubtedly be a top contender. Even the later Mihawk would likely only face defeat against a prime Shiki.
"This is the deposit."
Bazel's eyes narrowed as a 100-Berry coin slid to a stop in front of him.
"So I guessed right, Big Bro Kaido. It seems this guy has chosen Shiki."
"Our Beasts Pirates are being looked down upon. Heh."
"John, you've got some nerve, luring me here with a trick like this."
Kaido slowly rose to his feet. His right foot stamped forward, power transferring through his thigh muscles as his torso began to coil. A fist infused with Conqueror's Haki shot out.
At the same moment, a powerful presence abruptly appeared on the edge of their Observation Haki perception.
"Wororororo! Bazel, Shiki is yours! I'll deal with this guy first!"
---
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