"Is this for real? It isn't bait to lure us in, is it?"
"I heard those pirates handed out flyers when they came through before, but I never thought anyone would actually believe them. And the pirates really kept their word-they even sent warships along as escorts?"
"Man! The first order free, plus fifty percent off afterward! Why wasn't I lucky enough to be the first to take the plunge?"
"Ha! Would you have dared? Those are pirates who kill without blinking. Who knows if you'd be walking straight into a death trap?"
"What's this Antonio's background? Does anyone know? Could he be a shill the pirates paid off?"
"I know him. His family lives in Meteor City. The company he runs isn't big, but it has a good reputation and is fairly well known around here. I don't think he'd collude with pirates."
"Lucky bastard..."
"Uh, buddy up above, do you have Antonio's digital business card? Send me a copy. I'll buy you dinner sometime!"
"Sure, no problem. But what do you want with him?"
"Ahem! Nothing much. Just wanted to compare notes on paying protection fees. Things like whether we should slip the pirates a little extra on the side."
"Heh! I don't think your motives are quite that innocent, buddy. You've spotted this company's huge growth potential and want to buy a stake, haven't you?
"Never mind anything else-with that fifty-percent-off VIP deal, it'd be hard for the company not to make money!"
"Come on, buddy, that's not very sporting. Even if you've figured it out, keep it to yourself so we can stay friends!"
"Ha! You think you're the only one who thought of that? Investors have already been blowing up Antonio's phone. I tried calling for ten minutes and couldn't get through!"
"Ah..."
Starting