Shakky's Rip-off Bar

The crew of the Big Top planned their route according to the numbers marked on the Yarukiman Mangrove. Since numbers 50 to 59 were mainly shipyards and gathering places for coating craftsmen, Rayleigh was likely to be doing coating work there. Buggy would naturally not miss the opportunity to find a backer in advance.

Resin bubbles derived from the resin of the Yarukiman Mangrove can be seen everywhere on the island, with pirate ships with waving flags, as well as various merchant ships and cruise ships moored on the shore.

Even the pirates who usually disregard the law and do whatever they want have to carefully abide by the rules of this island now. After all, Marineford, the Marine Headquarters, is located near the Sabaody Archipelago, and the Celestial Dragons of the Holy Land Mary Geoise treat this island as their own backyard. If they accidentally cause a big mess or anger the Celestial Dragons, spending the rest of their lives in Impel Down would be a lenient sentence!

Therefore, the Sabaody Archipelago appears on the surface to be thriving and harmonious.

However, this island actually harbors one of the darkest and most explicitly prohibited human trafficking operations in the world. It is likely that government and naval officials consider the term "human trafficking" too offensive and therefore turn a blind eye to this business.

After sailing around half of the island, we finally saw a mangrove tree with the number "50" on its trunk. If we kept going straight, we could hear a crackling sound not far away. That was the sound of shipwrights hammering nails to build the ship in the shipyard. Standing on the deck and looking straight ahead, we could see coating craftsmen in the dock diligently coating the ship.

The coating process wasn't mentioned in the original text; only by witnessing it firsthand could one begin to understand the intricacies of this industry. Because the resin bubbles produced by the mangroves couldn't accommodate the size of the ship, the choice had to be made based on the ship's shape and size: either piece together dozens of small resin bubbles for coating, or use special tools to grind all the small bubbles together to form a large bubble before coating. This required a high level of skill and keen eye from the coating artisan; a slight mistake would render all previous coating efforts useless, forcing them to start over. In short, due to the unique geographical location of Fish-Man Island, coating artisans had become a highly sought-after and lucrative profession.

This is why Rayleigh chose to become a coating craftsman after retiring, but...

Buggy stared blankly at the busy craftsmen on the shore, then suddenly slapped his forehead. He had almost forgotten that Rayleigh, with his personality, would never obediently stay here and do coating. This guy would definitely go to the casino to spend money as soon as he had it, and after losing everything, he would sell himself to the auction house to exchange for some Beli.

Buggy gave a wry smile, "We've come to the wrong place. We should have gone to the Shakky's Rip-off Bar at number 13 to investigate first..."

"Uncle Buggy, can I go down and take a look at those bubble coatings?" Kaya asked Buggy on a whim.

"Are you going down...?" Buggy asked. "No problem, but we're going to Mangrove Tree No. 13 later, and it's not safe for you to go alone..." As he spoke, he looked at the others.

"Let's go down Kaya," Lilina said unexpectedly kindly.

"Hmm..." Buggy hesitated for a moment, then looked at the number on the mangrove tree. "No, let's dock the ship at port number 53 for now. A few people can stay behind to guard the ship and look after each other. The rest of you can come to the island with me, okay?"

No one objected, and they nodded in agreement.

In the ensuing discussion, Buggy assigned tasks to everyone: Cabaji, Nilek, and Mikuru were to guard the ship, Kaya was to explore the surrounding area, and Buggy, Mohji, Lilina, Shuma were to go to the Shakky's Rip-off Bar at Mangrove Tree No. 13, taking the opportunity to sightsee along the way.

Then, Buggy and his three companions left Mangrove Area 53 and headed towards Mangrove Area 40.

Upon arriving at area 49, the crowd noticeably increased, becoming more lively and dense. Among them were a few pirate-like individuals, who were behaving themselves.

"Pirates here, even if they are sold, are not protected by law. In addition, the bounty hunters on the island are all top-notch experts. If you are too conspicuous, you will easily be targeted."

