Shakky's Rip-off Bar

The two walked out of the alley without any problem, which surprised several people who were waiting outside. After all, it's human nature to watch a show, and they had been waiting there since the incident happened.

Teach and his companion left, wondering what had happened to the human traffickers who had surrounded them. They quietly slipped into the alley and peeked inside. In that single glance, their pupils constricted.

The corpses lying on the ground were all lifeless; these human traffickers, who had been so rampant in this area, were all dead.

This scene terrified them, and they immediately ran away. They realized that the two people targeted by these human traffickers were no pushovers. If they found out that they had discovered their killing of the traffickers, they might kill them too.

If Teach knew what they were thinking, she would have to admit they were overthinking it.

The two arrived at Zone Thirteen, and soon, Teach found the pub called "Shakky's Rip-off Bar." This pub was not famous in the Sabaody Archipelago, and its decoration was not luxurious. There were at least a hundred pubs like this in the entire Sabaody Archipelago.

However, it was quite famous locally because the name of the tavern attracted many pirates who came to be ripped off. The food and drinks inside were very ordinary, but ridiculously expensive.

They wanted to cause trouble, but their strength didn't allow it, so they could only reluctantly hand over the money. However, after coming here once, they basically wouldn't come back again.

Therefore, this tavern is very remote and has relatively few customers. However, as the Sabaody Archipelago is a necessary route to the New World, countless new pirates come here every year. There are always some guys who don't know anything about this tavern and are attracted by its name.

Just as Teach reached the door, suddenly, one, two, or three figures flew out of the tavern. They were three pirates, but their clothes had been stripped off, leaving them only in their underwear, and their faces showed expressions of terror.

A mature woman with short black hair wore a brightly colored top with a spider pattern, and her open coat revealed an indescribable fullness. She wore jeans.

With a cigarette dangling from her hand, Shakky said calmly, "A bunch of penniless bastards trying to dine and dash, get lost."

Hearing her words, the three pirates fled like the wind, determined to leave this dangerous place and never return.

The pirate residents on the street couldn't help but laugh as they watched this scene. They had lived in Area 13 for many years and knew this tavern quite well. The tavern owner was a powerful woman, and countless pirates had suffered at her hands.

Sometimes, they would even recommend that some newly arrived pirates come here for drinks, in a rather wicked way.

Shakky saw Teach, and she turned and went into the tavern, her mind involuntarily recalling information about Teach.

Teach wasn't surprised that Shakky knew his information. She was the world's most deeply hidden information broker, a contemporary of Garp and Pops, and had once been on the same ship as Pops. She was the intelligence strategist of the Rocks Pirates, the dominant force of that era, and a core member of the Rocks Pirates. Although not known for her strength, she was certainly not weak.

After the Rocks Pirates were destroyed, she went into seclusion, retired from the life of crime, and made a living by gathering intelligence. She possessed a vast amount of information, and there were few things in the world that she didn't know.

No one would have guessed that Pluto Rayleigh, the right-hand man of the Roger Pirates, was also living in seclusion here, in this small tavern.

Teach could already sense Rayleigh's presence, that familiar presence; he was in this tavern.

Following Shakky into the tavern, they found only one person inside. At the bar sat a blond man dressed in ordinary clothes. No one would have guessed that this was none other than the legendary Pluto Rayleigh.

Shakky closed the tavern door, watching Teach, who had already reached the bar, and Pito beside him, return to their seats. She took a light drag on her cigarette, exhaling smoke, a smile on her face. "Young man, what would you like to order?"

"A glass of Bailan, and information about the human trafficker House." Teach smiled at her.

"Oh, so you know my rules here! Information on human trafficker House costs five million Beli. Consider the Bailan a gift from me." Shakky said to Teach, always taking business very seriously. "But are you sure you want this information? It seems to be related to the Celestial Dragons." Shakky reminded him, pouring a glass of Bailan and gently moving the glass in front of Teach.

"I already knew about this, but I wanted more detailed information." Teach smiled. "Besides, he's just a Celestial Dragons. House took my things."

Shakky and Rayleigh, who was standing next to her, exchanged a glance. Shakky asked curiously, "Oh, what is it?"

