Shakky's Rip-off Bar

When Hancock opened her eyes again, she found herself lying on a soft leather sofa. Around her was a dimly lit bar, the air thick with the smell of alcohol and tobacco.

There was no sign of any attendants in the bar, yet from the corner of her eye, she spotted a freshly mixed drink sitting on the round wooden table before her.

Tiny droplets of condensation clung to the glass, with wisps of cold air rising from it. It had clearly been prepared only moments ago.

Hancock frowned, her eyes full of confusion.

She slowly sat up, her fingers instinctively touching the back of her neck, where a faint, dull ache still lingered.

She only remembered being knocked unconscious by a Marine. Everything after that was a blank.

Where was this?

Supporting herself on the armrest, Hancock slowly stood, about to carefully inspect her surroundings and determine whether this place was safe.

Just then, a faint tremor came from the bar's wooden door, accompanied by the crisp, violent clash of weapons.

The ringing sound of metal striking metal pierced through the door and clearly reached her ears.

Hancock's body instantly stiffened, every muscle tensing as her vigilance rose to its peak.

She subconsciously raised a hand, a faint pink glow gathering at her fingertips as she prepared to use her ability at any moment.

But in the next second, she slowly relaxed again.

Though she did not know what exactly had happened, she did not seem to be in danger right now.

After hesitating for a moment, Hancock quietly walked toward the old wooden door. Her fingers settled on the handle, and with a slight push, she slowly opened a crack.

Then she simply pushed the door all the way open and stepped outside.

The wooden door let out a soft creak as it turned.

In the open space not far away, two young girls were huddled together. Hearing movement behind them, they abruptly turned around. The instant they saw the figure emerging from the door, their eyes lit up and tears welled from their eyes.

"Big sister!"

The two girls cried out in unison, their voices full of joy as they threw themselves at Hancock.

Hancock froze for a moment, then reached out and gently stroked her two younger sisters' heads. Feeling their warm bodies in her arms and confirming that they were safe and sound, the last trace of tension in her heart finally melted away.

As she softly comforted them, she raised her eyes toward the other three people in the clearing.

Three people stood in the clearing—two men and one woman, distinctly separated.

The two men stood facing each other in the center, longswords in hand, "sparring" in swordsmanship.

Meanwhile, beneath the shade of a tree stood the woman. Tall and slender, with an upright posture and neat short black hair, she had a cigarette hanging from the corner of her mouth and looked to be in her thirties.

Then Hancock looked at the two men sparring.

One had long, wavy silver-white hair casually draped over his shoulders, a white beard on his chin, and thin-framed glasses perched on his nose. Most striking of all was his right eye—a straight scar ran from his brow bone down to his cheek.

And the man fighting him was the Marine who had knocked her out earlier, Beiyuan Heng.

Beiyuan Heng wielded the famed blade Demon Cutter. Every swing carried tremendous force as he charged at the silver-haired man again and again.

His attacks were fierce, yet the silver-haired man casually blocked every one of them with his sword. Several times, a light flick of the man's blade sent him flying.

After knocking Hancock unconscious, Beiyuan Heng had quietly taken her away. After traveling through several places, he arrived at Area 13 of the Sabaody Archipelago.

There was a bar here called "Shakky's Rip-off Bar." It was not particularly famous, but it had been in business for many years.

On the surface, the bar's owner was merely a well-informed intelligence broker who made a living selling information and ripping people off.

She appeared utterly unremarkable, but in truth, she was Shakky, the former former Empress of Amazon.

Do not let Shakky's ordinary appearance now, or the fact that her youthful splendor had faded, fool you.

When she was young, she had been a devastating beauty, no less stunning than Hancock was now.

She was even a woman who had sparked a world war in the literal sense.

Even Pirate King Roger had once been madly infatuated with her and had personally taken part in the battle of God Valley for her sake.

When Beiyuan Heng brought Hancock to this bar, he had deliberately taken off his Marine cape.

He did not want to invite unnecessary trouble or hear rumors that this rising Marine star was secretly trafficking young girls.

When he entered the bar, Shakky was seated behind the counter, casually swirling a still-chilled glass in one hand.

Her gaze idly swept over the customers in the bar as she enjoyed this peaceful life.

Hearing movement at the entrance, Shakky casually looked up, assuming it was another drunkard coming in to drown his sorrows.

But when she saw Beiyuan Heng's handsome, upright face and Hancock slung over his shoulder, her indifferent eyes instantly brightened, and she immediately perked up.

"What would the customer like to drink?"

Shakky set down her glass and leaned forward slightly, her gaze falling on Beiyuan Heng's face as she studied his expression.

On the surface, Shakky remained as casual as ever, her tone calm, but inwardly, she had already raised her guard.

This man is no ordinary person. He is definitely not simple!

Beiyuan Heng gave a hearty laugh. His smile was warm, radiating friendliness.

"You're too polite, ma'am. I'm not here for a drink."

He paused and pointed at Hancock over his shoulder. "This child needs some help."

As he spoke, he gently shifted Hancock on his shoulder. "I happened to hear that the owner here is kindhearted, so I thought I'd come see if I could find some help."

After saying that, he placed Hancock from his shoulder onto the sofa beside the counter, then lowered his voice and said softly:

"She was also muttering something about 'Amazon'..."

At the word "Amazon," Shakky's pupils suddenly contracted. The casual look vanished entirely from her face, replaced by a grave expression.

She abruptly set down the glass she had been swirling.

Then she raised a hand, lightly clapped her palms, and called out to the noisy crowd in the bar:

"We're closed! We're closed! Everyone can leave now. We're not open today!"

The previously loud and boisterous bar instantly fell silent.

All the drinkers who had been drinking and chatting loudly stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Shakky behind the counter.

Seeing everyone frozen in place without the slightest intention of leaving, Shakky's brow furrowed slightly.

At that, one old regular who had been drinking here for years immediately caught on. He hurriedly stood up, pulled along his drinking companion, and said in haste:

"Alright, boss, we'll leave right away. We won't disturb you!"

Once the first person left, the remaining drinkers also came to their senses. One after another, they hurriedly paid their bills and quickly left the bar.

A few newcomers who were visiting for the first time still looked confused, muttering under their breaths, "She's just a woman."

"Idiot, what do you know?"

As one drinker hurried away, he lowered his voice and hastily explained to those newcomers still standing there. "If someone can open a bar in the Sabaody Archipelago and run it peacefully for this long, do you think the owner is some insignificant person?"

Those old regulars all understood that the proprietress was far more formidable than she appeared, someone they could not afford to provoke.

They had once personally seen a pirate with a bounty of over a hundred million cause trouble while drunk and speak disrespectfully to Shakky. She had casually grabbed him like a chick and viciously thrown him out of the bar.

That pirate had not even possessed the strength to resist.

Before long, every customer in the bar had left. Shakky rose and walked to the entrance, hanging up a wooden sign that read "Temporarily Closed."

Then she slowly shut the wooden door, completely sealing out the noise from outside.

Inside the bar, only the lingering smell of smoke and alcohol remained in the air.

Shakky took out a pack of women's cigarettes from her pocket, lit one, took a deep drag, and looked at Beiyuan Heng.

"Tell me. What happened to this child? And why did you come looking for me?"