Carina's Value, Target: The Sea Restaurant

Roana Port, a secret chamber in the underground black market.

The scent of low-quality tobacco mingled with the smell of damp mold, unable to dissipate within the cramped room.

A black market merchant with a face full of flab wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and pushed two heavy black suitcases across the table.

"This is forty million Beli."

The merchant's voice sounded tight.

"I have converted those jewels and gold artifacts into cash at the highest possible rate for you."

Across the table, the two-meter-four-tall Sabo sat in his dark blue tailcoat, his posture composed.

He did not rush to count the money; he merely flicked the cases open for a cursory glance before snapping them shut.

"Pleasure doing business."

Sabo adjusted his top hat, his tone gentle.

"Also, have you prepared the high-grade nautical medical kits and the specialized charts for the Grand Line as I requested?"

"Everything is ready!"

The merchant nodded hurriedly.

"I've already had them sent to the port via the secret passage!"

"Very good."

Sabo picked up the two suitcases and turned to leave the chamber.

Behind him, the merchant didn't dare let out a long breath until the door had clicked shut.

Half an hour later, at a top-tier private berth.

Sabo paused in his tracks as he stepped onto the deck of the Eclipse with the suitcases in hand.

Dozens of unconscious gang members lay strewn across the pier.

Buggy, the "Chief Chore Boy" of the Eclipse, was squatting among them, skillfully rifling through their pockets.

"Broke losers, not even a gold ring..."

Buggy grumbled as he unceremoniously stuffed the loose change and a few cheap pocket watches he had scavenged into his coat.

"Pah, you call yourselves gangsters with this pittance?"

Even a mosquito's leg is meat.

These were the spoils of his "overtime" work in the middle of the night.

"Buggy, what happened here?"

Sabo raised an eyebrow slightly, stepping over the pile of grunts to reach the deck.

"Ah! Vice-Captain Sabo, you're finally back!"

The moment Buggy saw Sabo, he shoved the loose change into his coat and put on an expression of seeking credit.

"A bunch of local thugs without eyes tried to smash up our ship, but I wiped them out like autumn leaves sweeping away fallen branches!"

Having said that, Buggy lowered his voice mysteriously.

"By the way, the Captain just brought a purple-haired woman into the living quarters."

"A woman?"

Sabo's movements faltered for a moment.

He knew Ace was never the type to be swayed by beauty.

Anyone brought aboard by Ace must have some special value.

Sabo pushed open the door to the living quarters.

A rich aroma of roasted meat, accompanied by a wave of heat, surged out to meet him.

Under the bright lights, Sabo immediately spotted the purple-haired girl kneeling on the leather rug, her eyes gleaming as she stared at a pile of gold bars.

Ace was sitting cross-legged on a large armchair.

He was shirtless, his shoulders, back, and arms still glistening with sweat from training, and scorching white steam rose from his skin.

These were the traces of the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire's recovery power at work.

Ace clearly hadn't rested during the half-hour Sabo had been away.

Heavy iron weights lay beside the rug, and the air still held the lingering scent of high heat and sweat.

He was using the recovery power of the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire to tear his muscles repeatedly, only to have the damage repaired instantly.

This near-masochistic training method consumed an astonishing amount of stamina and calories.

At this moment, Ace was gripping a piece of roasted sea beast meat on the bone, thicker than a grown man's thigh, tearing off a huge chunk and swallowing it in a few bites.

"You were a bit slow coming back, Sabo."

Ace swallowed the last piece of meat, tossed the massive bone into a nearby trash can, and wiped the grease from the corners of his mouth with a towel.

"Those guys at the black market always like to play little tricks with the quality of the goods; it took a bit of extra effort to talk them down."

Sabo smiled and stepped forward, carrying two black cases.

"This is the forty million Beli we got in exchange, along with some specialized nautical charts essential for heading to the Grand Line."

Upon hearing "forty million Beli," Carina, who had been staring at the gold bars, immediately looked up.

Her attention shifted instantly to the cases in Sabo's hands.

"Let me introduce you."

Ace raised his hand, the white steam dissipating from his body.

"This is Carina."

"From today on, she will be temporarily responsible for the finances and intelligence operations of the Eclipse."

"Finances and intelligence?"

Sabo looked at the purple-haired girl, who was beautiful to an excessive degree.

He did not ask further.

Since she was someone Ace had decided to keep, there must be a reason for it.

Sabo placed the two black cases in his hands in front of Carina.

"Since you're in charge of finances, why don't you audit this haul we just traded for at the black market?"

He gave a slight nod.