"Two Devil Fruit," Teach chuckled, revealing his pearly white teeth.

"Uh." Shakky was taken aback. She naturally knew that House was going to use two Devil Fruits to make contact with the Celestial Dragons, but this had nothing to do with Teach. If she wasn't mistaken, Teach had only just arrived in the first half of the Grand Line.

Seemingly sensing her thoughts, Teach burst into laughter, picked up his glass, downed the Bailan in one gulp, and slammed the glass down on the table with a "clatter." "Hahaha! If I've set my sights on it, it's mine. I'm a pirate, after all," Teach declared confidently.

"Hehe! This is really interesting." Shakky looked at Teach, and couldn't help but feel a little interested.

"Alright, pay first, then I'll give you the information." Shakky poured herself a glass of wine, brought it to her lips, and took a small sip.

"Then consider this bottle of wine as payment for the information I gave you." Teach took a bottle of wine out of his backpack, placed it on the table, and smiled. "This is a wine you've never tasted before."

Upon Teach's words, Shakky immediately became interested, as did Rayleigh, who was standing beside her. They didn't believe Teach was making things up. They gently opened the bottle, and a rich aroma of wine instantly wafted out from the bottle and spread through the air. Without a doubt, it was a top-quality wine.

Rayleigh, standing nearby, couldn't help but swallow hard and reached out for the bottle, but Shakky slapped it away and placed it under the bar.

"Okay, I agree. That's all it's worth." Shakky couldn't help but laugh. She turned around, went to the back, and soon returned to the bar with a piece of information in her hand, handing it directly to Teach.

Teach took the intelligence report, opened it, and looked at it. It was similar to what Teach already knew, but much more detailed and clear. It even included the name of the Celestial Dragons that the human trafficker House was trying to contact, several key leaders, and their relationships with other forces.

After carefully examining the information, Teach returned it to Shakky. "Is there anything else, buddy?" Shakky took the information, tidied it up again, and smiled at Teach.

"I need information about the Dark-Dark Fruit. If you have any, I'll pay you ten billion Beli. If you deliver it to me, I'll pay you ten billion Beli." Teach stared intently at the woman in front of her. Of course, the sooner she obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit, the better, but it was something that couldn't be forced.

Teach originally stayed on Whitebeard's ship for a full twenty-six years before finally obtaining the Devil Fruit he had always dreamed of. Of course, Teach didn't have high hopes; the Dark-Dark Fruit was more likely to be obtained in the New World.

Teach's words startled Shakky and Rayleigh. Such a huge sum—a billion just for the information—showed Teach's determination to obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit. Just what kind of Devil Fruit was it?

"Okay, I'll send someone to investigate. I'll let you know if there's any news." Shakky didn't care why Teach wanted the Dark-Dark Fruit so much; such a huge sum of money was enough for her to put the Dark-Dark Fruit on her priority list.

Having obtained the intelligence, Teach turned his gaze to Pluto Rayleigh beside him. "Rayleigh, our last battle isn't over yet. When I return to Sabaody Archipelago next time, I will challenge you again." Teach stared intently at Rayleigh, a powerful fighting spirit erupting from his body. A transparent halo spread outwards from his body, and his eyes flashed red as he unleashed a powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki. However, Teach perfectly controlled the range, focusing solely on Rayleigh.

As for Rayleigh, he smiled in response to Teach's words, "Spare me, I'm a retired old man." However, an equally powerful aura erupted from his body, and he turned slightly to look at Teach. The two stared at each other, and cracks gradually appeared on the floor under the powerful aura, causing the bar to tremble.

"Alright, stop already, or you'll ruin my tavern," Shakky laughed from behind the bar, seemingly unaffected by the two men's Haki confrontation.

Teach has great respect for Shakky, his senior, and they will definitely cooperate in the future. Moreover, Teach is not yet ready to fight Rayleigh. Although his strength has improved a lot in the past two years, he is still far behind Rayleigh.

As soon as they finished speaking, the two simultaneously withdrew their auras. If one didn't look at the dense, spiderweb-like cracks on the floor, it would seem as if nothing had happened.

