The Thief

In the blink of an eye, several days had passed, and they had returned to this town of beginnings and endings.

"Aren't you going to report to your superior?"

"Thank you, Mr. Cifer and Mr. Enel, for taking care of me during this time."

On the street, Tashigi bowed to the two men before her once more.

Although she had not learned any methods to become stronger aboard Cifer's ship during this time, nor had she received any guidance.

She had personally witnessed the world's strongest swordsman and seen the world-famous black blade.

She had witnessed the joy of villagers after being saved, seen the filth beneath the Justice Cape, and seen a beacon in the darkness.

Everything she had received far outweighed what she had given during this time.

"Don't be lost anymore."

"Mm!"

She turned and ran off. The atmosphere was no longer as heavy as when they had first met. Cifer could tell that some kind of shackle around her had seemingly been broken.

"Let's go!"

Now that Cifer knew where the story was headed, he was naturally much more relaxed about timing.

He called Enel over, and they wandered around the streets of Loguetown. After all, it was the town where the Pirate King had been executed, so it was quite prosperous.

"Sorry!"

A boy around eleven or twelve accidentally bumped into Cifer. He hurriedly apologized, then ran off without looking back.

"That brat's got sticky fingers."

Stealing from his own captain—wasn't that an insult to a god? Enel watched the boy's retreating figure with an indifferent gaze.

"Same to you."

Cifer lightly tossed the bulging wallet in his hand.

Neither of them intended to rush over and expose him. They simply followed behind the boy at an unhurried pace.

"Jackpot! Jackpot!"

The boy ran into a rundown street piled high with all kinds of household garbage, the air thick with foul odors.

He cautiously looked around, and after confirming that no one was there, eagerly opened Cifer's wallet and began counting.

"There's actually 100,000 Belly!"

He was thrilled. This amount was worth several days of his earnings. He was one step closer to his dream.

"What's this?"

He discovered a folded piece of paper tucked inside a hidden compartment of the wallet.

"Black Winged Great Demon - Ulquiorra Cifer, bounty... ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand..."

As he counted the amount on the Wanted Poster, sweat unknowingly covered his forehead, and the poster slipped from his hand onto the ground.

Had he stolen from some supervillain?!

"It's fine, it's fine. He probably didn't notice. I was very careful..."

He reached into the inner pocket of his coat and took out a handkerchief, nervously wiping the sweat from his forehead while constantly checking his surroundings.

"Wait?!"

While wiping his forehead, he seemed to realize something. He frantically searched himself, only to discover that his own wallet was gone!

It had happened then!

That man had been his first mark today. He had only bumped into him once. It must have been then that the man had taken it back from him!

There was a card inside with several hundred thousand Belly he had saved up!

His heart was bleeding. He wanted to go back and find that man, but when he remembered the Wanted Poster, he could only pray that the other party would not come looking for him.

"Little Jerry, looks like you got lucky today. Counting money so soon!" Jerry heard one of the voices he least wanted to hear right now.

He turned around and saw a group of young men around twenty years old, casually dressed with hair in all sorts of colors, walking out from an alley.

They were thugs in Loguetown who spent their days bullying children and civilians for fun. The one who had spoken was one of them.

But they were not pirates, nor had they committed anything especially serious like murder or arson. Even if the Marines caught them, they would only be locked up for a few days, then go right back to their old ways after getting out.

They were not afraid of prison at all. They even called it a hard-labor camp, saying that getting arrested meant going in for training. Afterward, they would brag about it to other hoodlums.

"Big brothers, may I ask what you need from me?" He could never outrun them, so he could only see whether he could minimize his losses.

"You little brat, if I hadn't seen you hiding here and secretly counting money yesterday, I wouldn't have known you could steal this much!"

The man who had spoken earlier gently patted Jerry's face, looking smug.

"Perfect timing. The boys just got out of the hard-labor camp and don't have money for food. Today's earnings will treat us to a meal!"

Without another word, he yanked over Jerry's right hand, which had been hidden behind his back, and snatched the wallet from it.

"No! Give it back!"

Jerry struggled desperately to take back the wallet, but the man's companions knocked him to the ground with punches and kicks.

There was only one thought in his mind now: get that wallet back!

His savings from many years were already gone. If this wallet was taken too, he did not know how he could face his family.

"Give it back!"

Like a rabid dog, he bit down hard on the calf of the man holding the wallet. The intense pain made the man repeatedly punch and kick him in the head.

As two of his teeth shattered, Jerry collapsed to the ground, covered in blood and gasping for breath.

The bitten man wanted to go over and give him a few more kicks, but the others beside him held him back.

"If you keep hitting him, you'll kill him! Have you forgotten who commands the Marines in this town?!"

Thinking of White Hunter Smoker's vicious appearance, he shuddered all over and ultimately did not kick him.

"Give it back!"

Just as they turned to leave, Jerry grabbed his pant leg again. Annoyed, he stomped on Jerry's hand.

The pain forced Jerry to let go. He could only watch helplessly as they prepared to take the wallet he had stolen and go enjoy themselves. Lying prone on the ground, two streams of hot tears rolled down his face.

Just a little setback...

Before long, he got back to his feet, wiped away his tears, and limped toward home. His back looked like that of a lone wolf whose hunt had failed.

"Boss, is it really okay that we beat that kid so badly?"

One of the punks was still afraid. This was not the first time they had beaten someone badly, but the other party was only a child. He did not know whether the boy could endure it.

"Don't be scared. We only beat him up; it's not like we killed anyone. Even if Smoker finds out, at worst we'll go back to the hard-labor camp for more training."

The man holding the wallet did not take the matter to heart. He was considering what feast they should eat later. After all, he had checked—the wallet contained 100,000 Belly!

"Hey, friend, that wallet in your hand seems to be mine!" Before they even reached the main street, Cifer's tall figure blocked their path.

The owner had come looking for them?!

The punks had initially been somewhat frightened, but then they thought about how they had ruled Loguetown for quite some time. The man before them looked tall, but he spoke so politely that he had to be an easy target.

The leader of the thugs could not help but think of making another score.

"I was just thinking that you seem to have my wallet on you!" The others instantly understood and moved to lay their hands on Cifer.

"Honestly..."

With a casual wave of his hand, flashes of scarlet bloomed in the alley.