"Nice to meet you, I am the vice-captain of the Eclipse, Sabo."

Carina looked at the tall, composed, yet clearly formidable blond youth before her, feeling secretly shocked.

What kind of people were on this ship?

A red-nosed guard who was a Devil Fruit user.

A vice-captain who could easily force down prices in the black market, his presence rivaling pirates in the East Blue with bounties in the tens of millions.

As for the captain himself, he was a monster who could tear his own muscles apart while regenerating with flames, possessing an appetite like a bottomless pit.

This was no ordinary pirate ship.

This was a nest of monsters.

However, the moment money was involved, Carina's professional instincts immediately overcame her fear.

She opened the black cases without hesitation, her fingers flipping rapidly through the thick stacks of bills.

She didn't just check the quantity; she checked the serial numbers, paper quality, and seals of several bundles of Beli, while recalling the original quality of the jewelry from the vault earlier.

In less than a minute, she closed the lids.

"The cash is fine."

"And the loss rate is controlled within twelve percent."

Carina looked up at Sabo, her tone finally carrying a hint of seriousness.

"In the black market of Roana Port, to keep the loss on fencing jewelry to this level..."

She paused.

"Vice-Captain, your negotiation tactics are quite violent."

Sabo smiled slightly, not denying it.

"Money laundering and bookkeeping are just the basics."

Ace picked up a clean black shirt from the side, pulled it on, and buttoned it up.

"What I value more is the intelligence network you mentioned earlier."

He looked at Carina.

"We are going to the Grand Line."

"Now, plan the most valuable route."

"Let me see what you're capable of."

When it came to her professional work, Carina immediately shifted into gear.

She pulled a full map of the East Blue from under the coffee table and spread it out on the desk.

"If the goal is just to reach Reverse Mountain, sailing directly south is the fastest way."

"But that would not only mean crashing head-on into the blockade of the Marine 16th Branch, but the route is also full of barren islands with nothing to gain."

Carina's finger traced a zigzag line across the chart.

"Since this ship pursues not only speed but also luxury, I suggest taking this 'Golden Route' before leaving the East Blue."

Her finger finally stopped at a specific coordinate.

"There is a giant restaurant here that stays anchored at sea all year round."

"The sea restaurant, Baratie."

Hearing this name, the movement of Ace's hand paused for a moment.

The restaurant where Sanji is.

Calculating the time, that blond cook should already be there.

Carina did not notice Ace's reaction and continued her analysis:

"Baratie is the top-tier restaurant in the East Blue."

"The chefs there all have very volatile tempers; it is said that many of them were originally combatants."

"But precisely because the food is good enough, wealthy merchants, bounty hunters, and pirates of all stripes love to go there to spend their money."

She tapped the coordinates on the nautical chart.

"Not only does it have the finest full-course meals in the East Blue, but more importantly, it is one of the densest hubs for underground intelligence circulation in the East Blue."

"By going there for a meal, we can easily pick up the latest news on the entrance to the Grand Line, and we can also probe the movements of other big shots in the East Blue."

"If we are lucky, we might even be able to scout for a reliable cook while we're at it."

Having said this, Carina looked up at Ace.

"We can grasp intelligence while solving the logistical problems of long-distance sailing."

"Captain, this proposal is enough to prove my value, right?"

Sabo nodded lightly after listening.

This woman is indeed more than just a thief who knows how to pick locks.

Ace looked quietly at the coordinates on the nautical chart.

He liked this style of doing things—planning everything in an orderly fashion and maximizing the benefits.

He was not lacking in intelligence regarding the entrance to the Grand Line.

But he did indeed need a top-tier cook.

The super-speed regeneration of the Zhuque Fruit destined him to consume a massive amount of food every day.

If he had to rely on rough roasted sea beast meat to fill his stomach every day, it would simply be a waste of this 80 million Beli fast ship.

"Very well."

Ace stood up.

"Your probationary period continues."

"But for now, I am quite satisfied with your performance."

Carina hugged her ledger box, the corners of her mouth unable to help but curl upward.

Ace turned and walked out of the living quarters, his voice clearly reaching the deck.

"Buggy, stop rummaging through that trash."

"Clean up the deck and pull up the anchor."

Outside on the deck, Buggy stuffed a few coins into his pocket while grumbling discontentedly:

"What do you mean trash? This is all overtime pay that yours truly earned through hard work!"

Ace ignored him, simply looking at the coordinates on the nautical chart with a chuckle.

"Tomorrow morning, destination: the sea restaurant."

"Let's go taste exactly how good the food made by the top chef in the East Blue really is."