In the clash of their auras, Teach was slightly at a disadvantage. After all, compared to his Pops and Roger, who were masters of Conqueror's Haki at its peak, Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki was naturally weaker and inferior.

Rayleigh hadn't expected Teach to possess Conqueror's Haki and to have grown in strength so quickly.

"A bottle of that wine from before," Teach said, looking at Rayleigh. He naturally didn't want to owe Rayleigh anything. Although Rayleigh wouldn't refuse his challenge, he still hoped it would be a transaction. Only a fair transaction would leave no one indebted.

"Alright, I agree, little guy from the Whitebeard Pirates." Rayleigh's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he agreed immediately. Compared to this exquisite wine that he had never tasted before, what was a battle? He had already planned to accept Teach's challenge anyway.

Hearing that Rayleigh had agreed, Teach placed another bottle of wine in front of Teach. "Drink sparingly. Every bottle of this is one less you can have," Teach said to Rayleigh.

Rayleigh nodded. This kind of wine should be sipped slowly, and he poured himself a small glass.

"Don't you know? He's already left the Whitebeard Pirates." Shakky said with a smile when she heard Rayleigh's words. She glanced at Teach and saw that Teach didn't react, which meant that Teach didn't mind her giving Rayleigh his information.

"Oh, really?" Rayleigh was somewhat surprised, but considering Teach's Conqueror's Haki, it was understandable that someone like him would submit to Whitebeard and leave.

"He caused quite a stir back then! On the day he left, he single-handedly challenged all the Whitebeard Pirates' officers who tried to stop him, fighting for a full ten hours without falling down. He even defeated more than half of the officers. He's a monster!" Shakky smiled as she looked at Teach. When she first heard the news, she was quite surprised, not expecting that the usually unassuming Teach was so powerful. Because of this, she specifically looked up information about Teach.

There are her people in the Whitebeard Pirates. You should know that even the Navy can't do this. The Whitebeard Pirates are the most cohesive pirate crew. As the Whitebeard Pirates gradually take shape, it will become increasingly difficult to plant spies in them.

"I never expected this." Rayleigh couldn't help but glance at Teach; such a big thing had actually happened on Whitebeard's ship.

However, Teach was clearly an ambitious person, which he could sense from Teach's Conqueror's Haki.

"Didn't you leave the Whitebeard Pirates? What are you doing here in 'Paradise'?" Shakky asked curiously.

"Hahaha! Of course, I want to see Roger's execution! This is a big event, I have to witness it with my own eyes, I don't want to miss it!" Teach laughed as he looked at them.

"What? You're interested in Pirate King too?" Rayleigh asked, looking at Teach.

"Don't be ridiculous. Becoming the second Pirate King? That title sounds impressive, but it's meaningless. No pirate would obey his orders." Teach sneered upon hearing Rayleigh's words. "This world is one where the strong rule. To conquer all pirates, you need absolute power. Roger undoubtedly couldn't do that. If he were still alive, it might be possible, relying on the Roger Pirates."

Rayleigh and Shakky were taken aback, not expecting Teach to give them this answer. Rayleigh wasn't angry, because Teach was right. The title of Pirate King was just symbolic. As the title of the first pirate crew to circumnavigate the world, it couldn't possibly govern all pirates.

"So what is your goal?" Rayleigh, somewhat curious.

"Watching Roger's execution is just a side thing. I will gather powerful and promising partners from all over the world and build a pirate crew as strong as the Rocks Pirates. With absolute strength, I will defeat other overlords and become the King of the World, zehahaha!" Teach said excitedly, bursting into laughter.

Rocks, what an ancient name. Rayleigh and Shakky never expected that Teach's target was this. Looking at Teach laughing hysterically, Shakky couldn't help but fall into memories. It was so similar. In Teach, she saw the shadow of Rocks, and also the shadow of Shiki.

They are all people with great ambition and strength. Given Teach's potential, it's only a matter of time before he rises to prominence.

That overlord of the previous era might have actually succeeded if he hadn't been left without help from his subordinates.

Rocks was already quite old at that time, no longer in his prime, so he was defeated by the combined efforts of the young Garp and Roger. They were both present and experienced that final battle.

Teach left, taking Peter with Pito.