Shirakawa didn't have to wait long. Before much time had passed, he spotted Morgans ambling his way toward the bar, swaying left and right with each leisurely step.
"Well? Any news?" Shirakawa asked the moment Morgans stepped inside.
"What, you plan to squeeze information straight out of my mouth? Aren't you at least going to buy me a drink?"
Morgans raised a hand to his beak, miming the gesture of tipping back a glass.
"Of course." The instant those four words left Shirakawa's mouth, Shakky had already slid a full glass across the counter to Morgans.
She flashed Shirakawa a grin. Clearly, this had been premeditated.
Shirakawa shot her a helpless look, only to hear her say, "Relax. This round's on the house."
"That generous?" Shirakawa's eyes lit up. He downed his own glass in one gulp, then added, "I'll have another."
"You can. But this one's coming out of your own pocket."
Though those were her words, her hands didn't pause for a second. She poured the drink regardless of whether Shirakawa agreed to pay. Settle the tab or don't—that was his problem.
"Now can you talk? Is it good news?"
"Of course. Who do you think you're dealing with? Digging up this kind of intel was child's play." Morgans puffed up with pride. On these seas, there was nothing he didn't know.
"Let's hear it." Now that he had confirmation, Shirakawa's interest was piqued. He turned his body to face Morgans squarely.
"I found out the nearest Adam tree to us isn't far from the Sabaody Archipelago. At your speed, you could reach it in just over an hour."
It really wasn't far—though to be fair, the distance Shirakawa covered in an hour was roughly equivalent to what an ordinary ship would sail in a full day.
"That Adam tree is still standing, rooted deep and growing strong. But the locals treat it as a sacred tree. They hold rituals before it every single day, guarding and protecting it around the clock."
"I see. Sounds like an indigenous tribe."
Shirakawa's response was neutral. Only people like that would place all their hopes in a single tree. If he cut it down and took it away, he might very well strip them of their reason to live.
"Anything else?" Shirakawa pressed.
"Uh..." Morgans faltered at the question. Having tracked down the location of one tree, he hadn't bothered to keep digging. It hadn't occurred to him that Shirakawa still wouldn't be satisfied.
"That's all."
Morgans answered, but he seemed to have guessed what was running through Shirakawa's mind. He spoke up.
"Boss, you're a pirate. Swiping things isn't exactly a big deal, is it?"
"That's true enough. But when have you ever seen a member of the Roger Pirates steal from anyone? At worst, if we set our eyes on something, it's aggressive bargaining—nothing more."
As he said this, Shirakawa glanced over at Rayleigh. The first mate was sitting right there, after all.
"Say what you want. Don't mind me. The Roger Pirates are disbanded, and I'm no longer the first mate."
"If you're not happy with this one, I can keep searching. But this time, I'll be adding a condition."
"What condition?"
"Tell me where Roger's grave is." Morgans stared straight into Shirakawa's eyes.
"How would I know where the captain is buried?"
Though it was a lie, Shirakawa delivered it without a flicker in his expression or the slightest flush on his face. His gaze was unwavering.
"Don't bother lying. After Roger's execution, his body was definitely taken away by you. Because at that time, the only person capable of pulling that off was you—still alive."
Morgans hadn't understood why Roger's body had vanished into thin air back then. But after laying eyes on Shirakawa, it all made sense.
And during these past three days, he hadn't just been investigating the Adam tree's location for Shirakawa—he'd been investigating Shirakawa himself. He had combed through every detail of Shirakawa's journey since first setting out to sea, every ability he'd ever demonstrated, and from all that, he'd deduced the truth. Roger had been taken by Shirakawa. Morgans was one hundred percent certain of this conclusion.
"Fine. You win. You really are clever. But I'm not telling you where the captain's grave is."
Now that Morgans had seen through him, Shirakawa simply admitted it openly.
Though he could have kept denying it—Morgans wouldn't have been able to do anything about it—he could read in Morgans's eyes that the suspicion was absolute.
"Just give me the tree's location."
Since Shirakawa had put it that way, Morgans had no choice. Roger's burial site would have to be something he tracked down on his own, slowly.
Morgans reached into his plumage and produced an Eternal Pose, handing it to Shirakawa. "This points to that island. The largest tree there is the Treasure Tree Adam."
"Got it." Shirakawa tucked the Eternal Pose away.
"Are you sure you won't reconsider?"
Morgans asked, still clinging to a thread of hope.
"Maybe the next time I need your help, I'll trade that information for it."
"Then I look forward to your next visit, anytime."
Morgans pulled a Den Den Mushi from his feathers and passed it to Shirakawa. "If you ever need me for anything, give me a call."
"Alright. I'll take this."
Shirakawa didn't think he'd have much use for Morgans going forward, but he accepted the snail just in case.
With that, Morgans finished his drink and took his leave. It seemed he preferred, for the time being, not to get tangled up with these people.
After all, if the World Government found out he'd been associating with the former first mate of the Roger Pirates—and with Adolph K. Shirakawa, a man who was supposed to be dead—there was no telling what kind of suspicion he'd fall under.
His relationship with the World Government had always been one of cooperation. But he could see clearly that they had long been eyeing his news agency with predatory intent. If anything untoward ever happened to him, he didn't need to guess who would be behind it. And they'd move with lightning speed to seize control of his organization.
"So what's your plan now?"
Rayleigh asked Shirakawa.
"Obviously, figure out a way to get my hands on that Adam tree."
Shirakawa answered candidly. If it came down to it, he'd already steeled himself to take it by force.
"Then at least eat before you go."
Shakky spoke up. She could see the reluctance in Rayleigh's eyes. This parting would be a real one—who knew when they'd next see each other again.
"Fair enough."
Shirakawa nodded in agreement. Tonight, he intended to drink with Rayleigh until neither of them could stand.
/-\
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