Veterans in the Same Trade

Duen did not necessarily need to earn Sanji's emotion points. It was just that when they were practically delivered to his door, he felt a little sorry for the other party if he did not take advantage of them.

After all, setbacks were a man's spiritual nourishment. This kind of whipping was beneficial to his growth.

That was right, exactly so.

Watching Sanji get dragged away in floods of tears, Duen smiled in satisfaction.

The dishes were served soon enough. As expected of Baratie, the famous sea restaurant of the East Blue—even with a constant stream of customers, there was hardly any delay in serving the food.

Ever since leaving the Goa Kingdom, Duen and Nami had lived on bread and cold water during their voyage. Now, as they ate flavorful dishes like charcoal-grilled steak, pan-seared sablefish, and salmon salad, the sheer deliciousness seemed ready to burst from their throats.

Still, they were in public, so they had to maintain a necessary degree of restraint. But they had to admire this old restaurant that had been open for more than a decade. At the very least, the texture and flavor of its food were truly authentic.

A gramophone beside a stack of plates in the corner played a gentle, melodious tune. Duen remembered that it was called Schubel's Gift, a song said to have originated from an island in the South Blue. It was probably an old song from decades ago.

It had been written about a boy named Schubel who, encouraged by his fellow villagers, joined the Marines. Years later, he became a Marine colonel and returned to his hometown to repay the villagers.

The song's calm melody, with no climactic section, was precisely its strength. It was highly suitable as background music for restaurants and stages.

Whenever he had free time in the past, Duen often read newspapers, so he knew many interesting anecdotes and stories steeped in history.

After finishing the food on the table, Duen ordered one of Baratie's signature rainbow slushies, leaned back in his chair, and leisurely enjoyed the wonderful moment.

But peace never lasted long. Two bounty hunters entered one after the other and happened to sit at a table diagonally opposite Duen. After ordering, they began to talk.

"Did you read the newspaper I gave you? Kuro of Hundred Plans, with a bounty of sixteen million, was arrested!"

"I saw it. The Marines seem determined to make a big deal out of this. In a few days, it will probably spread throughout the entire East Blue."

"Those Marines are shrewd. They also want to promote bounty hunters as role models, using wealth and fame as bait to draw more capable people into the fight against pirates."

"Who asked the East Blue to have no decent bounty hunters... That fellow called Mengde got all the advantage."

The somewhat noisy conversation drifted over from the neighboring table. Nami gave Duen a meaningful look and smiled. "They're talking about you, aren't they?"

Duen shrugged calmly. "The taller the tree, the stronger the wind."

"Mm..."

Nami did not know what to say. Unlike Duen, who had only recently gone to sea, she had drifted across the ocean for four years. She was familiar with everything at sea and keenly understood how terrifying pirates could be. Especially monsters like Kuro, whose bounty had reached eight figures—they were people she believed could not be provoked.

Although she had known since the Goa Kingdom that Duen possessed extraordinary strength, she still found it utterly unbelievable that he had defeated Kuro.

This was also what many bounty hunters thought. Buggy the Clown had always kept a low profile, while the fish-man Arlong guarded his own little patch of territory. Neither of them usually caused any major news. But Kuro of Hundred Plans and Commodore Don Krieg were different. They were currently the two most active pirate forces in the East Blue, and naturally received the most media exposure.

The civilians of the East Blue might not know that Arlong existed, but nearly all of them had heard of Don Krieg and Kuro's infamous reputations. Yet pirates of that caliber had been defeated and arrested by an unknown man named Mond Duen.

Civilians would be shocked and excited, but bounty hunters would not. Being surpassed by a rising newcomer... was hardly something worth celebrating.

After all, those in the same trade were natural rivals.

"Friends."

Duen sat down in an empty chair at their table and leaned closer. "I'm a bounty hunter too. It sounded like you were discussing something quite extraordinary?"

"You're a bounty hunter too?"

A man with rather broad cheekbones sized Duen up. Though Duen did not look like one, the man did not question it. "Kid, you didn't see this morning's paper, did you? Sam, let him have a look."

"Here." The bearded man took out a newspaper and handed it to Duen.

Duen accepted it and checked the watermark. This paper differed from the ones he had bought from the News Coo over the past two days. It was a local newspaper distributed only within the East Blue.

Judging from the somewhat chaotic layout, this news report had clearly been inserted at the last minute. It did not even occupy enough space for a photograph, much less give him a chance to appear.

The lengthy article employed a suppress-then-praise approach. It first used a great deal of text to emphasize Kuro of Hundred Plans' brutality, cruelty, and countless crimes.

Then the article abruptly changed direction, bringing up the name of the bounty hunter who had defeated Kuro, "Mond Duen," and lavishly praising him. It also repeatedly stressed the Marines' strict anti-piracy policy and their favorable treatment of bounty hunters.

At the bottom of the article's conclusion were the signatures and comments of several officers from Marine branches. But they amounted to nothing more than, "We uphold the three fundamental principles of showing no ambiguity, making no compromise, and offering no retreat when dealing with pirates." They were not worth paying attention to.

Duen put down the newspaper. "So that's how it is."

The broad-cheekboned man looked at Duen and asked, "From the looks of you, you must have only recently joined the bounty hunting business?"

"I suppose I'm new to the trade."

Hearing Duen's answer, the broad-cheekboned man could not help revealing the superiority of an old hand. "Kid, this line of work isn't easy. Don't think it's like manual labor, where putting in physical effort is enough... Sometimes, your life is on the line."

Before this junior, the bearded Sam also wore an arrogant expression. "Kip is right. Not just anyone can come out and make their way across these seas. If you treat this like child's play, you'll die very quickly." As he spoke, he made a half-joking, half-serious throat-slitting gesture at Duen.

Kip laughed heartily. "Sam, don't scare him. He's just a newcomer."

"I've been a bounty hunter for so many years and killed so many pirates. I should be qualified to tell the younger generation a thing or two, right?"

Sam smiled at Duen. "Kid, you don't doubt my goodwill, do you? I just don't want to see... a 'newcomer' become a 'dead man.'"

Duen nodded in agreement and asked in the tone of a humble student, "You two seniors are absolutely right. Since you're so formidable, you must have captured quite a few pirates over the years?"

Sam and Kip exchanged a glance. Then Sam revealed a proud expression. "Have you heard of Majeri? A great pirate with a bounty of eight hundred thousand!"