Buggy said casually as he passed by the pirates.

The pirates, curious to see who was being so talkative, glanced at Buggy before quickly averting their gaze. They exchanged surprised looks and whispered as they hurried away, "That guy... isn't that the currently trending Buggy the Clown?"

"It shouldn't be wrong... He looks exactly like the person on the bounty poster. I didn't expect him to come to this island. This is Supernovas with a bounty of 136 million!"

After walking a dozen steps, Buggy glanced back at the group, then helplessly pinched his forehead with his index finger and thumb. "Supernovas... I don't find them interesting at all; in fact, I feel belittled."

After all, the strongest pirates of his generation had become the Four Emperors, and the weakest had become the Shichibukai. Compared to them, there was nothing to be happy about.

After walking a little further, Shuma, who had inadvertently slipped away, ran to a local specialty shop and squeezed himself into a resin bubble that was being displayed.

The shop owner, wearing sunglasses, immediately handed over a strange-looking car mount, saying, "Please put this in too!"

Shuma took the crane bracket and excitedly shouted from inside the resin bubbles, "It's in! It's in! It doesn't seem to leak!"

The shop owner smiled and said, "This height should be fine. If you control the steering wheel well, you can move forward directly."

"Wow~" Shuma steered the Bubble Car forward with a burst of speed. "It's really moving!"

The shop owner chuckled, "Renting one of these Bubble Car for a day costs 500 Beli, but buying one only costs 10,000 Beli. Buying one would be a great deal, wouldn't it?"

"Really?" Shuma shouted. "Buggy, I want to buy this!"

"There's no need to buy one, renting is fine." Buggy walked over. "If it's a dog, it can easily make a much more fun toy than this."

"I see... Alright then!!" Shuma thought for a moment and agreed.

"This customer..." the shop owner looked at Buggy, "You don't look like a local."

"Although I'm not a local, this isn't my first time here, so I know a little about the area."

"Is that so... then there's nothing we can do about it." The shop owner gave a regretful, self-deprecating laugh.

Afterwards, each person rented a Bubble Car, paid the fee, and the group rode along in the convenient Bubble Car, enjoying the surrounding scenery.

With Buggy's permission, Mohji and Shuma bought a lot of unique and delicious food from the Sabaody Archipelago, as well as some very memorable souvenirs.

Lilina, having seen the world and toured the Sabaody Archipelago, naturally didn't react with the same curiosity as the other two.

When they arrived at Mangrove Area 33, Buggy stopped, and the others behind him also braked abruptly. "What's wrong? Captain Buggy!"

Mohji's expression suddenly became alert, his eyes darting around as he surveyed his surroundings.

Buggy glanced at a very luxurious-looking fashion boutique and said to Lilina, "Let's go in and pick out a couple more pretty outfits."

"..." Lilina blinked blankly, then couldn't help but say, "When did you become so kind..." A sly and smug glint flashed in her eyes, "Could it be that you've secretly fallen for me...? But, liking me is perfectly normal, just admit it!"

"It seems we've been misunderstood..." Buggy smiled but didn't elaborate. "By the way, do you still have that green soap bar that you got in the Weilan dungeon that's supposed to whiten skin with you?"

"No, they're all on the boat."

Lilina was curious about Buggy's sudden change of topic. "What's wrong?"

Buggy said, "Um... it's nothing, no rush, we'll be staying here for a long time anyway."

"You're talking strangely."

"Alright, go pick out a few more pretty clothes." Buggy grinned, his white teeth gleaming. "I'm sure your taste is absolutely top-notch!"

"Hehe, such a direct compliment! I'll have to pick out a couple of outfits!"

After saying that, Lilina happily walked into the fashion store.

"Hmm, Shakky's figure should be similar to Lilina's, right? Giving a woman the right gift should definitely score a lot of points," Buggy murmured, watching Lilina's retreating figure.

Long skirts, casual pants, leggings, backless dresses—they selected several very beautiful and luxurious outfits, paying approximately 150,000 Beli. The group continued onward. Thanks to the Bubble Car, they could simply place all their purchases on it, making travel very fast. In less than an hour, they arrived at Area 22.

