The two new recruits, their faces bright with excitement, quickly signed the contracts and left the office.
The woman in the cowboy hat watched their backs fade into the distance, silent, lost in thought.
Suddenly—
Buru buru buru...
The Den Den Mushi on the table began to ring.
She ignored it at first, sitting perfectly still, until the poor snail-phone grew dry-mouthed from calling. Only then did she lazily pick up the receiver.
"What is it, Boss?"
"Those two rookies—you've finished recruiting them, haven't you?"
The voice that came from the other end was deep and magnetic.
"Once you're done there, head straight to Canola Port. Drop everything else."
"Something happen?"
"The girl escaped. Mr. 1 is already on her trail from the capital. You'll cut her off from Canola Port. The trade with Hanafuda is coming up soon—she's an important bargaining chip. We can't let her leave Alabasta."
"Understood. But, Boss, aren't you already near Canola Port? Why send me all the way back?"
"Because I've got a bigger job to handle."
The man's tone grew colder.
"Marine Headquarters just gave me a special assignment. A troublesome target. If I don't play along, all the acting I've done these past few years will go to waste."
Click.
The line went dead.
The woman rested her chin on one hand, tilting her head slightly.
A troublesome target, huh?
Her boss had spent the past few years perfectly playing the part of a national hero—hunting pirates, delivering them to the Marines by the dozens, and becoming known across the seas as the most trustworthy Warlord ally.
So if even he called this target "troublesome," then whoever it was... must be a serious pirate.
Her brow lifted, a sly smile tugging at her lips.
"Ahh... don't tell me the Marines have asked him to deal with that rookie everyone's been talking about lately?"
Twin Cape, beneath the lighthouse.
Four or five hours passed quickly. By afternoon, the Log Pose had stored enough magnetic energy to continue the journey.
The mess from the banquet had already been cleaned up. When the crew emerged from the cabins, they were shocked to see how spotless the deck looked.
"Whoa! It's so clean already?"
"It's even shinier than when we left the shipyard!"
"Naturally."
Smoker tossed his mop aside, puffing out a cloud of smoke with pride.
"With the power of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, this kind of job's nothing."
By combining Soru with his smoke-form, he could sweep the ship from top to bottom in seconds, cleaning even the hardest-to-reach corners.
Nami facepalmed.
Everyone here was a Logia user, yet Smoker was boasting about housekeeping.
"Let's get going, everyone! Thanks for the feast!"
Crocus stood on his little boat, laughing heartily and waving goodbye.
Laboon beside him raised his head and let out a long, mournful cry.
Zeff gave Crocus a huge bear hug—whatever little grudge they'd had before was long gone after the banquet.
Before turning away, Crocus cast one last look at the Twin Capes, bathed in golden sunlight.
Everyone expected him to say something heartfelt to his old friends…
But instead—
"Damn it! It's already the 29th! If I worked just two more days, I'd get paid for the month!"
The crew collapsed in laughter.
Leaving the Twin Capes behind, the Curtainfall sailed onward.
The Grand Line had seven routes, and as captain, Shanu naturally chose the one passing through Whisky Peak and Little Garden.
He was eager to meet those legendary giants from a hundred years ago—and maybe "borrow" a little treasure while he was at it.
[You sacrificed Crocus's single bed — gained 1100 points]
[You sacrificed Smoker's cigar case — gained 900 points]
[You sacrificed Jabra's cloak — gained 3200 points]
Fresh loot. Combined with Laboon's earlier 400 points, Shanu's total shot up by 5600, reaching 41,100.
He was satisfied.
This was only the first stop of the Grand Line, and the rewards were already this rich.
Once the voyage stabilized, Shanu looked at Nami, who was hunched over a map sketching new routes. He quietly brought her a glass of orange soda, then headed toward the training room.
Passing by the other two training halls, he heard the rhythmic thud, thud, thud of hard sparring.
Kuina was training up on the open-air dojo deck, so the two inside had to be Nojiko and Smoker.
It seemed that since entering the Grand Line—and with the crew growing larger—the fighters were starting to feel the pressure.
Everyone was quietly competing.
Shanu chuckled.
"Good. Compete all you want. The enemies ahead will only get stronger."
Maybe the results wouldn't show in a day or two, but with time, they'd feel it—the boost from the Falcon Statue's aura was powerful.
Once they got that positive feedback, they'd train even harder.
A perfect cycle.
Shanu believed that before long, the Curtainfall Pirates would reach a new level of strength.
Five days later — Whisky Peak.
The island's desert-style town lined both sides of the port, hundreds of houses scattered across the sandy hills.
At first glance, it looked like a small, peaceful town—but as one of the seven starting points of the Grand Line routes, it was anything but simple.
This was a nest of bounty hunters.
Hundreds of hunters hid here, preying on rookie pirates who had just crossed Reverse Mountain—sometimes working alone, sometimes teaming up—spinning an invisible web of ambushes.
Clack.
Two unfamiliar figures stepped onto the island.
One was a tall man with an afro, wearing a high-collared jacket.
The other, a blonde woman holding a parasol, even in broad daylight.
From the windows around them, shadowy eyes peeked out, sharp and calculating.
But the moment they saw a large group of bounty hunters approaching to greet the pair, those eyes quickly retreated.
"So this is Whisky Peak?"
The afro man—Mr. 5—walked ahead with his hands behind his back.
"How many hunters are here? And how many are our people?"
"Mr. 5, sir!"
The Billion-Class Agent before him bowed deeply.
"Baroque Works started operating here only a few months ago, but we've made excellent progress. Out of the 1,200 bounty hunters on the island, over 500 now work for us—and we're still growing fast!"
"Oh? Not bad."
Mr. 5 raised an eyebrow, satisfied.
"I'll make sure the boss hears about your performance. Who knows—you might get promoted to Frontline Officer."
"Really?! Thank you, sir!"
The Billion Agent looked thrilled. Mr. 5 basked in the admiration—ever since he'd eaten the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, he'd been living large.
His power was on a whole other level. No wonder he'd jumped straight to Senior Officer the moment he joined.
Baroque Works had a strict hierarchy:
At the top—the mysterious Boss and Vice President.
Below them—nine Senior Agents (each with a numbered code).
Then the Frontline Agents, followed by the Millions and Billions.
Usually, there should've been ten Senior Agents, but Mr. 2 Bon Clay didn't need a partner, so he occupied two spots himself.
As for the Billions like this man before him… their lives and deaths were decided by a single word from him.
Mr. 5 cleared his throat to hide his smug grin.
"Anyway, your main duty is still collecting pirate heads for the company's bounty funds. But the monthly quota hasn't come in yet. That's why Miss Valentine and I were sent here—to check what's going on."
"You—you mean the higher-ups are already asking about it?"
The Billion Agent broke into a cold sweat.
"Please, sir, you have to explain! It's not our fault! There just haven't been many rookie pirates lately! For some reason, fewer and fewer have crossed Reverse Mountain this month!"
"Huh? What nonsense is that?"
Mr. 5 frowned, glancing at Miss Valentine, then smirked.
"You think pirates come in seasons now? What, they migrate like fish?"
"I swear it's true!" the agent said frantically. "If you check the logs—"
Before he could finish, a voice shouted from the docks:
"Hey! We've got incoming! A new ship just crossed Reverse Mountain—it's heading straight for the port! Everyone, to positions! The hunt begins!"