Sami's hand paused slightly as he swirled the wine in his glass.
He then turned his head and cast a meaningful glance toward Caheiro, who sat diagonally across from him.
Caheiro immediately understood. He lifted a hand and gently lowered his top hat, letting the brim cast a shadow over the upper half of his face.
He waved over the bartender and whispered a few instructions.
The bartender glanced suspiciously toward the merchants at the neighboring table, but in the end he nodded.
Moments later, he carried several specially mixed drinks over and placed them on the merchants' table.
"Gentlemen, these drinks are compliments from the guest at the table beside you."
The merchants looked surprised. Following the bartender's gesture, they saw Caheiro raising his glass toward them.
Then he picked up his drink and walked over.
"Sorry to interrupt, gentlemen."
"And you are…?" Old Charlie asked, carefully sizing up the unfamiliar man beneath the shadow of his hat.
"Oh, don't mind me. Just an ordinary customer in the tavern."
Caheiro smiled and lowered his voice slightly.
"I happened to overhear you mentioning some newly issued Marine bounty posters. As sailors, you know how it is—we always like to keep track of the winds and rumors of the sea."
"So I took the liberty of asking… if it wouldn't be inconvenient, could we borrow them for a quick look?"
Old Charlie hesitated.
"My friend, that might not be very convenient… These were privately given to me by a Marine acquaintance…"
"Of course. Completely understandable."
Caheiro didn't seem offended by the refusal.
He simply slipped his hand into his coat, pulled out a small stack of Berries, and gently slid them across the table.
"Just a small token. Consider it another round of drinks for you gentlemen. I hope you'll do us the favor."
Old Charlie's eyes fell on the money.
Judging by the thickness, there were about three or four thousand Berries.
For a stack of bounty posters that had cost him nothing, this was easy profit.
Besides, in just a few days those posters would be plastered all over the streets and become worthless.
His expression shifted quickly.
After only two or three seconds, Old Charlie's face blossomed into a warm smile. With one hand he passed over the bounty posters, while the other swiftly pocketed the money.
"Oh come now! No need to be so polite! When people travel the seas, we should help each other out! You're too formal, hahaha!"
"Much appreciated."
Caheiro took the stack of bounty posters, thanked him, and returned to Sami's table.
He placed the thick pile in the center of the table, and everyone leaned in.
There were over twenty posters.
Besides the members of the Jellyfish Pirates, there were also many other pirates and criminals mixed in.
"Damn, Boss!"
Aldo was the first to whisper, though his shock was impossible to hide.
"Your bounty… jumped to 180 million Berries!"
Sami smiled faintly and gestured for calm.
"Keep it down. What about yours?"
Aldo eagerly searched through the stack and quickly pulled out one.
"Haha! Mine went from 55 million to 60 million! Now I'm tied with Marcus!"
"You're celebrating too early."
Caheiro casually pulled another poster from the pile and slid it toward Aldo.
"Take a look. Marcus's bounty went from 60 million to 63 million."
"Damn it!"
Aldo slammed his fist on the table, drawing glances from nearby customers. He quickly hunched his shoulders.
"He's ahead of me again!"
Caheiro's own bounty had risen from 45 million to 49 million.
Feiqi and Alberto searched carefully but couldn't find updated posters for themselves.
It seemed the Marines hadn't changed their bounties.
At that moment, Alberto suddenly grabbed a poster and excitedly waved it in front of everyone, babbling incoherently.
It was Morris's bounty poster.
Mushroom Tyrant Morris
Bounty: 80,000,000 Berries
Officer of the Jellyfish Pirates
Dead or Alive
"Pff—!"
Aldo spat out a mouthful of rum.
His eyes bulged.
"E-eighty million?! That's insane! It nearly doubled! The increase is even crazier than Short-Leg Wiener's back then!"
"Not bad. About what I expected."
Sami took the poster from Alberto and examined Morris's gloomy face printed on it.
"Considering the strength he demonstrated, plus the threat of him joining us, the Marines' valuation is reasonable."
Feiqi leaned over, staring at the words 'Officer of the Jellyfish Pirates.'
"Officer… wow. He's now the highest bounty under the boss."
"Looks like the Marines are cooperating even more than we expected."
Sami set his wine glass down gently, a playful smile on his face.
"In that case, we won't refuse such a generous gift."
"Hahaha!"
"To our ever-increasing worth—cheers!"
Meanwhile…
At the top floor of the Faris Valley clock tower.
From this vantage point, most of the harbor and central square could be seen clearly.
Inside the attic—which should have been empty—dozens of Marine soldiers were watching the Jellyfish Pirates through telescopes.
It had clearly been turned into a temporary surveillance post.
"Target A (Sami) and four core officers remain inside the tavern."
"Target B (procurement group) has split into three teams. Entered the herb market, food wholesale district, and general goods street."
"Target C (leisure group) scattered around the central square—casinos, game stalls, snack vendors. Behavior normal. No signs of gathering or alertness… Wait. Some are heading toward the red-light district."
At the center of the attic, a middle-aged man wearing a Marine coat sat on a sofa that had been temporarily moved there.
He was Major General Saul Hack, commander of the G10 Marine Branch.
He had been resting with his eyes closed.
Only when hurried footsteps came up the stairs did he slowly open them.
The men entering the room were none other than Old Charlie and his merchant companions.
But now their demeanor had completely changed.
Gone was the smooth charm of merchants.
What remained was the sharp discipline of soldiers.
"Report, Major General Hack! Mission accomplished."
"The bounty posters have been delivered to the core members of the Jellyfish Pirates using the prearranged contact method. The interaction appeared natural and did not arouse suspicion."
Hack nodded slightly, though his face showed little emotion.
"Good. Well done. Go get some rest."
"Continue playing your roles and proceed with the next stage."
"And remember—do not reveal any flaws."
"Yes, sir!"
Charlie and the others saluted and quickly left, blending back into the bustling town below as if they had never existed.
The attic returned to silence.
Only the faint turning of telescope lenses could be heard.
Hack stood up and walked to the window.
His eyes locked onto the faint silhouettes visible through the tavern window in the distance.
His fists slowly clenched at his sides.
His knuckles cracked softly.
"Looting equipment from my G10 branch… injuring over a hundred of my soldiers… stealing our precious Seastone shackles…"
He spoke quietly, each word squeezed through clenched teeth.
"Riberra Sami…"
"I'll remember you."
Behind him, his adjutant stepped forward.
"Major General, we currently hold the terrain advantage. There's also a garrison on the island. If we launch a surprise attack on the tavern or the harbor, we might be able to—"
"Silence."
Hack cut him off.
"You think I don't want that?"
"I want nothing more than to charge down there right now, crush that jellyfish, and turn him into cold jellyfish salad!"
He took a deep breath, forcing down the murderous intent boiling inside him.
"But the Admiral's strategic orders take priority over personal grudges."
"Attacking now would only alert them and ruin everything."
He turned around.
The shadow covering half his face made his gaze even darker.
"Let him go."
"Let him follow the path we've guided him onto—toward the Sky Island he's so obsessed with."
"Let him believe everything is under control."
"Let him continue to grow arrogant."
A faint smile curled at Hack's lips.
"When he comes back down from the sky…"
"No matter what he finds up there…"
"I'll be waiting."
"The disgrace of the G10 Branch will be washed away with blood."
"And when the time comes…"
"I will personally send him—and every one of his smug officers—straight to Impel Down."
His cold voice echoed through the surveillance tower.
Casting a shadow over the seemingly cheerful holiday atmosphere below.
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