Along the way, more than a dozen furtive figures followed Buggy and his group.

"Still being harassed...?" Buggy glanced back. "I wonder if they're human traffickers or bounty hunters..."

He stopped. "There aren't many people here. You can all come out now."

Suddenly, not only behind them, but also in front of them, a dozen or so people appeared, armed and blocking their path.

"Buggy the Clown!" a burly man stepped forward. "Your head is worth a lot of money!"

"Not bad..." Buggy glanced casually at the bounty hunter blocking his way. "Come and take it if you dare."

"Don't talk down to us like that. We've taken down plenty of pirates with huge bounties. You dare underestimate us...?" The burly bounty hunter brandished his ten-meter-long broadsword and charged forward in an instant. "You'll die a horrible death!!"

"Tekkai. Rashomon!"

Mohji used his Tekkai to block the burly man's slash.

Instantly, the large cleaver shattered into dozens of blades that fell to the ground.

Before the burly man could react, a punch sent him flying more than ten meters like a cannonball, embedding him in the trunk of mangrove tree number 22.

Mohji withdrew his fist. "Is that all?"

"Brother Budi!!"

The bounty hunters gasped in surprise at the burly man, then turned to look at Buggy and Mohji, a bead of cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.

Buggy said calmly, "Stop standing there. Don't you want my head? Come and get it with us."

A bounty hunter wearing a black bandana shouted, "Everyone, attack together! Even if Buggy the Clown is incredibly powerful, he can't possibly be a match for so many of us!!"

Ten minutes later, the bounty hunter in the black turban lay limply on the ground, his eyes rolled back, tears streaming down his face. "That was amazing! Sure enough, a bounty of over a hundred million... it's impossible to defeat them by sheer numbers..."

Not only him, but all the other Pirate Hunter lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Since you've already said those lines... you might as well just stick to being an extra."

Buggy scanned all the bounty hunters before him. If their gear was splattered with blood, it would leave a bad impression on Shakky. To avoid that, Buggy and the others went much easier on them.

"Let's keep going, don't waste time on such trivial things."

After a minor hiccup caused by the bounty hunters' interception, Buggy and his group continued their journey towards the area of Mangrove Tree No. 13.

Half an hour later.

"Mangrove No. 13... We've finally arrived."

Buggy looked at the mangrove tree marked with the number 13 in front of him, and walked a few steps forward with the others. They saw several wounded people lying outside a domed house with the words "Shakky's Extortion Bar" written on it. Their heads were covered in blood.

Lilina whispered, "Hey, is this store really okay?"

Mohji nodded in agreement, "It does look very fierce!"

"It should... be fine, although I'm not very familiar with the owner of this place..." Buggy shrugged and pushed open the bar door.

"Excuse me, is anyone home?"

"Welcome... What would you like to order?" A short-haired woman with a cigarette dangling from her mouth stood behind the bar, slowly glancing sideways at the bar entrance.

"I'm here to find someone," Buggy said with a smile.

"Oh..." Shakky exhaled a smoke ring, "There shouldn't be anyone you know here."

"I'm here to see Mr. Silvers Rayleigh."

"There's no Silvers Rayleigh here..."

Shakky turned around calmly, wiping the cups and plates in the cabinet. "There's only one coating shipwright, Old Lei."

"So, is Old Lei, the shipwright who does coating, here?"

Seeing Buggy's persistent questioning, Shakky finally began to take notice. She turned around and carefully observed him. After a while, she exhaled a smoke ring and asked, "You are... Buggy the Clown?"

"It seems Mr. Rayleigh has mentioned me, Sister Xia." Buggy immediately laughed.

Hearing Buggy's unusual way of addressing her, Shakky smiled with amusement. "Rayleigh sometimes brings up things from the past, but Rayleigh only mentioned yours to me casually after that bounty with a decent reward was issued. That guy can be so quiet sometimes."