Shirakawa released his grip. The man's head lolled to the side, and he slid down the wall, slumping to the ground. By then, there was no breath left in him.
Shirakawa pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his hands clean, then tossed it carelessly onto the man's face. As he walked out of the alley, he turned his head toward another direction. Someone had been watching them.
The moment that person felt Shirakawa's gaze, his body jolted as if an ancient beast had locked eyes with him. Cold sweat instantly drenched him from head to toe.
But Shirakawa only glanced once before looking away. It was a warning, nothing more.
Only after Shirakawa's figure had receded into the distance did the hidden observer dare to step out. He made his way into the alley where the fight had just taken place and saw the vice president of the Bounty Hunter Guild slumped against the wall, lifeless.
"Just as the Guild Master predicted. A completely one-sided fight. The vice president's actions were no different from suicide."
The speaker was the same guild member who had previously reported the vice president's movements to the Guild Master. He answered directly to the Guild Master, a trusted subordinate.
He noticed the handprint on the vice president's neck. The cause of death was a crushed throat. The entire fight had likely lasted no more than three seconds.
"Seems I'll need to warn certain people to tread carefully once I get back. Otherwise, the vice president's fate will be theirs."
That was right. Inside the Bounty Hunter Guild, there were still plenty of fools eyeing the Silver Pirates. A crew that powerful appearing in the North Blue was anything but common. Defeating them would mean skyrocketing to fame and glory, a name known across the world. A lot of people were still thinking that way.
Emerging from the alley, Shirakawa's expression settled back into its usual mildness, as if nothing had happened. To him now, killing that man was no different from crushing an ant. It didn't stir the slightest ripple in his heart.
When it came to the best night atmosphere, where else would you go but a tavern? Every time Shirakawa set foot on a new island, he made a point of enjoying the local taverns, and this time was no exception.
This island was one of the North Blue's most prosperous towns, so its taverns were bound to be lively, bustling, and full of energy.
Following the flow of the crowd, Shirakawa spotted a tavern with dazzling, colorful lights. Plenty of people came and went, and some didn't look like they were there just to drink.
"This is the one." Shirakawa made up his mind. In his previous life, he would've been far too timid to step into a high-end place like this. Now, if he walked in, the ones feeling timid would be everyone else.
The tavern wasn't like a restaurant. No server greeted him at the door. Shirakawa stepped inside and gave the place a quick once-over. There was a bar counter, booths, and even a dance floor.
The lights were a riot of color, the music deafening. If not for the way everyone was dressed, Shirakawa might have thought he'd walked straight back into a bar from his past life.
There was even a DJ on an elevated platform hyping up the crowd. Honestly, the technology in this pirate world wasn't half bad. They had almost everything—except cell phones, computers, and the internet. But somehow they still had combat robots. The sheer unevenness of the tech level never failed to baffle him.
Shirakawa walked over to the bar, took a seat, and ordered a brightly colored cocktail. He watched the girls dancing to the music nearby.
Then his eyes drifted to the wall behind the bartender. A number of job postings were stuck up there. He noticed they weren't for this tavern.
"Hey, what's all that?" Shirakawa pointed at the wall and asked the bartender.
"Oh, those? Those are job ads posted by other shop owners. Places like this attract all kinds of people. You never know, there might be some real talent in the crowd."
"Ah, that's how it is." Shirakawa nodded in understanding.
"If you're an employer short on staff, you can put up your own listing. If you're looking for work, just check to see if anything up there fits you."
"Got it. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
"Don't mention it."
It dawned on Shirakawa then that the people who didn't look like they were here to drink were probably job seekers, browsing for work that suited them.
Gazing at the postings, he began to wonder if he should put one up himself, maybe try to recruit a few crew members.
Thinking it over carefully, his ship really was missing one very important position.
"Do you have a pen and some paper?" Shirakawa asked the bartender again.
"Sure do." The young man pulled a sheet of paper and a pen from a drawer and handed them over.
Shirakawa lowered his head, thought for a moment, then picked up the pen and wrote out the words taking shape in his mind.
The Silver Pirates are recruiting one navigator. Must be elite and possess a certain level of self-defense ability. If you believe you're the right fit, come to the Silver Pirates' ship for an interview.
He looked at the single sentence he'd written and gave a satisfied nod. Simple, clear, and straight to the point. It revealed just enough information without any unnecessary fluff.
"I'm done. Can you stick this up there?"
"No problem."
The bartender took the paper, glanced at it, and pasted it onto the wall.
"You're a pirate?"
"Yeah. Something wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just my first time seeing someone try to recruit pirate crew in a tavern. You're a first for this place."
"Haha, there's a first for everything."
Shirakawa suddenly recalled some card-based One Piece games he'd played in his past life. The hero recruitment spots were always in taverns, and you could pull not just pirates, but even Marines.
He vaguely remembered actually pulling Kizaru in one of those games once. That had gotten him excited for a long, long time.
Of course, if he could somehow recruit Kizaru here and now, Shirakawa wouldn't mind one bit. The man wasn't a navigator, sure, but he was absolute top-tier firepower.
As Shirakawa drank, he noticed people glancing at the job board from time to time. Most of them just shook their heads and walked away. Either nothing caught their eye, or the requirements were too steep.
A few did brighten up and order a drink, but that was rare.
And as for his own posting, he watched as person after person skimmed over it and quickly averted their eyes. He couldn't tell if they simply lacked the skills of a navigator or just had no interest in becoming pirates.
"So… recruiting a crewmate in a tavern really was a bit too wishful, huh?"
Shirakawa shook his head in mild disappointment and ordered another few drinks. The night was only just beginning. He had no intention of letting it end so soon, no desire to sleep straight through till morning.
/-\
Enjoying the story? Want to read ahead?
Support the novel and unlock early access to unreleased chapters!
~ +20 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon! (+1 Chapter daily)
https://p-atreon.com/Its_Zack
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access Patreon normally)