"Prey?"
The old man's eyes lit up instantly. Turning toward his subordinates, he spread his arms wide and laughed heartily.
"Listen up, boys! Put on a good show for our guests! Let these sea rats see what a real professional 'Port Welcome Ceremony' looks like!"
"OOOHHHH!!!"
A thunderous cheer erupted. The hunters scattered like an ebbing tide.
Some quickly changed into civilian clothing to act as welcoming locals at the port, while others slipped along both shores to set up ambush positions.
This was their specialty. Their usual tactic — pretend to be a friendly town that "welcomes" pirates.
When those rookie crews from the Blues lower their guard, laughing as they steer into dock and stroll ashore—
—then, from both sides, the hunters strike, cannons roaring, cutting the pirates down before they can even react.
Given how little information traveled between the Grand Line and the Four Seas, this trick almost never failed.
"Looks like our timing's perfect."
Mr. 5 spoke lazily, hands in his pockets. "In that case, Valentine, how about we grab a nice spot, sip some coffee, and enjoy the show?"
"Who wants coffee? It's bitter and gross!" Miss Valentine huffed. "Get me a lemon soda — no lemon, no fizz!"
"Of course, of course! Right this way!"
The old man hurriedly led the two to the second-floor balcony of a seaside restaurant — perfect view of the port and surrounding coastline.
Then he turned and shouted to the lookout posted up high, "Hey! The prey should've entered the outer port by now, right? Can you see the flag clearly?"
"I can, but…"
The lookout's voice trembled, uncertain. "Their flag's kinda strange. It's white — the design almost looks like the Marines'… Wait. I remember now!"
His eyes widened, his face draining of color. "It's the Curtainfall Pirates! The ones who caused the Rogue Town Massacre! It's THEM!!!"
Silence fell over the entire harbor.
The bounty hunters who had been readying their flintlocks froze mid-motion.
A few veterans loading cannonballs fumbled — the shells slipped from their hands and rolled uselessly into the sea.
The Curtainfall Pirates…?
Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine exchanged confused looks.
They'd been tied up with Baroque Works' entry procedures for weeks — barely any time to follow the news.
Was this crew… that famous?
"P–Plans have changed, Agent-sama!"
The old man's voice cracked, sweat pouring down his face. "Those monsters… we can't take them! We have to retreat — now—"
SLAP!
Before he could finish, Mr. 5 reached out, grabbed him by the hair, and lifted him like a sack of trash.
"Hey, idiot."
He leaned close, eyes hidden behind his sunglasses, voice cold as death.
"You're panicking over a rookie crew that just entered the Grand Line? Did you forget what 'Baroque Works Officer Agent' means?"
"Of course I know!!!"
The old man wailed, voice cracking. "But do YOU know who those people are?!"
"The captain of the Curtainfall Pirates is the one who attacked a Marine Headquarters battleship — the man with a 180 million beli bounty, the 'Blade Swordsman' Shanu!!!"
"And that's not all!"
"His officers are all monsters too — each worth seventy or eighty million at least!"
"Their combined bounty exceeds 500 million beli!"
"How could we — even if every one of us died here — how could we possibly fight that!?"
He screamed in despair.
The bounty hunters, who had frozen stiff in fear, suddenly broke. The port exploded into chaos — men tripping, scrambling, bolting for their lives.
Some dove into tavern cellars. Others grabbed rifles and sprinted toward the giant cactus mountains, shrieking.
Even the old man in Mr. 5's grasp began thrashing desperately to escape.
"You useless worms."
Mr. 5 kicked him aside. Two thin trails of black smoke puffed from his nostrils as he cracked his neck with a sneer.
"No matter who they are — they're still just a rookie crew on the Grand Line! If you're not gonna help, then get lost!"
"Hey, Valentine! Let's put on a show for these cowards. Time to show them what real Devil Fruit power looks like!"
"Uhh…"
Miss Valentine wiped a bead of sweat from her temple, forcing a smile.
"Y'know, a guy worth 180 million beli… maybe we should avoid him. I mean, even Crocodile — one of the Seven Warlords — was only 81 million, right?"
"You don't get it."
Mr. 5 snorted, arms crossed behind his back. "Crocodile got that bounty over twenty years ago — right before he became a Warlord. That number's ancient history!"
"This so-called 'Blade Swordsman' Shanu — you really think some upstart rookie can compare to that?"
"Ohhh, I see~"
Miss Valentine nodded in sudden realization. Seeing her partner's confidence, her grin returned.
"Yahahaha~! Fine then! You're right — this'll be our big debut, the perfect chance to show Baroque Works what we're made of!"
Aboard the Curtainfall.
Watching the crowd gathered at the port waving enthusiastically, Nami gasped, eyes sparkling.
"Whoa! Look, big bro! Everyone's welcoming us!"
"Guess the truth about Rogue Town spread past the East Blue, huh?" she said brightly. "They all know we're not bad pirates anymore!"
"Idiot, Nami."
Kuina's calm voice came from the deck above. Sitting cross-legged on the open-air dojo platform, eyes closed, she exuded quiet mastery.
She sighed softly.
"The captain warned us this morning. This place — Whisky Peak — is a nest of bounty hunters. Their specialty is deception. They act friendly until your guard's down… then they strike."
"Ehh?!"
Nami's face fell. "Seriously…?"
"In any case, stay alert."
Kuina's tone was cool and steady. "We're here to let the Log Pose record the island's magnetic field — but if they do attack us… we won't hold back."
Of course, there was another reason.
Whisky Peak had plenty of "resources" ripe for plucking.
Rising from his reclined chair, Shanu gazed toward the island, eyes narrowing.
If he remembered right…
Baroque Works' so-called "Utopia Plan" hadn't even begun yet. Alabasta's civil war was still far off.
And Princess Vivi and Captain Igaram wouldn't infiltrate the organization for another two years.
Meaning… Vivi was still living peacefully in the royal palace.
Still, Shanu mused, there'd be plenty of familiar agents to meet here — just a question of which ones would appear.
Then, his expression shifted.
The townsfolk who had gathered at the pier only moments ago were now scattering — running in terror as the Curtainfall drew near.
Like they'd just seen a ghost.